Page 212 of Heartless Sinner

Blair had warned me Adelina was coming, but hadn’t said much else or if Adelina would even speak to me. The fact that she’d come here was the best sign I could’ve hoped for.

She said her hellos and hugged the other girls. I tried not to notice I was the only one she didn’t touch.

“Can we go somewhere private and talk?” she asked me.

“Of course,” I replied, surprised by how steady I kept my voice. “Is the balcony okay?”

She glanced toward the open doors before nodding.

The others pretended they weren’t watching as Adelina and I slipped out onto the balcony.

Neither of us spoke while we settled into the wrought iron chairs overlooking the sea. Waves crashed, filling the silence between us.

“I wanted to see you before the ceremony,” she said quietly. “So things wouldn’t feel strange at the wedding.”

This isn’t forgiveness. It’s damage control for Blair’s wedding.

No one likes drama at nuptials. Especially a Mafia wedding.

Tears fell down my cheeks, and I didn’t care they were messing up my makeup. “Adelina …” My voice broke. “I’m so sorry.”

Adelina stared at the water instead of me. “Why didn’t you tell me, Daphne?” A tear slipped free, and she swiped it away almost angrily. “Why didn’t you trust me?”

“I did,” I whispered. “I just … I didn’t want you to hate me.”

When she finally faced me, her lower lip trembled. “My mom told me everything.”

I didn’t say a word, afraid to assume what everything meant.

“About the affair. Your mom. Her losing her baby. I can’t even begin to imagine your pain or where your head was.” She reached over and wrapped her hand around mine. “I’d be lying if I said I’m not still hurt, and I can’t promise that everything will go back to normal overnight. But I love you too much to lose you.”

A small, shaky smile finally broke through. “It’ll take time … maybe a lot of time, but I don’t want a future where we’re not friends.”

I matched her smile. “I don’t want that either.”

We were both crying, sniffling messes.

I had no idea if Brooks was coming, nor did I have the guts to ask anyone.

No one had mentioned him all day, so I convinced myself he wasn’t coming.

Gentle waves rolled onto the shore as we waited for the ceremony to start.

Rows of wooden chairs were arranged neatly in the sand, nearly all filled with guests—most of them looking absolutely murderous, like the Mafia men they were.

The wedding wasn’t until sunset, so I was a bit … no, a lot tipsy. Pretty sure everyone in the bridal party shared the same champagne buzz, including the bride.

Enzo had snuck into my room earlier.

It didn’t surprise me he didn’t care about the tradition of not seeing his bride before the wedding.

He took one look at Blair, grinned, then kissed her.

Cristian was Enzo’s best man, and he’d just walked down the aisle with his wife. That left me with no partner.

Every few minutes, I looked down the beach, searching for a familiar blond head that never appeared.

Each time I didn’t see him, I hated myself a little more for checking.