𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚

Chapter 21

Written 02-13-21

I wake up to feel a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. Cristiano's chin was resting on my shoulder, his breathing sounded strained. I hoped he wasn't sick.

I was confused. The last thing I remember, he and I fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed. So how did we end up in this position? Maybe he had pulled me closer while we were sleeping? I didn't know how to feel. The way he held me, reminded me of how I used to hug my stuffed animals when I was little. It was nice, it made me feel closer to him.

Cristiano starts to shift a little. I feel him taking his arms away from my waist, and I turn over to see him getting out of bed. He doesn't look well. He looked ill, and stressed. He walks into the closet, shutting the door behind him.

There was definitely something wrong. Last night, he told me that we would talk in the morning. I wondered what had happened. Was it about Diavolo? Or did Livianna tell someone about her murder plot? Did Cristiano know? My mind starts to race. I sit up, and lean against the headboard, contemplating what I should do. Even if he didn't know, maybe it was better to confess. Cristiano hated Diavolo, would he really be that angry?

He walks out of the closet, fully dressed, and pulls out a cigarette. I stifle an angry sigh, those things were going to kill him. They were probably making him sick too. But he was the Don, he could do whatever he wanted. Besides, he couldn't care less about my opinion on his habits.

After a few minutes, he finishes smoking his cigarette, and flicks it in a trash can. He walks over to me, and sits on the edge of the bed, near my feet.

"There's news." He says in a gloomy tone.

"What is it?" I ask him, clearly scared of whatever his answer would be. He sighs, before answering.

"It's the Genovese family. The head of the family, his wife was found dead yesterday."

"Oh." Is all I can say. I'm so confused. Why would Cristiano and his associates be worried about a death in the Genovese family? None of this made sense.

"The head apparently has a 2 year old bastard son with his mistress. Rumor has it, he is going to marry her, and then his son will be legitimate." He says even more ominously.

My breath stops, as I start to piece everything Cristiano is saying together. The Genovese now had an heir. It didn't make them more powerful, but it made them more secure. But how had the heads wife died so suddenly? Was she murdered?

"The wife...how did she die?" I ask him, trying to hide the shakiness in my voice. Cristiano looks at me for moment before answering.

"She was shot, from what we've seen it looks like it was an execution style. Giada, I promise I had nothing to do with it." He says sincerely. I believed him.

"Who shot her? Do you know?" I ask, the fear in my voice was fully audible. He sighs loudly. He knows who did it, he just doesn't want to tell me.

"We think the head had her murdered. They had been married for a long time, but had no children. She was probably infertile, he may have had her removed so he could marry his mistress." He answers, without any emotion.

It amazed me how he could say all that, as if it wasn't a big deal. Sure, the Genovese were known for being ruthless, but I wasn't used to being told about a woman getting murdered simply because she couldn't produce an heir. Suddenly it hits me. Would Cristiano have me killed if I was infertile? It wasn't impossible, especially if the Genovese now had an heir, and he didn't. I was only 18, I couldn't handle this. I feel like bawling my eyes out, but I don't. I just sit there, staring at a man who could kill me with his bare hands if he wanted to.