Alessandra
Iwas finally allowed to walk around. It almost didn’t feel real. No one seemed to know how long we’d been separated into those rooms, but I was glad to be around Chiara again. Being without her had been harder than I thought. It had been part of the reason I was going crazy. I couldn’t remember a time when we weren’t together. Chiara was always a silent presence that I’d grown up with and had gotten so used to that it was as though I’d lost a piece of myself when she wasn’t around.
After I was taken out of the dungeon and dressed in a proper dress, it felt so different from the filthy dress I had grown accustomed to. It was like I had new skin made of gold. And then I went outside and walked on the grass. It took a moment to adjust to everything. My ears, eyes, and sense of smell were affected by the lengthy period I’d spent in isolation, and when they were able to work again, the feeling almost overwhelmed me. I had taken off my shoes, sat, and rolled in the grass, letting it rub against my skin. I never knew that such a simple thing could feel so wonderful.
I was sitting in Lucia’s room and was growing envious of her surroundings. They were definitely better than ours. She even had a maid who was always around but remained in the background for the most part and didn’t speak very much. It was surprisingly different from the grunts that brought us our food. She was living like a queen while we were still prisoners. Not that she could travel, either, but her engagement to Romeo had changed the way Angelo treated her.
“It’s nice to have all of us together again,” Chiara said, sitting on the bed with a bridesmaid dress across her lap. “It was getting lonely down there.”
I wanted to ask her about her visits with Marcello, but she’d already let me know that they were developing into something. I never thought my sister would be interested in someone who, despite being handsome, was so broody and brutish. He was the kind of man who could beat someone to death with his fists, and he likely had.
Savio, on the other hand, had made a point of avoiding me. I’d only seen him in passing once, and he’d done his best to run away, acting as though he hadn’t seen me at all. It was strange. I thought that he would turn a new leaf after we’d been together like Romeo and Marcello had. I thought he was different from the others. He did turn out to be different, but it was in an awful way. I knew that he was a womanizer, but I thought I was smart enough to not fall prey to it.
The thought that I’d given him my virginity only for him to ignore me made my stomach churn.
Lucia was smiling. “Right? And we get to walk around together and everything. I was so scared that something had happened to you guys.”
I turned to Lucia. “Couldn’t you have just asked them to release us sooner?”
A tense silence passed in the space between us, and I could see from her expression that I had touched on a soft point. It was hard to determine what she was feeling, but it looked as though she was regretful.
“I’m sorry,” she said finally, lowering her eyes. “I tried. After everything that happened, I didn’t want to take any more chances.”
Right. I hadn’t yet told Chiara about Antonio. There was a heaviness in my chest at the thought. I couldn’t tell her. It would destroy her, and she’d only just found happiness outside of the cage we’d been in for months. I would reveal it in time, but not yet. I knew that she would take it terribly, and once she found out, it would ruin the excitement that she had for the wedding and our time together. It was just not the right time.
“I know you did,” I told her, feeling a pang of guilt. “I shouldn’t blame you. I guess I’m just upset about everything that happened. Honestly, I’m just taking it out on you. Not your fault.”
Chiara smiled at both of us. “But we’re together now! It’s a good thing, even if it’s just for the wedding.”
Lucia walked over to the rack of bridesmaid dresses and peered over to both of us. I was busy sitting in a chair, relaxing, all while Chiara was forced to try them on. I knew that it didn’t matter which one of us did—we always had the same measurements. Even with the weight we lost, I was sure that we were still the same size. Chiara had always been a bit of a pushover when it came to those sorts of things.
“It is,” I agreed. “We’ll stay together from now on, even if Angelo hates it.”
Lucia spun around quickly and met my eyes. “Don’t talk about Angelo, Alessandra. It’s not a good idea.”
I grimaced at her. “Why not? He’s a monster.”
“Well, we’re his guests now. Not his prisoners.”
I sighed, not wanting to fight her on it. I wondered just how kind Angelo had been to her for her to change her opinion. It wasn’t until I saw the maid perk up that I realized what was going on. We were being spied on. Lucia averted her eyes, and I understood. Anything we said would likely be brought back to him. No matter where we were in the house, we were always being watched.
“Sorry,” I said and leaned back in the chair. “You’re right.”
“You’re so mouthy today.”
I nodded at Lucia. “I know. I’m just bitter. Don’t mind me.”
“Well,” she said, gesturing toward me. “You just sit back. Chiara, let’s try on a few more dresses. I don’t like that blue one in your lap. I don’t think it’ll go with the decor that we have in mind for the church.”
Chiara let out a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll put this one back, then.”
I remained silent, knowing that I wasn’t really able to keep my thoughts to myself. I felt like I was going crazy. Everyone else seemed at ease with what was going on—especially Lucia. I was annoyed. How could she so easily marry the man who had killed our parents? He’d admitted such cruel things to me, and now Lucia was going to be with him till death do they part. I just couldn’t fathom it.
But I also didn’t want to ruin her day.
I had to let go of my own resentment so that I wasn’t constantly complaining. The last thing any of us needed was that maid going to Angelo and telling him about what was going on and what we were talking about. If I said one thing out of turn, that would be it. God only knew what would happen to us then. I had no doubt that Angelo had a short fuse. The scars on Savio’s back were enough to warrant stepping lightly.
“Do you want some food?”
