Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
I stood there, panting wildly, looking into Marco’s eyes, my own pleading for an inch.
Marco remained unmoved, but after a short while, he reached for his earpiece. He removed it and my heart stuttered when he held it out to me. I took it with trembling hands, slowly placed it to my ear and then he spoke. “Every time I’m satisfied things are going well, you go and do something that puts us back at square one.” The sound of his rich timbre had me breaking out in goosebumps all over. “What do you want, Vittoria?”
What did I want?
I wanted out. Out of this pretty, glorified cell.
My lips quivered and my voice cracked pathetically as I accused pitifully, “You abandoned me.”
“And you broke my heart,” he clapped back and my stomach ached with how freely he admitted such a thing. “So, I guess we’re even.”
My face crumpled, I dipped my chin and my shoulders shook gently as tears fell from my eyes. I was convinced then. We were never going to get passed this. I spoke through a torrent of tears. “You should have killed me.”
My heart broke to pieces with his agreement. “You’re right. I should have.”
I nodded to myself. I sniffled then let out a hushed, “It’s not too late.”
Ettore did not speak for a heartbeat, but when he did, I could hear his resentment. “How easy that would be for you. You would leave me to agonize with your memory while you move on from this life. No. If I have to suffer through this existence, so will you.” What he said next was stone cold and laced with fury. “In this family, we bleed together.”
Those last words resonated with me deeply, but while Ettore meant them in a way that spoke of family love and loyalty, I heard them as a threat. And I thought of my sister.
In our family, we didn’t bleed together, but when Vincenza bled, she did not hesitate to put a blade to my flesh and drain me just the same. I felt awful – truly awful – that this time away from her had been pleasant in some ways.
I tried not to think about what she would ask of me if I were ever to make it out of here.
I didn’t want to think on it.
Now, as Daniele worked on the last window, right by the kitchen, I knew it would be my only chance to speak to him. I got up off the couch, made my way to the fridge and filled a glass of water. I leant against the counter, putting the cool rim of the glass to my mouth, asking, “How is he?” before sipping on the iced water.
Daniele did not spare a glance as he fitted the bars on the outside of the window and was aloof as they come when he uttered nonchalantly, “He’s good. He’s great. He’s busy running the streets and raising his kids.” My silence caused him to glimpse at me a second before saying, “What? You thought he’d be wrecked? Please. You were nothing but a blip on his radar. Don’t flatter yourself, honey.”
I set my glass down. “I wasn’t insinuating he was distraught or anything.”
He drilled on one side and when he was done, he muttered, “So, what is it you want to know?” The other side was then secured and the high-pitched squeal the drill gave off was excruciating. “Oh. I get ya.” There was that smirk again and his brow rose. “His bed ain’t cold, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at.”
Right.
Numbness spread through my chest.
Ettore was grown. He was a purely sexual male. Did I expect him to wait? Wait for what? He hated me.
As I suffered through the beginnings of a mental breakdown, it was only polite to ask, “And the kids?”
“Don’t even remember your name,” he said dispassionately.
I know what he was up to. Daniele was trying to hurt me, and succeeding.
“Good,” I said with a straight face, which was pretty hard to do when your insides were melting away.
My retreat to the master bedroom was swift. I don’t know how long I stayed there, sitting on the edge of the bed, but darkness fell and swallowed me whole. I heard heavy footsteps approach but paid no mind to them. It was only when the bedroom light switched on that I lifted my head from my upturned knees that I blinked rapidly, adjusting to the brightness, that I saw Marco standing in the open doorway.
I hugged my knees tighter and my eyes followed him as he walked into the room, reaching for his earpiece. I didn’t know what he was up to, but I kept a careful eye on him as he removed the black receiver from the waist of his pants and made a show of placing the device onto the vanity before taking a seat on the dainty stool that shouldn’t have supported his massive frame.