17. Chapter 17
Chapter seventeen
Luciana
I n the past week, I had attended more funerals than I ever had in my life. Many were people only Emilio knew, but today I had the unfortunate privilege of knowing the body of honor.
It was Valentina Alto’s funeral. And even though I had hated that insufferable bitch, I still felt a bit sad. Liria liked her mom - even though I thought it was poor judgement on her part - so she was probably really upset. And I didn’t want my former friend to feel bad.
Even though everyone hated the Alto’s, many people showed up. They were probably in debt to Leone in some way and wouldn’t dare skip out on the funeral. The church was so packed that people were standing, but we got seats. Emilio, my family, and I squeezed into a pew halfway down the aisle.
“They better not talk about what an amazing person she was,” Martina muttered.
With a subtle tilt of my head, I gave my sister a knowing glance. We both shared the same opinion, but I wouldn’t dare speak ill of Valentina as we sat among mourners at her funeral.
The ceremony dragged on endlessly, each speaker attempting to find something positive to say about the deceased. However, only Leone and one of Valentina’s closest friends seemed to have any kind words to share. As I sat amongst the hushed crowd, memories of the night at the banquet and how I could have shared the same fate as Valentina filled my mind.
I peered through the rows of people and into the front row. Liria sat by herself, silently crying. I made a mental note to call her later on.
Eventually, the pallbearers carried the casket from the inside of the church into the hearse, escorting Valentina to her final resting place.
We could leave after, as the family had the burial in private. Guests filed out of the church and make their way back to the cars.
“Luciana,” my father said. “May I talk to you for a moment?”
It was worded as a question, but I knew it was a demand.
“Sure.”
He pulled me to the side of the building, away from prying eyes and to where no one could hear us.
“Well?” he asked.
“Well, what?”
“I just want to make sure things are going well with Emilio. You do remember why you married him, right?” He took a step closer to me, his taller frame looming over mine. “To help our family.”
I almost laughed when he said “help our family.” It was an interesting way to phrase that he had screwed up and was using me to fix it. No one had ever told me exactly what he did. But, I knew it must be big to trade a person for the mistake.
“Interesting choice of words. Last I checked, this was a business deal for your mistake,” I said, not bothering to hide the seething tone in my voice.
“Watch what you say, Luciana.”
My mind was reeling with thoughts and emotions, a hurricane of anger and resentment. Our unresolved issues hung heavily in the air between us, a tangled web of emotions and hurt. But as I looked into his eyes, filled with arrogant confidence and superiority, I knew it was useless. I made the decision to walk away rather than engage in another pointless argument with him.
“Everything is fine,” I said. “I’m going to leave now.”
As I turned to leave, he pushed me forcefully back into the outside of the building.
“Elaborate,” he hissed. He kept his forearm against my chest so I couldn’t get away. “Has he mentioned anything else regarding me?”
“Let me go!”
“Not until you give me what I asked for. Jesus Christ Luciana, you’ve always been the worst child.”
Hot tears of frustration welled up in my eyes as my father’s words stung. His cruel phrasing, the contemptuous glimmer in his eyes, and the brutal reality of his expectations for my marriage filled me with a resentment that bubbled and seethed beneath the surface of my dignity.
“Release my wife, Gennaro.”
Emilio’s voice cut through the tension like a fiery blade, and I turned my head to find him standing a few paces away, his eyes blazing with an icy fury. His lips were drawn taut in a thin, straight line, a testament to the barely contained anger he was holding back. His hands were clenched into fists at his side, a silent threat that made my father take a step back, releasing me.
My father instantly let go of me, and I scrambled towards Emilio and stood by his side.
“Of course. We were just having a bit of a disagreement.” My father laughed, and I could tell how fake it was. “Sometimes it’s hard having daughters.”
“You will never be alone with my wife again,” Emilio said. “And I will not be as generous next time I catch you doing something wrong.”
Emilio’s fingers intertwined with mine, our palms pressed together as we strolled towards the car. The gentle warmth of his hand radiated through my own, sending comforting tingles up my arm.
“I shouldn’t’ve let you be alone with him,” he muttered. “Gennaro is horrible.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” he said. “Honestly, I should just kill him. It would be less of a headache than keeping him around.”
The image of Martina, with her soft brown eyes and gentle smile, flashed through my mind. Despite our father’s cruel nature, she still loved him with all her heart. It was a love that could not be broken, no matter how much pain it caused her. The thought of hurting her in any way sent a sharp pang through my chest. It would be a heartbreak that would surely leave scars on her gentle soul.
“Keep him alive, please,” I sighed.
Emilio paused, his serious gaze scanning for emotions I was trying to hide. He knew I hated my father, and was probably wondering why I didn’t agree with him. “If you insist.”
I slid into the passenger seat as Emilio held the car door open for me. He hurriedly made his way to the driver’s side and climbed in behind the wheel.
“What do you want to do now, Jaws?”
“I thought we were supposed to continue mourning.”
“It’s Valentina Alto,” he said. “I think that was a sufficient time to mourn.”
His dark humor made me laugh, easing the tension from the earlier encounter with my father.
“Where do you want to go?” I said, flipping the script on him.
“Hm… How about I take you somewhere special?” He pushed the ignition button, and the engine roared to life.
I watched Emilio as he guided the car through the labyrinth that was our city. One hand was placed on the wheel, his knuckles white from gripping it so tightly.
I didn’t know where this “special” place was, but we were driving out of the city. We ended up in a place in New York that I had never been before. It was full of foliage, and would have felt like a forest if not for the surrounding buildings and cars.
Emilio took us down a side road. We must have driven for at least thirty minutes, and eventually the paved road turned into a dirt path.
“Here,” he said, pulling to the side.
It was beautiful. The trees had cleared, and there was a field covered in lush grass and flowers. It could have been a scene out of a fairytale - butterflies flew through the air and deer pranced in the distance.
I stepped out of the car and a gust of wind blew through, sending the scent of the surrounding wildflowers.
“Wow,” I said. “It’s beautiful. Where did you find this place?”
“My mother used to take me here when I was young.”
His voice was quiet, almost reverent. I turned to him, seeing a softness in his eyes that I had never seen before. Although he had never spoken of her, Emilio clearly cared for his mother. I wanted to ask him about her, but decided it wasn’t the right time.
“She said it was our secret haven, away from the world,” he stepped forward, motioning for me to follow. “C’mon.”
We made our way through the field, our footsteps barely making a sound against the soft grass. It felt like we were stepping into another realm, one preserved in time. Before the chaos and unending sadness this world had to offer took over.
“Should we sit?” he asked.
“Absolutely.”
Emilio slipped off his leather jacket and laid it down on the grass for us. The two of us settled in the makeshift seat, pressed dangerously close to one another.
I started picking the wildflowers next to me, desperate to take my mind off of the handsome man pressed into the side of my body. When I had a pile of them, I wound the stems together, creating a makeshift flower crown.
A rather devious idea popped into my head.
I shifted from sitting to on my knees, and, before Emilio could protest, I placed the crown on his head. He looked ridiculous, and I couldn’t help but cackle.
“Seriously?” he said. The left corner of his lip turned upwards. “Ok.”
Before I could even react, he had pulled me off my knees and onto his lap. Our bodies were intertwined, and my chest was so close to his I swore I could feel his heart beat. I wondered if he could feel how fast mine was beating.
I was transported back to the moment when I had popped out of the towel bin, and we had almost kissed. My face flushed at the memory.
“It looks better on you,” he said.
He slightly leaned back, taking the crown off and putting it on my head. I felt a pang of disappointment. It had felt like he belonged there, like we were supposed to be melded into each other.
It happened so fast I barely processed it. One hand entangled itself in my hair, while the other pulled me into him, and his lips crashed against mine.
This wasn’t anything like our wedding day kiss - it was full of passion and desire. We were lost in each other, completely consumed by the raw intensity of one another.
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, trying to get myself impossibly closer to him. Everything in my body began to heat up. I started absentmindedly grinding myself into him, subconsciously chasing the pleasure I needed.
He pulled away from me, chest heaving up and down. “I think we should head home now, Jaws.”
And even though Emilio had stopped us, his gaze said something completely different. His eyes had blown out, and he was looking at me like he wanted to eat me whole.