His: Tony: The Sabatini Family by Fiona Murphy (sneezy the snowman read aloud TXT) 📕

How in the hell was that not malice?

My old hatred came back again. I agreed with my mother. Tony Sabatini deserved to pay for the pain he caused. Yet even as I said it, I knew I wasn’t the one to do anything about it. I told her what she needed to hear, to give her the peace she needed.

Three weeks later, I lost my baby. I went through the miscarriage without any idea where my husband was. For the last two years of our marriage, I rarely knew where he was. I cringe now at the way I put up with it for so long. Eddie hadn’t allowed me to have friends, saying he was all I needed. Ricky hasn’t called me in years, busy with his own life. Without Eddie, I was completely alone.

What shocked me out of my fog, was the message from my job. The hospital where I’d been a nurse for the last four years was telling me not to worry about coming back. They were sorry. However, I went over all my allotted time off without calling them. I was terminated. I couldn’t understand it. I put so much of myself into my job, it was my everything. How could they fire me?

I pleaded with Eddie to come home, needing him to tell me everything would be okay. He did, only to tell me it was long past time to divorce. Since I couldn’t have kids, he was done. His parents weren’t giving him any more money. I didn’t understand what he was talking about. Rolling his eyes, of course, I did. I had to know he only married me to make his parents happy because they liked me so much. And he got more money from his trust fund once he got married.

Logging into my computer for the first time in weeks to search for a divorce lawyer to make sense of the papers, there were dozens of alerts from my bank. I couldn’t believe it when I found out all my money was gone. We’d had a joint account and our own personal accounts. Eddie cleaned out the joint account then he managed to get into my two personal accounts and hadn’t even left a dollar in them.

The next day, a lawyer came by with an eviction notice from his parents who owned our home. I had three days to get out. They were willing to pay for movers, but nothing more. The tiny two-flat, a two-story house that had been converted into two apartments, that was all I could afford to rent in the South Side of Chicago was a long way away from the big house in Burr Ridge.

I hate the place is only three blocks away from the two-flat we were living in when my mother first met Danny. My first night here, I dreamed of my mother and the promise I made her and hadn’t kept.

Waking up, I railed against what my life had become. I was back in a crappy neighborhood in the same exact life I had grown up in. The one thing I promised myself I wouldn’t become, broke and poor and alone. I had become my mother. It was because I had broken my other promise—to myself. I was going to kill Tony Sabatini. If I kept my promise, then I would earn the things I deserved instead of just accepting whatever I got handed.

4

Christy

“Here?” From outside it seems almost boring. It’s a small shop with the windows closed off from eyes by white curtains. Black filigree lettering of Feminine Foundations is on the white sign by the door. Inside, I’m overwhelmed by lingerie that could only be described as decadent. Without a doubt it’s more expensive than anything I’ve ever purchased before. I don’t even have to check the prices. And it was one of those places where there weren’t price tags on anything.

“Yes, here. I had no idea you were so completely lacking in self-confidence and down on yourself. Like the name says, you feel sexy from the bottom up or in this case from feeling silk and lace against your skin.”

The woman behind the counter is gray-haired with a pixie cut to match her slight build and features. Her eyes are a steel gray and there is no word that fits her expression other than impish as she smiles knowingly at me. I can’t help but return her smile.

“Gertrude is amazing and will know exactly what you need. Gertrude, this is my best friend and she needs some help. We’re looking to catch the eye of Tony Sabatini and hold it.”

Her eyebrows go up as she smiles. “My goodness, Tony Sabatini. While it is easy to catch his eye, it’s the holding it that becomes the challenge. At least you are gifted in his favorite feature on a woman, a beautiful smile.”

Lisa laughs.

“Ah yes, I’ve heard the whole breast thing. However, as a true connoisseur of women, outer beauty alone will not hold him. He prefers his women to be well-read and enjoy the arts as much as he does. Tony appreciates all things of beauty. I’ve come across him often at the Art Institute on a quiet afternoon, his favorite rooms are the Impressionists. He has an extensive collection in his home, or so I’ve heard.”

Lisa straightens, as she frowns. “I didn’t know about the art thing. The books, yeah, with him owning a bookstore and everything.” She looks to me. “I didn’t think it would be a big deal. You were a huge book nerd when we were growing up. I figured you still would be.” She goes tense when she sees my own frown. “Aren’t you?”

“I used to be, but since I started working, life kind of took over. I can’t remember the last book I read. It’s been more than a few years since I managed to read anything for fun.” My stomach twists in worry. “I’ve read all the classics,