The Sweetest Oblivion

A hostile look at church makes the worst first impression

Elena Abelli, eldest daughter of a New York Cosa Nostra boss, has been deemed unfit for marriage after she ran away six months ago and slept with a stranger—a man her family subsequently killed.

A hostile look at church makes the worst first impression

Elena Abelli, eldest daughter of a New York Cosa Nostra boss, has been deemed unfit for marriage after she ran away six months ago and slept with a stranger—a man her family subsequently killed. The guilt haunts her, made heavier by a fifty-cent ring the dead man gave her that she refuses to remove. Because of Elena's disgrace, her younger sister Adriana is offered instead to Nicolas Russo, the twenty-nine-year-old don of a rival family. Elena avoids the introduction at church, but her father forces a meeting in the foyer. Nico embarrasses her by implying they've already met, unnerving her father. Elena finds him rude, magnetic, and dangerously perceptive. He notices her cheap ring. She notices the tattoos beneath his gentleman's suit. Neither intends to think about the other again.

Nico shoots his own cousin to save Elena's life

At a patio lunch meant to unite the two families, Elena's reckless brother Tony goads one of Nico's cousins about killing a Russo. The cousin snaps, wrapping an arm around Elena and pressing a gun to her temple. Shouts erupt in Italian. Guns rise in every direction, but it's Nico's calm voice that cuts through—ordering the man to stand down. When he hesitates, Nico pulls the trigger. Blood splatters across Elena's white dress. Her father commands everyone to sit down and finish their tiramisu, so Elena eats dessert with a dead man's feet touching hers. Afterward, Nico punches Tony repeatedly and shoots a bullet through his right hand as punishment. The alliance barely survives its first Sunday.

Nico shares his cigarette with the wrong Abelli sister At Adriana's engagement party, Elena encounters Oscar Perez—a Colombian who works for her father and has always been subtly predatory with his touches. Oscar whispers that he was disappointed she'd been with another man, implying he expected to marry her. His possessiveness curls under Elena's skin like something venomous. She escapes to the yard where Nico finds her and leads her to a blind spot away from the security cameras. He lights a cigarette and hands it to her. She coughs through her first drag while he watches with hooded amusement. When she worries her mother will smell the smoke, he pulls her close and buries his face in her hair—ostensibly checking. His palm slides from her waist to her hip, and Elena feels the thrill of standing inches from a…