14. Serafina
CHAPTER 14
Serafina
L ast night was nearly perfect; all the sexual tension that we'd built up over months was finally released in one magical night. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word felt like a culmination of everything we had been waiting for.
But as I laid in my own bed, my body still humming with the afterglow of our lovemaking, I couldn't help but feel regret. How did he find out about my family? There’s no way his hands are staying clean now.
I spent the whole night tossing and turning. He said he wanted to be together despite knowing everything. But how could I ask him to go against everything he believes in for me? How could I expect him to break promises to his mother just because of our love?
And then there was my own family. They would never accept us together. They would see it as a betrayal, and it would only cause more chaos and violence within our already tumultuous household. Knowing them, they’ hurt Lucas.
But despite all of these obstacles, there was no denying how much I wanted him. The passion between us was undeniable, and every touch felt like fire coursing through my veins. He was unlike anyone else I had ever met and I couldn't imagine being with anyone else.
There's only one way I can make this work, and neither of us is going to like it.
Serafina
I've made my decision.
Lucas
Meet me outside the gym.
I lean against the exposed brick of the alleyway, my heart drumming a wild samba against my ribs. Lucas towers over me, all fighter's build and brooding eyes that don't miss a thing.
"Lucas," I force the words out past the lump in my throat. "My family, they can't know about you. This... us... it's got to be a secret."
He steps closer, his shadow merging with mine in the dim light filtering from the streetlamp. His gaze never wavers, steady as the hands he wraps tape around before a match.
"Lo entiendo," he murmurs. The Spanish rolls off his tongue, wrapping around me like a warm blanket. Understood.
"Capisci?" I ask, my Italian accent bleeding through. I need him to understand, to really get it.
“Being together in secret is all I can offer. That's the deal, take it or leave it."
A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips.
"My family is … dangerous," my words heavy with warning. Danger doesn't deter him; if anything, it seems to draw him in.
"Let them come," his confidence thrums through the air between us. "For you, Serafina, I'll face anything."
"I'm serious," I whisper, a half-hearted attempt at scolding him. Stubborn man.
Lucas leads us to his car and leans against its hood, a smirk playing on his lips as I approach him. He's got something behind his back, hidden from view.
"Another secret?" I tease, trying to peek around him.
"Sort of." He brings his hand forward, revealing a phone. My brows knit together, questions forming.
"Para ti," he says, his barely-there Spanish accent wrapping around the words like a caress. "For you. Use this to reach me anytime, day or night."
"You're giving me a phone?" I ask, taking it from him cautiously. New tech in my palm, heavy with implications.
"Only my number is programmed in," Lucas explains. "Secure. Untraceable."
"Thoughtful," I admit, my fingers tracing the smooth surface. I flip it over, the screen lighting up to a solitary contact—his.
"Safe," he assures, reading the hesitation in my eyes. "For both of us."
"Th - thank you," I whisper, pocketing the device. It's a small gesture, but it speaks volumes of his commitment. He steps closer, the air between us charged with unsaid promises.
The sun's completely gone by now when doubt creeps in like a thief. The weight of the phone in my pocket feels like a stone dragging me down into dark waters.
What have I done?
I'm pacing my room, every step a drumbeat of panic. It's too dangerous. Too real. Lucas doesn't deserve the target I've just painted on his back.
"Stupida," I mutter to myself. Falling for Lucas wasn't just a slip; it was a dive headfirst into dangerous waters. I'm mad – furious, really – at my own selfishness. It's only a matter of time before my family finds out about him.
As soon as I walked through the front door of the family mansion, I could sense the suspicion with every step I took.
My mother's eyes were like daggers, following my movements from across the room. My father's jaw was clenched, his normally jovial expression replaced by a stern frown. And my brother Dominic, always quick to pick a fight, was silent and even more brooding than usual.
"Where have you been, Serafina?" My father's voice was a low growl, the patriarchal concern masking a threat.
"Out," keeping my voice steady, my gaze defiant.
"Out," Dominic echoed, his tone mocking. His eyes, so similar to mine, gave nothing away. But I knew. Somehow, I knew he was aware of my secret.
"Late nights, Sera," my mother chided softly, the worry in her voice genuine.
"I needed fresh air," I lied smoothly, unwilling to let them see how their scrutiny unnerved me.
"Fresh air," Dominic repeated again, the word hanging heavy between us. I could feel the weight of his gaze, tracking my every move, even now. They didn't mention what they really knew, but the air crackled with unspoken warnings.
"Go to bed, Serafina," my father commanded. "We'll talk in the morning."
"Buonanotte," I bid them goodnight, my voice betraying none of the turmoil inside me as I ascended the stairs.
Morning light filters through the heavy drapes, casting a judgmental glow across the dark wood of the dining room table. It's an interrogation room now, my family seated like a tribunal—my father at the head, Dominic to his right, my mother to his left, the rest of my brothers - Enzo, Marco, & Leonard, fill the rest of the seats between us. I sit opposite them, alone.
"Ti vogliamo bene, Serafina," my mother's reminder that they love me tremble with a cocktail of love and disappointment. "But you must understand..."
"Understand what?" I snap, feigning ignorance. My hands clench beneath the table, nails biting into my palms to anchor myself to this charade.
"La famiglia comes first," my father's stony face matches his tone. "We have an opportunity."
"An opportunity?" I echo, feigning confusion while a coil of dread tightens in my gut.
"The Fabietti family has proposed a truce - and as part of the agreement, you will marry their eldest son, Luciano," my mother announces, as she always does when she orchestrates every move in our powerful family.
I can't help but laugh in disbelief, feeling both irritated and heartbroken at the same time.
"You have a duty, Serafina," my father joins in.
"'Duty' sounds like a sentence, not a choice," I feel my eyes well up with angry tears, which quickly create a fiery trail down my face.
"Choices are luxuries we can't afford," Dominic interjects, his gaze drilling into me.
I let out a hollow laugh. "Easy for you to say, you're not the one being whored out to the highest bidder."
"Watch your mouth," my mother hates it when I don't speak like a proper lady. Something about keeping up appearances and shit. And while I don't like to pass up a chance todisappoint her further, right now is not the time to have fun.
"Then what do you suggest, Principessa?" Dominic leans forward, intrigue painted across his usually stoic features.
"Give me time," I implore, channeling every ounce of Mancini's cunning into my plea. "Let me find another way."
"Time is a luxury, too," my father reminds me, but his stance softens ever so slightly.
"Then consider it an investment," I propose boldly. "In your daughter. In our future."
"Very well," he concedes after a long, weighted pause. "But remember, Serafina, my patience has limits."
"Understood." I nod, relief washing over me like the first rain after a scorching summer.
I begin to walk out of the dining room, but Enzo, my youngest brother, stops me dead in my tracks. "We know about Lucas, sis. Please, be careful."
The name hangs in the air, a grenade with its pin pulled. I school my features to neutrality, but inside, my heart plummets.
"Lucas is..." I start, but my voice trails off, unwilling to expose more than necessary.
"Lucas is someone you will not be seeing anymore," my father cuts in sharply as he approaches us from behind. "You have no idea who you’re dealing with."
What do they mean by 'you have no idea who you’re dealing with?' They make it sound like he’s the devil himself.
"You will end it with him. For his sake, if not for ours." Dominic demands, his wide, muscular frame not scaring me for once.
"End it?" I repeat, feeling the walls close in. The thought of severing ties with Lucas sends a pang of pain through my chest. "And if I refuse?"
"Then he suffers consequences," Dominic says coldly, and the warning couldn't be clearer.