I don’t have time to contemplate it further because Davide leads me to my father’s office.
He doesn’t follow as I enter, closing the door, sealing me in. My stomach somersaults. Mom is in the office, sitting on the sofa, looking down at her clasped hands. From across the room,I can tell she is shaking, and the feeling of foreboding and dread intensifies.
Walking further into the office, I stiffen my spine and face my father. I feel like a trapped lamb, about to be sent off to the slaughterhouse, but I refuse to let him see that.
His calculating eyes assess me. He smiles, and the foreboding and dread within me intensifies even more.
“Father?” I use that title rather than the snarky ‘dad’ one, because I don’t want to increase the threatening feel in this office right now. I glance at my mother again before bringing my eyes back to him. “What’s going on?”
“I want to talk about your future.”
“My future?” My voice has a slight shake at the end, and I swallow, trying to steady myself.
“Yes.” He leans back in his chair, studying me. “Your future and how you’ll serve this family.”
My hands shake, and I clasp them in front of me, trying to make them stop. “What do you mean,Babbo?”
He flinches at the name I used to call him as a young girl, but then his face hardens. “Vincenzo wants you.”
The air is sucked out of my lungs at what I think he’s implying. “What do you mean?”
He stands from his chair and walks over to Mom, who cowers as he approaches. “It means that you’ll do everything exactly as you’re told.”
“I won’t,” I say before I can stop the words.
He smiles maliciously. And a shudder wracks through my body as if a frigid blast of air hit me. “I suspected you’d need a bit of coaxing.”
He’s behind the sofa and Mom. Staring straight at me, he wraps his hands around her throat.
“Franco, please—” Her plea is cut off as he tightens his hands around her throat.
I’m frozen in shock, staring in horror as my father chokes my mother. How…? How can this be the man I used to lovingly callBabbo, who held my hand smiling, and took me for ice cream? That little girl in me is screaming for herBabbo, wanting him back, not this monster.
Finally, my shock is shoved to the side, and I step forward to stop my father.
He merely tuts and increases the pressure even more as my mom’s eyes bulge and her face turns red as she tries to remove his hands. “Stay where you are, Gina, or Iwillkill her.”
I watch helplessly. Knowing that the only chance of my mom getting out of this is for me to hope and pray that if I obey my father, he’ll be true to his word.
“I’ll do it,” I force out through a closed throat, but he doesn’t relent. “I’ll do it!” I scream to reinforce the promise.
I also scream the words because I’m hoping Davide might hear.
Then I remember that my father’s office is soundproof, and Davide left me in here all alone.
Did he know? Is he working against Tommaso?
Or doesthe Donno longer care?
Mom’s nails claw at my father’s hands, trying to remove the pressure from crushing her throat, and her face is an alarming shade of red.
“Please. Let her go. I’ll do it.” Then I add more firmly, “Babbo… Father…I’ll do it; whatever you ask, I’ll comply.”
He smiles, releasing her throat, and rests his hands on her shoulders. “That’s better. But aren’t you curious what will be asked of you?”
“Yes.” My voice shakes, and I fight to control the involuntary tremors in my body. “Why would Vincenzo want me? I’m a nobody.”
“You don’t need to be a somebody to be his whore.”
