Page 23 of When She Falls (The Fallen)
His family wasn’t like my own. They lived in the neighborhood, and his father worked as a low-level manager in one of Pa’s factories.
Honest people doing honest work.
They used their savings to buy Nunzio a motorcycle as a gift for his sixteenth birthday, and when he showed up one day at school riding it, everyone was awed.
And me?
My first thought was to steal it. Just as a joke. Just to prove I could.
What I didn’t realize was that it wouldn’t be funny to Nunzio.
He’d been twice my size and freakishly strong for a sixteen-year-old.
When he found out I was the one who took the motorcycle and crashed it, he told my friends I’d pay for what I did thrice over.
Pff.
I made an enemy for life.
He made it his mission to show me just how fucking weak and worthless I was. He knew that I was too proud to run to my family for help. I thought it would end when we graduated, but he never seemed to get his fill when it came to breaking me.
At least not until he managed to steal the woman I loved.
“It’s an old nickname,” I say, standing. I don’t want to fucking talk about this.
Gemma’s gaze trails up my body, confusion in her eyes.
I reach for my glass and polish off my wine. I don’t like it. It’s too sweet. I’ll get a bottle of my favorite red from Damiano’s cellar.
It’s a stupid excuse to leave, but fuck it.
I head toward the house, acutely aware of Gemma’s gaze on my back.
CHAPTER6
RAS
A long breathescapes me as soon as I shut the side door of the house behind me.
If there’s a part of my life I prefer to never think about, it’s my high school years. I’m thirty years old. I should be over all of it by now, but the memories still bother me.
When I get to the wine cellar, I take off my jacket. Never liked the damn things. Whenever I’m suited up like this, I feel constricted, but what can you do? The occasion calls for it.
I spend at least ten minutes reading the labels, not registering a single word. It’s cool here, the temperature optimized for preserving the wine. Eventually, I settle on a random bottle and make my way back up to the kitchen.
Voices reach me as soon as I step through the door.
“Look, all I’m trying to tell you is that you have a choice.”
“Vale, enough.” Gemma’s voice is strained.
I place the bottle on the counter, careful not to make a sound, and try to figure out where they are. Probably just down the hall.
“You’re only making it worse by constantly bringing it up. I’m marrying Rafaele. It’s settled, and I’m fine with it.”
“But you don’t even know him.”
“So what? This is what I’ve expected my whole life.”
