Page 93 of Privilege

No surprise he already knew.

“I love that place,” Lucia whispered, “and you ruined it for me by doing that to Renzo.”

“The daycare was a warning,” Lucian murmured, tipping one hand over like it meant nothing. “For him, and not for you. But you … you are so stubborn, like your mother, and—”

“More like you, I think.”

The ghost of a smile curved Lucian’s lips at the corners, but as quickly as it was there, it was gone, too. “Maybe more like me than I want to admit, Lucia. Nonetheless, it was a warning not meant for you.”

“And yet, I still heard it, Daddy. I answered it, didn’t I?”

She didn’t miss the clench of her father’s jaw.

Then, her father waved a hand as if to brush it all off. “Doesn’t matter. I am sure after tonight, Renzo will make the right choice where you are concerned. I believe he now knows just how serious I can get when I make a statement clear.”

Lucia frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It’s not for you to worry about.”

Her father strolled down the hallway, tension following him the whole way. She had no doubt that this was going to be her life for the unforeseeable future. Tension, arguments, sadness, and pain.

“But,” Lucian added with a tick of his finger over his shoulder, “safely assume he won’t be around to see you, if he’s a smart young man. I believe he is.”

Rage filtered through Lucia’s system.

Fuck him.

“Why can’t you just let it go?” she called at his back.

Her father didn’t even turn around. “Because he’s not for you. He never will be.”

“That’s not for you decide!”

“But I did, didn’t I?”

No.

She did.

• • •

Yeah, I’ll be there in an hour, Lucia typed back to her sister, Cella. She figured since she hadn’t spent a lot of time with her family lately, that she should at least try to spend time with the family members who weren’t pissing her off. Like her older sister. John, the sibling she was most close to despite their age difference, kept calling and texting, but Lucia ignored every one of them.

He had no business approaching Renzo like he did. Lucia was not in the mood to play nice with her brother, no matter what he wanted. Maybe, when she wasn’t so angry with him anymore, she might pick up one of his calls or reply to his text messages. Just to tell him to fuck off, of course.

Right now, she didn’t even have the desire to do that.

“Lucia?” her mother called from the kitchen as she passed it by. “Don’t you want breakfast?”

Not particularly.

“No thanks, Ma.”

“But—”

“I’m good. Heading out to see Cella.”

“Well … okay.”