Page 52 of Vicious Intentions
Pietra’s shoulders slump when she realizes I won’t budge.
“Then let’s compromise,” she says after a moment. “Let me take him to Gallo’s private clinic and look after him until he’s stable enough to move. I’ll admit him as an unhoused patient.A John Doe. No one will know who he is. And once he’s strong enough, I’ll personally deliver him back to you.”
I hear her words, but none sound like compromise. They all sound like mercy dressed up as logic.
“Doc,” Rocco says, glancing at my father’s pitiful state, “if he had to stay here, what would you need?”
Pietra lists the equipment required to keep him alive, the medications he’d need to take, and the strict diet he’d have to follow. She also adds that he’d need round-the-clock care, at least in the beginning.
My jaw tightens with every word that falls out of her mouth. “I can stay with him until you find another solution,” she continues. “I have days owed to me by the hospital, and I don’t mind using them. But Matteo, he needs help. Either you let me do this, or you might as well start ordering his tombstone.”
“Fine,” I bark. “Do it. But thestronzostays here!”
Too furious to watch them tend to the sadistic bastard, I turn and leave, trusting Niccolò and Rocco to assist Pietra with whatever she needs. But before I can make it down the narrow corridor of the bunker, someone grabs my arm and yanks me to a stop. I spin around and find Raffaele glaring at me, with so much malice in his eyes that I almost choke on it.
“What kind of monster does that to his own father?” he demands.
“The kind our father created.”
And with that, I wrench free from his grip and walk away without looking back.
Chapter 10
Annamaria
Seventeen years old
Thankfully, I turned seventeen in the quietest way possible. No lavish party this year. No crowd filling the living room with so much noise that you struggle to even hear your own thoughts.
I was able to persuade my parents that I was too old for such things, though I doubt I will be as successful next year when I turn eighteen. They still insisted on a family lunch at the old Salvatore mansion, which I was glad to accommodate for my own selfish reasons. But even as everyone gathers around the table to celebrate my birthday with me, I cannot shake the feeling that I am watching from the outside. Everyone has moved on from our family home, and meals like this feel like the only time I get to spend with my family.
Lucky has officially moved in with Frankie and her adoptive brother, Darius, using the flimsy excuse that her apartment is closer to college. I’m still in awe of his negotiating skills after he managed to convince our parents, especially our overprotectivemother, to let him shack up with his girlfriend. It probably didn’t hurt his case that we all see how visibly enamored he is with Frankie. Everyone can see that she’s going to be part of our family sooner or later. It’s only a question of time before Lucky pops the question.
Enzo has also moved out and is staying in a little cottage just outside the city that my mother bought for him and Father Torres. Oops. Not Father Torres. Alejandro. In my mind, I still see him in his clerical collar, though it’s been well over a year since he stepped away from the church and fully committed himself to Enzo. I’m more than happy for them.
Enzo used to be a bit of a player back in high school, and it never sat well with me how careless he was with his heart, giving away his affection to the first person who smiled at him. I’m just thankful Alejandro came into his life when he did. And so is our mother, since she’s grown quite fond of Alejandro and even has him working with her on a few charities she oversees.
Marcello, too, seems to have found his footing in the world. He no longer looks so haunted by his ghosts or the demon that once whispered in his ear. After he told us about his condition last year, it wasn’t lost on me that the day he killed our nanny, not only marked me, but also changed the course of his life completely. How that one death viscerally affected him.
I’m so grateful to Isobel for finding the proper care and support to help my sweet, shy brother overcome such obstacles. I know it will probably always be something he needs to work on, but I breathe a lot easier knowing he has such a fierce and loyal girlfriend at his side.
And then there’s my fearless sister, Stella. Who would have thought there would be a man alive strong enough to weather her storm? But that’s exactly what Stella found in Kirill Petrov. A man who understands her on an emotional level and accepts allher jagged edges and fiery temper. In fact, I think he loves her even more for it. It warms my heart to see Stella so in love.
Though I must admit I’m a little relieved Jude and Mina didn’t bring the Crane twins with them this year to celebrate my birthday. Anytime Remus and Rolo are in the same room as anyone who carries the Petrov surname, tensions usually run high. Mina seems to have a better handle on compartmentalizing things. Though the Bratva are still very much an enemy to the Firm, she’s somehow found a way to accept Kirill as her future brother-in-law.
Stella doesn’t know it yet, but after a family dinner like this one, I heard Kirill ask our fathers for their blessing so he could propose to her. I’m not usually one to eavesdrop on such personal conversations, but I am excited to see Kirill bend down on one knee and ask Stella to be his wife. She’ll either laugh him off or swoon. With Stella, you never know.
Yes, all of my siblings are living rich, full lives. And then there’s me. The stagnant baby sister.
I go to school. I come home. I practice my piano forte. I read. I go to church. And on some occasions, I accompany my parents to galas. I sleep when the nightmares allow it. I exist in the same carefully monitored spaces, under the same watchful eyes, bound by the same rules that have always applied to me. Nothing has changed. Not really.
I feel… stuck. No, that’s not the right word. I feel empty.
The word tastes bitter in my mouth when I think of it. It feels as if I’ve been left behind while everyone else keeps moving forward, growing into the people they were always meant to become. I love them. I do. But loving them and watching their lives unfold so beautifully doesn’t stop the quiet ache that settles in my chest when I realize how little my world has expanded compared to theirs.
It only leaves me with the revelation that I’m sleepwalking through my own life, with no real purpose or joy.
No. I can’t think like that. Not today. Because today is my birthday, which means I get to see Raffaele again.
