La Famiglia (62 page)

The request made no sense. Giovanni struggled to process how she’d even suggest exile as his punishment. But for the life of him he couldn’t. Mira continued. “Asked Zia and… the girls for help. Be here, for me, until I get out. You see the babies. Space me and you.” She exhaled. It must have drained her to articulate the hurtful request. She then added, “For now.”

“You’re my wife!” Giovanni reminded her. “You don’t get to change that fact.”

“Love you!” she shouted with her bottom lip trembling. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Love you much! Wife? Yes. Property? No!” she shouted. “I’m not a thing you own!”

“I didn’t mean it that way, Bella, you’re twisting things.” Giovanni said.

“Which part? Explain lies? Okay. Explain secrets? Okay? Explain being a hypocrite? Don’t! Don’t explain. No more talk. Love you. I do. Hurts me. But need it. Space.”

He shook his head in defeat. Mira continued. “Known for months. My mother. My sister. My father. You’ve known. For months you… you… said nothing!” she said as she sobbed with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hurt.” Mira put a hand to her heart. “Hurt so bad, Gio,” she said her speech slurred.

“It was never my intention,” he shook his head.

“But you did it! What plan? Explain it to me, Gio? Was I ever to know? Marietta? Or your father… kill my… kill my mother? Huh?”  she asked.

“Don’t!” he pointed a finger at her. He clenched it into his fist. “There is a lot about this you don’t know. But know this. I only did what I had to to protect you, our children and our marriage—in that order.”

“You’re a coward,” she said. “Coward!”

“Maybe. That’s what they don’t know about me, Bella. I’m a coward. I can’t think of anything in my life more important than you. My fucking business is in shambles because for the first time in my life I put someone before me, before this family. And that someone was you.” He put his hands to his head. “I confess it. I was afraid of you finding out. Especially after I learned what Patri had done. You’re my life. How can I share something so horrible? How?” He shook his head sadly. “It happened by accident. I swear it on my life. I was in your makeup bag one night looking for some oil to give you a massage. I found your bracelet. And I saw the Del Stavio stamp. I didn’t know what it meant. But I knew it meant something.” He paced. “So I sent Domi and Catalina to America to find out the meaning, to learn the truth about your mother.”

Mira stared at him with such grief in her eyes he had to look away. “I lied to you, about the purpose of that trip. Dominic visited the man you said ran away with your mother. He’s in prison for the rest of his life for a crime he didn’t commit.” Giovanni pushed his hands down into his pockets to keep from wringing them. “James is his name. He was put there by Marsuvio. Back then they called him Manny Cigars. James worked for him, your mother is who Manny wanted. So he separated them to have her. And he destroyed her, Bella. Put her on drugs, took her from your family. That’s the truth. And when Dominic told me it made me sick.”

“Your father?” Mira asked.

“My father didn’t know your mother. He wanted control and your mother was keeping Mancini from returning to
Sicilia
. So he put a contract on her life. Yes. He did this. But the story wasn’t something I could easily share.”

“And my sister?” Mira asked.

“We didn’t know about Marietta,” Giovanni continued. “We knew there were two babies born to your mother but we didn’t know the truth about her.”

“Forgive me… if… can’t believe you,” Mira said.

Giovanni laughed. “Forgive me that I can’t make you believe me, Bella.” He looked back at her. “Marsuvio sent for you, brought you to Italy through that man you call Teddy. He set you and Fabiana up. And I believe he brought Marietta here too. When I found out that you were sisters and he was your father you had already suffered a miscarriage scare. The doctors were talking to me about your blood pressure, warning me to be careful.”

“I remember, when you found out,” Mira pointed at him.

Giovanni frowned. “I don’t understand?”

“The cellar, boxing. That day. Told me that you weren’t a good man. Said one day I’d see it. I’d leave you. Blamed myself. For Eve. You let me.”

“You should have blamed yourself!” Giovanni seethed. “You took my child. You hid for two years.  I found you with another man. What you did should have cost you your life!” he shouted. “But I didn’t let any of it keep me from letting you back into my heart. Because I know that love and fear make people do unforgivable things!” Giovanni said.

“The real you…
Don
Giovanni Battaglia.” She gestured at him.

“It’s who I am. Who you married. And you knew from day one!” he said.

“Go!” she pointed to the door.

“Like you said, I’m
Don
Giovanni and I’ll come and go as I damn well please.” He stormed out and made sure to slam the door. In the hall the family had gathered. They looked at him. He could see it on their faces. They knew. He turned and went in the other direction.

Mira flinched. She dropped back on her pillows and tried to catch her breath. The door opened and a nurse arrived, followed by Zia.

“Are you ready,
Signora
?” the nurse asked.

“Yes,” she wiped away her tears. “Let’s go.”
Zia and the nurse came around the bed. They both helped her stand. Instantly she felt strength in her legs. She didn’t need their aid much. When she sat in the chair she released the breath she held and allowed the nurse to wheel her out.

She would deal with Giovanni later. Right now her focus had to be their sons.

* B
*

Someone grabbed her hand. Marietta had little time to respond before she was yanked into a room and the door shut. Even in the dark she could see his face. “Carlo?”

He kissed her. Hard and passionate he kissed her. She was crushed under the warmth, the overpowering strength of his body. And the kiss was more persuasive than she had the will to reject. Her tongue darted in and out of his mouth with eager pursuit. No girl in her right mind could turn from a kisser like Carlo. His lips seared a path from her mouth down her neck and his hands travelled the length of her body.
What the hell were they doing?
She pushed back and slapped him. Hard. Shoved at his chest to force him further away from her.

“Are you crazy?” she hissed. She wiped the kiss from her lips. “Don’t ever touch me again! Ever!”

He touched his lips and stared at her. Marietta trembled with fear, shock, shame. What if Lorenzo had seen them enter the room? Or one of his men?

“Don’t ever do that again, Carlo. Never!”

“I’m leaving,” he said.

“So? Go!”

It was ridiculous. They hated each other. That was until she was foolish enough to cross the line. She put her hands to her head. “Oh God. What have I done? Oh God.” Marietta felt weak with guilt and fear. She couldn’t decide on one ruling emotion. “We can’t do this. Do you understand? Lorenzo will kill you. He’ll put a bullet in the both of us. And he’s my husband. I love him. I love him! I could never hurt him like this.”

“And me? What is it you feel for me, Marietta?” Carlo asked. “Because that kiss—”

“Nothing!” she shook her head. She stepped back. “I feel nothing for you! We hate each other remember?”

Carlo laughed. “No. We’ve never hated each other.”

“We did, we do. We aren’t anything,” she insisted.

“That’s a lie and you know it!” he shouted at her.

Marietta jumped. She looked to the door. What if someone in the hall heard him shouting and tried to walk in. She had to get a handle on things and quickly. “What happened at your mother’s villa was wrong. I had been drinking. I was upset. It would have
never
happened if I was sober. And we didn’t go through with it. We stopped ourselves. There is time to fix this,” she pleaded.

“I have feelings for you,” Carlo stated. “Maybe it’s love?”

“No. No. No.” She put her hands to her ears. “I’m not listening to this. No you’re not.”

“I fucking know my heart!” he shouted her down. “I’ve got feelings for my best friend’s wife.” He walked toward her. “And I’m crazy, because I can swear you feel it too.”

“Don’t touch me.” Marietta screeched.

He took her by the face. She knocked his hands away. He reached for her again, she fought him off. “You’re crazy, man. I’m not in love with you. I love Lorenzo. He’s my man.”

Carlo pressed his head to hers and held both her arms at her side so she would be still, and be his.

“I don’t want this, Carlo. I don’t!” she pleaded.

“I know,” he said in defeat. “I won’t do anything to hurt you, Marietta. Never. That’s why I’m leaving. I’ll stay away from you. I just… I needed to say… something.” He kissed her. She closed her eyes, turned her face up and returned his kiss. A gentle press of their lips she refused to deny. He let her go.

“I’ll stay away. I promise,” he said with a small smile.

“I’m sorry. For everything.” Marietta said. “I never hated you. But I love Lorenzo. He’s my life. He just is. I mess up a lot of things in my life, but not him. He’s the one I want. Period.”

“I understand.” Carlo left.

She closed her eyes to fight back the panic stunting her breath. She felt such shame for coming between them, for even entertaining the sexual tension she had with Carlo. She didn’t love him. But she cared about him, and what she’d done had hurt him and Lorenzo beyond her intention.

Marietta wiped her eyes. She dried her face the best she could with her shirtsleeve and left the room. Lorenzo was the first person she saw. She wanted to turn and hide, get herself together but he approached her fast.

“Where have you been? I just saw Carlo and he said he hadn’t seen you.” Lorenzo looked her over suspiciously.

“Huh? I don’t… I just needed a moment. A moment… went to the bathroom. I, ah, with this thing with Mira.”

Lorenzo took her hand and led her back into the room she had just escaped. Marietta sucked a deep breath down. She could still smell Carlo’s aftershave inside the room. Did Lorenzo?

“I know what you did,” Lorenzo said.

“What?” Marietta gasped.

“Marie, don’t play games with me. I wasn’t going to speak on it. But now it’s between me and Carlo. So I have to. How could you do it?” Lorenzo demanded.

“I-I-I don’t know. I’m so sorry. Forgive me, Lo. I swear I’m sorry,” Marietta confessed.

He grabbed her shoulders. He looked her in the eye. “When I tell you something in confidence it’s because you are my wife. I trust you with my life. To tell Carlo about Carmine is unforgiveable. He’s my brother, my best friend. I never meant to hurt him or bring my mistake between us as brothers. I can’t change my actions. But you can’t use my weakness against me when you are hurt. Do you understand?”

She nodded. Shocked that the confession was for a sin no greater than the one he didn’t know. He pulled her into his arms. He hugged her. “It’s a dangerous game, Marie. Take your anger out on me. But don’t push Carlo on me. Don’t ever get between us. It won’t end well for either of us.”

She hugged him and squeezed her eyes shut. “I won’t do it again, never again. I swear.

* B
*

Dominic sent Catalina in search of Mira. He would locate Giovanni. It was best if he were the one to prepare him for Mira’s attitude. He sought him out in all the usual places and couldn’t find him. He eventually located a nurse who told him that Mira had gone to feed the babies and Giovanni had gone to the outside annex where people went to smoke. It was a bad sign. He found Giovanni sitting on a bench staring out at nothing.

“I hear Mira is breastfeeding Gianni. Why aren’t you upstairs with her?” Dominic sat next to him on the stone bench. Giovanni stared out at the pond. “Give her time, Gio. A lot has happened. A lot of trauma.”

“I was right. She does hate me. After everything I couldn’t prevent the outcome,” Giovanni said. He sat forward and leaned with his elbows resting on his parted knees. “Never seen her like this. I can’t even get close to her. Hold her. Be her hero. I can’t get her to look at me without tears.”

“She doesn’t hate you. She’s angry. It might be the first time she’s been hurt, angry, and scared since Fabiana’s death.  She woke from a coma just several hours ago. You have to give her time,” Dominic reasoned.

Giovanni turned red, angry eyes on Dominic. “She’s my wife. Whether she wants to acknowledge that fact or not, it won’t change. She can take the time but she doesn’t get to push me away! From her or my children! Ever.”

“Gio?” Dominic sighed.

“Get the hell away from me!” he said. He put his face in his hands. Dominic would normally obey the request. Today he chose not to. He sat in silence next to Giovanni and waited, for whatever was to come next.

* B
*

“There, there… there you go. Sweetie,” Mira said. “Oh goodness. Look.” She gasped in surpise. “He does it,” she laughed.

Zia clasped her hands together. “Yes. Yes. I see,” she chuckled. “He knows mama.”

“He has an appetite like his father,” Catalina said with a wide grin.