Chapter 7 #6
My question is honest. Why would he think we’d meet again?
A wicked smirk curls across his lips, and his voice drips with mockery as he asks, “Did you really think I spent a whole year planning this just to fuck you soft and careful with your eyes closed?”
His mocking tone makes my face burn with humiliation. Is he saying that he didn’t enjoy it?
He leans in closer to make himself clear. “We’ll see each other again. Every Tuesday. In this room, on this bed. The woman in my dreams begs for it. I don’t have to spin ridiculous stories to make her spread her legs. No. Her need for me runs far deeper than mine for her.”
He flashes his teeth in a shark grin. “You’ve got a lot to learn, Princess. You have no fucking idea how I like to be pleased.”
Hatred boils inside me. I want nothing more to spit in his arrogant, smug face.
It’s like he reads my thoughts because he chuckles. “Oh, Lucia. I didn’t finish the story for you, did I?”
His hand tangles in my hair as he keeps the torture going.
“The morning after, when Princess Lucia wakes from her sweet slumber, she realizes the king never meant to whisk her away to the Seine for kisses or to the beaches of Spain for love.
All those sweet little lies were nothing more than a way to get her out of her panties. And it worked.
Now he’s going to fuck her again and again until he’s had his fill. Only then will the princess be free of him.”
I turn my face away, disgust twisting my features.
This time, he throws his head back and laughs—a loud, unrestrained cackle that echoes through the room. When the laughter fades, he grabs my chin, and claims my lips in a hard, punishing kiss.
Then, as casually as if nothing happened, he gets off the bed and starts dressing.
“I’ll never let you touch me again,” I spit, pushing myself up.
He pulls his pants up, his voice calm, like the surface of an ocean. “You will. And you’ll give it to me exactly the way I want it.”
I don’t argue. I tell myself I’ll never come back to Nonna’s house. But as always, he’s already two steps ahead.
After buttoning his shirt, he shuts that door too.
“And if you think you can make excuses and skip next week, let me make this clear. I’ll be here anyway.
If you’re not in this room, your grandmother disappears by morning.
After she’s suffered enough for your mistakes, I’ll slit her throat and send her head to you in a fucking box. ”
My fear doesn’t faze him. He calmly shrugs on his jacket, checks his phone, then pulls a small plastic bag from his pocket. He picks up his cigarette butts and the used tissues, drops them into the bag, and shoves it into his pocket.
Then he walks to the large wardrobe at the far end of the room. Sliding my clothes aside, he reveals a hidden compartment.
“And after her, it’s your precious brother’s turn. Fabiano.”
I can’t hide the terror in my eyes, but he doesn’t even glance at me. Without another word, he steps into the hidden passageway. The back wall of the wardrobe swings shut behind him with a soft click, sealing him away as if it were never more than a solid wall.
I stare at the wardrobe for what feels like hours, unable to move.
When I finally snap out of it, the first faint light of dawn is creeping through the curtains. My eyes land on the key to the room, now sitting innocuously on the desk. I have no idea when or how it got there.
That’s when the tears finally come. This time I know it for sure, I’m completely ruined.
***
I rush up the stairs, heading straight for Fabiano’s room. Tony’s threats had been eating at me all morning. I’d tried calling Fabiano over and over, but he never answered. Since Carlo was out, I had no choice but to ask Don Fernando for permission to come here.
I knock on the door a few times but get no response. I jiggle the handle, it’s locked. He must be inside. I knock again, harder this time, my voice rising with urgency. “Fabi, my love, open the door!”
A few moments later, I hear the click of the lock, and the door creaks open. I hurry inside, but Fabiano stands with his back to me, staring out the window.
Frustration and worry surge through me. I toss my bag onto his messy bed and hurry toward him. Rising onto my toes, I cup his face in my hands, making him look at me.
My seventeen-year-old brother isn’t a boy anymore; he’s growing into a man. But the sight of his bruised eye fills my own with tears.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he says quietly. “Don’t worry about me.”
I quickly wipe my tears and force a smile. I can’t let him see how scared I am. Tilting my head up, I kiss both his cheeks, one after the other, then take his hand and lead him toward the bed.
“What was it this time? Why did he beat you?” I ask after sitting down.
He just shakes his head, wincing slightly. His blonde hair is greasy, and the dark circles under his unbruised eye reveal he hasn’t slept all night.
I hold his hand tighter. “Tell me, Fabi. Please.”
“It doesn’t matter, Lucia. This misery never ends. I’ll never become a made man, and Father will never let it go.”
“It won’t last forever,” I say, trying to sound hopeful. “You’re not going to stay in this house much longer. Next year, you’ll be old enough, and you’ll go to America to study medicine.”
He scoffs. “With what money?”
“What do you mean? Father practically bleeds money, it’s everywhere.”
“Money he’s sworn I’ll never touch. Not one euro.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
He exhales heavily, his voice laced with exhaustion. “He won’t pay for medical school. Since you left, I’ve been working in his stables just to cover my daily shit. No one in this fucking town dares to hire me. They’re all terrified of him.”
I don’t know what to say. This is news to me.
Without warning, he leans forward and rests his head on my lap like he did when we were little. His legs stretch out on the bed, and I immediately run my fingers through his hair, stroking it gently, just like I did back then.
My heart feels like it’s about to burst.
“I’m so fucking tired, Lucia. Why does life have to be this cruel to us?” he murmurs. “I still dream about that night in Father’s study… when you told him you’d rather die than marry Carlo. The same night he slapped you across the face.”
My hand stops moving. “How do you know about that?”
“I was watching from the crack in the door, hiding, until Adrio caught me and gave me a beating for it.”
I let out a small sigh of relief. Thank God he doesn’t know the rest.
“So what finally made you say yes?”
A bitter smile spreads across my lips as I resume running my fingers through his silky hair. “I wanted to live…so I could see you grow up and be happy, my love.”
“I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you.”
I grab his shoulders and gently guide him to sit up, then cradle his face in my hands. “Don’t ever say that. You could never disappoint me. And I don’t want to see you like this again.”
He holds my gaze, then hesitates before murmuring, “You know he’s eventually going to kill me, right?”
“No. Never. That will never happen.”
I press another kiss to his face before gently letting go.
I’m certain of my words because I made a deal with our father.
Pietro DeLucci may be a piece of trash whose word means nothing, but he knows that as long as I’m alive, I’m valuable to him.
And he also knows that if anything happens to Fabiano, he’ll lose me too.
But there’s a part of me that fears he’ll make life so unbearable for my brother that Fabiano might end it himself.
“How can you be so sure?” he asks, his voice filled with doubt.
“Trust me, Fabi,” I say firmly. “Just focus on your studies. The money won’t be a problem.”
His brows furrow in suspicion. “You can’t ask Carlo for money. Not only would he probably refuse, but it would also humiliate you in front of him.”
“I’m not asking anyone for money, Fabi. That money is already at Nonna’s house.”
His face twists in pure disbelief, almost comical. I laugh softly. “Remember that young student who used to help Nonna years ago?”
“Sara?”
“Yes, that’s right. Sara. After the apartment burned and when I was moving Nonna’s belongings, I found a small box with a flash drive inside.
Apparently, back in those days, Sara needed money for something, so Nonna lent it to her.
But instead of paying her back in cash, Sara gave her Bitcoin.
I’m sure neither of them could have guessed how much it would skyrocket in value over the years. ”
Relief washes over me when I see Fabiano’s face finally light up with joy, convinced by my carefully spun story.
“The rest is simple,” I continue. “Back then, each Bitcoin was worth just a few dollars, and now each one is worth thousands. I checked the data on the flash drive, there’s at least a few hundred thousand dollars in there.”
His blue eyes shine with excitement, and the warmth in his expression fills my heart. He grabs my hand and squeezes it tightly.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious.”
“But that money belongs to Nonna.”
“Oh, come on. What would Nonna even do with that money? She doesn’t know it exists. And let’s be honest, as harsh as it sounds, the truth is she’s at the end of her journey while you’re just starting yours.”
“Oh my God,” he says, pulling me into his arms and hugging me tightly. “Oh my God, Lucia. What would I ever do without you?”
I wipe away a stubborn tear before it can fall and wrap my arms around him.
“I’ll take care of you as long as I’m breathing, Fabi. I just want you to be happy.”