Tainted Faith

Thirty: Trenta [re-written 12/06/21]

[RE-WRITTEN]

Liliana's fingers flexed and clenched, her fist hovering over the solid wooden door before falling to her side. She huffed to herself and rolled her eyes, not quite understanding where this hesitance spawned from. This was her home, she was free to enter when she pleased, and there was no harm in appearing without warning.

It was mid-day and she knew that Marcello would not be home, and perhaps neither Angelo or Giovanni either as they no longer needed to stay home to watch her - something she had not considered until this very second. Only the staff should be occupying the house, and though it was still daylight, and though she would not be staying long, her pulse still spiked at the thought of entering the D'Onofrio manor once again alone. Barbato's guards, the ones he had hired to protect her now she was staying with him, had stayed by the front gates.

As soon as she entered, her eyes immediately fell towards the marble tiles of the foyer, as if she were expecting to find the residue of her mother's blood still staining the floor from all those years ago. She had not looked at the photographs of her mother since the day they had been delivered, for obvious reasons, but the image was burned into her mind it seemed. Sometimes, before she fell asleep, all she could envision was the sight of the bloodied D'Onofrio hallway. 

It was spotless; as clean as the rest of the house, as usual. One would never assume, as she original had not, that the home held any ghosts.

Gathering her courage, Liliana walked through the home with purpose, in search of someone to speak to, someone she could question. In light of what little Anton had revealed to her the evening before, Liliana was no determined to find out every last detail that pertained to her mother's death. If she understood the situation entirely, she could hopefully lay her mothers memory to rest without these ridiculous letters disrupting her life with their ambiguity. 

Today she would know everything about her mother's death, her murder.

Emiliana Fiorenza may have committed suicide but she did not sentence herself to death. It was Antonio Fiorenza and Gabriella D'onofrio that pushed her to the edge, that murdered her with their callous, thoughtless actions.

Liliana spied the staircase as she ventured further into the house, and she eyed the open hallway visible at the very top. She swallowed roughly, lip curling upwards as she stalked straight past towards the kitchen, her stomach turning uncomfortably.

Liliana had never expected to enter the D'Onofrio manor and have it feel so small, so confining. In comparison to the grandness of Barbato's mansion, the D'Onofrio manor had lost its allure. And as Liliana walked through it, it felt as if her lungs had been bound. The sound of her feet faded, and was replaced with the distinct sound of a man's heavy boot against the carpeted floor, or the thud of something solid and weighted cracking against her skull. 

Liliana came to an abrupt stop, palms flat against the white walls as she sucked in a sharp breath. Acid rose in her throat, and Liliana worked hard to quell the unsettling feeling of queasiness. When it finally passed, the tightness in her chest easing, Liliana noticed how her whole body seemed to still be shaking. 

"Signora Liliana?" It was then Liliana noticed she was indeed not alone. 

Lucetta was at her side, a comforting hand rubbing small circles against her back. With a shaking smile, Liliana righted herself and offered the maid her greetings, shaking fingers fisted and pressed against the softness of her stomach. When the illness quelled she found her lips stretching wider, heat returning to her face. The sight of such a soft face was welcoming. Liliana could feel her feet firmly on the ground as Lucetta hooked an arm through hers and guided her to the kitchen, where she had been attempting to reach before the small incident.