Carol laughed softly. "He is his father’s son," she said. "But he is also mine. And that means... when it truly matters—he will choose correctly."
"For his sake," he said quietly, "I hope you’re right."
Carol reached out, squeezing his arm gently. "What you just told me explains why you are worried," Carol said slowly. "But not why you are sad."
"What?"
"You are both worried and sad," she repeated gently. "Why are you sad?"
Marco frowned faintly, instinctively retreating behind the walls he knew so well. "I just told you," he replied, a bit too quickly.
Carol shook her head almost immediately. "Nonsense," she said. "That’s not it. Look at me," she murmured.
Marco did.
"I see it clear as day, Marco," Carol said quietly, her eyes searching his. "It’s like a light is dim in your eyes."
"I can’t tell you, Ma," he said. "I’m sorry."
"Marco Costa Montgomery."
"Ma!" Marco reacted immediately, straightening, almost like muscle memory had kicked in.
"Start talking," Carol ordered.
Marco shook his head. "I... I cannot," he said. "I want to tell you... it just hurts too much."
Carol didn’t push harder. Instead, she smiled. "When Luciano came to me to talk about a girl," she began, "it didn’t surprise me. Not really. He has always been intense. Passionate. But you..." she added, a quiet chuckle slipping through. "You were always different."
Marco looked away, but she gently reached out, guiding his face back toward her.
"You have always been so guarded," she continued. "So locked up. You keep your emotions tightly sealed away, like if you let them out, everything will fall apart. And yet... your affection speaks volumes. Your little acts of love. The way you show up. The way you protect. The way you stay."
Marco swallowed hard.
"I always thought," Carol went on, a faint teasing warmth in her voice, "you would be the one to break many hearts. Because you were so emotionally stunted. But this..." she said softly. "This is different." Her gaze softened, searching his. "Someone broke your heart, didn’t they... my beautiful boy?"
Marco blinked rapidly, his vision blurring as embarrassing tears threatened to spill over. He shook his head, stubborn even now. "No... no, she didn’t."
"Oh, baby," she murmured. "Come here."
Marco moved forward, and the moment she wrapped her arms around him, something inside him finally gave way.
He let go. His shoulders tensed, his breath hitching as he buried his face against her, holding on tighter than he had intended to.
Carol held him just as tightly, one hand cradling the back of his head, the other rubbing slow, soothing circles against his back. "It’s alright," she whispered softly. "You don’t have to say it."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Undressed By The Mafia God