Lorenzo
The women have been in the library for hours. At first it was just Quinn and Valentina, but Vittoria joined them when Matteo went down for his nap. Vittoria left around an hour ago, and now both Sofia and Elisabetta have joined my wife in the library.
I don’t know why it bothers me that they’re with her. No, I do know. It’s because she’s my wife. I’m supposed to show her around our home, introduce her to everyone, and make her feel welcome. Instead, my sisters have taken it upon themselves to do so.
I sit back in my chair and wait for him to take a seat. Before he can speak, there’s a knock on the door and Marco enters. “I’m sorry to disturb you both, but I thought you’d want to know that both Daithi and Caden Delaney are here to speak with you.”
I turn to my father who doesn’t seem surprised but the anger hasn’t subsided. Whatever he wanted to talk to me about has to wait.
“Send them in,” I instruct.
“Get Ciro and Giovanni to join us too,” my father tells him and Marco hurries out of the office to do just that.
“Are you going to let me in on what’s about to happen?” I ask with a raised brow.
My father glances at me with an expressionless look. “I don’t know, but I’m guessing that we’re all about to find out the truth.”
We move to the conference table that I have in the corner. It fits twelve and we’re going to need it.
I don’t have time to ask any further questions as my office door opens and in walks, Ciro, Giovanni, Daithi, and Caden.
Before I can greet any of them Daithi narrows his eyes on me.
Both he and Caden have dark expressions on their faces, nothing that has my brothers or father on high alert because it isn’t that obvious, but I've sat across tables from these men enough times to know their tells.
“I assume Marco has been the one doing the digging into Orla’s situation?” Daithi asks and I nod. “Then he should stay. Give the man the actual truth rather than the bullshit you’ve all been listening too.”
I guess we’re starting off with open hostility.
“Watch it, son,” my father says thickly. “I know you’re upset, but remember who you’re speaking with.”
The door opens and in walks Conn Delaney.
It’s been years since I’ve seen him. He was at the wedding yesterday but he kept to himself and stayed in the background.
He’s got a leather diary in his hands, several colored tabs sticking out from the pages and he walks toward the table and places it on the table in front of him as he takes a seat beside Daithi.
"I found it," he says.
"Found what?" I ask, glancing between the three brothers, all of whom are wearing the same angry expression. I turn to my father and see that he’s as confused as I am.
Conn looks at me. "Orla Geraghty's diary," he tells us.
"Where?" Daithí asks. His voice is very cold, like he’s barely containing his anger.
"Her room," Conn says. "Her mom let me take anything of hers that I wanted.
I'd practically lived in that house growing up.
They knew how much she meant to me. It was under the floorboard.
She always used to hide things there." He looks at the diary.
"I knew that was what I wanted. I’m not sure if her parents knew about it.
" He stops. "I've read every single page of it.
It took me two years to gather the courage to do so. "
"You read something that changed your mind about Quinn, didn’t you?” Caden questions.
"Orla never told me how bad it was," Conn says quietly. "I was away most of the time at college." His jaw tightens. "When she died, everyone said Quinn was responsible."
He looks at me. "So I believed it." He takes a deep breath and nods at the book. “Everything is in there,” he says thickly. “I tabbed the pages you need to read,” he says. “I know Quinn tried to protect me by not telling you, Lorenzo, the full truth, she knew I was broken by Orla’s death and she tried to protect me from finding out everything I knew was a lie.”
Daithi reaches for the diary and I brace for whatever I’m about to listen to, because I know it’s going to be bad.
14th September
Daire smiled at me today in the corridor.
A real smile, not the polite one she uses when teachers are watching.
I don't know why she chose me. There are so many prettier girls, smarter girls, girls whose fathers aren't just the help.
But she smiled at me and asked if I wanted to walk to class together and I said yes.
I think this might be the start of something good.
I hope so. I really hope so.
She sounds like a normal teenage girl, one that wants to be liked and have friends, she sounds normal. How did everything all go wrong?
Daithi flips to the next tabbed page and starts to read.
3rd November
Daire was cold to me again today. I don't understand what I did wrong. Yesterday she was so warm, she put her arm around me in the cafeteria and everyone looked at us, and I felt like I finally belonged somewhere. Today she looked straight through me like I wasn't there.
I asked her if everything was okay. She said everything was fine. But it wasn't fine. I can always tell.
I just don't know what I did.
Christ, I remember when my sisters were in school. Sofia had the hardest time making friends because she’s so quiet and reserved.
17th November
Emma won't talk to me anymore. The last thing she said to me was that Daire told her something about me, but she wouldn't say what.
I asked Daire about it and she looked so confused.
She said she'd never said anything bad about me, that she'd actually been defending me.
Daire said that people were saying things and she'd been trying to stop them.
I don't know who to believe.
I feel sick.
Daithi continues to read the diary entries and it paints a fucking awful picture. God, what the hell did Daire do to that young girl?
2nd December
I sat alone again today. This is every day for three weeks now. I don't understand what I've done wrong. Daire says it's nothing, that people are just being stupid, that she's trying to fix it. But every day it gets worse and I don't know how she's fixing it because it doesn't feel fixed.
It feels like everyone hates me and I don't know why.
Daithí turns more pages, his jaw set, and the anger radiates from him. He doesn't look up from the journal. He just keeps reading.
19th January
Someone spit at me in the corridor today. They just walked past and spit on me. I don't know her name. I don't know what I did to make her hate me that much.
I didn't tell Da. He's busy, he's always busy.
I came home and I sat in my room. I didn't eat dinner and no one noticed.
Christ, that poor girl, she had no one to help her. Not one person to help her through the worst time of her life. Every fucking day she was bullied and no one did a thing to help her.
4th February
They took my books out of my bag while I was in PE and threw them in the trash outside. My history notes were in there, six months of notes.
I found them in the rain. I had to dry them out page by page on my bedroom floor.
Daire said she'd find out who did it. She seemed genuinely upset. Maybe she really is trying to help. I don't know anything anymore. I feel as though I’m losing my mind.
1st March
They cut my hair today. I was in the bathroom. There were three of them. I don't know who organized it, but one of them held my arms and one of them used scissors.
It wasn't a lot, but enough to frighten me. They wanted me to know that they can get to me whenever they want. I didn't tell anyone. What would I say? Who would believe me?
Mom asked me if I’m okay. I just nodded and lied. She can’t help me, no one can. Only dad, but he came home late and didn’t notice anything. I don’t know why I thought he would.
The room is completely silent as everyone contemplates what’s just been read. Conn has his eyes closed, Caden is staring at the table, and my father is shaking his head in disbelief. That poor girl went through hell alone.
Daithí turns to the next marked section and continues to read aloud.
He turns to the next marked page, and I watch something shift in his expression before he reads it. He breathes in once through his nose.
I take the journal from Daithí. The page he's handed me is open to a later date.
29th April
Quinn sat with me today.
I don't know her well. She's Daire's younger sister, which means I've seen her at family things but we've never really spoken. She's quieter than Daire. Less...I don't know the word. She doesn’t take up much space, like me, like she’s been conditioned to be small, just as I have.
She just appeared at my table in the library and sat down and started talking about a book she was reading. Like it was normal for her to do, that it wasn’t the first time she spoke to me. I didn't know what to say so I didn't say much, but she didn't seem to mind.
I can’t stop thinking about it, about how nice she was.
Of course, Quinn was nice to her. Quinn is sweet as fuck, and has always shown kindness. The first time she met Marco, she was polite and introduced herself to him. I turn the page and continue reading.
8th May
Quinn walked me home again. She says she doesn't like the bus, but I don't think that's true.
I think she knows I'm scared to walk alone since what happened two days ago, when I was pushed to the ground by one of the boys and he touched me under my skirt when I didn’t want him to.
I managed to get him off of me and run home.
I didn't tell anyone about that. I don't know how she knows.
She talked the whole way, about a book, about something funny Caden said, about a film she watched. She didn't ask me anything. She just talked and I listened and by the time we reached my door I realized I'd been breathing normally for forty minutes and I hadn’t been scared or looked behind me.
I don't think I've breathed normally in months, I can’t remember the last time I walked anywhere without looking behind me.
14th May