Aces & Spades

Shattered

Isabella:

I stop mopping the floors when I spot a familiar wax sealed envelope on the table beside the door.

I pick it up, reading the contents as I rip it open.

"What are you doing?" A voice speaks, startling me. I turn around to face it- Massimo.

"It's for the winter mafia ball." I barely whisper as I outstretch my arm to hand him the letter.

He takes it, barely glancing at it, as he begins to move away.

"Are you not going?" I ask, stopping him in his tracks.

"When is it?" He asks without looking back at me.

"Tomorrow."

He stands there for a few moments before walking off. I feel my heart begin to beat again from where it had stopped.

The mafia ball. Another one.

I remember the first one I went to like it was yesterday. Where Massimo came for me, came to take me home. Where I found out that he did in fact care for me as much as I did for him, maybe even more.

The warm feeling of emotions is quickly drowned out by the fact that if he does go, it won't be with me, but with her.

As if on cue, she comes out of the kitchen holding the letter I was holding only a few moments ago.

"Can you believe it Isabella! Massimo wants me to go with him to the Winter Mafia Ball!" She holds the letter against her chest, breathing out a little raggedly as she just got over the cold she had a few days ago.

"Really?" I mutter attempting to seem engaged in the conversation. She nods her head as she continues.

"Oh God, what am I supposed to wear? I need to go shopping- or pick something out from those piles of unused clothes I have in my wardrobe!" She squeals as she begins to jog upstairs before turning back around. "Aren't you coming to help me?"

"I have to finish cleaning first." I say beginning to reach down towards the bucket of soapy water.

"Leave it, someone else can do it later. This is more important." She says.

"I'll be up in a minute." I say as she finishes climbing up the last set of stairs, slamming the bedroom door shut.

I grab the bucket, dropping it immediately as a sharp pain shoots through my stomach. I let out a sharp scream as I let myself fall onto the wet floor.

"Isabella!" Massimo shouts as he runs towards me, bending down to pick me.

"I-I can stand." I say whilst trying and failing. I let him pick me up, carrying me up to his office and shutting the door.

"What happened?" He says concerned as I reach my hand down to the familiar place it always settles.

"My baby." I breathe out. "Something happened Massimo- it hurt- it hurt so bad."

"Let me get Anna to come and see what it is-"

"No no." I quickly cut him off. "It's okay. I'll be fine." I begin to turn on the sofa but he holds onto my shoulder.

"Just rest for now. I don't want you to work anymore- until the baby is born."

"But-"

"No Isabella." He says, stopping me from any objection.

I gasp as I feel the familiar kicking of my baby.

She's okay.

"What happened?" Massimo repeats, a worried expression casting across his features.