I didn’t scream. I was quiet, motionless.
“Nobody will believe you if you tell them about this, Kiara. And even if they do, they will blame you and nobody will want you anymore. You are dirty now, Kiara, you hear me? Worthless.”
He pulled out and I cried from the sharp pain. He slapped me. “Be quiet.”
I pressed my lips together, watching him get up and put on his bathrobe. “Have you had your period yet?”
I shook my head because I couldn’t speak.
“Good. Wouldn’t want you to have a bastard, right?” He leaned over me again, and I flinched. “I will make sure the maids know you got your period, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone find out that you are a worthless little whore. I will protect you.” He stroked my cheek before he pulled back, and I didn’t move until he was outside. When his steps had faded, I pushed up and managed to stand despite the pain.
Something warm trickled down my legs. I stumbled forward, grabbed my discarded panties, and pressed them between my legs, crying out again. Shaking, I curled up on the chaise longue, staring into the darkness at the bed.
Before sunrise, the door opened again, and I pressed against the backrest, making myself small. One of the maids, Dorma, stepped into my room. She was one of the younger ones who looked at me like I was a bother. Her eyes moved over me. “Get up,” she said sharply. “We need to clean you up before the others wake up.”
I stood, wincing from the soreness between my legs. I looked down at myself. There was blood on my legs and something else that made my stomach pinch sharply. Dorma began gathering the sheets. They, too, were covered in blood. “You better keep this quiet,” she muttered. “Your uncle is an important man and you are only a traitor. You are lucky they didn’t kill you as well.”
I waited quietly as she bunched up the sheets and set them down on the ground. Then she began tugging at my clothes, ignoring my flinching, until I stood naked. I felt dirty, worthless, and broken under her cruel eyes.
She added my nightgown to the bloody heap on the ground then helped me into a bathrobe. “We’ll go to the bathroom now, and if anyone asks, you got your period, right?”
I nodded. I didn’t ask why. I didn’t fight it.
That night, Uncle Durant came into my room again, and again the night after, and again until he finally had to leave for Atlanta. Every morning Dorma cleaned the sheets and me. A few days after he’d left, she wore an expensive necklace. The price for her silence.
TODAY
A knock sounded, tearing me out of the painful memories. I took a deep breath and willed my voice to be strong. “Come in.”
Aunt Egidia opened the door, but she didn’t enter. Worry tightened her mouth. “Kiara, that was very rude,” she said. She regarded me then averted her gaze, and again it was filled with a hint of guilt. “You should be honored to be given to someone of importance. With your background, it’s a blessing. Your wedding will be a spectacle. It’ll bring honor to your name.”
“And yours,” I said quietly.
She stiffened, and I instantly regretted my words. I had no right to criticize her or my uncle. “We braved a lot of unpleasantness because we took you in. You can hardly hold it against us that we are happy to have found such a honorable match for you.”
“Has it been decided?” I asked quietly.
She frowned. “As good as. The Falcones insist on Luca’s relative for the marriage, naturally, so Felix suggested you. Luca would like a word with you before he makes the offer, which isn’t how it used to be done, but if he insists on your consent, we can hardly refuse him. We invited him and his wife over for dinner.” Her eyes met mine, finally. “You will tell him you are delighted by the honor, Kiara, won’t you? This is your chance to redeem your family and yourself. Maybe your brothers will even be allowed to become Captains if you marry someone like Nino Falcone.”
My throat closed tightly, and my gaze found the bed again.
“Kiara, you will tell him you agree, won’t you? Your uncle already told Luca you would. It will lead to rumors if you refuse.”
I looked back at my aunt, who looked worried.
“I will agree,” I whispered, because what else was there left to do?
That evening before dinner, Luca pulled me aside to talk to me without my aunt and uncle, which displeased them greatly, made plainly clear by the scowls on their faces.
“I’m not going to force you to marry if you refuse,” he said. His presence made me nervous.
“I’ll be twenty this fall. I need to marry.”