The evidence of my black eye was finally gone. The blue and purple colors disappeared, the skin returning to its normal shade. It made putting on my makeup much easier, and it didn’t make me so self-conscious in public.

I stood in the purple gown Bosco bought for me, a deep royal color that I adored. I did my hair in big curls and wore extra makeup for the evening, detailing my eyes to make them look smoky. I wore my father’s necklace and a bracelet Bosco had given me.

Bosco appeared behind me in the mirror, wearing a tuxedo. The material fit him like a second skin, showing his sculpted shoulders and arms. He wore a handsome grin as he came up behind me and presented me with a little black box. “I want you to wear this tonight.”

I stared at the little box in his hands and immediately knew it was jewelry. I was already wearing a necklace and a bracelet, so I wasn’t sure what else he wanted me to wear. I took it from his hands and popped open the box, revealing two diamond earrings.

Enormous diamond earrings.

“Uh…wow.” They caught the light and dazzled like two rainbows. “Jesus, these are huge.”

He grabbed my hair and pulled it back behind my shoulders. “Put them on.”

“They look too nice to wear. They should be sitting in a safe inside another safe…”

He leaned down and kissed my neck. “Put them on.”

I pulled each one out of the box and placed them in my lobes. They possessed a distinct heaviness, but they were also so strikingly beautiful that they pulled my outfit together perfectly. I’d never cared for expensive jewels, but anytime Bosco gave me anything, I loved it.

Bosco put my hair back in place. “Beautiful.” He left the bathroom, his dress shoes clapping against the tile. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Just let me grab my clutch.” I picked up the matching clutch Bosco had given to me, and we left together. We sat in the back seat of the car, and we headed down the road, approaching the opera house where we’d watch our show.

Bosco held my hand in the back seat. The back of his head didn’t seem to bother him anymore, and the swelling had gone down. He was as good as new, and as obsessed with me as ever.

“I’ve never been to the opera before.”

“Never?” he asked, his blue eyes shifting to my face. He looked handsome in his tux, his masculine physique filling out the material perfectly, from his broad shoulders to his chiseled jaw and his long legs.

“Never.”

“I think you’ll enjoy it. If you don’t, we can always do something else.” The corner of his mouth rose in a smile like he was making a joke.

But I knew it wasn’t a joke.

We entered the lobby where other couples were dressed in their finest. Bosco was immediately greeted by a crew that made him feel welcome, treating him like royalty. A few of the other guests looked at him, some with fear and others with respect.

My arm rested in the crook of his, and he guided me up the red-carpeted stairs to a private balcony. The entire box was reserved just for us, so we took the seats in the first row and waited for it to begin.

“You reserved the whole area?” I whispered.

He nodded. “I don’t share space with the public.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t rent out the whole theater, then.”

He shrugged. “I know you hate that, so I skipped it.”

Both of my eyebrows rose. “You’ve done that in the past…?”

“Like I said, I don’t share my space with the public. Their jealous and envious expressions get old. People ask for my advice or try to pick my brain about the casino. Women offer to suck my dick because they want to be covered in jewels and gowns. It gets tedious, to say the least.”

I crossed my legs and rested my arm through his. The lights dimmed, and the curtains opened. The show started, the sound of loud music filling the auditorium. It was a play about falling in love and finding the will to go on when that love was lost forever.

My hand stayed on his, and halfway through the show, I rested my head on his shoulder. When it was just the two of us tucked inside the box, no one else could see us except the actors onstage. That allowed me to be as affectionate as I liked, just as if we were home alone.

His hand lay on my thigh as he watched the play, his warm fingers lightly touching my bare skin. His cologne was powerful, along with his body soap and natural scent. With every breath he took, I could see his muscles flex slightly, making his body rise like a filled balloon.

The show was long, a few hours at least, but sitting with him made me envision our lives together if I stayed. We would do normal things together like this, get dressed up and go to the opera while someone watched the kids. We would still be in love decades later, just the way my parents were. We would be happy, affectionate, and loving.

The thoughts made me weak in the knees and a little afraid. I’d never been able to picture a future with any of the men in my life. I could see the ending right at the beginning. But now I was getting so attached to this man, it was impossible to picture my life without him. We only had a week left together, and on that day, I would leave without looking back.

But now that seemed impossible.

When the lights came up and the curtains closed, applause filled the auditorium.

I sat up straight and clapped, but I was only partially paying attention. All I could focus on was the thoughts that had played through my head during the performance. I couldn’t really enjoy it because I kept thinking about the man beside me, the man I leaned on for comfort, the man who decorated me with the most expensive jewels.

“Did you like it?” Bosco turned to me, the look in his eyes painfully handsome.

“Yes…it was beautiful.”

“My mom always loved the opera. Ronan and I used to take her.”

“You should have brought him along tonight.”

He rose to his feet and took me by the hand. “Maybe next time.”

When we returned to the penthouse, I slipped off my heels and left them in the corner of the bedroom, treating his bedroom like it was my own and somewhere I could make a mess. I was tired from the long show and sitting in traffic on the way back.

I was just about to take off my dress when Bosco ordered me not to.

“Leave it on.” He undid his bow tie then stripped off his jacket. “On the bed. On your back.” He dropped his jacket on the floor, slipped off his shoes, and then removed the rest of his tux, piece by piece.

I did as he asked, getting my purple dress wrinkled in the process.

He stripped down until he was naked then climbed on top of me. “All I could think about was fucking you tonight because you looked so beautiful.” He lifted the bottom of my gown and pushed it to my waist. “And now I finally will.” He pulled my black thong down my legs then tossed it aside. His eyes took in the area between my legs with arousal before he spread my legs with his knees. He positioned himself on top of me then slid inside, moving through the wetness that had been between my legs since we were in the opera house.

Right from the beginning, he pounded into me, taking me roughly like he was claiming me instead of making love to me. He decorated me in diamonds and designer clothing before he showed me off to the world, using me as another power play for his ego. And then he rewarded himself by fucking me hard in his bed.

I didn’t mind in the least. I loved being the object of this man’s obsession, loved being the only woman who got to be fucked like this. He could have any other woman, but he only wanted me. He only wanted to be inside me every night, no one else. My hands scratched his back, and I rocked my hips with him. “I love you, Bosco.” My heart had been bleeding in that auditorium, thinking about how much I’d fallen for this man. I wanted to do this every night for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to replace him with someone else, a good man.

I wanted a dangerous man instead.

I met Vanessa for lunch the next day.

“First of all, I have to ask this…” Vanessa looked behind me, expecting to see Bosco come through the door. “Did you bring him along? Because if you did, I have to tell Griffin and—”

“Just me.” I’d learned my lesson.

“Oh, thank god,” Vanessa said in relief. “I would have to tell Griffin, and it would be a whole ordeal. We just made up, and I don’t feel like fighting again.”

“I’m so sorry. I feel responsible for all that.” If I hadn’t brought Bosco with me, none of that would have happened.

“Don’t be sorry. Griffin is just a very aggressive and protective man.”

“There are worse things.”

“Yes…but we can all agree he goes a little overboard.”

“I’m glad you two made up,” I said. “It seemed pretty tense between you.”

“Yeah, we fought for about two days. He even brought my father into it.”

“Wait…your father knows about Bosco?”

“No,” I said. “I think Griffin just told him a generic story that I was putting myself in danger, because my father didn’t ask any specific questions.”

I let myself relax. “Phew, thank god.”

“I’m really sorry Griffin attacked him like that. I was so embarrassed.”

“Bosco was fine. He had a headache for a few days, but it passed.” He was a strong man who could take a serious beating without being unsettled. He refused to admit he was in pain. He didn’t even take a painkiller for it. He just drank scotch instead. “At least it’ll never happen again. I’m sure Griffin won’t attack him like that again…right?”

“No. I made sure of that.”

I looked at Vanessa before I took a piece of bread out of the basket. “So much for our men getting along…”

“Griffin doesn’t get along with anyone, so I wouldn’t put much thought into it.”

I chuckled. “I guess that’s true. So, Griffin doesn’t want you anywhere near him?”

“Just not alone. I think he understands Bosco isn’t a threat, but he’s very paranoid…” She rolled her eyes. “And I can’t make him feel bad about that since those men took me to Morocco. He has a right to be paranoid.”

“Yeah, it’s true. Maybe in time he’ll change his mind.”

“In time?” she asked, tilting her head slightly sideways. “Does that mean this isn’t going to end in a week?”

Our contract only had seven days left, and I was dreading that moment. I didn’t want to leave this man, but my gut told me I couldn’t stay. “I…I don’t know.”

Vanessa gave me a sad look. “Carmen, I’m not going to judge you if you want to stay with him. Look who I ended up with. He’s the most barbaric man in the world.”

“That isn’t why,” I said with a chuckle. “I just don’t know what I want. We went to the opera together the other night, and I was so happy. I pictured our future together, being in love with kids…”

Vanessa kept watching me, her arms resting on the table. “Then stay.”

“It’s not that simple…”

“If you love him, and he is the only man you’ve ever loved, then you should fight for it.”

“But what kind of future could we have?” I countered. “Griffin won’t even let you be around him.”

“That will pass,” she said firmly. “I saw Bosco take a serious beating for you. For a man like him, that’s not easy. He could have had his men break both of Griffin’s arms, but he didn’t. If he can show that kind of restraint, he’s not a threat to this family. Griffin will see that—once he calms down.”

I was grateful Vanessa was on my side because it hadn’t always been that way. She had been hesitant about Bosco but gradually changed her mind as time passed. “And my father…your father…”

“If they accepted Griffin, they’ll accept Bosco. You’ll just have to be patient.”

“And I don’t know if I could have kids with him. His profession is so dangerous. I don’t want my kids around that. I went to the casino with him a couple times, and a psychopath started stalking me.”

“Well, I don’t think your kids are going to join him at the casino,” she said with a laugh.

“When they’re adults, they might. I just want a different kind of life, a life that he doesn’t want.”

“What does that mean?” She brought her water closer to her and took a drink. “What do you want?”

“I want to move out of the city and be a full-time mom. I want to take my kids to school, clean up the house, and see my husband when he gets off work at the office. I want a simple, boring, domesticated life… Bosco isn’t interested in that. He likes money, booze, cigars…topless ladies. Stuff like that.”

“For one, he quit smoking for you. And two, there’s only one topless dancer he cares about.”

The corner of my mouth rose in a smile. “It seems like you’re rooting for him…”

“I just want my cousin to have the man she wants. I don’t want you to give up on him unless you’re absolutely sure.”

“I just don’t want to regret my decision later,” I said. “I don’t want to be with him for a few years and then regret it. I don’t want to imagine who my husband could have been if I’d just walked away.”

Vanessa turned quiet, not having anything else to say.

This was my burden, and I had to deal with it.

“I’ll say this,” she said. “If this is the man you love, don’t worry about our parents. They’ll accept him if you wait long enough. Griffin will accept him. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but it’ll definitely happen eventually, and all your hard work will pay off. But, if there really is no future with this guy, if you really can’t have the family life you want…then you’re right. You should end it now and not waste any more time. Because the longer you wait…the harder it’s gonna be.”

I nodded in agreement, considering everything she said. “You’re right.”

“Take the rest of the week to think about it. And then…stick with your decision.”

Bosco never mentioned the day that was fast approaching, and neither did I. As if it wasn’t an issue at all, we spent our time making love, eating dinner, and snuggling together on the couch.

I knew he wouldn’t mention it because he was confident there wasn’t a deadline at all.

He knew I wouldn’t leave.

And that would make it all the more painful if I did.

When I was work, I was distracted because I couldn’t make up my mind. I knew what I should do, but the right decision and the easy decision weren’t always the same. This wasn’t a regular relationship that I could enjoy until it ran its course. It was completely different, and the longer I remained, the more chains bound my wrists.

I was at the shop when an unlikely visitor stopped by.

Ronan.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I asked, giving him a smile as I put down my shears and gloves. “Want to buy some flowers for a special lady?”

He smiled a lot more than his brother. Just in general, he seemed to be the more upbeat one of the two. He wore a dark blue shirt with a black blazer, along with dark jeans. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked handsome with that dark hair and those pretty eyes. “I’m not a flowers kind of guy.”

“Chocolates, then?” I teased. “Unfortunately, I don’t have those. I would eat them all if I did.”

He chuckled. “If I buy some chocolates, they would probably be for me too.”

“Then how can I help you? If you’re looking for Bosco, he’s not here. He’s probably at home.” I used the term home loosely, referring to my residence as well. It didn’t seem like his penthouse anymore, but a place we both shared.

“I’m not here for him. I’m here for you.”

“Oh?” Ronan was never a threat to me, so I didn’t care about his unexpected visit.

“Have lunch with me, if you don’t mind closing up your shop for thirty minutes.”

I wasn’t sure if having lunch with Ronan would make Bosco jealous, but it would be ridiculous if he were because neither one of us would ever cross the line. Ronan loved his brother, and I wasn’t interested in anyone but Bosco. “Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”

We went to a little café where they had espresso and sandwiches. We both ordered coffee and lunch before we took a seat at a table together. Ronan insisted on paying, and since he wanted to be a gentleman, I allowed it.

The clouds covered the city, and it seemed like rain was in the forecast. The clouds were deep gray and pregnant with rain. I might have to take a taxi back to the shop because I didn’t bring an umbrella.

“Are you working today?” I asked, trying to think of something to talk about besides Bosco.

“No. Bosco is working tonight.”

I couldn’t keep the disappointed look off my face.

“He told me you hate it when he works.”

“It’s not that I hate when he works,” I corrected. “I don’t care what he does for a living. I just hate how late he’s out. Sometimes he’s there until like three in the morning, and I can’t sleep when he’s gone.”

“I assure you, there’s nowhere safer in the city than his penthouse. His windows are tinted and bulletproof, plus there’re two dozen armed men in the lobby.”

“That’s not what I’m afraid of.”

“Then what are you afraid of?” he asked before he took a bite of his sandwich. Like his brother, he ate with perfect manners and kept his gaze focused on me throughout the conversation.

“I’m not afraid of anything. I’m just used to sleeping with him, I guess. Now it’s part of my life, and when it’s off, I can’t get comfortable. I’m used to the way he keeps the sheets warm. I’m even used to the slight dip on his side from his weight. I know it’s stupid, but it’s just a habit now.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s stupid. I’d say it’s sweet, actually.”

I avoided his gaze and drank my espresso, needing the caffeine to pick up my mood despite the gloomy weather. “Are you seeing someone?”

“Not really,” he answered. “I go from fling to fling. Nothing ever serious.”

He sounded like Bosco before he met me.

“When I meet the right woman, I’m sure things will be different. But I haven’t run into her yet.”

“Are you looking for her?” I asked.

He shrugged before he took another bite. “Not actively. Anytime I meet someone new, I just assume it’s not her. I think if I’m meant to meet her, she’ll pop up eventually. They say that’s how those things happen…when you least expect them.”

I liked that his brother had an open mind about finding the right woman, but he wasn’t in a hurry either. If it were meant to happen, it would. No need to rush. “When she’s ready, she’ll find you.”

“And I’ll get her chocolates and flowers,” he teased.

“Yes. She’ll love that.”

He finished his sandwich then wiped his fingers with the napkin.

I wanted to ask him what the purpose of this lunch was, but since that seemed rude, I didn’t. If Bosco had a problem with this, he would have intervened by now. He knew the moment Ronan stepped inside my shop.

“So…this is the last week, right?” Ronan held his cup with both hands as he looked at me.

I was surprised he brought it up. “Does Bosco talk about it?”

“No, not really.”

I wondered if he was lying. He would never throw his brother under the bus, so there was no way to know.

“I hope that this isn’t the last week, for my brother’s sake.” Ronan kept looking at me, like he was trying to gauge my reaction to the whole thing.

I didn’t know how to react, so I didn’t give any reaction at all.

Ronan kept looking at me.

The silence became tense.

Ronan spoke again. “My brother is head over heels. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now.”

“And I love him too…” More than Bosco even understood.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen my brother happy since our mom died. He can actually take a joke once in a while. He’s actually made an effort to rebuild our relationship. He’s…showing all the good qualities I forgot he had.”

If Ronan was guilting me on purpose, it was working.

“I don’t want to see him get hurt. I don’t want him to go back to where he started. Losing you…will probably devastate him even more than losing our mother.”

God, he was torturing me.

“So if you’re on the fence about it…I want you to know that. I’m at the casino with him a lot. He couldn’t care less about the dancers, about the woman who makes passes at him. He never smokes, even when there’s no way for you to find out about it. And I don’t need to remind you what he did at The Brawl…risking his life just to have the honor of protecting you.”

“Ronan, I’ve never doubted his love…”

“Then I hope I don’t have to doubt yours. I know it’s complicated with your family. But…give him a chance. He’s the best guy I know. Don’t leave him. If you don’t give up on him, he’ll never give up on you.”

“Did he ask you to do this?” I asked, skeptical of the possibility.

“No. When he asks me why we had lunch today, I’m gonna tell him I was talking to you about a woman I’m seeing. If he knew I was bothering you about his relationship, which is none of my business, he’d kill me.”

I believed that.

“This stays between us. I just want to do whatever I can to make this work.”

“Even if it doesn’t, you aren’t going to lose him, Ronan. He wouldn’t slip back into his old ways. He feels really terrible about the way he treated you in the past.”

His eyes narrowed in disappointment. “Please don’t tell me that’s your answer.”

“Honestly…I don’t know yet.”

He bowed his head and sighed. “What is there to know? The man loves you. The man can give you anything you could possibly want—”

“Not anything.”

Ronan stared at me for several heartbeats. “Such as?”

“He knows I want a family. And I can’t have a family with a man who runs the underworld. It’s way too dangerous. I only went to the casino a few times, and I got a stalker out of it.”

“Which Bosco took care of.”

“Well, if it’s my daughter on the line, I’m not gonna care if it gets taken care of,” I snapped. “My dream has been to buy a big house in Tuscany, close to where my parents live, and raise a family. I want to sell my flower shop and be a full-time mom. I want a husband who will come home every night. You think I can live in a house with four kids while my husband is gone until two in the morning?”

Ronan had no rebuttal.

“It’s nothing against Bosco. He’s a good man with a big heart. I love him very much. Imagining losing him in a few days is enough to make me start crying. That man has become my whole world. But I know I want this more than anything in the entire world…I want my family. I want my four children. Nothing will ever make me change my mind about that.”

Ronan bowed his head slightly, speechless. His hands continued to hold the coffee cup before he returned it to the saucer. It was still steaming hot, as was mine. “You need to tell him that, then. Give him a chance to give that to you.”

“Ronan, he already knows. I told him what I wanted on our first date. My desires haven’t changed. And Bosco will never give up his casino, give up his livelihood, for a domestic life out in the middle of nowhere. That’s okay because I understand that’s not what he wants. He’s never wanted that. We want different things…” As I spoke to Ronan about this, it made me realize what I had to do. It solidified my decision, and I knew nothing could ever change it back. It was a heartbreaking realization, to know that Bosco wouldn’t be mine for much longer. “Bosco wants me to be his queen, to continue his life the way it’s always been, and come home to me when it’s done. But that’s not my dream. I don’t love Bosco because of his power and his money… I love in him in spite of those things.”

Ronan held my gaze, his disappointment heavy.

“I hope you understand, Ronan. I hate this so much…I really do.”

He left his mug and plate on the table and turned his head to look out the window. He wasn’t angry but bitterly hurt that this conversation ended the way it did. He wanted his brother to be happy, wanted it so much that he actually cornered me in order to have this conversation. “It sounds like you’ve made your decision, then.”

The only reason tears weren’t streaming down my cheeks was because we were in public. But the second I returned to my shop, I would lock myself in the bathroom and give myself ten minutes to cry my pain away. “Yes…I’m sorry.”