Married to the Mafia Boss

Arianna

After seeing Carmine, it hurts more that I can’t be with him. I know we’re meant to be together in my heart, and I know my brother will never allow that for as long as he lives. I know my mother wants to make amends, and I appreciate the gesture, but everything is lost unless she can convince Alessandro to change his mind.

After we leave and go back home, I go to my room and spend the next few days moping there. I come out for meals but refuse to speak to anyone and barely eat. Alessandro has tried to force me to eat, but even he doesn’t have that much power.

Every time he speaks to me, I just stare at him blankly until he gets annoyed and tells me to leave. Katya has also tried to convince me to eat, but I’m not interested.

My life has never felt more complete than it did with Carmine by my side. I know that now. He’s always been the one to make me laugh when I’m upset or support my wild ideas when no one else would. He’s always had my back since I was eight, and I’m a fool for not realizing it sooner. Maybe it would be different if we had started dating before he was a playboy.

No, it wouldn’t. I know that’s just a lie I tell myself to make me feel better about my position in this family. I’m just a pawn, easily sacrificed for the protection of the king. That’s all I mean to them.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

I don’t feel like eating with them today, but I do feel like eating some fruit. I grab a bowl of fruit salad from the kitchen and got to sit in the garage, my only safe haven. Alessandro knows I’m here, but he never bothers me when I am. No one really does.

Dominic has tried to crack a few jokes with me, he’s even invited me out to parties, but I’ve not spoken to him either. He’s just as responsible as far as I’m concerned. My father as well.

I look up from my bowl of fruit as the door opens. My father stands there for a moment and then says, “I’d like to talk if that’s okay.”

I can’t help myself. “It doesn’t matter what I want. I’m just a slave, waiting to be ordered to whatever old man’s bed you want me to go to.”

He purses his lips. “That’s a bit dramatic, Arianna.”

I roll my eyes and swing my chair, so my back is to him.

“Cup Cake,” he says softly, “please speak to me. I know you’re upset about this situation, but you must understand where we are coming from.”

“I don’t,” I say coldly. “Please leave. This is my space.”

“How can you possibly be sure Carmine is the right man for you?” he asks, and I can tell he’s moved closer to me.

I swing around and glare at him. “Firstly, I’m twenty-five. I’m not an idiot. I am a university-educated woman who has, at times, run the legit side of the family business when Frankie wasn’t available. Have you got that?”

He nods, waiting for me to continue.

“I repeat, I am not an idiot. Carmine has been there for me since I was eight years old. He never let anyone pick on me or take my toys, and if a boy broke my heart, Carmine would comfort me after he broke their legs.”

Romero nods again. “I remember this, sweetheart. If he weren’t around, you’d sob until he got there because he was the only one who could comfort you.”

“And it’s taken me forever to realize that I’m like that because I have always been in love with Carmine. He’s always been in love with me. We fit together like pieces of a puzzle. We are meant to be, I don’t know how I know it, but I feel it with all my heart. I would expect you and my brothers to understand what that feels like since you all profess to love your women so much.”

Romero pulls up a stool and sits opposite me. “It could just be lust or a honeymoon phase. What if he does turn back into a player?”

“I’m perfectly capable of shooting him myself. But I know I won’t have to. Carmine will never do anything to break my heart. Would you do it to Mom?”

He shakes his head. “Family means everything to us, Cup Cake, you know that.”

“Except when it comes to me,” I say. “You suffocate me so much, Pa, that I’m a bird that will never get to fly because I constantly have my wings clipped to keep me from falling. Birds have to fall to fly; that’s how nature works. I used to think you did this because you loved me so much, but then Alessandro talks about finding me someone suitable to marry, and now I wonder, am I just a bartering chip for our family?” I shake my head. “That makes me sad, Pa.”

“He didn’t mean it like that, Arianna. He just meant that someone who is better suited to you will come along,” Romero says with a sigh. “He didn’t mean he’s going to find someone for you to marry.”

I shrug. “It’s what it sounded like. Do you know what Carmine said? He wanted to prove to all of you that he was worthy of me. That he wasn’t a playboy and that he could take care of me. The entire time we were together, he was wracked with guilt. He didn’t want any of you to hate him or be disappointed in him. You say we value family, Pa, but Carmine is family. Look how you guys treated him.”

My father looks at me, surprised. “You always surprise me with how much insight you have. You are right, Carmine is our family, but he lied, Arianna.”

“He didn’t want to give in and be with me,” I add, ignoring my father’s comment. “He denied me time and time again because he was so loyal to you guys. I almost had to beg him to be with me, to give us a chance. He lied because he didn’t want to jeopardize that trust. In this family, honestly is only the best policy if it suits.”

I put down the bowl I’m holding. “Is that what you wanted to talk about, Pa?”

He nods. “You’ve given me a lot to think about, Cup Cake. I would suggest you don’t see Carmine behind your brother’s back. It’s a betrayal, and he will have to punish Carmine. He can’t look weak. Not with other families making moves in and around New York. We sometimes need to compromise what we want to protect the family that gave us everything.”

“Trauma and issues, that’s what this family has given me,” I say. “And I never held it against anyone. If you are taking this back to Alessandro, I suggest you let him know this: If he doesn’t make this right, then one day he will wake up and not have a sister anymore, and he will regret it.”

I walk past my father and back into the house, not bothering to see if he’s following me or if he has anything else to say.