Chapter 3

❤️Maria's POV❤️

The next morning, I woke to my curtains being pulled open.  "Rise and shine."  My mother shouts.  I look at my clock, and its only seven.  " Your father has a very important meeting this morning with Mr.Romaro.  You must have made quite the impression on him, because his mother, Gemma flew in early this morning to meet you...go bathe and wear something pretty... Breakfast will be at eight!" 

I grabbed my phone and went into my bathroom and started filling my garden tub up with water and essential oils.  I so needed my jets this morning.  Laying in the tub, I checked all my messages.  One after the other, it was all the same. "When are you getting married?  Why didn't you tell us?  What are you going to do?"  My father even sent me a text message reminding me to be on my best behavior.  He even reminded me of what would happen if I did anything to embarrass him.  Was this really happening?

Was my future husband going to be kind or was he going to be like the other made men in the mafia?  Last night, I was only shotgunning with a few of my friends, when he came over and jerked the can from my hand and crossed his arms like he owned me!  That's when I fucking told him to fuck off.  He did, but then he came back wrapping his arms around me all lovey-dovey to watch fireworks with me.

I'm soooo confused...so angry...so sad...so many emotions that I can't describe....

⚔️Carlos's POV⚔️

Its eight-thirty, and everyone is at the table ready for breakfast...everyone except for Maria.  I can tell that Sergio, Maria's father was angry, despite my mother trying to keep him entertained with conversation. 

"Mother, how much longer do we have to wait on Maria?  I'm hungry!" Camilla asked.  She's Maria's younger sister who is twelve.  She has dark blonde hair, tan skin...but fucking annoying... I don't like whiny kids and she has been doing it all fucking morning.

"I can go check on her.  Maybe she fell back to sleep...something that I would like to do." Alissia  pouted. She was a bit younger than Maria, and I could see that she and her sister were very close.  They were on social media a lot and in the same photos together.

"No, I will check on her."  I said. I needed to use the restroom anyways. I got up and headed for the door way, when Sergio looked up at me, and hit  his fist on the table. 

"Give her a good lashing with your belt. That will teach her to be late again...better teach her now, otherwise she'll walk all over you once you two are married!  Better show her who's boss now."  Damn bastard!  Did he really think I was cruel to women like I am to men.  I enjoyed torturing men, but not women...never women.

I went upstairs where I could hear music blaring.  I go to Maria's door and knock, but she doesn't answer.  " Maria?" I called as I opened the door. Maria was sitting at her vanity, hair pulled up in a towel.  She was wearing a light blue sun dress and was holding a towel against her left arm.  I walked over and looked at her face in the mirror.  She had tears streaming down her face, and she was sobbing. 

I put my hand on her shoulder  and she turned around to face me, and that's when I notice there is blood on her dress.

"Maria, are you hurt?"  I asked her. She dropped the towel, and blood started flowing down her arm.  "What happened?... Why didn't you tell someone you were hurt?" 

Maria put her head down and started to sob.  " I did it myself... I think I need stitches this time."

What? What did she do?  Did she do this herself?  "What do you mean you did this to yourself?" I asked her, taking her chin in my hands.

"I'm a cutter...and I cut myself... I haven't done it in three years...my father had me locked away  last time."  She cried.  "I just needed to feel something again...numb all of this away."

"You mean numb this fucking engagement?!?"  

I ask.  A part of me felt furious, and a part of me was majorly concerned for her safety.  " Are you suicidal?... Are you going to fucking kill your self?"   I demand.

"No never...I have to protect my sisters from our father....I..." She says through sobs.  "But after we marry, who will protect them?"

Fuck! Was her father that big of a problem?  I knew her father and my father's first deal was to marry her off to my fifty-seven year old uncle, until I found out and told my father I wanted her and agreed to marry her right away because marriage was never on my agenda.  I enjoyed having different women in my bed and enjoyed the bachelor life.  I only continued with this arrangement because I feared her father would marry her off to some other old bastard.

I took a good look at her arm.  "Your going to need stitches, but lucky for you, I know how to do it since I sew myself up all the time! 

Where's a first aide kit?" I asked her.

"In the bathroom, under the sink." She pointed.

I go in the bathroom and see that the bathtub is full of bloody water and there's a bloody dagger laying in the sink.  I grab the first aide kit and go back to Maria.  I give her three Tylenol and open a bottle of alcohol.  " This is going to hurt a lot, but I suppose you enjoy pain."  I pour alcohol on her wound, and she lets out a small cry.

"Only when I cause the pain myself..." She tells me. Damn, this girl!

I nod' trying to understand  her, and start sewing her wound closed.  She flinches every time the needle touches her skin.  She's so confusing.  "This is probably going to leave a scar, but it shouldn't be any worse than the one on your right shoulder.  Did you make that one too?"

"Car accident... I don't like to talk about it."  Damn...probably the accident that killed her brother...I wasn't going to ask her to talk about it.

I finish her arm, when she stands and tells me she needs to change her dress. "No, your father is really pissed that your late for breakfast, and he asked me to punish you."  Fear flashed in her eyes and she walked over to her bed and turned her back to me.

"What are you going to do?  Shall I lean over my bed and hold my pillow?" She asked.  Fuck!  Did she really think I would hurt her?

"Is that what your father does?" I ask her.

She turns, tears rolling down her cheeks.  "Or one of his made men." She tells me. "Sometimes they gag me so they can't hear my screams."

I took her chin in my hands.  " No, I will not hit you... I will NEVER hit you, and that's a promise."  I place her hand on my heart. "Your father wants you punished, but you've already punished yourself, with that cut on your arm.  You will tell your father that you fell back to sleep, and I woke you by striking you with the wire hanger that's on the floor.... I'll have a maid clean up the blood, in your bathroom."

She nods " okay"  I take her chin again and make her look at me.  "Maria, this will not happen again!  You will not harm yourself, do you hear me?"  Maria doesn't answer.  " Tell me you understand?  This behavior will not be tolerated, once we are married...  Do you understand?"  Maria nods "okay"  " Good..." I pat her cheek.  "Now grab a hair thingy and pull your hair up on the way... Everyone is waiting....try not to piss your father off anymore today, okay."

We arrived to the dining room just as breakfast was being served.  I held out a chair for Maria, but took the chair closer to her father.  I was not about to let him sit beside my fiance, nor touch her in my presence.  He isn't even worthy to breathe the same air as her.

"What kept you?" Sergio shouted hitting his fist on the table.  My mother gasped, and the three girls flinched.  Maria just stared down looking at her plate.  I placed my hand on her thigh and she flinched at my touch.  "Answer me, Girl."  He shouted.  I patted her leg. "Answer your father." I whispered.

"I...I...I fell back to sleep... I'm sorry father.  It won't happen again."  Fuck, she's stuttering.

Sergio  nodded. " Well, you didn't offend me, but did our guests!  You should apologize to them!" Sergio demanded. Offend?  Are you serious?  She didn't offend anyone for being late.  Its normal for teens to be late.  My parents were lucky if I even came to the table to eat.

"Sorry, Mrs.Romaro."  Maria got out...."sorry, Carlos...."

"Please, call me Madre." My mother managed to say before Sergio interrupted.

"I hope you punished her well enough to your liking?" He asked me.  I so much want to punch this guy in the face, grab him by the throat and strangle him.

"Yes sir... One good swing with a wire hanger...I'm afraid I struck her too hard though...I had to give her a few stitches." Keeping my game face on was so fucking hard.  I was like a light switch..Cold and cruel one minute, and nice the next.

Camilla jumped out of her chair and swung at me, but I grabbed her arm. "How dare you hurt my sister... You..you Brute!"  I shook my head at her and pointed to her chair.  I could protect Maria because my name was signed in blood on contract, but I wasn't going to be able to protect her sisters as well.

Sergio hit the table.  "You wanna be next, girl?"  He asked.

Camilla sat down, and everyone began to eat their not so warm anymore breakfast.  I received a text message on my phone, and looking at it I excused myself from the table, letting in one if my men, Rocco to join us.

"Maria, this is Rocco.  He will be your guard for now on, up until our marriage and there after." Maria looked up confused.  She was holding her fork, and her fucking hand was shaking.

"What about my guard, Alonso?  He's been my guard for as long as I can remember."  Maria asks. 

I wasn't about to let that bastard protect her, especially if he's been allowed to strike her. "Alonso is a great guard, but he is also old...I trust you with Rocco, better...Finish your breakfast, and we can meet in the study."

Maria stands and pushes in her chair.  " I am finished now."  She had hardly eaten anything, but I wasn't going to hold it against her.  My mother stood as well, as I placed my hand on Maria's back and led them to the study.

"Rocco is also here to give you a branding." I tell her.

"A branding?" She asked, with that fear in her eyes again.

"A tattoo...everyone in the Archangel family have one." I showed Rocco where I wanted it. I had it placed on her upper left shoulder, that way her hair could cover it when she went on nice occasions.  "It will only sting a little."  I told her.

❤️Maria's POV❤️

The needle was tolerable... I actually somewhat enjoyed it.   Madre Gemma handed me a bottle of Pepsi and told me it would help with my nerves...little did I know that she mixed it with Rum, because she laughed when I took my first sip. Carlos did not look amused by the look he gave her.

Rocco held up two mirrors so that I could see the tattoo he gave me.  It was a pretty Archangel that held a sword with the quote " Only God can judge me."  I read it a few times and then looked at Carlos in confusion.  "I thought you were the judge?  Aren't you Capo?  Don't You make all of the decisions?"

Carlos laughed.  "I am...I might judge you here on Earth, and make your life a living hell, while doing so, but once you die...God decides.  He makes the final decision."

I take a sip of my drink...starting to like the taste. "So, you believe in God?"

Madre Gemma's eyes shot up.  " Born and raised Catholic... Attends mass almost every Sunday."  

I found that amusing.  Father always told us there was no point in going.  We were mafia..and mafia went to hell.  I hadn't been in church since my cousin's wedding.

"Tell me then Carlos...where will you go when you die...limbo?" I asked.  I found it funny that he actually attended church with his mother.

Carlos kissed my forehead.  "Oh, I'm skipping limbo and am going straight to hell...they don't call me the Reaper for nothing."  Madre Gemma nods in agreement.  His own mother agreed that he's going to hell?  Some mother!

Just then, Alissia came running in!  "Maria, there's a man searching your room!  All your things are being tossed about and when I asked what he was doing, he threw me out, and when I asked mother, she said  its probably because you pissed off father!  What is he looking for?"  What the fuck?

Just as I'm about to run off, Carlos grabs my arm.  "I'm having it searched." And he nods for everyone to leave us.

"What gives you the right to search my room?  What are you looking for?"  I demand. My eyes were turning with fury and so were his.  His eyes turned dark and grey.

"I'm collecting all of your weapons, pills, anything that can cause you self inflicting pain...but mostly your daggers..." Carlos got out before I punched him.  He didn't flinch... He just gave me a look.

"Those are my brother's daggers.  Its all I have left of him!"  I yell, and throw another punch, but he grabs my fist.  I was ready to rip him apart.  How dare he take what means so much to me.

"You will not hit me again...I don't care who's daggers they were...they are going with me when I leave...and if I have to take every God damn knife out of the kitchen, I'll do that as well!"  He shouted at me.

"Why don't you just Fuck off already!" I scream as I leave the room but run into my father who looks at the two of us in confusion.

"Maria?"  Father grabbed my arm ready to swing at me, but Carlos grabbed his.  " I won't tolerate that tone!"  He told me.

"Go to your room, Maria!...I'll deal with you later." Carlos shouted at me, pushing me out of the room and closing the door behind him.

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