Mafia Betrayal

Chapter Nine

Luca

"Sing it again, mama!" Layla smiled sleepily as she laid her head on Charlotte's shoulder.

I leaned against the doorway, watching as Charlotte put her to bed. My heart ached for all that I already missed in her life, and I couldn't seem to look away for fear of missing something else. First words. First steps. I didn't get to dry her tears when she was upset, or bandage a skinned knee. Charlotte took all of that for me.

I couldn't shake the fury that consumed me, just by the sight of her. I kept going back and forth between hating her for what she did, but understanding it and wanting her to forgive me for the way I'd been acting. Mostly, I was furious and wanted her to feel an ounce of the pain I was experiencing. I couldn't comprehend how she could do this to me.

Did I really want her to suffer? To feel as betrayed and hurt as I did? I was ashamed for even having that thought, but a part of me felt like she deserved it. I didn't want to be that man, and if it was even crossing my mind, maybe she was right. Maybe I was just like my father.

"One more time, baby, and then you need to go to sleep." Charlotte stroked Layla's dark curls, tucking them neatly behind her ear.

"Are you going to stay with me?" Layla looked up at her, practically intertwining herself with Charlotte. Seeing them like this felt like a dream. I still couldn't grasp that this was my life. That Layla was mine. That at one point, her mother had been mine, too.

Charlotte smiled. "You don't need me to stay with you; you're a big girl. But if you wake up in the middle of the night and need me, I'll be right through that door." She pointed towards the bathroom door that connected this room to ours.

"With daddy?" Layla added.

Charlotte hesitated, but nodded. "With daddy."

Layla contemplated for a second and then snuggled deeper into Charlotte's chest.

"You want to sing it with me this time?" Charlotte asked.

Layla nodded excitedly.

The two of them started singing the words to Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and it broke my heart and filled it at the same time.

Layla smiled as Charlotte bent down to kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, momma!" Layla cooed. "Goodnight, daddy!"

Charlotte whipped her head around, noticing me in the doorway for the first time. A smile crept across my lips at the sound of daddy. I had no idea how much I had needed to hear those words until they came out of my little princess' mouth.

Charlotte tensed as I walked into the room, approaching the two of them.

"Goodnight, Angel." I bent down and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

"I love you."

I sucked in a sharp breath. "I... love you too, Layla."

Fuck. My heart was putty in her hands. What was happening to me? I'd only known her for a day, but she was already everything to me. How did I even exist before her?

"Sweet dreams, baby." Charlotte forced a smile and then disappeared into the hallway.

I shut the lights off and followed her. When I got into the room, she was standing by the window. I didn't have to see her face to know that she was crying. I could always tell by the way her posture changed. Her slumped shoulders, the slightest tremble. The way she swept at her cheek, hiding her tears.

There were a million things that needed to be said between the two of us, but I couldn't seem to find the words.

"I have some things I have to do. Will you be okay up here?" I asked, scanning the closest for a sweatshirt.