I see her first: Catarina appears in the doorway behind Una, the knife in her hand glinting in the light. Without a word, she grips Una’s forehead from behind, yanking her head back, and drags the knife swiftly across her neck, slitting her throat.
Una crumples to the floor, gurgling as blood pours from her neck, and Catarina smirks at Lorenzo. “And here I thought Una, and I had nothing in common. Turns out, no one really cares where you stick your dick, Lorenzo.”
Lorenzo jaw drops, and Antonio jumps away from Una’s body, eyes wide.
Giovanna’s face turns ghostly white. Then she turns her head and vomits on the floor.
57
Giovanna
Iwipe my mouth on the paper towel Tommy brings me, my eyes darting between my parents—no, between my mother and Lorenzo. Lorenzo’s gaze is locked on my mom, his jaw tight, and though we are all staring at her, her soft smile is directed at him.
“Oh, don’t look so surprised, Lorenzo.” Her voice is calm, almost sweet. “You know I’ve always known about the various whores you have around the world, and I don’t care as long as it doesn’t touch my life. But this one—” she gestures to Una bleeding out on the floor, “this one you fucked in my bed. She wore my lingerie. She stole my pink satin Fendi baguette. You had to know it would end poorly.”
Catarina glances down in distaste. Blood snakes across the floor, pooling where Una and Berto’s bodies meet.
Catarina continues, her tone light and conversational. “Tommy, sweetheart, would you mind calling someone to takecare of this? It’s going to leach into the floorboards and, God forbid, down into the condo below. Then you’ll hear nothing from the neighbors but yap, yap, yap.” She rolls her eyes.
Tommy clears his throat, voice rough. “I own the building. The other condos house my men.”
“Oh good. You really do think of everything, don’t you, dear? He’s a keeper, this one.” She winks at me then turns back to Tommy with a serious expression. “But do get someone to clean this up, please. I don’t want my grandchild playing on bloodstained floors.”
Tommy blinks at her, lost, then looks to me for guidance. He’s dazed. So am I. I stare back at him for a moment then slowly nod. He pulls out his phone and starts texting.
“Mom—”
“Giovanna, sit down, darling,” she cuts me off gently. “You look faint. I’d hate for you to fall and hurt my grandchild.”
I raise my eyebrows at her, but when I do, the room spins. Deciding she’s right, I sink onto the edge of the couch, watching Una’s hand twitch near her throat before falling still. Catarina follows my gaze.
“Oh, don’t waste your sympathy, dear. She’s not dying because she’s a slut. She’s dying because she facilitated your rape rather than your rescue. Though I find her choices in my bedroom distasteful, it’s not enough to warrant murder. I mean, if I killed every slut your father fucked—” She laughs, throwing her hands up in the air, Una’s blood dripping down her knife. “Oh my. I’m making a mess here,” she murmurs, then winks at me again. “You just worry about staying healthy for my grandchild.”
She rinses the blade in the kitchen sink while Lorenzo stares, speechless.
“Your grandchild?” Lorenzo sounds incredulous. “You cannot possibly be advocating that she keep this monstrosity?”
His words make my stomach roll. Tommy immediately comes to my side, sitting next to me and rubbing my back.
Antonio watches us for a moment, hollow-eyed, unreadable. When I meet his gaze, he doesn’t look away.
My mother casually glances at Lorenzo as she continues washing the blood off her hands. “Of course, I am. She’s in love with Tommy. And that boy, God help him, has been the picture of patience with her all these years when she was living with Antonio. If he loves that baby half as much as he loves her, he’ll be father of the year its whole life.”
Lorenzo stands and pounds his fist on the counter, his face red and blotchy. “The kid will be deformed! People will be merciless when they find out—”
Catarina laughs. Not her fake laugh, but her real laugh. She turns to me. “Baby, Tommy is not your brother. I would never have let you get together with him if that were the case.”
Antonio’s eyes pop wide, staring at my mother like he just woke from a stupor, as he sits heavily in one of the living room chairs.
I gasp, clapping my hands over my mouth, and turn to Tommy. Tommy’s hand stills on my back as he stares at her, his lips parting slightly.
Then he turns to me. He drags his thumb over my cheekbone, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. Holy shit. I’ve never seen Tommy even close to crying.
“Are you okay?” I ask him softly.
He opens his mouth to speak but instead just swallows hard, pulling me into his arms carefully. He’s shaking, pressing his lips to my hair.
Lorenzo slams his palm on the counter and splutters, “What are you talking about? Our whole marriage, you told me—”
