𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐌𝐞

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Dante // February 25
•••

Adriana was the one single good thing Vittoria had brought into my life.

I remember being angry at first when my father and his new wife announced the pregnancy. No depressed eleven year old boy wanted a new baby sibling after all.

The entire nine months was a vague black cloud in my head. My father was barely home anymore and when he did make an appearance he rarely looked at me, let alone spoke to me. Vittoria on the other hand, was breathing down my neck every second of the day.

I was on my tiptoes twenty four seven. Always feeling like the witch could pop up out of thin air when I'd make a wrong move, took too long of a breath or appeared too vulnerable for her liking.

She'd forced a kid to behave like an adult. Making me pretend to enjoy reading the newspaper rather than playing outside with the soccer ball my friends in Italy had given to me as a goodbye gift.

Forcing me to participate in trainings meant for grown men until I collapsed on the ground. Yelling at me when my face would make an expression. Glaring at me when I didn't use the right words in my sentences. And hitting me when I failed at something.

Near the end of the pregnancy, she was bedridden.

It had been for only four days, but I finally felt like I could breathe again.

During those days, I prayed it could stay like that.

I could handle living in a closed off mansion in Chicago with strangers that served me as if they were afraid I'd do something bad to them if they displeased me. I could handle being away from my mother's grave and my childhood friends. I could handle watching the father I'd ones admired change into a coldhearted shell of a man.

I could handle all of that – if only she'd just disappear.

I prayed she'd focus her attention on her own child ones it was born. I hoped she'd abuse it just like she'd done with me, forcing it to change into a robotic emotionless person.

I told myself that I wouldn't care what happened to the baby as long as Vittoria left me alone.

That was, until I met her for the first time.

Adriana Alessi looked nothing like her mother, neither did she look like my father, both on the inside and outside.

Round brown eyes, olive skin, dark curly hair and a heart-shaped face, all features she'd inherited from my nonna on my father's side.

And the first time I saw her, sleeping peacefully while being held in Vittoria's cruel hands was the same second I made a promise to her and to myself that I wouldn't let the same things happen to her as they did to me.

I wouldn't let her have a taste of a joyful life just for it to be taken away from her in a matter of seconds.

I wouldn't let her pass out, hurting and sweating on a hard floor after an eight hour training.

I wouldn't let her see the violent, dangerous and ugly realities of the outside world.

And I kept those promises through the years – until I didn't.

Natalia Marino was the first and last girlfriend I'd ever introduce to my sister.

At first I was under the impression that they got along well. Adriana was always happy to see Natalia. She valued her opinions and always sought out her approval which Natalia happily gave.

At least, when I was around.

I'd been in a meeting with our wedding planner when I got a call from Ricardo, telling me Adriana passed out during P.E at school. I'd nearly ripped his throat out when he told me it had been the third time already, but she'd begged him not to tell me the first two times.