Author’s POV
The old apartment complex on the poor side of town wasn’t the kind of place you’d expect to find a Maserati parked out front.
But there it was, engine purring, and leaning against it were Marco Conti and Isabella Vitale, wrapped around each other like nobody in the world was watching.
“Isabella, are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor about your ankle?” Marco’s voice was all warm concern.
“You landed on it pretty hard.”
Isabella tipped her chin up, eyes going all soft and syrupy.
“It stopped hurting the second I saw you, Marco.
You’re better than any painkiller.”
She stretched up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek, loud and possessive.
He ate it up, one hand sliding down to pat her hip.
“Okay, baby.
Go on up.
I’ve got a meeting to get to.”
But Isabella locked both arms around his waist and pouted.
“But I don’t want to say goodbye yet.
I want to be with you all day.”
Now that they could finally be together out in the open, she wanted him every waking second.
“Isabella?” A shaky voice cut through the moment.
“Sweetheart, why are you hanging all over your sister’s boyfriend?”
Mrs.
Delgado from 3B had just come back with her groceries, and she stood there gaping like she’d walked in on a car crash.
Marco was a familiar face around here.
He’d cruise up in that flashy car to pick up Catherine, and the two of them made a striking pair.
Everybody knew him.
And now here he was, that smooth, put-together guy, playing two sisters at once.
Feeling the weight of a dozen judgmental stares, Marco flushed and pried Isabella’s arms off his waist.
Isabella just latched right back on, defiant.
“Mrs.
Delgado, Marco’s mine.
He already broke up with my sister.”
The old woman’s mouth fell open.
Then she just shook her head, muttered something under her breath, and walked off.
Marco wanted nothing more than to dive into his car and disappear.
Then his phone rang.
“Hey, Mom.”
His mother’s warm voice floated through.
“Marco, sweetheart, don’t forget my birthday’s tomorrow.
You bring Catherine home for dinner, all right?”
Isabella went rigid in his arms.
She glared up at him, cheeks puffed with fury.
Marco cleared his throat.
“Uh, Mom, about that.
Catherine might not be able to make it tomorrow night.”
“Why not?” His mother sounded genuinely puzzled.
Catherine was always so good to them, always calling to check in, always showing up with little gifts.
There was no way she’d skip a birthday.
Marco’s parents adored her.
She came from nothing, sure, but she carried herself with grace, never groveling, never spoiled.
Something in his mother’s tone sharpened.
“You two didn’t fight, did you?
I’m warning you, Marco, don’t you dare run off a girl like that.
Whatever it takes, you patch things up with Catherine, you hear me?”
Every word came through loud and clear, straight into Isabella’s ear.
She pinched him, hard, right in the side. Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
Marco grunted, jerking away from her, then stepped off and lowered his voice.
“Mom, relax, okay?
We didn’t break up.
I’ll bring Catherine to dinner tomorrow, I promise.” He hung up fast.
Isabella’s eyes flashed.
“Why didn’t you just tell her?
Tell her you dumped my sister!”
Marco pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You know my mom’s heart isn’t good.
She loves Catherine.
Springing this on her could send her straight to the ER.”
Isabella planted her hands on her hips.
“So you’re gonna keep it a secret forever?
You promised me.
The second I graduate next year, you marry me.”
“Just be patient.
I’ll find the right moment to tell them.” He glanced at his watch.
“I really have to get to this meeting.”
She grabbed his arm before he could go.
“It’s your mom’s birthday tomorrow.
I’m coming too.”
She’d win the future in-laws over herself.
Catherine wasn’t the only one who could sweet-talk people.
Isabella could be charming when she wanted.
They’d fall in love with her.
Marco hesitated.
“What would you even do there?” With Isabella tagging along, Catherine sure as hell wouldn’t show.
Isabella swung his arm and gave him her best puppy eyes.
“Please, Marco?
I’ll make them adore me, I swear.”
He couldn’t resist her when she looked at him like that.
He flicked the tip of her nose.
“Fine.
You can come.”
If his parents actually took to Isabella, maybe they’d stop hounding him about Catherine.
He turned toward his car, reaching for the door, and froze.
Across the street, a Rolls-Royce had pulled up to the curb.
The passenger door swung open, and Catherine stepped out.
She smiled, gave a little wave toward the man inside, and only when the Rolls glided smoothly away did she start walking toward the building.
Isabella saw it too.
“That’s gotta be that Mr.
Ricci guy Mom set her up with.
Look how happy she is.
See?
I told you she just wants to marry rich.
You were worried about her ending up with some old geezer.”
She rattled on, completely missing the way Marco’s face had gone dark as a storm.
Catherine reached the entrance and spotted them tangled together.
Her expression twisted like she’d stepped in something foul, and she veered to the side to give them a wide berth.
But Isabella cut straight across her path.
Looks like you’re pretty into that Mr.
Ricci Mom found you.
When’s the wedding?
I call maid of honor!”
Catherine’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Sure.
Soon.”
She didn’t slow down, but a hand shot out and yanked her arm.
Marco’s jaw was clenched tight.
“Catherine, is this what you’ve come to?
Selling yourself off to some old man for a paycheck?”
She felt like a total stranger to him in that moment.
Catherine’s face went cold.
“How is that any of your business?
We broke up.”
Then she glanced at Isabella’s sour expression, and her mouth tilted into a slow, cutting smile.
“Marco.
Don’t tell me you’re still hung up on me.
Are you jealous?”
Marco dropped her arm like it had burned him.
“I’m not jealous.
I’m with Isabella.
I just can’t stand watching you throw yourself at some old man for money.”
The memory of that bright, unguarded smile she’d given the man in the car dug into him like a knife.
She’d never once looked at him that way.
Catherine let out a cold laugh.
“Can’t stand it?
Then you’ll just have to choke on it.”
She turned to leave, but Marco lunged.
“Catherine, it’s my mom’s birthday tomorrow.
She misses you.
Come spend it with her.”
At the mention of Mrs.
Conti, something in Catherine softened, and the ice in her chest thawed just a little.
“You didn’t tell her we broke up?”
“My mom’s heart isn’t good.
She only had surgery not long ago.” Marco’s voice dropped into something almost pleading, a tone Catherine had never heard from him before.
“If she finds out we’ve split, it could set her recovery back.
Can’t you spend her birthday with her?
I’ll find the right time to tell her about the breakup later.
I’ll ease her into it.”
Marco might have been trash, but at least he loved his mother.
And she had to give him this much: his parents had always genuinely cared about her.
They were nothing like the parents of other men, who picked apart every detail of the girl their son brought home.
The Contis had never made Catherine feel as if she wasn’t good enough.
If anything, they had gone out of their way to look after her.
Honestly, it was Mrs.
Conti who had first shown Catherine what a mother’s love was supposed to feel like.
Her own mother had never given her anything close to it.
“Fine.
I’ll come tomorrow.”
Catherine didn’t wait for Marco’s reaction.
She turned on her heel and walked into the building without looking back.