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Prologue
I can’t believe they would go this far.
Unshed tears of humiliation blurred my vision as I stood with my back to the wall, listening to the grunts of pain coming from around the corner. I was not supposed to witness this, but I had noticed my father and brother acting strange, so I snuck back into the villa when they thought I had left the house. I wanted to know what they were doing, but wasn’t prepared for this.
“Please… stop. I promise I wasn’t going to do anything to her she didn’t want!” sobbed the poor man being kicked on the ground.
I shut my eyes as I heard the fear in his voice. Gabriel wasn’t anything special to me, if I were to be honest. However, that was alright because I wasn’t anything special to him, either. We met, the spark was there, and we decided to hook up. It was just that simple. I was 24, and I wanted to have sex! Was that so wrong?
In high school, I had a bodyguard by my side; he was swift to shut down my steamy interactions, even the braver bad boys who dared since I seemed so off limits. I knew that my brother and father were being overprotective, but I thought when I told them to get rid of the bodyguard in college, they’d listen.
Now I suddenly understood why my hookups cut ties before we could ever do anything. I’d given up for a whole year, thinking I was just unattractive or something, until I met Gabriel, who made it very clear that he wanted me in his bed. I was excited, thinking I could finally stop using toys, but now it was all over.
“Bastardo, anyone could tell that your intentions weren’t pure. You want to defile my sister!” my brother Enzo spat.
I shuddered at his words. Defile? Sul serio, Enzo? I was a grown woman, for God’s sake! I could do whatever I wanted with my body! Or at least, I was supposed to!
“Defile? She wanted me just as much as I wanted her! It was a consensual agreement to have sex and only sex! I wasn’t preying on her or anything!” Gabriel shouted back, clearly thinking my brother was insane.
They rewarded him with another brutal kick for his words, and I winced. My father pointed his cane at Gabriel’s chin, lifting it so he had to look at him.
“You are not worthy of touching my daughter. No matter what she says, we will not allow scum like you to sully her. Capisci? Alessia is a princess, and only a prince will do - not a dog like you who is only after her body,” Father said.
I am only after his body, too! I was filled with so much shame that I was literally shaking. Enzo had as many flings as he liked! Why wasn’t I allowed to do the same?!
“Give me his phone,” I heard Enzo say, and the next moment, my phone beeped in my pocket. I took it out and almost laughed out loud. It was a text message from Gabriel telling me he was sorry, but he didn’t think we could continue with our arrangement.
The tears came now, and I bit my lip to keep the sobs in check. Did they even think about what the constant rejections I’d been getting had been doing to my self-esteem over the years? They were content with making me sad and self-conscious as long as they could keep me “pure."
I slipped away and left the house, not wanting to hear anymore. It was clear. I’d never be able to live my life as long as it was within the reach of my family.
1
Alessia
“I still don’t feel like I am ready to go home yet.”
I sat poolside at my hotel in Milan, lounging in a pool chair, while I leisurely sipped a cocktail and spoke to my four friends over the phone. It had become a ritual since I arrived in Italy. I missed them dearly, notwithstanding that it had only been five days since I left France for Italy.
My father had gone big for his 70th birthday and had called all the members of the family across the world to return home to Tuscany for the celebration. While there was excitement for the event among other members of the family, all I was feeling since finding out about the party was a deep sense of dread.
While I loved my father, being around him and my older brother was stifling. I was 29 years old now, but they still kept me sheltered and treated me like a teenage girl whenever I was within their reach. Their concept of over-protection was so strong that it made them seem as scary as a mob. They used the excuse for me being the only girl in the family after mom died to stifle me and control my life.
My family was definitely not a part of the mob. But after the incident all those years ago, when the police found us too late after Mom had already died, Father developed a tendency to carry out his own justice. He would deal with the consequences with the privilege of the generational wealth of our vineyards, farms, and companies afforded us.
I had never actually heard of my father or brother dealing with a lawsuit for assault and battery, given their behavior, as I would expect. They were simply paying off people quietly if need be. That was how unhinged they were in their protectiveness.
I had arrived in Italy a week early, but I decided to pass the time in the capital instead of heading to our vineyard villa in Tuscany. I had to mentally prepare myself for what was to be a tasking affair, and five days later, I felt no more prepared to face my family than I had been when I first landed.
"I can't believe I've been in this hotel for five days already," I pouted with a sigh. "I'm not ready to go back home yet. I'm just not ready to face my family."
Jenna spoke up, "It’s okay not to be ready. It's understandable, even if you feel like you're not ready to go home yet. Just remember that you don't have to face them alone. We're here for you, Alessia. You know that."
Rachel chimed in. “Yeah, Jenna’s right. We know how much your dad and brother love you, but they are pretty suffocating. Anybody can see that, and no one blames you for how you feel right now.”
“It just makes me feel so guilty,” I said. “I mean, it’s not like they treat me badly or anything. I love them both so much, but I can’t help feeling tired in advance when thinking about dealing with them. Right now, the only reason I can relax even though I’m in Italy is because they don’t know I have arrived.”
Kelly snorted derisively, causing everyone to laugh and breaking the ice. She had been pretty quiet the whole time, which was an unusual feat for her. “Look, I’m going to lay it on you truthfully. If I were you and had the type of family you do, I probably would not have gone home at all. And if I did go, I definitely would turn in late. But you’re a better person than me. I just want you to know that you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.”
