Chapter 256
-DORETTA-
“Mama, I am not marrying a random man just because he is rich.”
She did not raise her voice, but she was stern.
“Loretta, you have no other choice. Your brother is engaged to Marianna. He did it willingly/The wedding will be hosted soon. Learn from him. He listens to me.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Enzo is unhappy.”
“Enzo is simply nervous. Not unhappy.” She snapped.
“He likes her, yes. But he is not ready for marriage.”
My mother’s mouth thinned. “You know nothing. Your brother has known Marianna for years. They are friends. They will make beautiful children and a stable house. The Bellandi name did not survive by waiting for some fairytale romance.”
Bellandi. My last name. My mother always reminded me of how important that name was, and that I should wear it with pride.
“You picked Rico off a list. I have met him twice. Both times he asked what Papa thought of the northern properties. It was the most boring conversation of my life.”
“He will be here tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“To meet you. Properly. You will wear the blue dress I picked out. It brings out your complexion. You will be quiet and charming. This marriage is happening.”
“You could have given me a week’s notice.”
“Warning is for people who think they have a say in the matter.” She smoothed a crease that was not there. “You will marry Rico. Do not embarrass the Bellandis by pretending you are surprised.”
“I am surprised that you are practically selling me off, my own mother-”
“BASTA!”
The word cracked through the room. Then, colder, in English, as if I might have missed it the first time.
“Enough.”
I did not look away.
“I am not Enzo,” I said. “I will not smile through a wedding announcement I did not approve. If you want a quiet daughter, look for my sister.”
“You will not speak to me like that in this house.”
3
O
GG
O
i
13:01 Sat, Oct 3 F.
The Mockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
“Then stop arranging my life like a contract.”
10 voucher
hought of Enzo in the corridor last week, tie loose, telling me Marianna was nice and marriage was not such a bad thing. It had felt like he was trying to convince himself, not me.
“This is final.”
“If I say no?”
“Then you say it in front of his mother, and we deal with what follows. I would prefer not to
Say it in front of his mother? Was I supposed to be scared of her? My future mother-in-law? How was that a threat?
“I cannot believe you would force me to marry a man I do not know.”
“You are my daughter.”
“That is not the same thing as being owned by you, Mama.”
I left before she could respond. My bedroom door slammed hard. I turned the television on so the house would not hear me arguing in Italian.
The remote ended up under me. The channel switched.
I saw a crash. It caught my attention.
The commentator’s voice had gone frightened. I sat down again without meaning to.
Then they showed the driver.
Helmet off. That almost-smile I knew.
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife (Blair and Grayson)