Page 29 of King

Zina is standing in front of Guido with an expression of pure anger on her face. She looks like she wants to launch at me and tear me apart.

Behind her Guido is shaking - with anger - or shock. I don’t know.

My heart is heavy in my chest.

“If the boy stole he needs to make it right.” I say, without much conviction. I just want to put an end to this.

Zina glances back over her shoulder talking gently, but firmly.

“Guido , you can go. I’ll bring your dinner to you. Go clean up.” She says, overruling my request.

I glare at her with my jaw tight.

Santino huffs and storms out of the dining room as well.

Romeo runs to follow him, and Dante stands frozen, looking from Zina to me and back to Zina.

“Dad, that wasn’t?—”

“Get out.” I say to Dante. “Make sure Santino and Guido don’t get into it again.”

He pulls his face tight, but then leaves.

Zina continues to shoot deadly arrows at me with her gaze.

“You didn’t even try to defend him.” She says coldly.

“My son said he stole from him.”

“Your son?” she says, rich with accusation. “Your son?”

“You know what I mean.” I mutter, the guilt in my chest swelling and spreading.

“I don’t know what you mean, Giovanni. But it sounds like you need a massive wake up call. How can you treat your own blood like that? You didn’t even give him a chance to defend himself. You just assumed Santino was right and Guido didn’t have a chance to say a single word before you sided with the other boy.”

I press my lips together, not able to say a word before I know she’s right.

“You’re going to have to think long and hard about what it means to be a father. Whether you like it or not that boy is yours. You can hate me. You can treat me however you want - and you can allow your sons to continue to treat me like shit too - but don’t you dare, ever again, dismiss Guido like that.”

I glance around the empty dining room because I’m struggling to look at Zina. My heart is breaking over what I’ve done. I don’t know how to handle any of this. They are all my sons.

“Let’s just eat.” I say gesturing towards the food.

“I’m not hungry anymore. It turns out that being treated like nothing ruins a person’s appetite.” She snaps.

She storms from the dining room in a rage and I standalone, looking at the empty space, wondering how I stop all of this from tearing my family apart.

This entire thing is a shit show. A disaster. I wish she’d never come back. I wish she’s rather blackmailed me and taken a huge amount of money instead of making me deal with these emotions. I don’t fucking know how to deal with this level of conflict within my own home.

I’m ruthless with my enemies. I tear people apart when they cross me.

How to I stop my sons from fighting each other?

My thoughts drift to Guido .

My son. My son who I just betrayed in so many ways. He will grow to hate me if he doesn’t already. Santino was violent, far too violent - even if there was an issue between the two of them that is not how he should have solved it. And the strange thing is that Santino is the oldest, and usually the rational one. He’s losing his mind since his mother died. Since this mess started.

But it doesn’t give him a right to inflict such damage.

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