The Don's Daughter: Love & Betrayal

Thirty Nine

Carina

A month. That's how long it took for me to finally break away from all that madness and finally have piece of mind. Giovanni wouldn't let me leave because things kept coming up. All of a sudden I was the busiest person on earth. Making sure shipments which were drugs and illegal firearms were sent out and arrived at their destination, having meetings with Padre's partners and assuring them that business will proceed as usual, hiring more men to replace the ones that had died while attacking Chris's mansion. Goodness, the list was endless. On top of that, there was Marianna, her mother -because I can't bring myself to think of her as my mother- and Damiano.

It turns out that Marianna and Damiano had come up with a plan to spy on me. She says she only wanted to know how I was but I don't believe her. To me she's still the same little witch who'd given me sleepless nights because I was afraid if I closed my eyes, she'd do something to me. I can't change my opinion of her just because she happens to be my sister. Yes, I verified it through a DNA test I had Paulo do secretly. Both of them are my family but I feel nothing towards them. Guess who's fault that is?

Anyway, since Damiano couldn't get anywhere near me, thanks to Paulo, he chose the next best thing. Carina, no. Aurora. That was her name. I don't know where she came from. I woke up one day and found her in my room. She told me that I was supposed to take Marianna's identity while she took mine because from that day onwards, everything I had would be hers. I guess that's why I was able to play Marianna's part so well. I hated Aurora for taking my life, my name, everything. We begged Padre to let her be Marianna but he said I was more suited since I'd lived with the real Marianna and knew how she was.

Aurora hated that because she thought I had a better life than hers. She wanted to be the Lombardi princess but couldn't so she resorted to making my life miserable. Every chance she got, she would screw me over just to show Padre how wrong he was in not choosing her. There were other times I thought Marianna had reincarnated into her body. They were so much alike in so many different ways that it was creepy. Even after all that, I didn't want her to die. We were also alike. Both of us left the orphanage hoping to have a family and a better life. We didn't know what we were signing up for.

Back to Damiano, I think he liked her a little. Otherwise he wouldn't have tried to shoot me back at Marco's party. His fights with Marianna have been endless. That idiot thought she could send her man to another woman and expect him to come to her still the same person. As if he didn't have any feelings. That's the problem with women. I would never send Chris to another woman, hell if I find him with another slut, I'll cut off his balls and feed them to her. If he loves me, he shouldn't look at anyone else. Guess Damiano doesn't love Marianna that much.

I would have liked to rub that in her face but I've been keeping myself busy to avoid them. If I knew how much family reunions suck, I wouldn't have wished for one. That woman, Ornella, she's like a pest. After telling me she wasn't going to leave, she's done nothing but irritate me for the last month. "Carina, I made you your favorite cake. Do you want me to show you how to bake it?" "Carina, we have the same shoes. What a coincidence. Should we put them on and go out as the three musketeers?" "Carina, your closet is a mess. Do you want me to arrange it for you?" "Carina, I just saw your boyfriend leave. Do you want a few tips on how to keep him by your side?" Carina this, Carina that. I couldn't breathe without her magically appearing beside me.

I've lived all my life without a mother. I don't know why Padre never got married but I never had a mother figure. Everything I know about women, I learnt it from the house help. They were the ones taught me how to dress, walk in heels, do makeup and many other things. She gave me up which means, whenever I needed her, she wasn't there. Why the fuck should I accept her now? There's also something else that's been on my mind lately. If she was able to fake Marianna's death, why didn't she do the same with me? Why hadn't she gotten me out?