With the lack of rest and nutrition, I stand on the edge of a cliff. The insult Stefano gave me is the sprinkle on the poisonous cake.
After I got dressed consisting of blue jeans and one of Anthony's shirts, I began my prep talk once more. I always thought it was stupid to prep-talk myself before a situation, but it feels like that's all I've been doing nowadays.
I inhale the sweet scent of Anthony before tucking his shirt inside the pants to look a bit more fashionable. Gianni taught me that tucking large shirts inside my pants always looks chic.
I know it's weird of me to pack and wear Anthony's shirt, but it makes me feel like he is here. It makes me feel safe.
The phone rang, and I looked at the unfamiliar number. I slide across the screen, "Hello?"
"Sup," the familiar voice rang.
"You're N&A." I wish she would give me a more natural name to say.
"Yup. So, I heard you're going to visit your evil mother-in-law approving wife," she said.
"How did you know?"
"Antonio told me," I can hear some sort of laughter in the background "How's it going?"
I exhale, "It could be worse."
"That's the positive attitude." I can hear a chip crunch. Every time she calls, it irritates me more and more. I can tell she is relaxed about this whole situation while I feel like I'm living in hell each day. "So, I analyzed the situation," she swallows. "It's a test."
"A test?"
"Yeah," more chips crunching. "Your mother-in-law is testing on how you can handle another woman in Anthony's life. You can say it is a difficult test since it plays with your emotions."
I bit my lower lip. "How cruel." She is supposed to teach me to be more like her, but instead, she is making me suffer.
"I didn't want to do this, but Antonio said that you should know their history so you can handle them. Ready?"
"Yes."
"Gabriella De Luca comes from the De Luca family," she informs me. "De Luca are old friends of the Maranzano. They established this relationship through decades of marriage."
"Wait a second," I pause, feeling like my whole body froze. "Does that mean they are related?"
"Yeah. Anthony and Gabriella are cousins," she said casually.
"Oh my God," I mumbled under my breath. Anthony was going to marry his cousin, no wonder why he was against it. Isn't that like incest?
"It's quite common in the upper class and royalty. I'm not saying the Maranzano, and De Luca are royals, but they are pretty important in European history. They prefer keeping the power within the family."
"That's fuck up," I said, feeling terrible for Anthony.
"Yeah. Oh, what a wonderful world we live in," she hums casually. "Anyways, Gabriella is the only daughter between two brothers. The older one is named Roberto, and the younger one is Stefano."
"I see."
"To them, you're the less attractive ugly evil gold digger. So, they hate you," she states.
"I see," the more she talks the worse I feel about the situation, and my self-esteem isn't doing any better. From their point of view, I am the snake; the villain between the sick love of Anthony and Gabriella.
Or lack of love.
Anthony loves me.
That was me trying to boost my self-esteem.
