(Renata Pellegrini)
“I… don’t want to talk to you.” I say and look away, I know that it is not fair to judge someone without first hearing the other side of the story, and I also have no reason to believe Vincenzo, but the memories are too strong.
“Understand, I know…” Dominic starts to speak.
“She said no.” Vicenzo interrupts him roughly, emphasizing my answer. “It’s time to go home, Dominic.”
“I’m not leaving here without la mia nipotina!” – “My granddaughter,” Dominic says authoritatively. “And don’t give me that she said no, here the woman only has speech if her guardian allows it, and I am her guardian. You know how things work…”
“You are not mine!” I shout and stand up. “I don’t even know who you are, how do you think you can have any kind of authority over me?”
“I am your nonno!” – “Grandpa,”- “I have been looking for you for many years.”
“You are nothing to me!” I speak with disgust, I may not have heard his side of the story, but just the fact that he is treating me like an object indicates that he really is someone without scruples. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I spit out the words.
“Vincenzo, either I leave here with my granddaughter, or a war will start. I know the size and influence of your famiglia, but I imagine that you also know that of mine. Too much innocent blood will be spilled, too many women will be left without their husbands, and too many children will no longer have their fathers. Do you really want to start a war? Do you really want to undo our peace treaty?”
I clench my hands into fists, damn old man, he wants to force me anyway to go with him. Threatening even innocent lives… that’s too low.
“Let’s make a deal then.” Vincenzo says coldly, and I am startled by the sudden change in his face. “She’ll go with you, and stay for three days.”
“No!” Me and the old man shouted together.
“You cannot determine how long I stay with my granddaughter, she is mine!”
“No, she is Filippo’s, or did you forget the deal?”
“They are not married.” Dominic rebuts.
“They are getting married in three days. That will be the time you will have with your granddaughter.”
“I’m not going to his house, I’m not going to marry Filippo either!” Shout, but none of them pay any attention to me.
I know that hours ago I imagined marrying him, but the situation now is totally different. To want for the sake of wanting is one thing, but to do it for the sake of something imposed by a third party is ridiculous.
I don’t deny that I love Filippo, he is the father of my child, the man who saved my life and I risked mine to save his, but I will never accept being forced into a marriage.
“In three days everything will be ready and you will deliver it to my brother.” Vincenzo says.
I feel my breathing quicken, this can’t be serious.
“You can’t send me to that murderer’s house!” I speak facing Vicenzo, but the coldness in his gaze gives me shivers of fear, not even Filippo’s evil face gave me as much fear as Vicenzo’s. “Please… I didn’t let him take me, please….” I beg, my eyes filled with tears.
“Done, in three days, I will take her to the altar.” Dominic says, giving himself away.
“You can’t decide anything for me!” I shout and the tears fall like waterfalls. “I own my own nose! I’m of age, you can’t make me! I am not an object!” I cry out in exasperation, my heart squeezing. “I’ll call the police!” I threaten.
“Understand, Miss Martinelli. In this world, things work differently and…”
“Let me explain to her.” Dominic interrupts Vicenzo’s speech. “I will teach my nipotine.”
“Very good. I don’t need to show you the way out.”
“Vicenzo, please…” I beg once again, but Dominic grabs my forearm and starts to drag me. I try to let go, but the old man is strong. I can feel that his hands are rough and calloused, more so than Filippo’s.
“Liberami!” – ‘Let me go!’, I shout desperately in Italian, and with my other hand I try to pull the old man’s hand away from me, but he continues to drag me away.
As I pass through the door of the mansion, my eyes meet Filippo’s, he frowns, his torso now bare and there is an old man with a pair of tweezers stuck in his arm.
“Renata!” He calls out to me and starts to get up, but before I can ask him for help, Vicenzo steals the scene and holds Filippo’s shoulder, I watch crying as Vicenzo says something to Filippo, who looks away from me and sits down again, the old man goes back to tweezing him.
“Filippo!” I call out to him, but he doesn’t even look at me again. My heart breaks into a thousand pieces.
Again I have been abandoned, and not only that, I have been thrown to an old man who murdered my parents. I feel my vision become blurred, things around me begin to spin, without strength, I let unconsciousness take over.
****
I open my eyes, but then close them again, my vision is still blurry, my head aches and throbs, as if a herd of elephants had run over it. After a few seconds, I open them again and don’t recognize where I am.
I sit up in the soft fluffy bed and look around, inside what I believe is a bedroom that has three doors. I have to get out of here. I get up too fast and am hit by a dizzy spell, I sit up again and my stomach rumbles. God, I can’t even remember how long I haven’t eaten.
After taking three deep breaths, I slowly get out of bed. I feel weak, but I need to get out of here. I walk to the door that faces the side of the bed and turn the knob, relief comes over me as I open the door and find myself in a hallway, I leave the room and choose to go to the right. The carpet is very soft, even though my feet are complaining about standing. The carpet relieves some of the pressure, I hate walking barefoot, but I have no idea where my sandals are. I stop walking when I reach a staircase, I look to see if there is anyone downstairs, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone. I start walking down the stairs, but before I step on the last step, I feel the blood escape from my face.
“You are not allowed to be here.” A man in a suit holding a giant gun speaks threateningly to me.
On instinct I start to take steps backwards, but because I forget I’m on a ladder, I stumble and the beast-faced man holds my arm preventing my fall.
“Go back to your room, miss, Dom will find you soon.”
“Okay.” I agree and go back up the stairs.
But instead of turning back in the hallway, I keep walking forward, I need to find a way out of here. I spot a door and hurry my steps, but when I open it, it doesn’t take me five seconds and I close it again.
I feel my heart in my mouth, I saw a woman hanging there, she had a collar around her neck and on her nipples there was something that looked like clothes pegs, but those were iron and she was also gagged and a man was behind her holding her by the waist and shoving furiously into her. I feel my face heat up, I hope they didn’t see me, I start walking faster away from that door.
After taking a few more steps I come across another door, I hesitate as I hold the knob, I put my ear to the door and hear no sound, but in the other one there was no noise either, the girl was gagged. Slowly I turn the knob, but before I start to open it, the door is opened and Dominic looks at me, I take steps back.
“Hold on.” He holds my arm.
“I want to leave.” I pull, but he won’t let go.
“I was going to meet you in your quarters, but since you are here, let’s talk in mine.”
“I don’t want to come into your room!” I speak and once again try to walk away.
“Then I will accompany you to the…”
The rumbling of my belly makes him stop talking, again my face heats up.
“Let’s talk in the dining room. Come.”
He forces me to hold his arm and drags me with him. I give in, at night I try to escape.