“Of course,” I reply, watching to see if they are suspicious.
I let them in and take them into the living room. My mother sat on the sofa chair while Luca stood behind her, looking at me seriously.
It was silent for a minute before my mother started to speak. “Bethany, dear. I spoke to Luca about marrying Gabe Appollo. And we are at a standstill.”
I scoff, “A standstill?” looking from one to the other. “The man showed up to my place last night ready to smash my face in for walking out on dinner!”
“Your brother has ensured that behavior will never happen again.”
“Mother!” I shout in disbelief. “Luca has you wrapped around his finger. As always.” I began pacing around the room. “I won’t marry him. You can’t make me.”
My mother looked as though she pitied me, but not enough to change her mind.
Luca barely looked at me. “The wedding is in two days.”
This threw me into a rage. “No!” I said, shaking my head as tears began streaming down my face. “I’ll kill myself,” I blurt out.
My mother looked down at the floor in defeat while Luca walked to the window, peering over the river.
With eyes full of tears, my mother looks up to me. “Bethany, dear. Have a seat.”
I sat on the sofa closest to her. “Why are you making me do this?”
“The Appollo brothers somehow got a hold of information and intended to use it against us to fulfill a vendetta that we put behind us for the sake of our family.”
A vendetta is a blood feud—a body for a body. Marco and his family were killed in vengeance for an act my father committed against the Cassariano Family. Normally, it’s a never-ending feud until someone calls a truce or an entire bloodline disappears.
I roll my eyes. “How many times have people tried to blackmail us? It’s never been an issue.”
“This time, my dear, we are in a bind. Your brother doesn’t have a way out without it causing a bigger problem for us.”
“Father called a truce. The vendetta has been over.”
Reaching out to take my hand, my mother begged me. “Please, Bethany. Trust us.”
Pulling my hand away, I said, “That’s all I’ve ever done. Look where it’s got me. I’ll never be truly happy, and it’s because of him.” My line of vision shot in Luca’s direction. Speaking through my teeth, “Why do I need to suffer for the sake of this family?”
“Tell her.” Luca’s voice was stern as he continued to peer out the large window.
“Tell me what?” I asked, feeling a lump in my throat.
My mother cleared her throat. “You know family is important to me. It always has been. When your brother Marco passed, it killed me. Your father called a truce so that there was no further bloodshed.”
“What does it have to do with this marriage?”
This time, Luca finally turned to face me, who answered, “Alfie.”
“What about Alfie?” I was confused more than ever.
“That night Marco, his wife, and child were gunned down. We made them believe all three were dead.”
My brain went blank trying to connect the dots through my rage.
My mother said, “Alfie is our last piece of Marco.”
The room went silent. I got to my feet and turned away from them to process what I had just been told. Thinking back to that day, I remember running out of the house and seeing the horrific scene. Luca was holding a bloody and limp Marco. My father held my mother as she sobbed, trying to stand. My sisters checked Marco’s wife in the passenger seat and babyPaulo in the back seat. Rita looked to Luca and shook her head to let him know both were gone. Isabella rushed me back into the house and told me to stay in my room.
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
