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“What?”
“Nothing.”
Watching the two sisters bicker back and forth is oddly comforting. It must feel nice to be so close to someone, to trust them so much, that you can banter like that. If I ever even thought of backtalking my father, he would have whipped me right then and there.
“Enough, you two,” Dario cuts in. “I want you to get to know Pia. Welcome her.”
They both exchange a look before turning back to me.
“Hi,” Serafina says deadpan.
Adelina at least offers me a nice smile. “It’s nothing personal, Pia. We just weren’t expecting this. We’re not used to guests.” Are they prisoners in their own home, too?
I look at Dario questioningly.
“It’s for safety reasons that I don’t invite many people over here,” he explains. “And now, for your safety, too.” His hand grazes my arm, and I lean into his touch.
I’m still holding onto his phone, and I type,This isn’t going to be like my tower, is it?
Dario reads it and shakes his head. “Not at all. You have free space to roam everywhere in this house. You just can’t leave without my permission. Not right now, anyway. It’s too dangerous. You understand.”
I do. My father is out there looking for me. But the view from this house, overlooking the ocean, makes me want to run out onto the beach, take in the water, and feel the squishy sand between my toes. It’s going to be tough not to try and leave. I’m so close to experiencing more in life, and I don’t know how to hold myself back.
Serafina looks between Dario and me before blurting out, “Can you not speak? And here I thought Adelina was the stuck-up one.”
I flinch again. Serafina has a whip for a mouth the way she slings her words around. Looking at Dario’s sister, I know my work is cut out for me. Something tells me I won’t win their approval so easily.
I have no social skills. I’m not sure how I’ll navigate my new marriage to Dario or his intense sisters. Already, I feel like curling into a ball and crying my eyes out. This is all too much, too fast.
For the first time since leaving my tower, I feel like going back there, at least for the normalcy of it.
And that’s a scary thought.
CHAPTER6
Pia
Can you not speak?Serafina’s words filter through my mind as I stand across from them. It hurts to be judged, and it especially hurts to be judged when you’re mute because of the trauma you’ve faced in life. And yet, I can’t tell anyone that. That would mean mentioning my mother’s murder, which I’m nowhere near ready to talk about yet.
“Be nice,” Dario order Serafina, who grumbles under her breath.
“Hey, it’s a perfectly reasonable question.” Serafina slants her intense eyes in my direction. “So, can you speak? You’re so quiet.”
I shake my head.
“Pia is mute,” Dario explains. His hand on my back feels encompassing—like he’s giving me strength through his touch.
“Oh, wow. Didn’t think that was an actual thing.”
Adelina shoots her sister a look before turning to me. “It’s ok. My sister’s just a bitch sometimes. Is there a reason you’re mute?” Her eyes widen. “Oh my god. I shouldn’t have asked that. How rude of me.”
“See?” Serafina crosses her arms. “You’re not so perfect yourself.”
I type on the phone and then let them read it.I’ve been this way for years. I used to be able to talk. Now I can’t.
“Can’t or won’t?” Serafina asks. I frown and press the phone to my chest.
Dario levels her a look. “Stop. Let Pia be. I told her she’d be welcome here. Don’t make me go back on my promise.”
