65. Rose
ROSE
Walking up the steps of a large, historic-looking brownstone with a reddish-brown sandstone facade and green ivy crawling up and covering one side completely, I’m not sure what to expect when the door opens, but it wasn’t an older gentleman rushing toward me.
Two additional men, dressed in all black, follow him.
“Violetta!” the older man exclaims as he wraps me in his arms, but he must feel my wince of pain because he quickly pulls back and holds me out for inspection.
“Are you hurt? Who hurt you? Dante! Why the hell is she injured? Explain. Now.” This man sounds strangely similar to Dante with his murderous concern and barking orders with every expectation that they will be followed without hesitation or complaint.
“Angelo, why don’t we go inside first, and I will explain everything.” Dante sounds exhausted and like that is the last thing he wants to do.
So this is Angelo? Dante’s boss? The man who raised him?
And why is he hugging me and calling me Violetta?
My mind is too exhausted from the events of this evening.
I’m sure I could fall asleep the moment I lie down, but I want to hear what Dante has to say.
And I want to know why Angelo thinks I’m someone named Violetta.
Walking through the gorgeous foyer with white marble floors, Angelo leads us to a sitting room right off the kitchen.
The brownstone must have been updated at some point in the past several years because it has an open concept living space.
I can see through the entire main level to the back of the property, where I can make out a courtyard lit by hanging lights and the glow of the moon.
My mind and body are so numb, I barely register sitting in one of the large leather armchairs and someone handing me a mug of something hot to drink.
But I don’t take a sip. I just let the warmth from the mug seep into my hands as I cup the sides and stare off into the fireplace on the wall across from me.
“You look just like her.” Angelo is the first to break the silence. Sounding almost in awe.
“Who are you talking about?” I’m so lost and too tired to keep up with whatever he is going on about.
“Liliana. Your mother.”
“I’m sorry. I must still be in shock because I could’ve sworn you just said I look like my mother.
But that is impossible. I don’t have a mother.
Well, obviously I had a mother at some point, but I’ve never known her.
And why does that name sound so familiar?
” The last part is directed toward Dante as I finally lift my gaze to meet his eyes for the first time since we left the forest and drove to the city in complete silence.
I was in pain and shock, so silence seemed like the best chance for self-preservation. Now I wish I would’ve asked Dante every question rolling through my head.
“Do you remember what I told you about Angelo’s daughter, Lily?
How she was murdered shortly after I had come to live with them?
” Dante prompts. Clearly, I’m missing something.
“Liliana was your mother. She was killed shortly after giving birth to you, only Angelo wasn’t aware you existed at the time of her death.
Liliana had placed you at the church when you were a baby and never told anyone.
Angelo only found out about you recently. ”
“How is any of this even possible? And why should I believe anything either of you say?”
“Trust me, this is the truth.” Dante has some nerve asking me to trust him after everything tonight.
“What Dante says is correct. And honestly, you could be Liliana’s twin with how similar you look.
Except for your eyes, Lily’s were brown, and heterochromia doesn’t run in my family.
You must have gotten those from your father.
” Angelo sounds almost in awe, like he could be sitting across from his deceased daughter right now, and it’s creeping me out.
I have just met this man, and he is acting like we have some kind of connection just because we might be related.
I don’t know what I believe, but having a sliver of possibility that I might actually have family, real family, causes me to soften a bit.
A million questions are swirling through my brain right now, and I want answers.
“Okay, so if Liliana is dead”—wow, way to get right to the point, Ro—“then why didn’t my father ever come for me?
Why did he let her leave me like that? Is he dead too?
Why didn’t you look for me? Why am I even here now?
” I thought I had gotten over the hurt of being left as a baby long ago, but tonight has reopened old wounds.
“Since I only learned about you recently through a letter Liliana left for me, I’m not sure who your father is, or if he even knew you existed.
I’m sure if he did, he would’ve looked for you.
Lily didn’t mention him in her letter, only you.
And Lily kept to herself the last few months before her death.
I’m assuming now that she was concealing her pregnancy from not only me but possibly whoever your father is too.
I admit, my efforts were focused on finding you first, as soon as I learned about you, before ever considering who he might be.
” Angelo is clearly still coming to terms with everything as well, and I’m sitting in his house, looking like his dead daughter.
“We can try to find him if you want,” Dante adds as if I want help from him ever again.
He has spent the entire time we’ve known each other lying to me, using me.
I’ve been a complete fool who fell right into his trap, thinking I had finally found someone who understood me and accepted me for who I was, but instead, he played me.
He knew all about my sad backstory and never said anything.
He knew I had actual blood relatives still alive and after everything, still didn’t tell me the truth.
How could I ever trust him again? I’m just a pawn in whatever game he is playing with Angelo.
“I don’t want or need your help ever again, Dante. I can’t even stand to look at you right now.”
“Rose, please. Let me explain. Everything I did was to keep you safe. I’ve known for months I wanted to protect you from any pain the truth might cause.”
“I’m sorry…did you just say months? How long exactly have you known about me? We only met like six weeks ago.” My head turns to stare at Dante to ensure I’ve heard him correctly.
Dante looks at Angelo, who gives a small nod as if giving him permission to answer my question. Why would he need Angelo’s approval?
“I’ve known about you for about a year, ever since Angelo told me about the letter Lily wrote.”
“Okay, but that still doesn’t explain how you would ‘know you wanted to protect me.’” I add air quotes, mimicking Dante’s deep voice.
“You didn’t know anything about me other than whatever Angelo told you, which I’m sure wasn’t much, considering Liliana gave me up when I was an infant.
And I’m assuming she named me Violetta and not Rose.
So how exactly did you know anything about me before we met at your house? ”
“I…you see…well…so, after Angelo told me about the letter, he asked me to…uh…locate you,” Dante responds with noticeable hesitation in his voice, and I can tell he is choosing his words very carefully.
This is probably the first time I have heard him sound nervous or unsure, which is jarring in and of itself outside of the new information I’m receiving.
Dante is supposed to be solid, confident, and in control.
“Ooooookay. So what? You ‘located’ me and then thought you would just hire me to do what? Keep an eye on me? Get close to me? What was the end goal here, Dante?” My voice rises with each word. My brain is desperately trying to piece together this puzzle I’ve found myself in.
“Not exactly.”
“Dante, now is not the time to be mysterious. Speak plainly.”
“After Angelo told me about your existence and his illness, he asked me to find you and bring you to him. So…in order to ensure you were actually Violetta, I…watched you.”
“For how long, Dante?” My voice shakes, and I don’t think I want to know the answer, but I need to know at this point.
“About ten months.”
“Ten…months?” I’m shouting now, and I don’t care if I wake up all the neighbors at this point.
This man who I thought I could be falling for has basically been stalking me for almost a freaking year?
“I need to get out of here.” Quickly standing, I look around as if to gather my stuff when I realize I have no stuff.
It’s all at Dante’s house, probably burnt to a crisp at this point with Luc.
God, Luc! Shit, if I don’t get out of here, I’m going to have a breakdown in front of all of these strangers, and Dante is now included in that title. Turns out I don’t know him at all.
“You can’t leave.” Dante is standing now too with his hands up like he is trying to calm a caged wild animal. Well, he hasn’t seen anything yet.
“Like hell I can’t leave! Move out of my way, Dante, or I will call the police and tell them all about your stalker tendencies.
Not to mention whatever happened at your house tonight.
I’m sure they’d be very interested in whatever the hell it is you do for Angelo.
” I move to take a step around Dante and toward the front door when one of his hands shoots out to grab my arm to stop me.
Thankfully, it’s not the side that was dislocated, but his touch hurts either way, not physically but emotionally from the betrayal I feel.
“It’s not safe, Rose. You need to stay here.”
“Don’t you mean Violetta? Now get your hand off me before I cut it off. And don’t even think about following me!”
With only a slight hesitation, Dante removes his grip on my arm and lets me pass. Before I can reach for the door to escape this nightmare I’ve found myself in, I hear Angelo’s voice.
“Viole…Rose.” He clears his throat with the correction to my name. “Please don’t go. Dante is right; it’s not safe for you out there. Everything we have done has been to protect you. You are family. Your mother would’ve wanted me to keep you safe.”
“Well, consider yourself relieved of your duties because I don’t have a mother or a family.
” Without a second glance, I’m out the door and down the steps.
I don’t know where I am, other than somewhere in the city.
Without a purse or phone, I can’t exactly just call a cab to take me home, but I’ve grown up in this city my entire life and can find my own way home, even if I have to walk the entire way.