For Angelo (Full-Length Standalone Italian Billionaire Romance) (37 page)

Because that was how love worked.

It wasn’t always beautiful, wasn’t always neat or easily defined.

Sometimes, it was painful, twisted, and insane.
 

The way she loved him and the way he loved her.

A cry broke out of her and, pulling away from Nellie, she started to run—

She reached Angelo just before the officers could shove him inside the back of their car. “W-wait!” The officers stopped moving, and she pushed past them.

So many words she wanted to say, but they disappeared the moment she saw him—

Really saw him, and it was like seeing the sun after being buried for so long.

Lane swallowed back a sob.

A crowd of onlookers had surrounded the salon, drawn by the presence of police, but he didn’t give a fuck about any of them. Even with all their phones trained on them, recording every fucking second, he only had eyes for
her.

Angelo asked hoarsely, “Lane?”
 

She shook her head.

He froze. Had he been wrong? Had he failed to reach her? Did he not have any last chance—

And then he heard her whisper tremulously, “C-call me…”

He inhaled deeply as he realized what she wanted to say.

“C-call me…” Her voice broke. “
Y-your Lane
.”

Ah.

He fell to his knees.

And she followed him, like she always did, because she was who she was, and he was who he was.

“I’m sorry—” And his own voice caught because he felt too, too much.
 

But still, he tried again, because she deserved the words. “I’m sorry—” His chest felt like it was about to explode. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“I’m s-sorry, t-too. That I d-didn’t realize w-why you wanted to hurt me.”

Tears streamed down her face.

He moved forward, his cuffed hands behind his back making him clumsy.
 

He licked her tears, and she started to cry harder. She raised one shaking hand to his hair, and her sobs became uncontrollable. “Your h-hair…”

“Promise me you’ll finish it?” he managed to tease.

She shook her head.

“You have to.” His voice became flat. “Because…it’s proof…that
I’m…”
He swallowed hard. “I’m your fallen angel.
Aren’t I
?”

And it was in those last words that she heard the doubt which still lingered, that still made a part of him believe she might change her mind and leave—

She threw her arms around him.

His head touched her shoulder.

His tears kissed her skin.

She closed her eyes and promised him, “I’ll finish it. Because y-you’re my fallen angel a-and I’m
your Lane.
” She tightened her arms around him. “I’m t-the g-girl…for Angelo Valencia, from the very start.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

It was a wedding that no one would ever forget.

The church was almost stark in its simplicity, unheard of for a billionaire’s wedding. And oh, there was also the rather startling dress code, which actually forbade the guests to wear any kind of jewelry.

So many odd things about this wedding, really, but the guests who were lucky enough to be invited simply took it in stride.
 

In the end, what mattered was that they were invited while the rest of the world wasn’t. It was something worth bragging about for
years
.

With the bride yet to make her appearance, everyone’s attention was on the groom. He was tall, dark, and handsome, an Italian billionaire whose impending matrimony was making countless women around the world sob in envy and heartbreak. They had hoped, secretly or openly, that they would be the one to bring him to the altar, and yet in the end the one who had prevailed was a curvy brunette whose name didn’t even ring a bell.

When the doors of the church finally opened, everyone oohed and aahed at the sight of the blushing bride. She was radiantly beautiful in a simple white gown. No long trail, no lace veil to cover her face, just a woman whose eyes shone with love for the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle.

The guests dabbed at their eyes, all of them swept away by the romance of it.

Angelo solemnly took Lane’s trembling hand and drew her to his side. He then offered his other hand to Norman, murmuring simply, “Thank you.”

“Just take care of her,” the older man said gruffly.

And then it was Nellie’s turn, and she was already crying even before he could say anything.

Beside him, Lane started crying, too.

“Love her forever,” Nellie managed to say. “Please.”

“You would have to kill me first before I stop.” He was smiling as he said the words, but his gaze was straightforward as it met the older woman’s.

And then finally, they were alone, and as he drew her to their seats in front of the priest, he asked, “Happy?”

She smiled up at him. “Impossibly s-so.”

And it was true, he knew, just as he knew that it wasn’t enough. There was the faintest shadow in her gaze, telling him that he had hurt her too much, and the wound he had left hadn’t completely healed.

And that was fine.

Because Angelo knew what to do now, because now he understood that the cliché was true—

Sometimes, you had to lose something to know how to keep it forever.

And for his Lane, to love her was to be what he thought wasn’t ever possible, what he believed could never be
safe
or
rational.

To love her and be loved by her was…to be himself.

A sadist.

And when it was time for them to exchange their vows, Angelo gave her the words that he needed to say and she needed to hear.

“From here on, I promise to make you cry—”

Lane choked.

The crowd gasped.

Nellie cried out.

But Angelo only had his eyes for his bride. “I promise not to call you when I need to work overtime—”

“Oh my God, I think I’m going to faint,” Nellie moaned.

“I promise to always do what is right even when it means making you feel abandoned—”

He saw the way her eyes widened and started to shine with tears.

“I promise to do what I can to hurt you—”

The crowd was in an uproar, but he didn’t give a damn about it. Lane’s tears had started to fall, but she was also smiling, and that was all he needed to see.

“But all this, I promise you, is
never
to be cruel.” He took a deep breath and slowly reached for her hand. “All this I will do because you are what you are…” He brought her hand to his lips. “And I am what I am, and I’m
damn
proud of how we love each other.”

And because he could no longer bear it, he pulled her to him.

His arms closed around her, his Lane, his love, his life.

“Only a few people will understand us,” he said rawly, “And that’s fine. I don’t need them to understand us. The only thing I need is for you to understand – to remember that I’m here for you.
Whenever and wherever you need me,
I’m here. Ask me for my fortune, my pride, my life – it’s yours. But you will
never
need to ask for my love because that, my Lane, will always be yours.”

He cupped her face.
 

“Always.”

And the priest, seeing that what was about to happen was inevitable, said hastily, “You may kiss the bride.”

The groom’s mouth covered his bride’s.

And this time, everyone broke in tears.
 

So, so romantic
, they thought as they sobbed, even though the Italian tycoon had promised to make his bride cry every day, well – it was still romantic.

****

If the wedding had everyone talking, then the reception turned out to be more scandalous, with the guests blatantly staring and doing their best to eavesdrop as the newlyweds came face to face with Derek and Jaike Christopoulos.

Such lack of manners,
some of the guests thought about the latecomers.

Serves the bitch right, being face to face with Angelo Valencia’s one true love,
on the other hand, was the common thread of thought of Angelo’s numerous broken-hearted lovers, all of them – despite being uninvited – were nevertheless glued to their Twitter accounts, fuming as they waited for more news about the exclusive reception.

But all of them were wrong.

Derek and Jaike had only come at the newlyweds’ express invitation, and the two pairs finished greeting each other.

“Congratulations,” Derek said easily as he offered his hand to Angelo. “I’ve attended a lot of weddings, but none of them could boast of vows as, err, unique as yours.”

“Thank you,” Angelo murmured, shaking the other man’s hand. He glanced at Lane.

Her lips curved in a smile, and her gaze asked him a teasing question.
Does it still hurt to see this other and more handsome boy?

Her husband’s broad shoulders lifted in an elegant shrug.
I wouldn’t know.
He turned to Jaike and kissed her on the cheek. Pulling away, he raised a brow at his wife.
Does it hurt you, seeing me with the other girl?

Lane’s smile widened.
A bit.

He smiled back.
As it should. Because you’re the one who invited them, little masochist.

Lane laughed.
And you didn’t even refuse, you sadist.

The newlyweds’ behavior had Jaike beaming at Derek. “I never thought I’d ever see him act this cute.”

“Adorable, really,” the Greek billionaire said agreeably, “like the
cutest
teddy bear.”

Angelo said pleasantly, “Asshole as always,
Christo
.”

Derek only laughed. “Like I always say, it takes one to know one.”
 

Jaike hugged Lane impulsively, whispering, “I’m so happy for the two of you.”

Lane hugged the other girl back, and as something both sweet and painful tugged at her heartstrings, she whispered back, “Please promise me you’ll always love Derek.”

Jaike drew back in surprise. “I can’t believe you still think you have something to worry about.”

Lane squirmed.

Jaike shook her head. “I can prove it to you easily, you know.”

Lane blinked.

Jaike said loudly, “If you ever get bored with your husband, I know just the right man for you, and he’s actually half Italian like—”

Both Derek and Angelo stiffened at Jaike’s words, and if they had been privy to each other’s thoughts, the two would have been aghast at how similar their minds worked.

Marcus Ravelli.

The name flashed in their minds, and both billionaires scowled.

No fucking way would I let Jaike see that man again,
Derek thought.

No fucking way would I let Lane ever meet that man,
Angelo thought.

They turned to their partners simultaneously.

Derek pulled Jaike away from the bride, saying seriously, “You shouldn’t talk to Lane. She has a phobia of rich people, remember? And you, babe, are richer than most people here.”

Angelo was just as swift at drawing his wife to his side, warning her at the same time, “You should avoid talking to Jaike,
tesoro.
She’s the wife of a Christopoulos, never forget that. It means she has as much money as we do.
Billions,
my Lane.
Billions.
So you must stay away from her.”

The two couples started to drift to opposite directions, and the rumors started anew.

The newlyweds were having their first fight because of the Christopoulos couple.