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416 pages, ebook
First published December 16, 2013
"I did it because I love you, Haven, and you didn't force me to fucking love you. I did that shit all on my own. And I don't regret any of it."
"Run away with me," he continued, leaning down to softly kiss her lips. "We can disappear before the sun comes up."…
"We can't run away."
He sighed. "It's a nice dream, though, isn't it?"
"You love me."
"I do," he said. "No matter what. Sempre."
"What do you do when the thing you want most suddenly feels like it's beyond your fingertips?"
"He was surrounded by violence and death, the ugliness eating away at him, but then on the other side, there was her. She was peace and hope, and pure beauty. She was the good that he hoped would overpower the bad."
"Everyone falls sometimes, son, even me, but the trick is to get right back up. They’ll always target the ones who appear vulnerable, so you need to be strong. Fake it until you make it."
“You’re not asking me to choose you. There’s no choice about it. It’s always been you. Your father once told me that we always have a choice, but I think he was wrong. I think sometimes things choose us. It’s like with breathing. It’s natural. It’s a part of us. It just happens. We can hold our breath and try not to breathe anymore, and it’ll work for a few minutes, but we’ll eventually pass out and nature takes over. We can’t just not breathe, just like I can’t just not love you.”
“This boy--this stubborn, selfless, stupid boy--had given himself to the Mafia. He had handed control of his future over to the men they hated most in exchange for her life. For her safety. And he had done it so easily, so quickly, like he didn’t have to think about it at all…like sacrificing for her came just as naturally as breathing.”
"Bellissima, I'd stop time for you. I'd give you the moon and the stars; I'd learn to defy gravity. There's nothing I wouldn't do, nobody I wouldn't kill, if you asked me to, if you needed me to."
"Out of all the people in the world, you picked me. I was used to being overlooked, used to being invisible, but you saw me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you. I love you, Carmine Marcello DeMarco, and I want you to know I’m ready now.
BELOW is my preview.
“I just want people to see me,” she said. “I want to walk into a room and have them know I’m there. It doesn’t matter where it is, really. I just don't want to be invisible anymore.” Carmine ran the back of his hand along her warm cheek. She hummed contently, leaning into his touch. “I see you, hummingbird,” he whispered, a twinkle in his eyes. “I know you do.”
“You’re not asking me to choose you. There’s no choice about it. It’s always been you. Your father once told me that we always have a choice, but I think he was wrong. I think sometimes things choose us. It’s like breathing. It’s natural. It’s a part of us. It just happens. We can hold our breaths and try not to breathe anymore, and it’ll work for a few minutes, but we’ll eventually pass out and nature takes over. We can’t just not breathe, just like I can’t just not love you.”
"Bellissima, I'd stop time for you. I'd give you the moon and the stars; I'd learn to defy gravity. There's nothing I wouldn't do, nobody I wouldn't kill, if you asked me to. If you needed me to. Saving you from a fire would be nothing, purely instinct."
You feel it?” he asked. “You hear it?” “Yes.” “What’s it saying?” She smiled, her eyes fluttering closed. “It’s saying you love me.” “I do,” he said. “No matter what. Sempre.” That word washed through her. “Sempre.
What's black and white and red all over?
All of the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it, because she was worth it.
From Corrado…
The end justifies the means: the belief that it’s okay to do immoral things as long as it’s for a good cause. Not everyone agrees with the concept, but I certainly do.
It doesn’t matter what I did along the way—what I stole, which lies I told, who I annihilated—as long as I had a good reason to do it all. And protecting my family… honoring my family… is the only reason I’ve ever had for anything.
Personally, I can’t think of a better reason than that.
I don’t particularly like some of the things I’ve done, and I’m certainly not proud of a lot of it. There’s no room for pride in the life of a man like me. I did it because I had to do it. It’s as simple as that. And if I could go back and relive my life, I’d make all the same choices all over again.
Not to say I don’t feel any remorse, because I do, but wallowing in regret is pointless. The end justifies the means. And the end… well… all I can say is that when the end comes, I’ll hold my head high as long as I did everything I could for my family.
Am I a bad man? I’m sure some people think so. Maybe even you do, but it doesn’t matter. Opinions mean nothing. I live my life by facts. And the fact of the matter is, I may not live to see tomorrow, but I’m alive today. And as long as my heart’s still beating, I’ll fight with everything left in me to do what I have to do.