Mafia Queen

Chapter Twenty One

Luca

I went upstairs only long enough to confirm all three kids were still alive and breathing, and then went right back down to eavesdrop on Charlotte and Serena. I couldn't believe this. After everything I put on the line to help and protect Serena, she was sitting in my kitchen, regaling my wife with the details of an affair that never even happened. She completely played me and I brought over here thinking she was going to clear my name. God, I could just wring her fucking neck.

I leaned against the door frame, not wanting to alert them I was here. From where I was standing, I could see the back of Charlotte. She was hunched over, with her head in her hands.

"I just can't believe Luca would do something like this to me. After all of this time together." I fought the urge to punch the wall I was so pissed off. In fact, I was more than pissed off. I was livid. And the fact that I had to stand out here and watch this destroy my wife was almost more than I could take.

"I'm so sorry, Charlotte. I'm sure it all wasn't a lie. Men like Luca need variety. Marriage just isn't for them. At least not in the traditional way." Marriage is it for me? All because I had turned her down? This woman was delusional, and seriously testing my morals.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Charlotte sat up, wiping at her cheeks, but there was nothing there. Her tone threw me off. Her voice changed when she cried, but nothing like this. This was... This was fake.

"Of course." Serena feigned concern, reaching out for my wife's hand as if to comfort her. Something was off, though. Char's body was relaxed and her breathing even. Her breathing was always the dead giveaway that she was upset. Tonight, she was still and calm. Had I really hurt her that badly? Was she completely apathetic about what was going on?

"When you were together, did you guys use protection? Like, did Luca wear a condom?" My brow furrowed. What kind of question was that?

"He did. But you don't have to worry. I'm clean." I scoffed, rolling my eyes. I highly doubted that.

"Just regular latex condoms?" Wait. Was she... suddenly it hit me. I knew exactly what Charlotte was doing.

"Yes..." Serena was hesitant, and I started overflowing with pride. Charlotte was baiting her, and Serena was stumbling right into the trap.

"I see." The corners of Charlotte's lips turned up into a smile that she tried to suppress.

"I guess I'm just having a hard time understanding all of this. Luca has a latex allergy, so he can't wear regular condoms." Charlotte looked poised to kill.

Serena blushed. "I know. I just told you that so you'd feel better about it. We never used protection. He said he wanted to feel me." It was almost laughable how hard she was trying to spin this now.

"Right. See Serena, even if that was the case, I'm still having trouble with a few other parts of your story. A few minutes ago, you told me he never mentioned having kids, but that he explained my name tattooed on his shoulder by saying I was the mother of his child. And I guess the biggest thing of all I'm not understanding is that tattoo doesn't even exist." Serena froze. "Luca doesn't have my name tattooed on him anywhere and if you had seen him naked, even once, you would know that." That's my girl. God, I fucking loved her.

"I know what you're trying to do, Serena. Luca is a nice guy. He offered to help you, get you back to your son, but that wasn't enough. You wanted more and thought you could use your supposed affair to exploit him."

"That wasn't what I..."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes to the point where they were tiny slits. "I'm not as nice as my husband, Serena. You have thirty seconds to tell my exactly what went on, the truth this time, before I throw you out of here and you don't get whatever the hell he promised you. I can't think you're heartless enough that you would risk not getting back to your son."