Chapter 110

The sun shined through the curtains across my face, warming it up, and waking me from my slumber. I stretched my arms and legs out. I patted Luca’s side of the bed to find that he wasn’t there. I sat up and looked around the room. “Luca”, I called out, listening for his response. Silence was returned to my ears. I looked over on the nightstand to find a note, written in his hand-writing.

Baby girl,

Love, Luca.

I smiled down at the note. He wants me to relax. Read a book, he said. I chuckled as I laid back on the bed and sighed. What should I do first? Eat, probably. Get that out of the way so that I don’t have to face Luca’s punishment. Plus, I am actually hungry. I sat up and walked to the closet. I chose a pair of sweatpants and one of Luca’s black shirts.

If I am going to relax, I’m going to start with a bang. I slipped on a pair of socks and walked out of the room. I admired the house as I walked to the kitchen nook. Laughter and chatter met my ears as I got closer to the kitchen. Carlo and Marco sat at the table having playful banter back and forth.

“Well, good morning Bella. I feel like I haven’t seen you in days”, Ma said, walking from behind the counter to give me a hug. “Good morning, ma. My apologies, the last few days have been hectic”, I said, cringing slightly. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’m only picking”, she smiled, poking me in the side. “Now, go sit down, you need to eat”, she ushered me to the table. I sat down, facing my brother-in-laws.

“Sorella”, the boys called out at the same time. “Hey you two, how are you doing?”, I asked. “Much better”, Carlo answered. “Definitely”, Marco agreed. “What about you?”, Carlo asked. “You have been through hell ever since you got here”, Marco said. “I’m doing okay. Still a bit sore. But, it’s nothing I can’t handle”, I responded lightly. They both stared at me. Studying me closely, obviously not believing me.

“Really guys. I’m fine”, I said, trying to reassure them. “What are you going to do about your dad?”, Marco asked softly. I frowned, “I am not entirely sure”, I answered, drawing my eyebrows together. “This is probably pretty biased because he killed my father, but he deserves to die, Mara”, Carlo said.

I nodded, completely understanding his point of view. “You stop that right now, Carlo Andrew. Your father has killed many men. They had children too, that I am sure feel the exact same as you”, Ma snapped at him. Carlo and Marco both frowned as realization set in. Their father did kill a mass number of people too. He had to. That’s part of the job.

“I’m sorry, sorella”, Carlo muttered. “It’s okay. I understand the way you are feeling right now”, I responded. Carlo nodded with contempt as he dug at his plate. “Eat, Bella”, Ma said, pushing my plate in front of me. “Thank you, ma”, I said, with a gentle grin. I ate my breakfast and headed outside for a walk through the gardens.

I love the gardens this time of year, everything is in bloom, and all the different smells hit your nose with the gentle breeze that blows through the pathways. I tried to clear my mind as I walked through the serene setting. However, thoughts of my father plague my mind.

What should I do about him? He was never there for me. I honestly want to say that he caused one hundred percent of my misery, but I have to take a little credit for that as well. I need to know about his men though. Where they are located, and how to reach them. I don’t know how many would be willing to listen to me and reconcile their differences, but it is worth a shot.

As for my father, Carlo is right, he deserves to die. Killing him would literally make the world a safer place. Hell, killing all of his men would make the world a safer place. From what I can see, they all followed his orders. They were all willing to break a moral code to carry out his orders.

The weight of this is all too much. How do I consciously make a decision? Should I just lay out all of my feelings on the table for Luca? I should figure out what those feelings are first, huh? Guilt, I feel so much guilt, for a decision I haven’t even made yet. How does Luca do this? How does he compartmentalize all of these feelings, and push them aside for business?

Maybe that is the power of the man that the woman hasn’t been able to master yet. It’s a tricky trade. One, I am not sure that I was built for. I have conquered many brave acts since I started my journey with Luca. But I am not sure where to go on this path next. Not without my husband’s judgment.

I found my way to the pond that sits directly in the middle of the garden. I sat on the bench next to the water and watched the fish swim at the bottom of the clear water. There were many different fish in this little pond, but my favorite is the goldfish that Luca told me he threw in here from a carnival when he was seven years old.

The goldfish had grown massive, due to the size of the pond. I followed it with my eyes, getting lost in time. Everything seems to drift away when I am here. The wind rustles the grape vines surrounding me. Whistling a beautiful song that I wish I had the power to interpret.

I can feel the breeze ruffle my hair, taking my sorrows away with it. Calm washes over me as I stared at Luca’s goldfish swimming about the pond for what seemed like hours. “Marabella”, Luca’s deep voice whispered. I gasped as I turned and looked at him. “Luca, you scared me. What are you doing home so early?”, I asked, turning back towards the pond.

“It’s 11:30am, baby girl. I told you I would be back before noon”, he uttered, sitting down next to me. “Wow, is it, really?”, I asked, surprised. I guess it has been hours. “Yes, little one. Are you okay?”, he asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, and pulling me into his side.

I curled up comfortably and snuggled into his side. “Yeah, I have just been out here trying to clear my mind”, I answered softly. “Did you succeed?”, he asked. “Yeah”, I whispered. “Good”, he nodded, kicking back. “What should we do about Franky?”, I asked, looking up at him. He frowned, as his gray eyes met mine. “What do you mean?”, he asked.

“He deserves to die, does he not?”, I asked, arching my eyebrows. “Do you think he deserves to die, piccola?”, he uttered, tilting his head at me. I shrugged as I looked back out at the pond. “Yes, and so do all of his men for participating in his evil acts”, I answered lowly.

“Sound fair?”, he uttered, cupping my face. “Yes”, I whispered, closing my eyes, as he closed his lips around mine.