Frustration and worry surge through me. I toss my bag onto his messy bed and hurry toward him. Rising onto my toes, I cup his face in my hands, making him look at me.
My seventeen-year-old brother isn’t a boy anymore; he’s growing into a man. But the sight of his bruised eye fills my own with tears.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he says quietly. “Don’t worry about me.”
I quickly wipe my tears and force a smile. I can’t let him see how scared I am. Tilting my head up, I kiss both his cheeks, one after the other, then take his hand and lead him toward the bed.
“What was it this time? Why did he beat you?” I ask after sitting down.
He just shakes his head, wincing slightly. His blonde hair is greasy, and the dark circles under his unbruised eye reveal he hasn’t slept all night.
I hold his hand tighter. “Tell me, Fabi. Please.”
“It doesn’t matter, Lucia. This misery never ends. I’ll never become a made man, and Father will never let it go.”
“It won’t last forever,” I say, trying to sound hopeful. “You’re not going to stay in this house much longer. Next year, you’ll be old enough, and you’ll go to America to study medicine.”
He scoffs. “With what money?”
“What do you mean? Father practically bleeds money, it’s everywhere.”
“Money he’s sworn I’ll never touch. Not one euro.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
He exhales heavily, his voice laced with exhaustion. “He won’t pay for medical school. Since you left, I’ve been working in his stables just to cover my daily shit. No one in this fucking town dares to hire me. They’re all terrified of him.”
I don’t know what to say. This is news to me.
Without warning, he leans forward and rests his head on my lap like he did when we were little. His legs stretch out on the bed, and I immediately run my fingers through his hair, stroking it gently, just like I did back then.
My heart feels like it’s about to burst.
“I’m so fucking tired, Lucia. Why does life have to be this cruel to us?” he murmurs. “I still dream about that night in Father’s study… when you told him you’d rather die than marry Carlo. The same night he slapped you across the face.”
My hand stops moving. “How do you know about that?”
“I was watching from the crack in the door, hiding, until Adrio caught me and gave me a beating for it.”
I let out a small sigh of relief. Thank God he doesn’t know the rest.
“So what finally made you say yes?”
A bitter smile spreads across my lips as I resume running my fingers through his silky hair. “I wanted to live…so I could see you grow up and be happy, my love.”
“I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you.”
I grab his shoulders and gently guide him to sit up, then cradle his face in my hands. “Don’t ever say that. You could never disappoint me. And I don’t want to see you like this again.”
He holds my gaze, then hesitates before murmuring, “You know he’s eventually going to kill me, right?”
“No. Never. That will never happen.”
I press another kiss to his face before gently letting go. I’m certain of my words because I made a deal with our father. Pietro DeLucci may be a piece of trash whose word means nothing, but he knows that as long as I’m alive, I’m valuable to him. And he also knows that if anything happens to Fabiano, he’ll lose me too.
But there’s a part of me that fears he’ll make life so unbearable for my brother that Fabiano might end it himself.
“How can you be so sure?” he asks, his voice filled with doubt.
