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He peeked inside and shook his head. “This a real threat, Elenora.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t.”
“Tell him everything or I will,” Oscar threatened me but blinked when he caught my glare. “I mean everything aboutthis.”
Francesco held up the new note. “What else haven’t you told me?”
“Please, just stop trying to play hero.”
“Just,” Francesco grunted, “do me a favor and give me a few days. I’ll put some soldiers at your door, or you can come to the house.”
“I’d rather sleep in a barn.”
Francesco looked like he wanted to say more, but he simply shook his head and stormed out the door, letting it bang loudly as it shut.
Oscar shrugged. “I’m sorry, but he needed to know.”
“That’s where we disagree.”
“Don’t you ever get lonely?” He sighed, and his gaze dropped to the floor. I knew he wanted more from me, but I couldn’t, just like I couldn’t let Francesco in. I’d been locked up so tight for so long that I wasn’t even sure how to feel about anything anymore. One thing I knew for sure was that the Capris needed to pay for their sins, not the least being the fact they now had my own daughter brainwashed. I had to put an end to all of it.
“Lonely is for the weak, Oscar, and I’m not weak.” I stepped out onto the balcony and slipped into a memory.
“Look, I get loving someone you can’t have,” I took my brother’s hand, “but you need to see that Noemi is only after one thing—money.”
“I can make more money,” he sobbed, and I knew he was at his breaking point. Theo had made sure Angelo knew he was worthless, at least in the eyes of those in this hateful house. “I’m willing to change. I even sold my car and got the one she wanted. I sold my coin collection too, and I’m looking to get a loan to travel to America with her. And I have this…” He trailed off like it was all a bit too much for him.
I wanted to break down and cry with him. My poor brother had been living here for the past three months, knowing that his love, Noemi, came to see my husband. Never once had anyone in the house welcomed him. He was just as much an outcast as I was. I wished I could whisk him away to live in a different country where we could start fresh and mend the hurt that had been thrown at us.
“No woman who really loved you would ever ask you to sell your things or put you through so much pain just to be with her.” I hated how much this horrible woman had destroyed my once happy-go-lucky brother.
“Why am I not good enough?”
“Hey,” I moved closer, and he rested his head on my shoulder, “you are enough. You are more than enough. She is the one who should be lucky to have you.” We sat in silence for a long time, both mulling over our lives and the terrible situations we’d gotten ourselves into. I cleared my head and thought it was time to share something with him.
I dropped to the floor, balancing on my knees so I could see he was paying attention. “You really need to hear me when I tell you this. It’s complicated, so try to follow me.”
“All right,” he said and sat a little straighter.
“Noemi is a parasite.” I held up my hand to stop his protest. “Angelo, she really is. Hell, the smell of her has barely left your skin, and she’s already wormed her way into two different powerful families since she left you. She’s pregnant with Bosco Capri’s child and yet spends most of her time here in this house acting as though she’s Theo’s lover. Don’t you see it? I don’t understand why Nonna Rosa allows it, but I know they hide a lot of it from the uncles. I’m sure they’d never approve of it while I’m here and pregnant with his child. That’s where my fear really lies.” He looked at me oddly. “Angelo, you see what’s happening here, right?”
“No, what?”
“They need a son, so if my baby,” I pointed to my belly, “is a girl, they’ll expect us to try again.” My face dropped. I knew I couldn’t do this again, and I knew Theo got that. “So, here’s what I think might really happen. If my baby is a girl, they’ll keep it quiet, maybe hide her away for a while, and God knows where that will leave me. Francesco told me that Piero had a son before I left, which means the pressure’s really on for Theo to have a son, too. So, I think Theo is keeping close tabs on Noemi right now because if we have a girl and she has a boy, he might order a hit on Bosco and raise the boy as his own. If it’s not a boy, Noemi will be stuck with a girl who will be no use to Theo. She might love him, but she’ll jump ship and stay with Bosco Capri if that happens.”
“That’s all a bit farfetched, isn’t it?”
“That’s the thing, it’s not.” I felt my heart rate race.
“Come on, Elenora, like Piero would ever allow Noemi’s baby to be raised in the Coppolas’ house if his brother is killed.”
“Piero is in Sicily, and from what I heard the other night, Noemi requested they keep the pregnancy quiet, her excuse being her pregnancy has been rocky so far. She’s supposedly living with her mother on bedrest. They don’t know she spends a lot of time with Theo.”
“You make it sound like a suspense novel. Besides, Bosco is dating that Amara girl.”
“I get how this sounds, but I’ve heard and seen things that lead me to believe this could happen. Noemi doesn’t love Bosco. She loves Theo, and I bet this entire thing was planned! Theo never wanted me, but that wasn’t his call.”
He stood and covered his face while he digested my words. I knew I sounded crazy, and maybe I was, but there was something inside of me that told me I wasn’t.
