Page 88 of Monster's Edge

Then later, when I’m all alone, the realization that Ian Salucci is the one person who actually owns me can hit me hard and center.

The realization that I’ve traded one cage for another washes over me.

“Are you okay? You just went really pale on me,” the lady says. “Are you sure you don’t need something to eat?”

“I’m okay,” I lie again. “Thank you for fixing me up for today. I guess I just have butterflies. You know, feeling so happy about today and everything...”

My voice trails off and the woman’s eyes lock on mine.

She knows, I realize, but she can’t do a damn thing to help me.

Nobody can.

3

As it turns out, Ianhas nice taste.

The wedding is held at a small private chapel about twenty minutes from his home. I ride in the back of a huge limo with Eduardo and Georgetta. The two of them sit together on one of the limo seats. I’m across from them on a little bench all by myself. The ride is uneventful, but I do notice that Eduardo keeps his hand protectively on Georgetta’s thigh the entire ride.

Are they sleeping together?

I feel like theymustbe sleeping together.

I know that it’s none of my business, but I can’t help but feel really happy for Georgetta. She lost a lot when my father killed her boyfriend. I still feel bad that I never really knew what happened. It seems like I was a little bit – or a lot bit – like an ostrich with my head in the sand.

My father’s sins are things that most people would think are obvious. If a mob boss kills a bunch of people or launders a bunch of money, someone from the outside looking in might think that his daughter definitely knows about it. A normal daughter probably would. If your dad is a villain, you likely have a pretty decent idea of what that means.

In my world, though, things are different.

Fathers don’t share these private pieces of their life with daughters. Sons, maybe. Never daughters.

Still, there’s a part of me that will probably always feel at least a little bit guilty for not saving Georgetta. There’s a part of me that thinks I should have done something. Could I have bargained with my father on her behalf? Could I have tried to sneak her out of the house?

In the end, Georgetta was the one who saved me.

I’ll owe her for the rest of my life. I might be under the protection – and perhaps the thumb – of Ian, but Georgetta is the person I will be forever indebted to. I hope she knows that I appreciate all that she’s done for me. I hope I can make this up to her in some way.