Page 1 of Isle of Pain

1

MARIE

OMENS AND CHOICES

The day I find out my twin sister is pregnant is also the day I realise she might die.

Lisa missed her period and if there's one thing we’re really good at, us Moretti twins, it’s being perfectly on time and perfectly in sync. I clock her out after two days. We share a bathroom at our father’s mansion, our bedrooms connecting through the double door space, and Lisa can be quite messy. The absence of blood on the porcelain bowl of the toilet alerts me immediately to her situation. That and the fact that she keeps sneaking around with her new security detail, Hugo. Poor guy is as good as dead now. Lisa knew our father would kill him if they ever got caught but she did it anyway. So did he, for that matter. Maybe Lana, our sister and new Head of the family, will do it. She’s lenient, but not that much. If you take a job protecting the daughter of a retired mafia boss and sister of thecurrentboss, you better know how to keep it in your pants. Hugo, I’m sure, never thought he’d get caught.

I can’t blame Lisa though. She lives for the thrill and it’s the only freedom we really have with being perfect little mafiaprincesses, born and bred for this life even if we’re raised as if our family is squeaky clean. The thought makes me want to reach for what’s inside my small black purse.

It’s been too long, but I need to wait a little longer.

Where Lisa loses herself with unprotected sex with the man who’s supposed to protect her—and maybe soon, motherhood—I have other outlets.

I refrain and focus on the round clock hanging from the sterile white wall of the doctor’s office waiting room. The hands of the clock tick loudly and I’m painfully aware that my heart is twice as fast. It pounds in my ears, and the back of my neck dampens with a light sheen of sweat despite the November air reaching inside the building. My long black hair sticks to my nape uncomfortably, but at least it hides any traces of my discomfort.

I could always go to the bathroom and get what I need. Lisa wouldn’t notice, she’s too busy chewing on her nails, buzzing with both fear and excitement.

Since we were three or four years-old, Lisa’s always talked about having a big family, with four or more children, ‘just like mamma’.

Our mother had four girls. Angèle is the oldest. Married to the media tycoon of Kalliste island, she lives for her husband and his ambitions, which serve the Morettis well. After all, the small Mediterranean island we live on might have its own government, but in reality, it belongs to my family. Alana—Lana—is the official head of the Morettis, and engaged to our business partner’s son, Lisandru Bartoli. They love each other so much it’s nauseating to be around them but after what she went through during her first marriage, I’m glad she found him.

And then, there’s us. The two misfits. Twenty year-old, and no idea what we’re doing.

At least I don’t.

I have no clue what I want or who I am. Our family has always wanted to keep us safe so we’ve been raised away from any shady dealings and dangerous activities. What they did without realising it, is alienating us from the rest of them. I have everything I could ever want, yet everything scares me so much I have panic attacks. And I’m always alone. Alone with Lisa, but alone all the same. Forgotten and discarded, kept away as too precious, too fragile, too young.

Actually, I know exactly what I wantright nowand my skin prickles with the need for it.

Before I can make a move, the ob/gyn appears in the threshold of her office, wearing a white coat that does nothing to settle my nerves or Lisa’s.

It took us far too long to come up with an excuse and have our security drive us here but thank God for basic men’s aversion to anything related to period and vulvas—except when it comes to sticking their dicks into them. They didn’t want to hear why we needed to go, and our mother didn’t pry.

We make our way into Dr Olmeto’s office and Lisa clasps my hand in hers, the other one pulling at the threads of her ripped jeans. We’ve only ever counted on each other. I’d never let her go through anything alone. I squeeze her fingers and give her a reassuring smile. Her shoulders drop slightly and she releases a heavy sigh.

After the introduction, Dr Olmeto guides Lisa onto the examination table. The leather creaks as she lays down. She moves the oversized black sweater to reveal her flat pierced belly and I stand at her head, but keep her hand in mine.

“Alright Miss Moretti, take a deep breath and relax for me, please,” she instructs.

Lisa giggles and it takes her a few minutes before she settles, her dark green eyes an exact replica of mine and shining withmischief. She looks at me and I know exactly where her mind went.

“Ew, gross, Lili,” I whisper.

She beams a salacious smile. The moment helps diffuse the tension, and the ob/gyn can start her examination, her lips twitching with amusement.

As the doctor glides the transducer for the ultrasound on Lisa’s lower belly, she frowns and remains silent.

The seconds tick by, but Dr Olmeto’s face doesn’t show the joy you’d expect from someone who’s about to announce your sister is having a baby.

“Congratulations Miss Moretti. You’re pregnant.” Her voice sounds like a dull blade in the silent room. “I’ll print the sonogram and come back in a moment.”

She disappears behind her door. The ominous air suffocates us.

“Do you think there’s something wrong with her?” Lisa asks, more fragile than I’ve ever seen her. Her radiant and glowing olive skin is sullen with unnatural grey under her eyes.

“Her?”

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