Ti Amo (28 page)

Mira sighed. “Baby please let me talk, okay? This is hard enough.” She took his hand and forced him to sit on the bed. “When I asked you about her marrying, I had my reasons. I discovered that she was conflicted, Giovanni. She was keeping something from you.” Mira said cautiously.

Giovanni stared at her silently, and Mira found her courage to go on. “She was already in love with another man. She begged me not to tell you. She said that it was a tradition to marry this way, and she was completely committed to it. I saw how determined you both were so I decided to stay out of it.”

“In love? How in the hell was she in love prior to the wedding? She wasn’t allowed to date. She was a schoolgirl.”

Mira sat down next to him. “The thing is, she ended that relationship before the wedding, and she really did try to start with her new husband. But her heart belonging to another made it impossible for her and Franco to commit. Soon they began to stray away from each other.”

“Stop with the fairytale!” Giovanni snapped. “Are you saying that my sister cheated on her husband?”

Mira nodded. “And Franco cheated on her? Although I doubt they knew it. They just did it because they couldn’t relate to each other.”

“Fuck!” Giovanni shook his head. He stood. He paced. “Why didn’t you tell me that she was sleeping with someone else?” he asked angrily. Mira looked away and Giovanni processed it further. “Was she a
virgin
when she married Franco? She had to be! She was barely eighteen.” He stopped pacing. “Who would dare touch my sister? Who?”

Mira stared at him. “There’s more, but I can’t tell you when you’re like this. You promised to listen to me.”

“Tell me who it is!”

The demand hammered her hard. She rubbed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. “Franco discovered who it was, and he hit her.” she blurted.

Giovanni blinked at her, shocked. “He wouldn’t dare.”

“The other night at the table when the men teased her about her makeup. Do you remember? She wore makeup to cover the bruise.”

“You said she and Eve were playing in her makeup.” He narrowed his eyes on her. Mira understood his memory was as sharp as ever. The man never forgot a thing said or done.

“That’s right sweetheart. I didn’t know at the time. I just knew that she was uncomfortable and trying to conceal something. I lied to protect her. Later I confronted her. We went up to Franco’s job and discovered who he was sleeping with.”

Giovanni closed his eyes shaking his head. “Wait a got damn minute.”

Mira kept going, ignoring his objections and questions. She had to get it all out before he completely lost it. “Turns out that Franco actually had a bigger secret; he was gay.”

“Was?”

“After we learned the truth, Catalina became upset. She couldn’t get past him being gay. To her it was a greater sin than anything she’d done. I wanted to talk to them both before we came to you, but you told me about Kei and things got crazy.”

“Was gay? What the hell does that mean? Either he is or isn’t?” Giovanni paced before her.

“I’m trying to explain.”

“Try harder!” he shouted.

She flinched. Mira exhaled slowly. “Catalina told the story to Domi. She showed him the bruise. Domi became angry. This morning Dominic and Lorenzo were fighting. It’s when we learned the truth. Domi killed Franco.”

Giovanni laughed. He threw his hands up. “Of course he did, because no one in this fucking family does anything they’re supposed to! Except disobey me.”

Mira saw the mixture of emotions cross his face and prayed that the one for compassion was the final one to remain.

“All of this was done because Catalina was afraid to tell you she’s in love with another man. She’s afraid of what you would do. I understand now why you hate secrets and lies because they are so destructive. But now you have the power to make this right, to put the family back together.”

“Now I have power?” Giovanni chuckled.

“You know what I mean, sweetheart.”

The humor drained from his face. “Catalina married a man that hit her and Domi murdered him without my approval. All of this done because she was afraid to talk to me?” He lowered and fixed his blue steely gaze on Mira. “What is it you’re not telling me?”

“I can’t,” she shook her head.

“Oh yes you can, Bella. What is it you’re not telling me?”

Mira met his gaze. “Will you promise to listen?”

He gave her a sweet smile. He seemed pensive, not disturbed or angry. Was this the calm before the storm? She had to see it through. No matter the consequences.

“Fine. You want honesty? Here it is. Family is your strength but it’s also your greatest weakness. You ordered a hit on Kei in the blink of an eye because he threatened our family. For all I know he’s dead right now, Giovanni, and I accepted it. I did that because I’ve accepted this life. But what I won’t tolerate is you turning that anger in on us. If you rush off without all the facts, more harm than good could be done. So for Christ’s sake let me tell the story the way I can. And really listen to me!”

“How could you know all of this and keep it from me?”

Giovanni ran his hand over his damp hair. The whole sordid story made him sick to his stomach. His precious baby sister’s life was ruined. Whoring around before she was married. He couldn’t process the undeniable dreadful facts, or better yet his heart refused to. If he had, it would mean he’d have to accept failing his sister this way. He swore that he would protect her. He swore to his mother he would keep her safe. Yet in the past three years he’d barely spent any time with her to know what was going on with her life. Instead he was consumed with rage and bitterness. This was his fault. Once again he had failed the women that he loved.

“Family, Giovanni, she lied for family. Domi killed Franco to protect our family. He loves her, and he wants to keep her safe.”

“Of course he does. She’s his sister.”  He dismissed the comment. Every fiber in his being made him want to push Mira aside and go find Catalina, but he knew that would be a mistake. He had to prove to Mira and himself that he could be rational.  Flavio had warned him of this many times. His blind spots were directly tied to the women in his family. His guilt for bringing his father back into his mother’s life and his pain over Catalina having to lose her father and mother so young were nothing compared to the wound in his heart for what happened to Mira. She and Flavio were right. When it came to family, he lost all perspective. Underneath his anger and disappointment, he was proud of the way Mira stood her ground and faced him. She possessed the strength that he loved and needed so much.

“Domi loves her.” She repeated.

Giovanni looked up, caught in his own thoughts. “I know he loves her, but he should have checked with me fir—” He stopped mid-sentence. The admission of Dominic’s love for his sister was dredged from a place beyond thought or reason. His eyes grew wide with understanding. He stared at Mira in disbelief.

“It started off so innocently, and they both fought it.”

“No,” he said his voice etched with pain. “God no.” He found it hard to breathe.

“Baby, they didn’t want to hurt you. They knew you wouldn’t approve, but they’re young and in love. How wise are we when we are in love? Right?”

Giovanni rose. “He wouldn’t dare!” He put space between himself and Mira. He pressed his fist into the wall and then leaned in to catch his breath.

“They ended it when she married. It was hard for them to stay away from each other.”

He turned, a bit disoriented. It was as if not enough oxygen had reached his brain. He blinked to maintain focus. Mira stood before him with weepy eyes. He tried to gently move her out of his space.
Didn’t she understand he needed space?
He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Mira threw her arms around him and clung to him. “Let me… go. Move,” he wheezed.

“Please, I’m begging you, let me finish.”

Giovanni seized Mira by her arms with such force he lifted her from her shoes. He shook her hard. “He touched her? He had sex with her?” he shouted in her face. Mira nodded. She didn’t struggle in his grip. “Domi fucked his very own sister? Is that what you’re telling me?” he demanded.

“They aren’t blood Gio—”

“Bullshit!!” he shouted in her face.

“He fell in love with her, and it was mutual. You’re hurting me.”

Giovanni let her go. He staggered back, his hands trembling, his lungs seizing deep gasps of air.

Mira rubbed the soreness from her arms. “She’s not a baby. You know this.”

“You said before she was married. That makes her fucking seventeen! Is that when this started? He’s been fucking
la mia sorella del bambina
under my nose in my home! With me down the hall?”

“Don’t say it like that. Don’t think it. Talk to them. Hear their side of the story before you judge them.”

“Judge them? Oh no Bella I’ll fucking kill him!” he shoved the armoire to his left, and it crashed to the floor. It landed with a thunderous slam that made the floorboards creak. He put the balls of his hands to both his eyes to hold back the tears as his emotions pushed him dangerously to a murderous edge.

My sister. For God’s sake I even sent them away on trips together. All the while he was molesting her. Screwing her before and after she was married like she was some kind of whore! He defiled her!

Blinded by pain he went for his gun Danny-boy.

Mira rushed him. Giovanni held the weapon above her head and shoved her to the bed.

“Wait!” Mira rolled over, scrambling across the bed, trying to stop him. In nothing but his pants he held tightly to the gun, blinded by his anger. She knew if she didn’t stop him he would kill Domi in front of everyone, with her baby in the house. It would destroy them all. Begging and pleading, she pulled on his arm, but he shoved his hand into her pocket to get the little key she thought she hid from him. Losing her balance, she fell back to the floor.

He didn’t hear her. How could he? He went for the door sticking in the key, unlocking it within seconds. It was all happening so desperately fast Mira could barely get off the floor before he flung it open.

Zia greeted them with Eve holding her hand. Giovanni eased the weapon to the back of his pants. Eve rushed her father’s legs. She wrapped her arms around them, hugging tight. She smiled up at him and spat out her pacifier. Mira wiped at her tears and got to her feet quickly. She picked up her daughter and put her in Giovanni’s arms. Zia looked at the destruction in the room and frowned.

“Thank you, we’ll be fine,” she said, and Zia gave her a questioning smile. Mira closed the door on her. Eve was now bucking to be set down from Giovanni. He lifted her above his head, and she giggled.

“This is not going to work, Bella. You should never use our daughter this way.” He said in a tight voice.

Eve won the battle for freedom. Giovanni set her down. She walked away. “If you can believe that we happened so unexpectedly, why can’t you believe the same thing for Domi and Catalina?”

“He knew better. That’s why. She was a kid when this started. He took vows to protect this family, to sleep with her behind my back goes against the grain of who we are as men. It’s as perverse as what Franco did to her.”

“What happened between them is no more perverse than what happened between us. Flavio told you that our love would destroy you. He tried to control our destiny and because of it I was forced to bring our daughter into this world alone. Yes, Domi knew better, but he wasn’t acting as your
consigliere
. He was acting as a man in love. Let them plead their case before you sentence them. You aren’t your father. You have compassion in your heart. I’ve seen it.”

Eve walked over to the armoire that lay flat to the floor. She put her hands to her knees and squatted, her little pink dress rising, showing her diaper. Mira smiled. Giovanni didn’t. Eve sat on the armoire and clapped, grinning at her parents. Mira walked over and forced him to allow her to sit on his lap. She put his face in her breasts and held him until he returned her embrace. Silly as it was, she only knew one way to calm him. That was with her love. It’s who they were.

“I have one more thing to say.”

Giovanni sighed.

“No violence in this house. Ever. If you can’t promise that to me we can’t marry. Whoever you have to be for them, you aren’t that man with us. Not here. Ever.”

The toilet flushed. Mira looked for Eve. She had escaped them so quickly neither of them had noticed. Giovanni patted her thigh. He kissed her breast and she stood. “I’ll get her,” he said going after his daughter. He returned pulling a wailing Eve by her hand. She then ran off into her bedroom. Giovanni went over to the armoire. The man had the strength of Hercules. He lifted it with several grunts and stood it upright. The drawers hung open and many of the clothes inside were strewn over the floor. Mira calmed herself. She wiped the sweat from her brow, taking in slow steady breaths. Had the worst passed?

When she rose she saw the gun from the corner of her eye on the mattress. She immediately grabbed it and put it in the drawers next to the bed.

“It’s not my only gun, Bella,” he said amused.