Act like my wife

45. Abyss

Patrizio's point of view

"Madre, please calm down" I pleaded as I led her back to her room. Two of my men were right behind me, unsure of what to do. I looked in their direction... "Get Doctor Giacomo!"

They answered in unison and ran out, leaving just her and I. My skin burned from the areas that her long fingernails dug into when she scratched me earlier. She kept kicking and screaming until she grew weary, all the while, I stayed calm.

Madre was a mess, she was restless and burning up. She finally calmed down but still had a high fever. I left her for a second to get her meds, wondering what was taking the doctor so long to get here.

I returned shortly with a bowl of water, a kerchief, and her meds. "Here, take this" I placed some pills on her palm, but she threw the pills across the room.

"Strega," She murmured with her eyes closed.

I dried the cloth and gently dabbed it on her forehead, "You know I don't like it when you say that about Veronica"

She opened her eyes wide. "That is not Veronica! Niet!" She screamed, "She wants to kill me, protect me figlio. Please." Her voice broke as tears ran down her face.

I pulled her close to my chest, wrapping my arms around her, and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Nothing will happen to you."

She held onto me and for the first time, I felt my mother's emotions. She sniffled, "Promise me you'll send her away"

"I will, you just stay calm."

Just then, Doctor Giacomo arrived and I gave room for him to treat my mother's fever. After he was done, she fell asleep.

I moved her out of the dungeon and back to her old room upstairs. Just to be safe, I placed my two trusted men at the door. With Leo out on an errand, I had to pick from Federico's men... they are the ones I trust a little bit more.

***

I finally gathered the courage to go see the man who I call my father. Mio Padre.

I braced myself as I went further into the dungeon, past Madre's former cell, past every door along the dimly lit hallway until I arrived at the door at the end. The entire time, I kept preparing myself for his piercing insults. My father's tongue is like a venomous sword, sharp and lethal. He is probably going to spit more harsh words at me and try to make me feel worse than Madre tried to do. Somehow, I feared that his words might have more effect on me; Madre never failed to tell me how much she hated me, but Padre barely talked, so, whenever he said something, we took it very seriously.

I stopped at his door and inserted the key to unlock it. Then, I sucked in a long breath and entered the room... He was facing the window so I could only see his back. He had on a black shirt and trousers.

The smell of cigarettes rippled in the air and tingled my nostrils, lingering longer than it should. I looked down and noticed two burned-up cigarettes trampled on the carpet.

"I thought you stopped this habit, Lorenzo." I can't believe someone let him consume these coffin nails in here!

He chuckled deeply. "You can't control me in here, can you ragazzo?"