The Mafia's Possession (Ongoing, Being Edited)

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"She's a deranged bitch and a sick excuse of a mother."

After dragging me out of the apartment of hell, Adriano had brought me back to Matteo's place. It took everything in me to convince Adriano not to go back into the apartment and kill my mother.

I didn't want him getting his hands dirty. It just wasn't worth it.

I wince as I place an ice pack against my bruised face. "Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that." I sarcastically reply to Adriano.

It's not my intention to respond in such a bitchy way. I was just hurting, both physically and mentally. Not once in her life had my mother ever put her hands on me.

"I'm sorry." I say. I put down the ice pack. "It's just, she's never done that before. She's fucking losing it." I feel the threat of tears wanting to break through again.

Adriano takes a step towards me but I hold up my hand. He stops, eyes full of anger and uncertainty stares me down.

"If you hug me I'll just start crying again. And I don't want to cry." I shake my head. Taking a deep breath I look out of the kitchen window. "Don't worry too much about me. It's the first and last time that will happen. We'll be back in Italy in a few days so let's just try and forget this happened." I try to say with a smile.

Adriano takes a step back and leans against the marble counter. He nods but I know that he's dying to tell something. But I just don't want to hear it. Not right now. I just want to forget this ever happened.

We let silence fall into place, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

I look back outside and I can't help but compare the vast difference between my home here and my home back at my fathers place. Here I grew up without love, without a family, apart from Chris. Back in Italy I had a family, I was surrounded by people who loved me.

I continue to look outside, my mind picking apart everything that I hate about this city. Dirty streets and cramped apartments like the one I grew up in, was all some people ever got to experience. Watching cars pass by from the apartment windows or walking over to the bodegas was the only form of entertainment the adults had. Little kids played in the water that ran out of the fire hydrants and into the streets. It was the only form of entertainment they knew. We didn't have big, lush, green gardens to play in. We had concrete yards and cracked sidewalks all around us. It truly was a concrete jungle.

I was ready to leave this place behind.

My gaze makes it's way back to Adriano.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" He asks.

Taking a quick glance at him one would think he was perfect. But once you sat down and took the time to actually see him you would notice that his nose wasn't perfectly positioned, it was slightly crooked. You would notice how he constantly licked his lips too keep them from drying. There were dark circles under his eyes probably from stress and lack of sleep. He always had to have the last word and was very honest about things he liked and disliked. He wasn't scared of saying what he felt. But those small things, and others, didn't really bother me. He was perfectly imperfect and that was enough for me.

"Clarissa. Do I have something on my face?"

Regardless of my cousins warning, I can't help the attraction that I'm feeling for this guy. Sure the way we met wasn't ideal, nor considered normal, but at this point in my life what exactly was normal?

"No." I pick up the now melted ice pack and hold it back up to my face. "So, help me keep my mind off of things. Tell me about your mom."

A small smile makes it's way onto his handsome face. He walks over and grabs my free hand, caressing the top of my hand with his fingers. "She's your typical Italian mom. Very loving, to the point of it being a bit smothering. Though she's loving she's also stern, and her word is law. And yes, even my father listens to her."