outraged at both Father and Gustavo on her behalf, not that it helps.
"You have a deal," Father replies after a thoughtful pause.
"You can't be fucking serious!" I snap at him. "Have you even checked with Ryder?"
"Quiet," Father cuts me off sternly. "Don't question me. You had your chance to speak and you got what you fucking wanted, didn't you? Let me worry about Ryder."
I sit back sullenly, waiting for them to finish their conversation. I keep sneaking glances at Nicoletta, but instead of looking terrified or worried, she seems genuinely excited.
I think back to the first time we met, when she thought Ryder was me. She liked him more than me back then... so she must be more excited about this wedding than the other option. I didn't exactly make things easier on her, either.
Drinking in the pretty blonde with newfound interest, I realize never knew much about her. While I've been spending the past three months getting to know Marzia, I haven't devoted any attention to finding out more about my ex-bride. Now it's too late for another chance. Her fate has already been sealed.
As Father and Gustavo shake hands, I try to catch Nicoletta's gaze, but she stubbornly won't meet my eyes. I know I've hurt her confidence, which I deeply regret. And nothing about my decision has anything to do with her— it's just that Marzia will always be first choice for me. No one could outdo her in my eyes. The poor little rich girl just got unlucky. But maybe Ryder will be a better match for her after all.
"Good luck," I say to Nicoletta as she and her father say their goodbyes, agreeing to come back once Father breaks the news to Ryder.
"Goodbye," Nicoletta replies stiffly, glaring at me before getting in the car.
As her driver takes them away, I turn to face Father. "You really think Ryder will go along with this?"
"I have faith," Father says, "That one of my sons will do what I want. You're already disappointed me, let's see if Ryder is smarter than you."
"I'm sorry," I mutter.
"Did I hear that right? The mighty Adrian knows how to apologize?"
"Not about the wedding," I grumble. "About Marzia getting away, and with the baby, too. I fucked up."
"Yes, you did," Father replies sternly. "But it's not too late to fix this. We have a new lead on Marzia's potential whereabouts... Come with me, I'll tell you everything."
I fall into step behind him, following him to his office. As I watch Father walk and talk, I realize just how painfully thin he's gotten.
But I find myself too worried to address that particular worry just yet.
40
Marzia
The days are passing by painfully slowly and I find myself more afraid with each hour that ticks by on the clock.
There's been no word from Adrian. Even if he is looking for me, I have no way of making contact. Both Luigi and Vitto have picked up the habit of locking me inside the bedroom, just like Adrian and papa did before them. But unlike papa and Adrian, I never openly hated Luigi.
Not until I got to this fucked up house of terrors.
I'm starting to get a better impression of why no one wants to help the two men that are keeping me captive. I've quickly realized that by coming here, I signed my own prison sentence. They don't let me out of their sight, and it's becoming increasingly obvious the reason they don't have help is because they're both fucking delusional.
I understand how painful losing our parents was for Luigi. I know how horrible he feels, having to give up the throne to the enemy. And I know he doesn't have a special connection with the Bernardis like I do.
Luigi has every right to hate Adrian and his family. But I'm still hoping I can change his mind. That's why I pull him aside today, while Vitto has gone out to get supplies. They know it's too risky if they show up in town too often ‒ people will start to wonder about them ‒ so they're pretending to be just passing through.
It's one of the rare moments we have alone without Vitto, so I'm hoping I can get through to my brother. While we've never been as close as some siblings are, we've never fought either, and I believe I can get him on my side and convince him they can't win against the Bernardis.
We sit down in the garden.
Luigi seems distracted with a bottle of our