Married to the Mafia Boss

Arianna

As I watch the car with Carmine drive off, Dominic finally lets me go, and my hand slaps him hard enough to leave a red mark.

“I will never forgive you for this,” I seethe at him. “You are all dead to me.”

Dominic doesn’t say anything. He just stands there and stares at me, shocked. I turn around and see my mother, Helena, standing with my father at the entrance of Alessandro’s office. “You.”

Helena holds up her hands. “Arianna, you have to understand….”

“I don’t have to understand anything,” I shriek. “What I understand is Carmine loved me for no other reason than he loved me. There was no gain to get from being with me. You made him leave, and now I’ll never see him again. I hate you all.”

“Arianna,” Alessandro’s deep voice comes from his office, “come here.”

I stalk past my parents and into Alessandro’s office, letting the tears flow freely down my face. “Don’t speak to our parents that way,” he says. “Have some damn respect. You wouldn’t be in this situation if you didn’t lie to me.”

“Carmine would still be gone if I hadn’t lied to you,” I argue. “You are so against my happiness. I don’t understand why.”

“It’s not that I don’t want you to be happy. It’s that I want you to be safe and protected,” he says.

“Carmine’s my bodyguard. How much more protected do you want me to be?” I turn to leave, and he says, “I’m not done, Arianna, don’t turn your back on me.”

I turn to face him, more tears welling in my eyes.

“You’re no longer allowed to leave the house unless escorted by myself or Dominic. If you do, if you leave this house to see Carmine, I will put a hit out for him, and I swear it won’t be pretty.” He looks so cold and calculating. I know he isn’t joking.

“I hate you,” I say quietly, then I think, fuck it, and I raise my voice, “I hate you and everything you stand for. I will never, ever speak to you again, Alessandro Sorvino, for as long as I live. You are all dead to me. I don’t care what any of you say. If you had any love for me, you’d cast me out of the family so I could be with Carmine and no longer live this unhappy life. Do you enjoy torturing me and making me unhappy? Does it get you off?”

He stands up, and I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter because you don’t give a fuck about me and what I want, so what does it matter. Don’t speak to me. Don’t engage with me at all.”

I turn and march toward the garage, not caring that he just told me I couldn’t leave. I hear footsteps behind me, and I’m sure Alessandro will pull me back and hit me for my insolence.

My mother tries to call me, but I flip her off and slam the door behind me.

I grab my car keys and go to open my door when a strong hand shuts it. “Alessandro just said you’re not to leave without an escort.”

“I’m going to the racetrack to clear my head,” I growl at Dominic. “Leave me the fuck alone, Dominic.”

“If you want to go, then I have to go with you. I’m not allowed just to let you go. Alessandro has spoken. As head of this family, he has the final say.” Dominic looks at me with a mixture of sadness and anger, and I push him. “Get in then but don’t fucking speak to me like you care about me.”

He goes around the car and gets in.

My tires squeal as I reverse out of the garage, spinning in a circle to turn around. Dominic holds the handle above the passenger door with a look of worry.

I hit the accelerator, and before long, we’re on our way. I turn the music up as loud as my sound system allows it without popping, and I act as though Dominic isn’t even in the car.

When I get to the racetrack, I sign in. No one else is there at the moment, so I pull onto the track and start driving as fast as I can. Dominic looks at me, I can see it out of the corner of my eye, but he wanted to be my escort. This is what I do to relax. He reaches to turn down my music, and I smack his hand. “Don’t touch my shit. This is mine. You don’t touch anything that’s mine. Ever again.”

Domini frowns and yells, “I just want to talk to you, Arianna. This isn’t like you.”

I ignore him, and he continues to yell, “We’re looking out for your best interests. You don’t know Carmine the way we do.”

“I’d say I know Carmine a lot better than any of you,” I yell back, taking a corner.

Dominic looks a bit green, but I don’t slow down. He better not puke in my car, or he’s cleaning it.

“Maybe in some ways, but you didn’t know him a couple of years ago. He was a player, Arianna. I don’t know how to convince you of this.”

I slow down, then hit the brakes. Dominic slams forward because he isn’t wearing his safety belt. He holds his head. “Fuck, Arianna, was that necessary.”

“I was there,” I snarl. “I was there all those years. I partied with you guys. I drank with you guys. Did you forget that I’ve been present in your lives for my entire life? I’ve known Carmine since I was eight years old. I’m not oblivious to how all of you acted toward women. Alessandro, worst of all. The way he treated women was disgusting, and if our parents knew, Pa would beat the shit out of him. But I never ratted you guys out or told you not to have fun and explore life. Meantime, I’m expected to marry someone I don’t know for the good of the family. Really, Dominic? That’s what you think will be best for me?”

He stares at me for a long moment, but he hasn’t got an answer. I know he wouldn’t because he knows I’m right. I was there all the time, I knew exactly the kind of men my brothers and Carmine were, but I also paid attention as they matured and stopped fucking around with women.

I put the car into first gear and rev the engine, pulling off suddenly, making Dominic slam back into his seat. He doesn’t say anything while I zoom around the racetrack a few more times before I leave to take us home.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

He doesn’t say anything on the way home, even when I turn the music down. He just stares ahead as though I’ve revealed some great mystery to him.

I park in the garage, and I get out. He climbs out and comes around the car. “Arianna, listen…”

“No, I meant what I said, Dominic,” I say, looking up at him coldly. “You, Alessandro, our parents-you’re all dead to me. If I were allowed to leave, I would, but I’ll probably get shot if I do, or worse, Carmine will.”

I swallow hard.

“Everyone else got their happy ever afters with the people they chose. Alessandro got Katya. You got Sofia. Frankie got Amelia, and Mom and Dad have each other. What did I do to you guys that was so terrible that I couldn’t have the same courtesy? Don’t answer. Dead men speak no tales.”

I leave him standing there as I head to the house.