“We are both adopted,” Antonio says, before walking up to Enzo and pressing firmly on his shoulders.
“Watch your back,” he whispers.
“Take care of this or I will,” Antonio threatens back.
His tone quiet and I could barely hear their idle threats at one another. My mind focused on the cluster fuck of lies I have been told by the man I thought loved me for the past month.
“What happened to my grandparents? The truth this time,” I warn.
His hand comes to my cheek and pushes the curls of my hair out of my face. I flinch at his touch.
I do not know this man in front of me. I was right for not trusting him.
“Ámore,” he whispers.
“Enzo, I am this close to leaving and never seeing your face again. If you loved me at all you owe me an explanation. You owe me the truth,” I say.
His head hangs low as his gaze sullens, not wanting to tell me what I already knew.
“Enzo, please,” I continue, tears dropping from my eyes in steady form.
“After Carlotta and Armando left Sicily, Carlos blamed the Marcellis, and they blamed the Capettis. There was always ill will towards one another in the business, but it just escalated. The fire wasn’t an accident,” he says, his voice catching with remorse and breathed a quick breath through his pursed lips.
“The fire,” I breathe.
The fire that killed my great-Nonna and her son was not an accident.
“What?” I ask, the tears clouding my vision.
“They blamed one another for destroying their families. Mia and Tommy weren’t supposed to be there, I swear. Luis was just supposed to scare them,” Enzo says, his hands reaching out for me, but I cringe near his touch and turn away from him.
I spin around with a gasp to look this man in his tearful eyes. I struggle to take deep and controlled breaths as I am flooded with varying emotions.
“Luis? Your uncle killed them,” I whisper, my head nodding a silent confirmation.
He didn’t need to tell me anything. I already knew. I knew where the money came from.
“The inheritance, the four million dollars,” I say, my voice cracking in a hushed whisper.
“Luis wanted your mother to have it,” he states stoically.
“As hush money for killing my family? What is this? Was this your plan from the beginning?” I ask.
He grips my arms tightly and forces me to look him in the eyes. The tears stinging my eyes.
I can’t see. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I can’t feel.
“We are toxic,” I whisper.
“No, that happened so long ago. It’s different now,” his voice deeper with a twinge of emotion hitting him.
“How is it different? Antonio says he will take care of me like the other women. What did he mean? What did he mean?” I ask forcefully, my fist balled up and hit him square in the chest.
Each hit he takes. One after another. He pulls me against him as I cry into his shoulder. I no longer have the resistance or the energy to pull away from him any longer.
“Amelia, I should have told you,” Enzo whispers, his lips against the top of my head.
Pulling away from him and landing a hard open-handed slap across his cheek, “You are a coward!” I yell.
The money. The cash. The business meetings. The anger. The gun. The violence. The blood splatter on his suit.
“Finance, huh? Was anything you told me the truth? God, I am so fucking stupid,” I rant, the information reeling around my head in circles to make me dizzy with dissolution.
“I fell in love with you,” he states.
“You fell in love with who I wanted you to see!” I exclaim.
“My love for you is the truest and purest thing I have ever known,” he says, his pointed gaze directly into mine.
“Did you tell the same thing to your wife!”
“Amore,” Enzo reasons, shaking his head with discontent.
“We are fated to destroy each other. I never want to see you again,” I say.
As I turn away he grabs my hand and slams my back against the marbled wall to the staircase. I wince in pain within my back. His lips pressed against mine in a frenzy. Using every adrenaline filled muscle I have to push him away from me. My lips swollen from the pressure of his intense kiss against them.
“Let me go,” I say pointedly, emphasizing each word firmly.
“Just stay here with me. There’s no more secrets. We can work this out,” Enzo pleads.
No. No is a full sentence. You can just say no.
“No,” I say, pushing him away from me and walking away back towards the steps.
Stopping dead in my tracks,” Il tuo amore per me e’ una maledizione,” I say, my back still facing him before walking out the Duomo Plaza in tears. Brokenhearted.
Your love for me is a curse.