MARIAIt was the next day, just a day more to the impending doom. It was afternoon and I was really peckish. I crutched on the bed with my legs braced upwards and my right hand rested on my kneecap. My stomach growled with hunger. Since I returned, I found it very hard to vacate my room. I didn’t want to see anyone. I’d call it a life of desolation and chagrin. But at that juncture, I trusted that my intestines would have snipped if I didn’t get food. I stood up from the bed abruptly in my white tee and brown palazzo pants. My hair was scattered but I bothered less about it. I hastily left the room feeling extremely dizzy as though my head was about to fall down. I waltzed down the stairs and hoped that I wasn’t going to see Papà. He was the least person I wanted to see. I felt guilty around him while in the real sense, I was culpable of nothing. I finally entered the kitchen. My eyes met the wolf eyes of two men close to the entrance, one holding a bottle of water while the other f
“I presume you are not delighted with this union”Dante spat just what I truly felt. My lips parted and my throat choked with air. I was surprised at the preciseness. He remained cold as before. I was lost and in a dilemma of what to respond with. I peered up at him.“Yes, I’m not” I allowed the truth from my mouth. His lips pulled taut. I wondered how he deciphered what I truly felt but then, I shouldn’t expect less from a Made man, he literally studies and tortures people for a living. There was a large part of me that was hopeful that he'd break the alliance after knowing that I am not happy with it. “Unfortunately you are bound to me” my hopes scrambled to the floor and shattered. My face fell from the little glory that it crept to. I should have known better that a Mafia wouldn’t care about a mere woman's emotions. They were rigid and felt nothing.He took a walk and sat on one of the black Adirondack chairs. He balanced perfectly on the chair and laid his strong arms on the sid
“Maria! Miss Maria!”I grunted and rumbled on the floor as I unhurriedly peeled my eyes open. My sight was blurry, feeble, and imprecise. I was weak and nauseous. My head was too heavy for me to lift. I finally seized sight of Bria standing in front of me. She was tapping me continuously and tried lifting me up from the floor. My throat was arid and my body was as heavy as the earth itself. Everything came arranging back into my memory when I saw myself lying in the pool of my blood. Indeed I didn’t die as I thought I would. Bria helped me up from the floor and placed me on the bed. My breathing was ragged and unstable. My chest, legs, stomach, and head hurt. My whole body hurt. It was the true definition of penury. I whined my eyes around and my tongue touched the tip of my patched lips. “I’m so sorry,” Bria said. She was in tears and fretting. She felt what I was going through. She saw the pain I went through and was still going through at that point but my family couldn't. I sti
Few hours later after the whole faking of smile and hands shaking, we finally retired to our room. Before then, one of the women from the Vincenzo familiar told me. Try not to cry too much or resistI couldn’t really remember who she was, but I knew she was also introduced to me as family. I got into the room first and my heart was pummeling to the extreme. I stood at the entrance of the all black room in silence. The Interior of Dante’s room was all black. It was scary and riveting in some way. Dante was still outside having a conversation with the made men of the Familia. I didn’t even bother to know what it was they were discussing.I craved to have a conversation with someone but there was no one. No one to share my grief with. My stomach was bitter and churning. The heels I wore began to ache so bad. I moved to the large bed and slowly sunk into it with slight fear. I pulled out my heels and placed them beside the bed. I stared around but found no pictures in the room. The wall
I found myself back in the room with Dante after a relaxing bath. As I stepped into the room, I noticed a vibrant red lingerie that had been thoughtfully placed in the bathroom for me. The lingerie, with its low-cut design, left my cleavage tantalizingly exposed. Despite my attempts to adjust it, I couldn’t quite achieve the desired level of coverage.A sense of urgency washed over me, and I hurriedly gazed at my reflection in the mirror. To my dismay, the lingerie proved to be far too transparent, leaving my most intimate areas exposed. No man had ever seen me dressed in such a revealing outfit, and I had never planned for anyone to.Whispering a prayer under my breath, I made the sign of the cross. A tingling sensation coursed through me as I slowly approached the bathroom’s exit, my heart beating heavily in my chest. With trembling hands, I grasped the door handle, and as I gingerly turned it, my heart pounded even louder. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, and my palms grew dam
DANTEMarriage was never on my radar; I viewed it as a potential distraction and a vulnerability for enemies. I saw it as a fucking cage. However, circumstances forced my hand, compelling me to secure my position as the needed Capo of the outfit. Every move in the outfit was strategic, including my marriage to Salvatore’s naive daughter.Her beauty, strikingly different from her father’s, intrigued me. It was even more enticing that she was naive, and I was told she was a virgin. This fact sealed the deal when Father presented it to me. The idea of marrying a woman untouched by another man resonated with me deeply.Meeting her for the first time, I noticed the fear in her eyes, and strangely, it pleased me. The chaos of the wedding faded, leaving us alone in the room. Her presence, adorned in lingerie, stirred a rare arousal in me. I usually maintained control, but there was something about her that broke through my defenses.The room hung with anticipation as she lay on the bed, avoi
MARIA“What… what are you doing?” I stuttered, goosebumps prickling my skin. Pietro loomed so close that his breath brushed my neck.I swiftly reached for the light switch, even though sweat clung to my body. His bright eyes darkened with a sly smirk as the room flooded with light.“Are you scared?” Pietro asked with a playful smile, and I clung to the bed, my heart pounding and eyes narrowed.“Anyways, I only came to say hi to the new bride. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Pietro said as he cupped my face with his right hand. I stared at his hand, feeling bewildered.I couldn’t speak; my heart raced, and Pietro’s eyes revealed nothing.“Welcome, sister-in-law. I’ll take my leave now,” Pietro nodded and rose from the bed. He appeared tall and confident, much like Dante, yet something was different about him that I couldn’t quite grasp.My jaw, already dropped, remained that way as I watched him leave the room. I wanted to ask if he remembered our encounter at the mall weeks ago, but the wo
I groaned, my eyes slowly fluttering open. Startled, it felt as if I were facing a ghost. With a gentle moan, I whispered, “Dante,” my voice tinged with shock.Dante remained composed, his countenance void of emotion, while I struggled to piece together the events preceding this moment. Closing my eyes briefly, my head throbbed mercilessly. It flashed in my mind: the last memory—breakfast interrupted by sudden, searing pain and the onset of bleeding.Shifting my gaze away from Dante, I surveyed the room, a paradox of brightness and darkness. It dawned on me—I was in my own room.“What happened?” My voice trembled, the awkwardness of the situation magnified by Dante’s unsettling presence. His face, once pale and distant, now flushed slightly, his eyes darkening. My heart raced, my head ached.“Maria,” Dante’s voice, a gentle growl, softened the hardened frown. He drew closer, and with each step, a surge of anxiety coursed through me.Swallowing hard, I winced in pain as Dante abruptly
MARIA My heart pounded heavily as I stared at the package given to me by Dante. It was a red box, and as I collected it with shaky hands, my eyes locked with Dante’s beautifully darkened eyes. Terrified as I was staring at him, there was something about his eyes that I could not resist.“Open it,” Dante growled, his voice booming in my ears and head, making me jerk for a minute. I gulped down saliva as I slowly lowered my gaze to the red box. I rubbed my fingers on the edges of the box, my heart pounding rapidly. What could be in the box, I thought? Was it the tools he was going to use to harm me? My head began to feel heavy, as if it wanted to fall off my neck.“Please, Dante…” I lifted my eyes to beg, but Dante’s stare silenced my plea without a word from him. His eyes were like a burning furnace that held a number of souls captive, commanding authority with their intensity.I lowered my gaze back at the box once more and slowly opened it, my hands trembling. My mind raced with tho
MARIA “Here’s your drink,” a maid pushed a cup of juice in front of me abruptly.I turned toward her, eyebrows furrowed. “A drink? I didn’t ask for anything,” I said, shaking my head slowly and shrugging.“Take your drink,” the young woman with dark hair and a scowl, a mole close to her nose, snapped.I couldn’t fathom her hostile demeanor and sharp tone.“Okay, thank you,” I managed a strained smile.She huffed and made a face as she walked away. I held the juice, watching her until she left the room. Looking back at the cup filled with Mango juice, I felt uneasy. My heart raced, and my eyes broadened at the thought that Dante might have sent it. Quickly, I placed it on the balcony chair beside me. My heart fluttered in my chest, rising to my throat before sinking back to my stomach.Since that odd breakfast with Dante, where he had fed me despite my discomfort with deadly words, I’d felt unsettled. I wondered about his intentions, what he might have planned. I paced the balcony, cl
MARIA While sitting on the bed, fear clutched me, uncertainty about what lay ahead seized my thoughts. Tears welled up, blurring my vision as I clasped my hands, haunted by the grotesque memories, the painful echoes of repeated violation. The room seemed to shrink, suffocating me with its walls. Dante’s departure left an ominous imprint, his eyes burning with a mix of pain and anger, a terrifying sight etched in my mind.Summoning courage, I rose from the bed, yet my legs faltered, a lingering dizziness refusing to dissipate. Shuffling to the closet where I stored my bag, I retrieved my Franciscan Crown Rosary. Kissing its familiar beads, I returned to the bed, sinking to my knees, hands entwined, shutting out the world. Amidst the emptiness and agony, I felt cursed, as if destiny conspired against me, burdening me with misfortune. Doubts about God’s protection gnawed at me; the weight of this ordeal felt unbearable, contradicting the promise of divine shelter.Tears streamed down, a
I groaned, my eyes slowly fluttering open. Startled, it felt as if I were facing a ghost. With a gentle moan, I whispered, “Dante,” my voice tinged with shock.Dante remained composed, his countenance void of emotion, while I struggled to piece together the events preceding this moment. Closing my eyes briefly, my head throbbed mercilessly. It flashed in my mind: the last memory—breakfast interrupted by sudden, searing pain and the onset of bleeding.Shifting my gaze away from Dante, I surveyed the room, a paradox of brightness and darkness. It dawned on me—I was in my own room.“What happened?” My voice trembled, the awkwardness of the situation magnified by Dante’s unsettling presence. His face, once pale and distant, now flushed slightly, his eyes darkening. My heart raced, my head ached.“Maria,” Dante’s voice, a gentle growl, softened the hardened frown. He drew closer, and with each step, a surge of anxiety coursed through me.Swallowing hard, I winced in pain as Dante abruptly
MARIA“What… what are you doing?” I stuttered, goosebumps prickling my skin. Pietro loomed so close that his breath brushed my neck.I swiftly reached for the light switch, even though sweat clung to my body. His bright eyes darkened with a sly smirk as the room flooded with light.“Are you scared?” Pietro asked with a playful smile, and I clung to the bed, my heart pounding and eyes narrowed.“Anyways, I only came to say hi to the new bride. Didn’t mean to scare you,” Pietro said as he cupped my face with his right hand. I stared at his hand, feeling bewildered.I couldn’t speak; my heart raced, and Pietro’s eyes revealed nothing.“Welcome, sister-in-law. I’ll take my leave now,” Pietro nodded and rose from the bed. He appeared tall and confident, much like Dante, yet something was different about him that I couldn’t quite grasp.My jaw, already dropped, remained that way as I watched him leave the room. I wanted to ask if he remembered our encounter at the mall weeks ago, but the wo
DANTEMarriage was never on my radar; I viewed it as a potential distraction and a vulnerability for enemies. I saw it as a fucking cage. However, circumstances forced my hand, compelling me to secure my position as the needed Capo of the outfit. Every move in the outfit was strategic, including my marriage to Salvatore’s naive daughter.Her beauty, strikingly different from her father’s, intrigued me. It was even more enticing that she was naive, and I was told she was a virgin. This fact sealed the deal when Father presented it to me. The idea of marrying a woman untouched by another man resonated with me deeply.Meeting her for the first time, I noticed the fear in her eyes, and strangely, it pleased me. The chaos of the wedding faded, leaving us alone in the room. Her presence, adorned in lingerie, stirred a rare arousal in me. I usually maintained control, but there was something about her that broke through my defenses.The room hung with anticipation as she lay on the bed, avoi
I found myself back in the room with Dante after a relaxing bath. As I stepped into the room, I noticed a vibrant red lingerie that had been thoughtfully placed in the bathroom for me. The lingerie, with its low-cut design, left my cleavage tantalizingly exposed. Despite my attempts to adjust it, I couldn’t quite achieve the desired level of coverage.A sense of urgency washed over me, and I hurriedly gazed at my reflection in the mirror. To my dismay, the lingerie proved to be far too transparent, leaving my most intimate areas exposed. No man had ever seen me dressed in such a revealing outfit, and I had never planned for anyone to.Whispering a prayer under my breath, I made the sign of the cross. A tingling sensation coursed through me as I slowly approached the bathroom’s exit, my heart beating heavily in my chest. With trembling hands, I grasped the door handle, and as I gingerly turned it, my heart pounded even louder. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, and my palms grew dam
Few hours later after the whole faking of smile and hands shaking, we finally retired to our room. Before then, one of the women from the Vincenzo familiar told me. Try not to cry too much or resistI couldn’t really remember who she was, but I knew she was also introduced to me as family. I got into the room first and my heart was pummeling to the extreme. I stood at the entrance of the all black room in silence. The Interior of Dante’s room was all black. It was scary and riveting in some way. Dante was still outside having a conversation with the made men of the Familia. I didn’t even bother to know what it was they were discussing.I craved to have a conversation with someone but there was no one. No one to share my grief with. My stomach was bitter and churning. The heels I wore began to ache so bad. I moved to the large bed and slowly sunk into it with slight fear. I pulled out my heels and placed them beside the bed. I stared around but found no pictures in the room. The wall
“Maria! Miss Maria!”I grunted and rumbled on the floor as I unhurriedly peeled my eyes open. My sight was blurry, feeble, and imprecise. I was weak and nauseous. My head was too heavy for me to lift. I finally seized sight of Bria standing in front of me. She was tapping me continuously and tried lifting me up from the floor. My throat was arid and my body was as heavy as the earth itself. Everything came arranging back into my memory when I saw myself lying in the pool of my blood. Indeed I didn’t die as I thought I would. Bria helped me up from the floor and placed me on the bed. My breathing was ragged and unstable. My chest, legs, stomach, and head hurt. My whole body hurt. It was the true definition of penury. I whined my eyes around and my tongue touched the tip of my patched lips. “I’m so sorry,” Bria said. She was in tears and fretting. She felt what I was going through. She saw the pain I went through and was still going through at that point but my family couldn't. I sti