me. “And this is the thanks I get. I guess they were right.” I laughed bitterly, unable to stop comparing myself to the girl at his side.
She was everything I wasn’t
Platinum blonde hair down to her tiny waist.
Big boobs.
Tanned skin.
Curves in all the right places.
I had always had a strong sense of self, but in that moment, I felt worthless.
Enzo finally snapped out of his trance, glancing from me to the girl at his side and back to me. “Fuck,” he ground out, pushing the covers off his legs. “Nora, I can explain—”
“Save it.” My voice cracked as I backed out of the room, crashing into Maurice.
“Miss Abato?” The pity in his eyes made my stomach sink.
“We’re leaving, now.” I barged past him and all but ran out of there.
I’d come to fight for Enzo, to show him I was there for him, and he’d betrayed me. He’d taken everything that existed between us and cast it aside like it was nothing.
Like I was nothing.
And as I fled from his building, tears streaming down my cheeks, I knew Arianne’s warnings about Enzo had all been right.
He wasn’t a good guy.
Not like Nicco. He was an anomaly. An outlier.
The hero of her unexpected fairytale.
And Enzo Marchetti...
He was the villain.
Thank you for reading Nicco and Arianne’s story.
Enzo and Nora’s story continues in Villian of Secrets, coming early 2020. Available to pre-order now.
Join L A Cotton’s reader group to keep up with all the latest release new and updates.
Playlist
Don’t Let Me Down – Connor Maynard
Broken – Isak Danielson
Die for You – The Weeknd
Lovely – Billie Ellish, Khalid
No Time to Die – Billie Ellish
All Goes Wrong – Chase & Status, Tom Grennan
If the World Was Ending – JP Saxe, Julia Michaels
Light Me Up – Ingrid Michaelson
In Case You Don’t Live Forever – Ben Platt
No Goodbyes – LEON
Say Something – A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
Ever – Tiny Deaths
Countdowns – Sleeping At Last
In the Dark – Bring Me The Horizon
Dangerously in Love – Beyoncé
Bad Things – Meiko
Nightcall – London Grammar
Adore You – Miley Cyrus
I Found – Amber Run
I Love You – Billie Ellish
Surrender – Natalie Taylor
Acknowledgments
I can’t believe Arianne and Nicco’s story is done. Most authors will tell you they love all their books, and it’s true. Each book I write is a part of me, the culmination of a lot of hard work and long days at the computer. But there are some stories that are so much more. Stories that become woven into the fabric of your soul.
This is one of mine.
When I had the idea to write a Romeo and Juliet inspired mafia story, I didn’t realize how deeply the story would affect me. I know a lot of readers who picked up Prince of Hearts wanted it to be darker. Mafia books hold a certain set of expectations that, it could be argued, I didn’t quite hit. But I’m okay with that because this wasn’t my story—it was Arianne and Nicco’s, and I let them tell it as they intended. And I hope you enjoyed their journey as much as I enjoyed writing it!
It goes without saying, there is a long list of people I need to thank for always being in my corner. My alpha reader and friend, Nina. Thank you for always being there! Andrea, for checking those pesky Italian translations (one day, I’ll get them right). My translator, Chiara, over at Queen Edizioni, for also helping fix the nuances of the Italian dialogue. Andrea, my editor and friend and all-round legend. Ginelle, my proofreader extraordinaire, thank you for always accommodating my crazy schedule! My awesome promo team who continue to support me and my books. And finally, Give Me Books for handling the promotion side of things. I am grateful to all of you.
And to you: the readers, bloggers, and bookstagrammers. Without you, my books would just be stories lost in an ocean of other stories. Your support and enthusiasm for my characters makes it all worthwhile, and I hope I continue to write the kinds of stories you love…
Until next time,
L A xo
About the Author
Angsty. Edgy. Addictive Romance
Author of mature young adult and new adult novels, L A is happiest writing the kind of books she loves to read: addictive stories full of teenage angst, tension, twists and turns.
Home is a small town in the middle of England where she currently juggles being a full-time writer with being a mother/referee to two little people. In her spare time (and when she’s not camped out in front of the laptop) you’ll most likely find L A immersed in a book, escaping the chaos that is life.