Page 48 of Monster in Disguise

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "But it wasn't just one." I'm almost embarrassed as I say this. Enzo just raises an eyebrow.

"She was with three men... in the living room."

"Fuck! I told her to keep that shit out of my house." He stands up, clearly pissed. "Damn! Claudia or Luca could have seen her."He smashes his fist on the desk and I keep myself still, though the urge to flinch is there.

"That's what I was worried about too. Luckily onlyIsaw her, but even for my eyes it was..." I trail off.

"Oh, Lina! Of course!" He comes and takes me into his arms. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'll have words with her so she doesn't do it in here anymore."

"What happened, Enzo? You were so in love with each other," I whisper, the situation confounding me. I'd met Allegra before. She'd come with Enzo to visit me. She'd been the loveliest woman, and I could see how much they loved each other. It just makes little sense.

"Not everything is as it seems, Lina. I couldn't give her what she wanted..."

I shake my head. "It's not right."

"Don't worry about it,piccola." He strokes my hair. "One day, I'll tell you all about it."

"You look beautiful, mamma,"Claudia says, resting her head on her hands as she looks at me.

"You think so?" I twirl around a little, examining the back of the gown.

We'd picked up this dress when we'd gone shopping. I somehow didn't want to pass up the opportunity of wearing a white dress at my wedding, considering it might be the only one I'll ever have.

The dress is a creamy white with a high neck and short sleeves. The hem reaches my calves. It's not very skintight, but it molds nicely to my body.

The sales assistant had suggested I try some shorter dresses, and some that emphasized my cleavage too much. Yeah, they hadn't looked bad, but I'd been so uncomfortable in them, feeling extremely self-conscious about myself.

It must be that I've gotten so used to wearing church-acceptable clothing that I've lost the taste for anything on the more daring side.

I smile a little, pleasantly satisfied with my look.

An intruding thought tells me that maybe Marcello will like it too, but I quickly catch myself. It's better to nip this crush in the bud before it's too late. I mean, who knows, maybe he's actually an awful person.

I sigh.

I don't even know if that would be better or worse. Sure, it would be better because then I could dislike him... or at leastnotlike him. But then it would be worse because we will actually live with him and his family.

I sneak a glance at Claudia, and she's admiring her own dress in the mirror. I don't think she's ever worn anything as colorful as that. It's a nice dusty pink, with glitter on the sleeves.

Regardless of the circumstances that brought us to this point... maybe it's for the better? Claudia can finally have a normal childhood, and I will make sure she's safe at all times.

That makes me a little worried though... us moving to a foreign house, especially after the whole fiasco with Father Guerra.

I shake my head, trying to dispel those thoughts. It's not worth it to dwell on that. Surely not everyone is like Father Guerra.

"Are you ready?" She jumps from the bed and nods at me. I take her hand and we leave the room. The ceremony is going to be officiated here, and after that, we will leave for Marcello's house. I'd already packed all of our meager belongings.

As we go down the stairs, I can see Enzo deep in conversation with Marcello. There is a significant distance between the two, and it just reminds me of the fact that Marcello can't stand being touched.

It had seemed odd when he'd said that, but who am I to judge? Maybe he has his own demons to grapple with.

Like I know I have....

Our footsteps echo on the stairs as we descend, and when they both look up, I catch my breath. Enzo's smile is warm and welcoming, but Marcello's expression is difficult to read—almost bored, with a hint of something else lurking within his dark eyes.

As my eyes meet his gaze, I suddenly feel self-conscious in my plain dress. My fingers twitch towards the neckline, but I resist the urge to cover myself up. Claudia tugs her hand free from mine and rushes ahead, her long dark hair flying behind her.

"It's you!" she exclaims, pointing excitedly at Marcello.

---