Married to My Enemy

“Giovanni,” my father said, managing to make my name sound like a swear.

I threw my hands into the air, exasperated, and then let them drop to my sides. “Yes, father?”

“How dare you come in here with that attitude. After you’ve threatened to ruin everything.”

“What in God’s name are you talking about, old man? I haven’t made any threats lately.”

He closed his eyes for a second as if praying for patience. “I’ve tried so h

ard,” he said, “to bring you into the family business and to get you to understand the importance of what I do. I have taught you to be a man of your word—or at least I thought I did. But all you do is disappoint me, Giovanni. I just don’t understand you sometimes.”

My heart sank, hearing the utter disappointment in his voice, yet not having the faintest idea why it was there and what I had done to deserve it.

“Dad, you of all people should know how dedicated I am to this family. So please, can you tell me what the hell you’re talking about? You’re scaring me.”

“Oh, you should be scared,” he snarled. “Do you honestly mean to tell me you don’t know what transpired this morning?”

“No, I honestly don’t. So just tell me. What is it?”

“Where were you last night, Giovanni?”

“After I left you, I went out for a drink and hung out with Maria for a little while. Then I went home.”

Dad clenched his fists at his sides. “Then tell me why I received a phone call from Mr. Marino, calling off your engagement to Arianna.”

“What?!” I staggered backward, feeling unsteady all of a sudden. The room felt several degrees too cold, and my heart sank to my stomach. I shook my head. “No…Something’s not right. That can’t be right. I haven’t even heard from Arianna today. How…Where…Why would Mr. Marino do something like that?”

“You haven’t spoken with Arianna? You’re telling me you didn’t know this was coming?”

“No!” I said, agitated. “Everything is fine between me Arianna.”

“Don’t you dare lie right to my face, Giovanni!” Dad yelled. “Mr. Marino himself told me that it was Arianna who wanted the wedding called off! So, what the hell did you do to ruin things for her?”

“I didn’t do anything! Clearly, Mr. Marino is crazy! Everything is fine between Arianna and me! I was planning to spend time with her today!”

“Then why are you here with me?”

“Because…” my voice trailed off. “Because Arianna hasn’t been answering my calls. Her mother said she was just sleeping though. She…She hasn’t turned her phone on, that’s all.”

“Oh, give me a break,” Dad said. “You damned kids are always glued to your phones. There’s no way in hell it’s so late in the day, and she just hasn’t turned her phone on. If she isn’t answering, it’s because she isn’t accepting your calls, Giovanni! I’m only going to ask you once again—what did you do?”

Ignoring him, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, ready to try calling Arianna again for the umpteenth time. I’d been desperate for her to answer the phone for hours, but never more desperate than I felt at that moment.

Please answer, please answer, please answer, I chanted to my head. Never in my life had I been so disappointed to hear a voice mail message.

I hung my head. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t know what?” Dad said.

“I don’t know why she isn’t accepting my calls.” Feeling an oncoming headache, I rubbed my forehead and ran an exasperated hand through my hair. I then swore under my breath. My father’s gaze was burning a hole through my face. “I swear everything was fine between us the last time we were together. I mean—I saw her briefly last night, but before I could get to her, she left. She looked angry, but she didn’t even know I was there, so she couldn’t have been angry with me.”

“There must have been something you did.”

“No, there isn’t!” I said, losing my temper and slamming my hand on his desk. “She’s…She’s crazy, that’s what she is! She keeps getting pissed at me for no reason! I didn’t do a goddamned thing to her!”

Dad snarled. “You screwed up somewhere along the lines, Giovanni, because that’s just what you do. That’s what you’ve always done. You want to know why I haven’t given you a higher position in the family business? Well, there you have it! It’s because you are and have always been a colossal screw-up! And if you don’t fix things up with Arianna, then you can see your way out of this family for good. I will not tolerate you always messing things up for me!”

“W-What did you just say to me?” I asked, my voice so low that I had practically whispered.