Tainted Faith

Twenty: Venti [edited 04/04/21]

7.30 am

Liliana stared wide eyed at Marcello's sleeping face half buried into his pillow, his dark hair a tumbled mess against the white bedding. She checked the clock again, not quite believing that her famously distant husband would still be here beside her.

She'd never seen him still in bed when she awoke, not even on their honeymoon. The only time she'd seen him sleeping was when they had fallen asleep outside their villa on their first night as a married couple.

She knew it was a Saturday, but that didn't usually stop him from disappearing on an early morning.

For a man as imposing as he, seeing him so peaceful and unaware seemed wrong. Seeing him be anything but the reserved asshole he usually was, was an instant sign that something was horribly wrong with him. Liliana was almost certain that he'd had a panic attack, she'd seen her aunt go through one enough times to recognise the signs. If that were the case, it was no wonder Marcello had fallen asleep so quickly afterwards - panic attacks would always take a lot out of her aunt, leaving her exhausted afterwards.

Despite knowing this, Liliana still couldn't help but be shocked by the sight of Marcello still in bed.

Regardless of why he was still here, Liliana knew she didn't want to be around when he eventually awoke. He'd allowed her to help him the night before, but that didn't guarantee he would welcome her presence now that the shock and adrenaline had worn off. It was more than likely that now that the panic attack had passed, his usual mood would return.

Liliana was quick to shower and dress, grabbing any clothes she could find, before sneaking out of there room by 7.45 am, hair still wet. She knew she looked at mess but it hardly seemed to matter, especially when she stumbled upon Giovanni in the lounge, scowling down at his mobile.

"What's wrong with you?"

Giovanni didn't look up as he texted. He was dressed immaculately as usual in grey fitted trousers and a white short sleeved shirt unbuttoned at the collar.

"I can't get a hold of Marcello, and I have no idea where he is," he murmured, sounding distracted. Giovanni shook his had as he continued to type quickly, only offering her a fleeting glance.

"It's only early. Surely it isn't so strange to have not heard from him yet. It's not like he needs to work every single day." Outside of the mafia, Liliana knew very little about Marcello's work. The D'Onofrio's used a hotel as a front - one that had somehow gained a reputation for housing the elite of New York - but Marcello's responsibilities regarding it were lost on her.

"Of course he doesn't," Giovanni scoffed. "He's only uses the office at the hotel to meet with associates on occasion. But he's rarely needed there, and he's spent far more time than usually at work lately."

Liliana's mouth flattened into a grim smile, abundantly aware that she was probably the cause of that. So he had been avoiding her. His absence hadn't been a result of his work, but a choice on his part to specifically stay away from the manor.

"Still," Giovanni sighed, running a hand across his face. "He's never in bed past six and I always know where he is. When he's missing, something is wrong."

He looked so terribly worried slouched over in the couch - the least composed she had ever seen him - that it would have been cruel to stay silent any longer.

"There's no cause for concern," Liliana breathed, running her fingers through her still wet and tangled hair. "You can cancel the missing person's investigation. He's still in bed this morning."

That got Giovanni to finally put his phone down. He was staring at her as if he couldn't quite believe what she was saying, and Liliana was almost insulted that he thought she'd lie to him about it.