Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
The past
M y heart pounds in my chest. Can I do this? Can I really leave? What if he finds out? I’ll either end up dead or something far worse. Something I can’t imagine. Can I risk that? Who will the boys have if they don’t have me?
Without their mother, they won’t have anyone who loves them. But if I can do it, if I can get out, get them away from him, then we will all be better off.
He’s getting worse. I didn’t think it was possible. I thought I’d seen the height of my husband’s cruelty. Until I watched him shoot a maid yesterday. Point blank. Why? She didn’t fold the corners on the bedsheets the way he wanted them.
I tried to reason with Giovanni. He wasn’t having it. It’s as if he’s not even there half the time, like the man I fell in love with has died and his body has been taken over by the devil. I’ve tried to pinpoint the moment, the event that changed him. I mistakenly thought if I could uncover what it was that set him down this dark path, then I could fix it. Fix him.
I’ve never been able to really find it, though. The cause or the cure. Which leads me to this moment. My hands are sweaty. He’s out of town for two days. I’ve been instructed not to leave the house. His men have been instructed not to let me.
Except there’s one. Henry. He’s kind to me. He said he’d help me leave. I don’t know why he’s willing to risk his neck to help me. But I have to try to get my boys out of this house. I have to do it. I can’t let him destroy us any more than he already has.
It’s the middle of the night. Everything is quiet. This is my moment. Henry said to wait until two in the morning. He said he’d have a car out front. It’s ten to two now. Taking a deep breath, I bend down and pick up Vin from his crib before tiptoeing into the next room. Where I gently try to shake my eldest son awake.
“Gio, wake up,” I whisper.
“Mum?” His voice is groggy.
“I need you to get up. We’re going for a little drive. Can you get Marcel? I’ll grab Santo and Gabrielle. But we have to be real quiet, okay, baby?” I tell him. I see the confusion in his eyes. But he’s a good kid. He doesn’t question me, just nods his head and pushes the blankets aside.
“Okay. I’ll get Marcel,” Gio says.
I walk into Gabrielle’s room, and then Santo’s. With all five boys, I make a game out of slowly creeping down the stairs. We step into the foyer and then my heart drops. This isn’t happening. He’s supposed to be away. He’s not meant to be here.
“Going somewhere?” Giovanni asks from where he’s standing by the door. Blocking it.
Our eldest son moves in front of me until I grab hold of him and push him back. “Take your brothers upstairs and go to bed,” I say while passing him Vin.
“No, I don’t want to leave you.” Gio shakes his head.
“Please, just go upstairs. I’ll be okay,” I tell him.
My son looks from me to his father before he walks up the stairs. His brothers follow him.
I brace myself as I turn back to face my husband. “Did something happen? You’re home early.”
He doesn’t answer. Instead, he dips his chin towards someone behind me, and I’m grabbed by my arms. “Take her to my office. Lock the door,” he orders the men now standing on each side of me.
“Giovanni, no, please don’t! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!” My pleas land on deaf ears. He’s not listening.
I’m dragged down the hall and then shoved into the room and onto the ground. When I peer up, all I see is disgust. I’ve never done anything to my husband’s men. I’ve never done anything to anyone. So why are they being so cruel?
I didn’t ask for this life. I didn’t want this life.
The door slams shut and then I hear the sound of the lock engaging. Shit. I need to get out of here.
I jump to my feet and run over to the window. Just as I’m trying to lift the glass, I see two more men standing on the other side.
I’m trapped in here. I’ve been trapped in this house for years. But now I’m really trapped. What’s he going to do with me? How many bones will be broken?
I walk over to the sofa and curl up on top. This isn’t going to end well for me. Giovanni isn’t stupid. He knows what I was doing. It’s a matter of when. When he will punish me.
How long is he going to leave me sitting here? I could open the drawer. I know there’s a gun inside. I could end it all. I could escape the pain. But then I’d be leaving them behind. My children.
I won’t do that to my boys. I can’t.
Five hours. That’s how long it takes for the door to open and my husband to walk in. Except he’s not alone. Three of his men are dragging something behind them. Henry. His lifeless body drops to the floor and his dead eyes stare up at me.
“You did this to him, Mary. You are the reason he’s dead,” Giovanni says. His voice calm, even, quiet as he glances over a shoulder. “Leave us.”
I hold my breath. I know what’s coming, the pain, the beating that I’m about to get.
“What am I going to do with you? You selfish fucking bitch. Did you really think you could take them? That you could steal my children? That you could run off with him?” Giovanni paces up and down the length of his office. “I knew it,” he says. “I knew Vin wasn’t mine. I knew you cheated. That’s what I get for marrying a cheap whore.” My husband stops in front of me. Reaching out a hand and wrapping it around my throat. “Admit it. Admit that baby isn’t my blood.” He screams at me as my body is raised from the sofa, my feet barely touching the ground.
I shake my head. “He is yours, Giovanni. I swear it,” I choke out.
“You whore. Don’t fucking lie to me.” He tosses me back down onto the sofa.
I knew this would happen. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to leave…