Page 2 of When She Unravels
My lungs constrict. “Ah, of course. That’s a classic.”
“You’re a married woman with a husband you must support in whichever way he requires. We already have one insolent child at this table, Valentina. We don’t need another one.”
It’s ridiculous that after everything that’s happened recently, receiving criticism from her still feels like a sharp sting.
“You can face any challenge this life throws at you,” she continues. “That’s how I raised you. Do not insult me with your weakness.”
I draw my elbows in. I suddenly can’t stand the thought of coming into contact with her. My appetite is gone. I move my food around my plate until Mamma exhales with frustration.
“Go check on your sister,” she snaps.
I don’t need to be told twice.
The bathroom is down the hall, and when I turn the corner, a slightly calmer-looking Belinda hurries past me. She gives me a watery smile.
“Where’s Gemma?” I ask.
“She’s fixing her makeup.”
In the bathroom, Gemma’s leaning over the counter to get closer to the mirror as she reapplies her lipstick.
“Good work,” I say, stepping to her side and slapping my purse on the marble surface. “Belinda seems way better.”
“I told her he won’t be able to get it up at his age.”
I sputter a surprised laugh. “How would you know that?”
“I don’t. What else was I supposed to tell her? Not everyone can get as lucky as you and get themselves a handsome young enforcer for a husband. I’m sure Lazaro has no problems in that department.”
A sour taste appears inside my mouth. If only she knew that Lazaro had little interest in fucking me. Besides doing his duty on the night of our wedding, he hasn’t touched me in bed.
He gets off on something entirely different.
I school my features into a mask, but it’s harder around Gemma. We’re only two years apart, and we’ve always been close. She was the first person I told about my betrothal when Papà informed me I’d be marrying his best enforcer. I later found out from Mamma that I was Lazaro’s reward for uncovering a big plot to overthrow Papà—one that ended with a capo and ten of his soldiers dead. Papà always made a point to reward loyalty in his men, but that approach didn’t appear to extend to his daughters.
Gemma closes her lipstick tube and meets my gaze in the mirror. “Speaking of, how are things? We’ve barely talked since you two came by for brunch a few weeks ago.”
I pretend I’m suddenly very interested in my own reflection. “I’m fine.” My sister can never know the details of my marriage—the things Lazaro does and makes me do. It would shatter all her illusions about our parents and about me. “Why didn’t Mamma bring Cleo?”
“Cleo’s not allowed out of the house, so you’ll have to come over if you want to see her,” Gemma says as she adjusts a strand of her hair.
She looks perfect, as always. Her hair is a sleek hazel bob that frames her oval face, and today she’s wearing the diamond earrings I’d gifted to her for her nineteenth birthday a few months ago. She has lush lashes, stunning gray eyes, and a body toned to perfection with the help of her five private Pilates classes a week. Unlike her, I’ve never been into fitness, so the few extra pounds I carry in my ass and hips are here to stay.
“What did our little sister do now?” I ask.
“She ran away from her guard while they were at the mall, and when he found her fifteen minutes later, she was at a tattoo parlor. The tattoo artist had just finished stenciling the wordsWe did iton her back.”
Did what? She couldn’t be possibly referring to… “Freed Britney?”
Gemma rolls her eyes. “Her idol. Papà told Mamma they never should have allowed Cleo to go to all those rallies. He thinks she’s brainwashed, and now Mamma is set on putting her through a reeducation, whatever the heck that means. In the mornings, they spend hours in the kitchen. Mamma’s teaching her how to cook traditional Italian dishes. And in the afternoons, there’s a constant stream of tutors in and out of the house. I think she’s making her sit through etiquette classes. Cleo’s been complaining nonstop.”
It’s so ridiculous, and I can’t help but laugh. My youngest sister has always been the most rebellious out of the three of us. It used to worry me. Now, I hope she won’t let Mamma dim that spark. “I give it a week, at most, before the prison sentence is over. Mamma has always had a soft spot for Cleo.”
“I don’t know,” Gemma says, turning to me. Her expression slides into a frown. “Something’s going on with Papà. He’s upped the security detail for all of us. At first, I thought it was because of what Cleo did, but that doesn’t explain why he added more men to his detail as well. He seems…off.”
“Have you asked Mamma about it?”
“She won’t tell me anything. Says I should stay focused on the party next month.” Her shoulders slump. “They want to give me to one of the Messeros, Vale. I swear, they’ve invited that entire clan so that they can parade me around like I’m some piece of meat.”
