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“Because I didn’t let him.”
“What?”
“There was a fight, a big one. Fabiano was not even decent enough to apologize and that sent Father into a spiral. He pulled out his gun, but I stepped between them.”
“Why?”
“Because as much as I hate him, he has seven kids. Your mother was gone and he was all you had. After that day, our families split.”
“It was because of him. All this time he told me Adrian was the one who stole something from him, but it was the other way around. He’s the thief. He took everything from the one man he called friend. Who does that?”
Fabiano Caputo.
“It’s in the past now. Father is gone, and you’re my wife. As long as Fabiano stays out of my way and doesn’t try to take you from me anymore, my business with him is done.”
“Oh, my God! No!” She jumped back on her feet. “You s-s-said… you said they started sleeping together before Cristina got pregnant with you, so he could… he could…”
“Tesoro, no.” I rushed to grab her hands and pull her to me. “Christ, no. My father and I got tested. Adrian Fiori is a hundred percent my father and you and I are not related.”
“Oh, thank God. I think my heart stopped beating for a second.”
“How do you feel knowing all this? Too much?”
“Like an idiot.” Her answer was unexpected. “When we were in Milano, Garon said something to me and I figured he and Father are having problems. Giovani knows what kind of man he is too, Giorgio has almost all his business abroad even though Father tried to forbid it and keep him tied to home. It all makes sense now. They all knew. None of my brothers respect him. I was the only one who looked at Father like he’s a saint.”
“Grazi, we all tried to spare you the sadness.”
“I’m not going to thank you for that.” She said sharply. “I’ve let my brothers treat me like a baby for too long and now I know you did too. No more of that.”
“You know the truth now.”
“I needed to know the truth a long time ago. I needed to know the truth when I walked away from you to go back to my father. I needed to know the truth when I felt ashamed for seeing you in secret, when I felt guilty because I was lying to him. And I needed to know the truth when my father ordered two of my brothers to hold my arm while he pulled the ring you gave me off my finger!”
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t. I would do anything to keep her from all that dirt. “It’s over now,Tesoro. Let it go.”
“It’s not that simple. I was raised by a man with no honor.”
“He was a good father to you, otherwise I wouldn’t have let him keep his miserable life.”
“He had sex with my friend! He’s disgusting.” Her face turned white. “Cristina. He cheated on my mother with her.”
Oh, fuck me. There was more harsh truth.
“I’m sorry, Grazi. He cheated on your mother many times.”
“W-what? How do you know that?”
“It’s not a secret. You were young and didn’t notice things, but he never bothered to hide it, not even from Ariana. She was too good of a woman for him.”
Grazia’s mother was a saint who was dealt a bad hand when she chose her husband. She was the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever known and she didn’t deserve that disease that took her away. I don’t know what God decided to let Fabiano live instead of her.
“Oh…”
“Your brothers know. The tensions between them and Fabiano existed since they were old enough to understand what daddy was doing in the back rooms of striptease clubs with the dancers. You’ve just started to see them now.”
“Damn it, Sasa!”
“I don’t blame them for not telling you.”
