Seven
LIANA
“So, what’s the verdict, Lia?” Katerina asks, an excited bounce in her step as she walks closer. I think she’s more excited about this than Elaina is.
“I don’t know,” I breathe, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. “It’s a lot, especially with the wedding preparations on my plate. I don’t think I can do both.”
“The ball isn’t for three months yet,” she says softly, perching herself beside me. “Once your results are in from the clinic, the wedding will take place within days. You’ll want something to take your mind off it afterwards. I think this is a good way to help you do that.”
I sigh, tilting my head to the ceiling as if the white paint will bring me the answers I so desperately need. Levelling my head again to face her, her eyes are filled with a silent plea. “I feel like I barely know you, Lia. This can resolve that; I’m sure of it.”
“Okay, but you have to help me with wedding shit. I can’t do that alone.”
A smile spreads across her lips. “Well, that’s a given. That was already on the agenda. I loved planning my own wedding. It made me feel included in the family before I took my vows. And not to toot my own horn, but I did amazingly well. It was exactly how I pictured it would be.”
A soft laugh escapes me. “Okay, good. I’d be lost already if Dario hadn’t given me a strict set of things to include. That is definitely a plus.”
She rolls her eyes. “Lemme guess, everything has to be black and void of personality?” I nod. “Yeah, that describes him as a person, too. If it’s not black and white, he doesn’t want any part of it.”
“That’s the only thing about him that I know for certain,” I tell her. “Everything else about him is a mystery, including his adamance that I work for him. As if me sacrificing everything to marry him isn’t enough.”
She recoils at my words, and her eyes squint. “Work for him? In what context?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. He just sprung it on me. He didn’t give anything away, just expressed his severe doubt in my ability to look after myself.”
“Then the only thing you can do is prove you can. If there’s anything I know about Dario, it’s that he always, always, gets what he wants. If there’s even a shadow of a doubt that you can’t live up to his ideal version of a wife, he will force you into a role that diminishes everything you’ve ever worked for in life.” She pauses, glancing over to Elaina who still stands in my doorway. “He was raised right, but his views on life changed the moment he stepped up as don.”
I sigh, rubbing my face. “But he’s right. I can only defend myself so much. Like he said, in a fight where your opponent wields a weapon, you never show up unarmed. Expecting to deal a significant amount of damage with your fists being your only weapon is stupid. A single punch from me would be enough to anger them to the point where their bullet finds its place in my head.”
“I never thought I’d hear anyone besides his brothers ever say Dario was right,” Elaina chimes in, inching closer.
“We all think it, but we never say it, afraid we’ll boost his ego so high that it won’t ever come down,” Kat adds.
“Yeah, I can see that.” I agree with a nod.
“Well, you can also take those training sessions he’s arranged for you and see where it leads you,” Elaina explains, getting back on topic. “Even I went through extensive training when I married my first husband. It was hell, but it shaped me into the perfect wife, fighter and the person I was destined to be. It will help you gain the voice you need to be heard, too.”
“Well, that sounds just… peachy,” I reply. Glancing between them both, I try to force a smile, but my lips press together, forming a straight line on my face.
“Honestly, it’s the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” Kat continues, placing a gentle hand over mine. “It shaped me into the woman I am today. It prepared me for the life of Dalmazio Vitale’s wife. He was don before, and I needed that training more then, but it still gives me a sense of peace to know that if he leaves this earth before me, I can protect myself and our little bundle of joy without him. God forbid that ever happens, though.”
I pause, her words playing in my mind on repeat. Well, one word in particular: Dalmazio. “What the fuck is a Dalmazio?”
“You didn’t think his given name was Maze, did you?”
A laugh escapes me. “Well up until now, I did, yeah.” Turning to Elaina, I add, “No offence, I bet it’s a great name with a deeper meaning… a unique name, I guess.”
Elaina’s expression falls serious. “It was my father’s name.”
Instant regret fills me. “I-I should’ve thought before I spoke.”
She and Kat share a knowing glance before an eruption of laughter fills the air. “Screw that bastard,” she finally says. “My father was an old prick who thought of himself as a god. His name was as old-fashioned, as simple, and as straightforward as he was.” She flashes me a smile. “Dalmazio was an old family friend who met his demise way too soon. He’d appreciate your humour, I guarantee it.”
Relief overcomes me, coming out as an exasperated sigh. “Well, Maze is a good nickname. Dalmazio sure is a mouthful and could be difficult to pronounce.”
She nods. “As a child, he could never say it. He always pronounced the ‘Maz’ part of his name more clearly. It seemed fitting to drop the rest.”
“We’ve got off track,” I say, putting my hands out and shaking my head. “The whole training thing—what does that entail exactly?”
Dragging the lounge chair from the corner closer to my bed, Elaina sits in front of us. “I’ll start,” she says, placing her hands on her lap as she leans forward slightly. “If you hear our experiences, maybe it’ll help you understand what’s to come and why it’s a benefit for not only Dario, but yourself, too.”
“Yeah. Retelling war stories for you is the least we can do. You’ll be a part of this family before you know it. It’s best if you get the full, unfiltered version,” Kat chimes in, making herself comfortable as she leans back against the headboard and slouches.
“Yes, it may help if you knew what to expect from now on,” Elaina adds, placing a sympathetic hand on my knee. “How does that sound?”
After pausing for a few moments, the air stilling around us, I finally settle on, “It sounds good.”
The last thing I need is to enter this horror show of a marriage blindly. If help is offered and I decline because of my pride, I’d be foolish. I need all the help I can get to ensure I pass Dario’s tests, but also to rid my gut of the gnawing feeling I’ve had since we spoke.
I was raised to hold my own in my personal life and in the act I portray for the media, but I need to learn to adapt now. This world I’m being thrust into is different from the one I’m used to. Sure, the world as it is now is a violent and cruel place, but in theirs, it’s even more so. It’s deadlier and more vicious. People will use weapons to speak their truth and in turn, hurt those who only ever mean them well. It’s a sick and twisted world, but it’s their world and they love living in it.