The Lost Daughter

Chapter 9: Gianna

Unsurprisingly, dinner is a loud affair, somehow the number of chairs at the, already abnormally large, table has tripled, everyone gets a seat but it's extremely cramped,

i'm shoulder to shoulder with uncle Verdi and Brio, both of which eat in absolute silence, it's a welcome reprieve from the exhausting amount of small talk i've had to make in the last couple of hours,

thankfully my dad must've talked to the cook because i have a significantly smaller amount of food on my plate than at the last meal so i don't feel nearly as guilty about not finishing it,

i notice my grandfathers disapproving, narrow eyed look at my meagre portion and how little i ate of it, i can also see my fathers face pinched with concern and i try to take another bite but my stomach protests, i'd rather be judged for my diet than throw up all over the table in front of my family,

i push the food around my plate, accidentally getting lost in my thoughts before i'm ripped out of them by a loud question being directed at me,

"so...where you been hiding, baby cousin?" Lazaro asks, projecting his voice from the other end of the table, immediately all eyes are on me and my face flames,

my breathing halts in panic as my eyes shoot frantically to my father, an indecipherable emotion passes over his face as he takes in my expression and he opens his mouth to defuse the situation, but before he can get a word out my uncle Verdi chimes in,

"Yes, where were you?" the cold edge to his voice shocks me and i'm hurt by the sudden animosity he's showing me,

"i-i-i was in l-london," i mumble but the sound fills the quiet room easily, "t-these, um, people, raised me, i thought they were my parents,"

"De Luca's don't stutter!" uncle Verdi yells and my breath hitches in my throat painfully as i duck my head, flinching, preparing for a blow,

the room becomes still and it feels as if the light atmosphere from moments ago has been sucked out along with the noise, the only sound that can be heard is my rapid raspy breaths,

the effort of breathing grates painfully in my bruised throat and my whole body trembles in place, frozen in preparation of the beating to come,

my uncle was by no means a fragile old man despite being in his fifties, his hands were rough and calloused from manual labour, and i'm sure the lightest slap from him would be agony,

i jolt when the screech of a chair scraping against the ground pierces the silence, and again when i'm tugged against a firm body, i recognise the distinct sandalwood scent immediately and i sink into my fathers arms, he'll protect me, i know it,

my breathing gradually evens out, syncing with the rise and fall of his chest, and i don't dare lift my head or even open my eyes,

"what the actual fuck was that?" the violent low timbre of Aldo's voice echos through the room and there's a mumbled chorus of agreements that follow his question,

"i guess that explains the bruises," uncle Verdi comments casually as if he didn't just send me into a panic attack,

my fear of him adding to the already crippling pain coursing through my body causes me to flinch again, and i shuffle further into my fathers arms, i've lost all reservations about looking pathetic in front of my family,

Isaia glares furiously at his father before turning to me with an apologetic expression which calms me a little bit more,

surprisingly it's Cielo who breaks the tension, changing the subject, but still keeping me the focus of the room,

"so, what are you studying in school? actually what are we doing about her education now?" the last question is directed to my father and quickly overshadows the first and i sigh in relief at not having to answer,

"i was thinking of enrolling her at Rudport, at least i can trust Manson to keep her safe," my dad replies, addressing everyone else, leaving me in a state of confusion,

"what's Rudport? who is Manson?" i finally speak up, steadily avoiding everyone but my brothers' eyes,

"it's the private school we all went to, dad knows the headmaster, Manson, so it's probably the best choice," Emiliano answers, typing something on his phone,

"private school? like a boarding school?" i question frantically, i don't think i'd be able to cope with being sent away,

"no, no, bambina you'll still be living here, one of your brothers can drive you there and back," my father is quick to reassure which calms me immediately,

"are we really not going to talk about what just happened?" Thadeo speaks up for the first time,

"no. we are not." Renzo snaps, the fact that he spoke up for me is such a shock that my eyes fly to his, for the first time since i met him i can see the silent support there amongst the anger,

"well, it's getting late, about time for everyone to head to bed, no?" uncle Vince suggests, his thick italian accent highlighting his slightly broken english,

"yes, indeed," my grandfather starts, standing up to pull me into a hug, "goodnight tesoro," he says as he kisses me on the head, before pulling away and taking a few menacing steps out of the room, while dragging uncle Verdi from his seat, making him spill his glass of whiskey down his shirt, and tugging him along,

as my father gently leads me out of the room with a hand on my back my cousins mumble various goodnights and head towards their rooms in the visitor wing,

by the time we reach my bedroom the exhaustion has kicked in and my eyelids suddenly feel a million times heavier, i'm barely able to hug my dad and hear his murmured "night cara, love you,",

as soon as the door clicks shut softly, behind me i yank my leggings and bra off and pull on a pair of sleep shorts, choosing to keep the oversized long sleeve on,

i slip into a deep sleep moments after resting my head on the pillow but it's only a couple hours into my peaceful sleep that i'm plagued by nightmares that have me jumping out of my bed, mouth dry and sweat coating my body,

i stumble out of my room in search of a cool glass of water and amble my way down to the kitchen,

my eyes continue to water, tears slowly dripping down my cheeks, as i shove the large door open and shuffle towards the sink,

my legs tremble as i lean against the counter and i make the decision to head to the living room, once there i drop onto the sofa, setting my glass on the coffee table and wipe the moisture from my cheeks,

i don't notice someone's presence in the room while i was lost in my flashback and i jump when Vitus suddenly speaks up, "hey, piccolina, what are you doing up?" he questions, his voice croaky from sleep,

"nightmare..sorry did i wake you up?" i reluctantly admit, feeling guilty for disturbing him,

"no, sorella, i was just grabbing a snack, i was already up," he soothes, slowly making his way from the doorway to my side before sinking into the sofa next to me,

i start sniffling again, tears falling faster than i can swipe them away, when he pulls me into his side, "oh cocca, c'mon," Vitus coos, lifting me onto his lap and against his chest as he leans back, reclining more comfortably,

before i know it my hiccuped sobs are slowing and my eyes are fluttering shut and i fall asleep to his quiet humming,