28. Elena
The stage lights are up. Trixie is out there singing her heart out, and Liam stands beside me in the wings. His father is here tonight. They will make the announcement to the audience and the cast and crew that the Salvatores have purchased the theater and intend to promote Mr. Monroe to head of the theater. We’ll get a new director soon, though Mr. Monroe will be heavily involved.
I’m glad they didn’t cut him loose. After every negative thing Liam said about him, I assumed he’d be fired. But after some interviews, they agreed to keep him on. I heard a rumor that they tripled his pay and gave him excellent benefits. If that’s true, then I don’t ever see him leaving. He loves this job as much as all of us actors and actresses do.
“You’re going to be fantastic,” Liam says, kissing my cheek. I’ve been nervous about this final scene all day. I’ve had a cold and I can’t hit the high notes, but he gave me hot water with honey and lemon in it and my vocal chords seem to have loosened up a bit. I clear my throat and turn to face him, grabbing his lapels.
“Thank you for believing in me. It means the world to me.” I kiss him hard, and I don’t even care when I pull away and my lipstick is smeared on his lips. I know he pulls strings to get me jobs, and even though he does that, I don’t feel offended at all. Mom told me she thinks he pulls those strings because he doesn’t believe in my talent or ability to get the role I deserve. I told her it doesn’t matter because the fans adore me, and so do the critics.
“Get out there and break a leg,” he whispers just as the lighting on stage shifts from bright white to a dim red. It”s my cue to enter.
The music gets quiet, hauntingly so, and I creep out onto the stage in my witch costume to play the role. I’m not the lead this time because I wanted Trixie to do this. After almost dying, I think she deserves it, and Liam thinks so too. He was so emphatic about supporting my choice that he paid a dozen reporters to come and give their honest feedback about the entire performance—for the whole cast.
I belt out the lyrics, making sure to hit every note and make every step correctly, and when it comes time for Trixie to kill the witch and save the day, I fall to my “death” in an incredibly dramatic fashion, which brings the audience to their feet in uproarious applause. Trixie takes a huge bow just as the curtains begin to fall, and then she helps me to my feet.
“Oh, God, that was incredible.” She throws her arms around me and squeals. We’ve become very close over the past few months, ever since her time in the hospital. I visited her every day, told her the entire story of what was going on with Warren and the crap he pulled. He’s in jail now, and we have a new co-star, approved by Liam and his men.
“You did an amazing job,” I tell her, hugging her back. I lost Nina, but I have Trixie, and I couldn’t be happier with her as a best friend. Our relationship started off a bit rocky, but it’s amazing how a tragedy can bring you close to someone you never thought you’d ever even like.
“Let’s get to the wings.” She ushers me toward the right wing where everyone is lining up for curtain calls.
The emcee announces names as he does every single show, and one by one, the cast members filter out onto stage. I look for Liam, hoping to see him back here, but he’s not around anywhere. It’s disappointing, because I thought he’d be here to congratulate me like normal. He’s taken to waiting in the wings now instead of my dressing room.
Trixie pulls me forward when the line moves up. They always announce extras and chorus members first, then leads. When my name isn’t called with the other secondary leads, I’m surprised, but I don’t take the stage. I know better than that.
So when Trixie’s name is called alongside mine, I am happy and content to take my bows with her. She walks with me arm in arm and forces me to keep her pace as she says, “I asked them to let us do bows together.” Her words warm my heart. This isn’t the act of a powerful boyfriend. This is the act of a loving friend. She deserves this spotlight on her own, but she wants me with her. My heart is full.
We bow, accepting the insatiable cheers and applause of the audience, and as I bend low, my eyes are shielded from the glare of the spotlight. I see my mother, seated front and center. Her eyes sparkle with pride and emotion as she claps her hands furiously and whistles loudly.
When I lived in Ohio, she came to every show without missing one. Now that I’m in New York, she hasn’t been able to see even a single show. I know this is Liam’s doing, and I love him for it.
With bows out of the way, Mr. Salvatore takes the stage with us. The cast and crew have all been prepped to know an announcement would be made about our new owner. No one but me knows it’s Liam’s father, though the world will know soon enough. He struts out onto stage and adjusts his tie. He walks with a limp—a lower back issue is what Liam told me—but he’s still a powerful man. He takes the mic and waits for the audience to calm down. I watch them begin to sit, starting at the back and finally filling in all the way to the front.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to have your attention for just a few moments. I know it’s late and the show is over, but this announcement is one I’m sure you will all want to hear.” He clears his throat, and Trixie wraps her arms around one of mine.
She leans in and whispers in my ear, “Isn’t that Luciantonio Salvatore? He’s like the Mob boss, right? Liam’s dad?” I can tell she’s afraid. I was too when I first met the man, so much so that I got completely sloshed and fucked Liam the whole car ride home from his father’s house. Then I slept the rest of the day and woke up the next morning with a hangover.
“Shh,” I tell her, grinning. This is good news for the theater. Imagine a bottomless budget for every show. We could do Rogers and Hammerstein every week! Trixie doesn’t seem to like me shushing her, but she stops asking questions, and we both listen intently as Mr. Salvatore continues his announcement.
“As you all know, this theater has suffered some horrible consequences of the industry over the past year.” He pauses to allow those words to sink in. We all know Warren was behind it—the director’s mugging, Nina’s car accident and subsequent death, the fire at Mr. Flemming’s house, and almost killing Trixie, which should have been me. He was so sick. I can’t believe I didn’t see it. No one actually believes it was him, despite the courts proving it was. Even Trixie still thinks it was Liam.
“In the wake of tragedy, it can be difficult to see a path forward, but with the help of good friends and a little light on your path, a silver lining may begin to emerge. In our case, this beloved theater seemed to be struggling, floundering under the weight of the scandal created by one of its own. That person is now no longer able to influence what happens here, and I have come to bring the light.
“My family and my organization, Salvatore Enterprises, would like to announce our commitment to extending the life of this theater and supporting the talented actors, actresses, and crew members who bring shows to life. We have purchased the building, the business, the rights to perform shows, and most of all, the hearts of those who love this stage as much as we do!”
Applause goes up yet again, rivaling the cheers that went up for our performance, and I can tell the audience loves the fact that this amazing man is saving our beloved theater. The response from the cast and crew is mixed. I can see it on their faces that they’re surprised, and some of them look worried. But they all clap, anyway. Our audience may not know who this man is, but thanks to my dating Liam, the people who work here all know too well how connected Mr. Salvatore is.
I look for Liam again, and yet again, I do not see him. I’d have thought he’d be here for his father’s big moment. I can’t make out faces in the crowd, but I assume he is there, clapping and cheering with the rest of the onlookers. He must be excited to be a part of all this. He seems to love the shows, and buying a theater on Broadway in New York City is a huge deal. The world knows that Broadway is where actors and actresses go to gain fame.
We all turn our attention back to Mr. Salvatore, but he looks to the wings, past me, not to the audience as he should. “Now I have it on good authority that there is one more person here who may have something to say.”
Everyone turns their head to see what he’s looking at, and we all see Liam come out of the wings carrying an armful of roses, at least three dozen, and wearing a huge smile. As he passes me, he reaches for me, and I take his hand and follow him.
I glance at Trixie who grins broadly, her cheeks bright red. We’ve come to an understanding about my relationship with Liam, which she still worries about, but she knows how much I adore him. After some tension, she now supports me and what I want for my future, even if she’d make different choices.
Liam leads me to center stage and takes the mic from his father. If I didn’t know better, I would never know they were related. He resembles the man a little, but he must get his looks from his mother. I don’t mind that at all. Liam is a very handsome man in his own right.
“Elena—pardon me, ladies and gentlemen.” He glances into the audience, and they chuckle at him. “I have something to ask this beautiful young star.” He turns back to me and looks me in the eye, and I feel my cheeks warming as he places the load of roses into my arms. “Elena, the moment I met you, I knew you were special.” As he talks, he reaches into his pocket. I know what this is, and we haven’t even discussed this. Why is he doing this right now, on stage, in front of my mother?
It clicks in my head. That’s why he invited her here. I’m sure he paid for her hotel and airfare too. I’m nervous, not even paying attention to what he’s saying about our relationship and the ups and downs. I can’t say no to him in front of his father, on this stage, in front of my fans. Fuck… but I don’t want to say no. I don’t know what I want. This is so sudden.
“So, what I’m saying is…” Liam drops to one knee and holds up a black velvet box with a ring in it. The rock is so huge I am seeing stars. “I only see us going up from here. Be my wife.”
It feels like the world stops spinning as he takes my free hand and slides the ring onto my finger. There is no microphone to my mouth to pick up the squeak of nervousness. I don’t even answer, but he rises and kisses me, and the audience cheers. I kiss him back and wrap my arm around him, crushing the flowers between our bodies, but there is little I can do but let the scene play out. I am an actress, after all.
“I love you,” he whispers, and I return the words before he kisses me in front of everyone. When we turn to face the audience, the spotlight is dimmer and I can see my mother’s happy tears. I’m so glad it appears she is happy about this. I wonder if he called and asked for her blessing.
When the announcements and applause are over and I lead Liam to my dressing room, I hope to have a talk with him about this surprise he sprang on me. The idea of marrying him is pleasant, but I think I need a long engagement—long enough to decide whether being a Mafia bride is what I really want.
But Mom is waiting in my dressing room, having been shown here by Mr. Salvatore himself. She stands by the trash can wiping her eyes. She knows nothing about the poisoning or some of the other horrible things Warren did, but she does know he’s locked up for it all now, and that I’m safe. She turns and looks up as we walk in and reaches to hug me, so I hand Liam the flowers and let her embrace me.
“Oh, baby, I’m so happy for you.” Her arms feel safe, but they don’t feel like home anymore. That is reserved only for the man I love.
“I love you, Mom.” I can tell she approves. I’ve never seen her so proud or pleased.
She holds me at arm’s length and says, “When Mr. Salvatore called me to let me know his son was going to propose, I had no idea. Baby, this is amazing. I’m so glad you found such a great man. Dominic seems like the perfect match.”
I glance at Liam and almost cringe as she says his given name. There’s still some work to do. I guess we’ll fix these things during our long engagement. He winks at me and ducks out of the room, presumably to let me reconnect with my mother. We’ll chat later.
For now, I’m going to enjoy catching up with Mom. I have the rest of my lifetime to figure out why Liam does the things he does, and apparently, a lifetime to enjoy him.