Page 10 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
“Vale,” Gemma pleads, but her father pays her no mind.
He sneers, his teeth flashing at his eldest daughter. “I assured him that won’t be necessary. Unlike Cleo, Gemma’s reputation isn’t in question.”
Vale’s gaze narrows. “But he asked?”
“Your sister’s marriage is none of your damn business.”
I can tell Dem’s getting pissed off. “Watch your tone around my wife,” he warns Garzolo.
“What about Gemma’s terms?” Vale demands. “Does she have a say in this?”
Garzolo gives Vale a blank stare and then laughs. “Have you really forgotten how these things are done? Unlike her sisters, Gemma still remembers her duty to th—”
“Can we please talk about something else?” Gemma exclaims, cutting off her father. “There are two weddings happening before my own. Surely there’s plenty of other topics to discuss.”
“I agree,” Damiano says, his eyes flicking between Garzolo and his fuming wife. For a few seconds, an awkward silence blankets the table, but then Mari says something to Pietra, and the tension eases.
The rest of the lunch proceeds without incident.
Gemma barely eats.
Barely speaks.
And I begin to wonder if I’ve seriously misread her.
CHAPTER3
GEMMA
After lunch,Cleo heads straight to the pool, while Mamma, Papà, and I return to the guesthouse. As soon as the front door closes behind us, Papà takes me by the hand and drags me up the stairs to his and Mamma’s bedroom.
Mamma watches us wordlessly, her expression tense. That’s the way she is. Silent. Controlled. I can never tell if she defers to Papà because of fear or because she agrees with his methods.
I’m not sure it really matters at this point. The end result is the same.
This time when Papà backhands me, he uses far more force.
“Nevereverinterrupt me again.”
The hit sends me falling, and my right hip takes the brunt of it against the hard tile floor. I swallow down a yelp and count in my head until the pain radiating through my leg begins to fade. My gaze follows a small ant running along the grout between the tiles until Papà roughly lifts me to my feet.
I’d known there would be consequences for interrupting him at lunch, but I couldn’t let him and Vale get into a fight that would result in us going home early. I don’t want to be responsible for leaving a dark stain on my sister’s wedding. A distinct metallic taste floods my mouth as I will myself not to cry.
Papà glares at me, his nostrils flaring with harsh breaths. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I breathe out, glancing at the door at his back.
“Do you think I like doing this?”
My gaze drops to the ground. “No.”
“I’m doing this for your own damn good, Gemma. Do you think Rafaele will want a wife who can’t keep her mouth shut long enough for him to finish a sentence?”
I shake my head.
“You have to be perfect. I don’t want you getting in trouble with him, you hear?” He lifts my chin with his fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze. It’s filled with righteous anger. “Your marriage will not be a clusterfuck like Vale’s. I learned from that experience. I made mistakes with your sister. I should have gotten more involved earlier when things started going off course. With you, everything will be different, because I’m going to make sure you understand exactly what’ll be expected of you by a man like Rafaele.”
“And what kind of a man is that?” I ask, even though I’m not sure I’m ready to hear the answer.
