Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
"Salvatore Capo.” Elise flinches as if someone slapped her.
She speaks in a whisper. "Capo?"
I wonder if I'm the only one that sees the irony in the fact that my new husband's last name means Captain. Leader. Head. Chief.
"Oh my God," Elise whispers. "He's…" She shakes her head and doesn't complete the sentence. Dread builds inside me at her reaction. Elise was raised among brutal men and is horrified to think of me going with Capo? What does she know? She won’t tell me, not if she thinks I can’t prevent this from happening.
She turns back to me. "What did he say he will do?"
I force out a mirthless laugh. "Besides treat me the way he says my mother should have? Train me? Oh, not much."
Another flinch. My brother Ottavio was no angel when it came to the two of them marrying, but I turned a blind eye to that. He’s my brother, and it’s hard for me to think of him fulfilling any other role. I chose ignorance instead.
“I’m sorry," she says, and she really is. I can tell just by the look on her face. "Marialena, I am so sorry.”
I am, too.
I’m talking to a woman who fled the country with a man she loved so that she could escape my brother. So she wouldn't be forced into the exact same thing I am being forced into.
On impulse, she crosses the room and gathers me up into her arms in a fierce, sisterly hug, while Rosa haphazardly tosses shoes, dresses, bras, everything, into suitcases. None of it matters much, what I take. They’re only things, as meaningless as the passing tide that comes and goes. It won't take much for me to replenish my supply of clothing if I need to. And I don't know if I want to take them with me anyway. What if they just remind me of home?
Elise finally lets me go. She smells a little like baby powder. I wonder if she's put her children to bed for the night. She has a nanny, but like most women in my family, insists on mothering her own children as often as she can, the nanny reserved for the times she has to travel.
She whispers in my ear, "Be brave, sister. I hate this for you. I hate that this family and mine are bound by these crazy rules and expectations, and we have no choice. It's wrong, we all know it’s wrong, but we also know that we're not going to change it.” Her voice catches. “I hope that he's good to you. I hope that he's faithful. You must tell us how he treats you. If he mistreats you…”
Her voice trails off. We know the truth. She’s only placating me. It won’t matter if I tell her he mistreats me. As much as I appreciate her concern, how stupid does she think I am? I saw the way my mother was treated by my father. I've known for a long time that my brothers are faithful to their own wives, but that my cousins haven’t always been. Infidelity’s a part of life among our kind, and that’s only one of the many ways he could hurt me.
"Will I get to say goodbye to Mama?” I wonder out loud.
My voice sounds small like I’m a child, and it's no surprise to me because I feel exactly like a child who just wants her mama.
Rosa shakes her head. "I doubt it, "she says sadly. "I'm sorry, Marialena. I can't imagine Romeo would allow her to. She caused… a scene downstairs.” Rosa looks away. “It's for your own good." She flinches when she says that. She's been on the receiving end of that pat line for so long, she knows how it grates. "What I mean is… Romeo can't risk inciting Capo’s anger. He's a dangerous man, he could hurt Mama. If she yelled at him again, or, God forbid, struck him…"
I have to be brave. My foolhardy ways have come to haunt me. It's my fault my family’s in this situation.
I can't risk anybody else being hurt because of me. My only choice is to move forward bravely.
"Maybe he won't be as bad as people say he is," I say, trying to be ever the optimist. Rosa and Elise share a glance that I don't quite understand, and Elise nods her head.
"Maybe," she whispers. "But it doesn't matter what the rules say, Marialena. If he truly does hurt you… If he really is mean to you…" She shakes her head, draws in a breath. But when she speaks again, her voice is pure steel. She looks into my eyes and takes one of my hands in both of hers. “I don't care what the rules are. If he hurts you, he dies. You call me. I still have connections. I still know people.”