"Philippa," I said.
She let out something between a gasp and a scream her sobs carried across the line, and an image of her face covered in tears came to my mind. I swore from that moment on that I would never hurt her again. Not for as long as I lived.
"Gianni?" she asked.
"Yes. It's me," I said. "It's so good to hear your voice."
"They told me you were dead. Lucia confirmed it."
I looked down at the red bleeding through the bandages wrapped around my stomach. "Yeah. I had to make it look real. I needed my siblings to believe I was dead for good this time. Thank god my random, special skill came in handy again, otherwise I might have thought it was useless."
"I can't believe it," Philippa said. "I still can't believe you're alive."
"I'm alive,Bellissima, and I plan to make good on everything I said in that letter. I'm making arrangements as we speak. It's going to take a little bit of time to get housing organized, things are a little different in Japan. Can you hang on for just a few more weeks?"
She sniffled, but said, "I can do it," but I never had any doubt. Someone as strong as Philippa could get through anything.
"Philippa," I said. "I love you."
A quiet sob came out of her then. "I love you too."
"I mean it. More than anything in this world, I love you. I can't wait to hold you and spend every day together without worrying about Angelo Cavetto."
"Me too," she whimpered back.
"I want to know what's going on around the house. Can you fill me in?"
There was a resolve in Philipa’s voice as she said, "Yeah."
Quite a bit had happened in the time between when I'd last seen Philippa and our current conversation. Both shockingly and not, Philippa learned that Lucia's feelings for Romeo were genuine, a shift that had begun over time but was cemented when Romeo killed an underling who had, against anyone's wishes, killed Antonio Bonifacio, and attempted to do the same to Lucia and her other brother, Giorgio.
Sometime later, Romeo helped loosen the strings on the Bonifacio siblings' torture and had them moved to more comfortable living spaces and he'd even stopped my father from torturing Giorgio. It was insane to hear any story of Romeo that painted him in a positive light, but I was beyond happy to hear it. It meant that if we could truly get my father out of the picture, there was hope for my siblings yet.
Speaking of which, Philippa also reported that it seemed my siblings and the Bonifacios had found mates in one another outside of Lucia and Romeo. Though it seemed my father was still unaware, Marcello and Savio had bonded with the Bonifacio twins, Alessandra and Chiara, and Natalia had been sneaking into Giorgio's room. It made me laugh to think that after all of my father's efforts to keep his children miserable, we all still found happiness. I imagined that was about the biggestfuck youany of us could give him. If only we could rub it in his face.
"What about the baby?" I asked, referring to the pregnancy Philippa brought up last time we spoke. "I was terrified that the stress of my storming in was going to cause a miscarriage. Are Lucia and the baby okay?"
Philippa went eerily quiet when I asked. Just like the last time I'd brought Lucia up, Philippa seemed to struggle with the subject. "Philippa, I've told you already haven't I? I love you more than anything. I don't feel that way about Lucia."
"You're so worried about her," she replied softly. "She has Romeo. You don't have to be so concerned."
"I'm concerned as a human being." A few muted cries barely made it across the line and I felt bad. "Philippa, listen to me. For many years, I did love Lucia. She and I have very similar circumstances and I didn't understand why she was promised to Romeo instead of me. It was back when I felt like I should be entitled to all of the best things because I was the oldest and Romeo wasn't."
"You consider her the best?" Philippa asked.
I sighed. It was really difficult to navigate explaining to Philippa that, though I did care for Lucia, it wasn't romantic even though it stemmed from a romantic place. In truth, I didn't even entirely understand it. It'd been half a year or more since that day I realized that, with Philippa around, Lucia meant nothing. It hit me like hail on a clear, sunny day. I didn't know exactly when or why my heart belonged to Philippa, I just looked up one day and realized that it did.
"For this world, for a Cavetti trying to carry on the Cavetti legacy, she was. My father promised all these things to Romeo that I felt I should have had. I wanted them simply because I felt like I was entitled to them. I sought after them like some people seek buried treasure without even really knowing what's in the chest. But a treasure of my own came along. One I knew well. One I got to grow with over time. At the end of the day, Lucia and I barely know each other, but you're my best friend, Philippa. You've been by my side for as long as we've known each other. There was a time I wanted Lucia, but it's long gone. The only woman I want is you."
At first, Philippa didn't respond, and I didn't push. There was only so much I could say, and as long as we were separated and embroiled in the world we were in, there were always going to be things to muddy the waters. Finally, she gave me a weak, "Okay," and I knew the sooner we got out of Chicago, the better off we would be.
"Okay. So listen, I hate to ask because you've been through so much already, but are you still willing to be my guy on the inside?" I asked.
"Of course," she replied through sniffles. "What do you need?"
“The whole point of any of this was to rouse my siblings to stand up to my dad. None of them are dumb, and I believe fully that they’ll be able to put the pieces together. I just need you to listen to the rumblings around the house and see if they’re planning to turn on him. If it sounds like there’s anything you can do to help, do it. Keep the phone and let me know if it seems like something is going to happen. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” she replied immediately. “I can do that.”
