The Mafia's Good Girl
The Mafia’s Good Girl – Chapter 48

~ Violet ~

Everything was a lie.

Violet found it ridiculous that Damon didn’t know about Hugo DeSantis and her father’s death. She felt played and betrayed. She trusted Damon with everything, only to replace out that he was working together with the person she hated the most in the world.

Damon and Hugo are two sides of the same coin.

Violet never realized the severity of Damon’s actions until she compared him to Hugo. In the beginning, she was too blinded by her infatuation with him. She overlooked the fact that he was a mafia king and because he was nice to her, she didn’t ask too many questions. But comparing him to Hugo now, Violet could imagine the kinds of things that Damon would do to get ahead. He’d prey on the weak, he’d use manipulation and blackmail, and when that didn’t work, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill people. Pretty much everything the DeSantis family was capable of, he was too.

How can I not see this before?

Violet felt like throwing up when she remembered how foolish and naïve she was. She gave herself up to the very people that killed her father. And not only that, but she also fell in love with one of them.

I must be the stupidest girl alive.

Feeling disgusted with her foolish choices, Violet packed up her bags and took the first flight out to New Jersey that very night. She cried most of the way until she arrived home. Although it hurt to know that the person she loves betrayed her trust, it hurt even more that she had to leave him. Violet felt something she never felt before for Damon, and a feeling that intense couldn’t go away so easily.

I should be hating him. But why am I not doing that?

Violet reached her apartment early in the morning and her mother was still asleep. Dylan, however, had just come back from his shift at the bar. He just took a shower and he was getting ready for bed when he saw Violet coming through the front door.

“Violet?” Dylan gaped in shock. His jaw fell to the floor. He wasn’t expecting to see her right now, and this was the first time he was able to see her in over a month.

“Dylan…” she croaked.

The moment Violet saw her older brother, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She broke out in tears and Dylan went over to hug her.

“I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow?” he asked her, but all she could do was sob into his chest. “Hey, what’s going on? Why are you crying?”

“Dyl, I met him…” she said in between sobs.

“You met who?”

“Hugo DeSantis,”

Dylan’s body went stiff. He was stroking his sister’s hair before, but now he stopped. He pulled Violet’s face away and studied her expression.

“You’re kidding right?” he asked.

Violet shook her head in response. Dylan’s jaw clenched instinctively.

“How?” he demanded. “Where?!”

“In Italy,” she answered. “It turns out, he’s Damon’s business partner. They’ve been working together for years,”

“Are you serious?!”

Violet nodded her head.

“Hugo DeSantis even called Damon ‘his son’,” she said.

Fire was burning in Dylan’s eyes. In a fit of rage, he let out a growl banged his fist on the nearby wall. Violet flinched in response.

“Well, fúck!” he roared, and the wall cracked. “I mean, yeah, they run in the same world, they’re bound to know each other, but I didn’t think they’d be… partners!”

Dylan g*****d in frustration and raked his hair with his hands.

“I didn’t know that too…” she said meekly. “If I knew, I would’ve never…”

“You would’ve never what?” Dylan scoffed. “Went to bed with the enemy?!”

Ouch.

Dylan’s words struck a nerve. Violet was already beating herself up over that, but to hear someone else said it made the wound hurt even more.

“I’m sorry,” Dylan said as soon as he realized how hurtful he was being. “I shouldn’t have said that,”

“No, you’re right,” Violet shook her head and the tears fell off her face. “That was all me. I was the dumb one,”

Dylan let out a sigh. He was so filled with rage and frustration, he ended up lashing out at his own sister. Violet was crying again and Dylan pulled her into his arms.

“No, Vi, you’re not dumb,” he said softly. “You didn’t know. We all didn’t know. You were only doing what you thought would save our family,”

Violet cried harder into his chest and Dylan stroked the top of her head.

“I’m so stupid, Dyl,” she cried. “I actually believed that he loves me,”

~ Violet ~

Everything was a lie.

Violet found it ridiculous that Damon didn’t know about Hugo DeSantis and her father’s death. She felt played and betrayed. She trusted Damon with everything, only to replace out that he was working together with the person she hated the most in the world.

Violet remembered the time Damon told her he loves her. That was probably the happiest she’d ever been in years. She hadn’t felt that much happiness since her father died. But now she realized how fake everything was.

Violet remembered the time Damon told her he loves her. That was probably the happiest she’d ever been in years. She hadn’t felt that much happiness since her father died. But now she realized how fake everything was.

I’m sure that was a lie too. He was only saying all that to manipulate me into staying with him. I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s capable of far worse things.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that, Vi,” Dylan said. His expression showed that he was also in pain. “I couldn’t protect you before, but I promise I’m gonna do it now,”

Violet heard the strong conviction in Dylan’s voice. It seemed like he was planning to do something and it made her feel uneasy.

“What do you mean?” she looked up at him and studied his expression.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said simply. “I’ll make sure we get the justice we deserve,”

Violet didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded like Dylan was about to do something crazy.

“Dylan, where are you—“ but before she could finish her sentence, he had already walked out the door. Violet quickly turned to her heels to follow him out, but Dylan was too fast. She was still on the top stairs of the apartment building and he was already so far down.

“Dylan!” she yelled, but her brother didn’t even turn back. “Don’t do anything stupid!”

Dylan slammed the door shut in response. Violet felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she imagined what Dylan was going to do. He’d probably meet some of his ‘friends’, guys who were always up to no good, and do something dumb like confront Damon. Or maybe he’d do something even crazier, like go to the cops. Either way, none of these options would end well for Dylan.

Violet let out a sigh and grabbed her purse. She was still tired from the long flight and she hadn’t slept all night, but it wasn’t time to rest just yet. Walking out the door, she was determined to stop her brother and whatever mess he was about to make.

This is all my fault. Why did I say yes to a deal with Damon Van Zandt?

Damon showed who he was right from the start, but she didn’t believe it. She thought she saw something in him and she naively believed that he was better than he seemed. She thought she found a savior in him, but no. He was never a savior.

He’s just the same as all those other monsters, he’s the devil.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

~ Damon ~

Everything was a mess.

Damon felt so weak and so powerless at the time he watched her go. Never in his life had he ever felt this defeated. His chest twisted in pain and he couldn’t breathe. It took everything in him not to run out and chase after her.

“Go with her. Don’t let her see you,” Damon said to Liam, his number one bodyguard who was standing nearby at the time. “Make sure she’s safe,”

“Yes, boss,” Liam nodded and left.

That happened last night during the party and early the next morning, Liam updated Damon that Violet had safely returned to her home in New Jersey. Damon couldn’t get a wink of sleep as he returned from the party. The meeting with Hugo ended well, but it didn’t matter because he was losing the bigger battle.

“If I ever see you or any of your guys again, I promise I’ll fight back and I’ll make it hurt,”

Every time he closed his eyes, all Damon could see was her hurt and angry eyes. Her voice rang in his ears and it was haunting his brain. Ever since Isabella’s death, Damon always had nightmares in his sleep, but this was worse because he was having nightmares while being awake.

* KNOCK * KNOCK *

Suddenly, there was a knock on his bedroom door, pulling Damon out of his thoughts. He turned his head up and the first thought that came to mind was Violet coming back. But then he realized how impossible that was because Liam just said she was back in New Jersey.

“Come in,” he said flatly.

The door creaked open and Talia stepped inside. Damon let out a long sigh and lay back on the bed.

“Damon,” she said. “Where’s Violet?”

“She left,”

“She left?” Talia gasped in disbelief. “You let her go?”

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” he scoffed bitterly. “Kídnap her against her will?”

“Yeah!” Talia said like it was obvious. “You pretty much did that already, what’s stopping you now?”

Damon rolled his eyes and chose not to answer. He turned around and gave her his back, but Talia didn’t give up. She walked around the bed and faced him with her judgmental eyes.

“She’s not safe out there!” she argued. “You brought her out to the public. You put a target on her back!”

“Stop worrying, I sent Liam to follow her,” he replied.

“And why don’t you do that yourself?”

“She doesn’t wanna see me,” he said, pausing for a beat before adding, “She hates me,”

The words felt bitter in his mouth. Damon clenched his jaw and turned around again, unable to face Talia. Talia let out a sigh and sat on the foot of the bed.

“Damon, she doesn’t hate you,” she said.

“You didn’t see the look on her face,” he said.

She was so hurt and broken, it broke him to see her that way. After everything that he put her through, she should hate him. His own partner killed her dad. It was only right that she chose to leave.

And then I chose… this.

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Talia said. “You didn’t know. And you’re nothing like Hugo—“

“We’re all the same, Talia,” he cut her off. “Maybe not you, but the rest of us are. We’re all demons occupying different parts of hell,”

This was another thing that stopped him from running after her last night. Deep down, he knew he never deserved her. All he did was brought pain and suffering into her life. He would be doing her a favor to piss off.

“So, that’s it?” Talia asked. “She’s gone out of our lives forever?”

Damon didn’t like the sound of that, but he had no other answers. What else could he do at this point? He couldn’t turn back the time and stop Violet’s dad from making a deal with Hugo. And he also couldn’t stop working with Hugo because this alliance was a necessary part of his revenge. She would never be with someone who was friends with the guy who hurt her family, and he couldn’t let go of his revenge fantasy either.

“Can’t you just talk it out? Explain it to her?” Talia said again.

“Explain what?”

“How sorry you are and how much you love her?”

Damon stopped for a moment to think.

“But I’m not sorry though,” he said finally.

“What?” Talia gaped and stood up.

“Yeah, it sucked what happened to her dad, but he and Victor made a deal,” he shrugged. “He couldn’t pay up. That was his fault too—“

* SMACK! *

Before he could finish his sentence, Talia had slapped him across the face.

“That’s for Violet,” she hissed. “She’s probably too nice to do it to you,”

Damon sat frozen still. He was glaring at Talia, but she wasn’t fazed. She shook her head at him and turned to her heels, walking to the door.

“You’re such a goddamn fool, Damon,” she said as she reached for the door handle. “She’s the best thing that’s happened to you since… forever. And you’re just letting her go without a fight,” And just before she closed the door shut, Talia turned and said, “I thought I knew you better than that,”

Damon sat silently on the bed with his cheek stinging in pain. Talia had exited the room and he was left with his own thoughts again. Turning his face to the side, Damon saw the empty bed and pillow, the side where Violet usually slept. Seeing her face early in the morning was the best part of his day, and wrapping her in his arms was the best part of his night. The thought that he could never do that again burned his chest until he couldn’t breathe.

s**t. I need to see her. I need to talk to her. Even just to hear her yell at me.

The stinging pain in his chest grew and grew and Damon couldn’t take it anymore. He closed his eyes and imagined what would happen if he got on a plane to go see her right now. Maybe she’d call the cops and his empire would be jeopardized. Maybe she won’t do that but she’d just hate him even more for showing up.

That’ll be worse.

Damon thought of all the possibilities and all the ways she would reject him. He wondered if there would ever be the right time to come back. If saying a meaningless “sorry” would even change anything. Or maybe… just maybe… if he could just get a chance to tell her how much he loves her…

Ah, screw it!

All this thinking wasn’t helping and there was only one way to replace out in the end. With fire burning in his eyes and chest, Damon got up from the bed and headed for the door.

I have to get my girl back. If that’s the last thing I do.