Liliana's neck ached as she awoke the morning of her wedding. From the moment she rose to consciousness she was brutally aware of the awkward position she lay in and the unfamiliar heat of Marcello's warm naked chest pressed against her cheek. She had fallen asleep on the sofa, somehow managing to wind up in Marcello's arms.
She flinched away from him, rubbing at the sleep in her eyes as she rose to a sitting position, jumping with a start when she realised they were not alone in the villa's lounge.
Greeting her that morning were the smirking faces of three D'Onofrio men.
"What-" Marcello awoke with a start as Liliana jolted beside him. Already her cheeks flushed with an unavoidable heat, and she kept her gaze downcast.
"It's good to see you two bonding so well, so soon before the wedding," Sebastiano drawled, moving to take a seat in one of the available arm chairs, a coffee in hand. He seemed entirely unaffected by the sight of his eldest son and Liliana spooning on the sofa, as if it were a regular occurrence.
Angelo and Giovanni remained directly in front of her, both seeming mighty smug.
"Bad to see the bride on the big day, isn't it?" Angelo teased, winking directly at her.
"That's what I've always heard," Giovanni weighed in, hands buried deep in the pockets of his shorts.
Liliana couldn't find anything in their words humorous, despite how funny they seemingly found themselves to be. It wasn't the two of them that were marrying today. They didn't have to worry about the end of their lives as they knew it. Every playful joke of theirs was just a painful reminder of what awaited her today.
A brief glance beside her confirmed that Marcello also failed to see the humour in the situation. He glared fiercely at his brother, asking Giovanni, "Why are you encouraging him?"
Giovanni shrugged, taking a seat opposite them. He turned his attention to his mobile, tapping away at the small screen in his hands without meeting Marcello's gaze.
"It's not often I get the chance to have this much fun. I'm taking advantage of it before we all return home," Giovanni explained.
Angelo was still watching Liliana. Keeping her gaze steady and unwavering as the young Italian man faced her with nothing but amusement in his expression, it was only when she felt the touch of Marcello's hand on her knee that she turned away.
Instantly she was at her feet.
"Mi scusi," she wobbled out quietly to no one in particular. "I must start getting ready."
Just as she spoke up, a panicked call of her name could be heard from inside the villa followed by the distinct sound of rushed footsteps. All eyes shot to the doorway where seconds later a gasping, red faced Adelina Fiorenza came bursting through, freezing at the sight of the D'Onofrios. Instantly her eyes shot away from the inquisitive face of Sebastiano and focussed on Liliana still in her sleepwear - or more accurately the freshly awoken Marcello slumped next to her.
"Oh," she exclaimed, blinking slowly as if she didn't know what to make of the situation. "I thought you'd..." Her aunt didn't need to finish for Liliana knew what she was going to say. She had thought Liliana had run off the morning of her wedding. Not that there would be anywhere for her to hide on the small island with no boats arriving until a few hours.
"Well, we... ah..." her aunt struggled for words. "We should start getting you ready."
Liliana immediately accepted the outstretched hand and hurriedly followed Adelina out of the door and towards her own bedroom. By the time they were both locked away inside the room Liliana fell onto her bed groaning into her hands. Heat scorched her cheeks and she fought back tears.
YOU ARE READING
Tainted Faith
Romance"The rules for a Mafia wife were endless and strict. Once she entered into this life she would never be free. Women in the Mafia were first daughters, then wives, and then mothers; always under the control of a man, always expected to live up to the...
