Page 20 of A Debt to Pay
Chapter 19
Luci
22 Days Until The Wedding
Meeting Geno and the mention of Nonna makes reality crash down. The last few days. The sweet moments with Alessandro. Was it all fake? Panic shoots through my chest and all I want to do is run, to fight, to find a way back to my family and convince them to run away with me.
“Alessandro, can I talk to you? Privately.” The words come out before I can hesitate.
He leans back in his chair, crosses one foot over his knee, and takes a sip of his drink with a guarded stance. “No need for privacy. What do you need?”
“I have to leave. Please! Let go of this and let me go home.” Instead of Alessandro, Geno is the one to answer.
“You’ve seen the contract, Luciana. You know that your great-grandfather couldn’t pay on a bet and he put Stella up for payment. Contracts are immensely important to my family. Unfortunately, since she wasn’t collected, you’re now payment for your family’s debt. Tomorrow’s lunch will be the start of that. In three weeks from tomorrow, you will marry Alessandro. If everything goes smoothly, you’ll have a wonderful life. Or we could lock you up and only bring you out for your wifely duties, but you will marry Alessandro either way.” The cold way Geno speaks to me is vastly different from the way he greeted me mere minutes ago.
I turn to Alessandro, hoping for a kind response from him. One that matches how he’s been toward me for the last few days. Instead he’s cold, the man before our dinner, the man who’s only interested in me as a payment. He refuses to make eye contact with me, even though he knows I’m looking at him as he speaks in my general direction. “You heard Geno. Don’t expect a different answer from me. Nothing has changed.”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t believe you’re still the man who’s kidnapped me. You’ve used me and convinced me to go against my values. I’ve given my body to you! How dare you!” He grabs me in a bruising hold as I fight against him when he finally looks at me.
“You haven’t given me anything that you didn’t give to that ex-boyfriend of yours. The only difference is that I deserved it. I will be your husband and you will deal with it.” Anger floods my system and before I know it, I’ve yanked my arm away, accidentally slapping Alessandro in the process.
The next few seconds might as well be hours before Alessandro speaks, “You fucking bitch. Do you think you can take advantage of my kindness? Geno’s idea of keeping you locked up suddenly sounds tempting. Don’t worry, I’ll come visit you when I need something from you.”
“Wait, what do you—” I shriek when Alessandro grabs me, dragging me away as I stare at Geno’s self-righteous expression. I know where he’s taking me once we pass the direction of his bedroom on the second floor. We get to the third floor and he scans his finger, tossing me on the floor as he hovers over me.
“You will behave tomorrow. How that lunch goes depends on how our marriage will be. I have no issues keeping you locked up unless I need you for an appearance or for my pleasure. This is all your choice.”
He slams the door and I hear the scan of the lock before I break down, understanding the reality of this situation and how I’m seen.
What I am.
A payment.
Chapter 20
Alessandro
21 Days Until The Wedding
The rest of last night was fairly uneventful, a few drinks with Geno and Marco then bed. Sleeping without Luci next to me was stranger than I expected. I convince myself it’s because she wasn’t there for me to sink myself into before bed. I also know that’s a flat-out lie. After several hours of my conscious keeping me awake, I rip off my sheets, throwing on a pair of sweatpants and slippers to go upstairs to Luci.
The walk to Luci’s room is longer and more agonizing than necessary. I scan my finger to unlock the door and walk in, hoping that Luci is asleep, or at least not ready to fight with me. She’s curled up on her side, her dark waves spread around the pillow as she sleeps soundly. I walk over to her, kneeling onthe floor by the side of her bed, and swipe a curl that’s fallen in her face away from her eyes. My hand instinctually caresses her cheek as guilt from the way I spoke to her shoots through my body. These last few days with her have been amazing and Geno’s words got into my head, making me lash out unfairly at her. I tell her the words I could never say while she’s awake. Words I’d give anything for her to hear.
“I’m sorry that it has to be this way, but I’d keep you locked away if it meant not losing you.” She hums in her sleep, shifting away from me as I stand and walk out of the room. I know I must be the man Geno needs me to be, simultaneously sacrificing the man I want to be for Luci.
In the morning, I toss the bag with her necessary things on the floor in her bedroom and flick on the lights. I’d give anything to be the man who had dinner with her, but I can’t let my guard down. Especially today. “Wake up. Lunch is in three hours and I expect you to be presentable. A lot is riding on this and some people could get hurt if you don’t behave.” She turns over, catching me off guard with her eyes, swollen and red, knowing exactly what I mean. “You should be grateful this lunch is still happening. Geno mentioned last night that we should cancel the lunch and called Father Angelo to marry us today instead. I only talked Geno off the ledge because I’m sure you’re eager to see your family.”
“What’s all in the bag?” Her voice is small, a defeated whisper at most.
“Makeup and the dress El picked out for you. Sarai bellissima indossandolo.” She turns her face, rejecting me when I go totouch her cheek. I deserve that. After a settling breath, I find it in myself to be gentle with my next words. “I’ll leave you be and send some coffee up. Enzo will be ready to escort you downstairs around noon.”
As I turn to leave, Luci stops me. “Alessandro?”
“Si?” I slightly turn my head, cowardly refusing to see the green in her eyes highlighted by the red surrounding them, proving how badly I hurt her last night.
“Unlike my mama and nonna, my nonno always insists on being early. He will be here at 11:45.”
Punctuality is important in my world and I respect Aldo for his insistence on being early. “Thank you for letting me know. Enjoy your morning.”