Page 4 of King

“Go check on him. You boys need to be there for each other through this. You will each experience grief in your own ways - but understand that you are all hurting the same.” I tell him, wrapping one hand over the side of his neck. My son. My oldest, strongest son. With the heart of a warrior.

I gently slap his cheek and he smiles sadly.

“I’ll look after both of them, dad. You don’t have to worry about us.”

“I will always worry about you. It is my job to worry about you.”

A loud scuffle breaks out behind us and I spin to see Dante pushing Guido , Zina’s boy.

“Why are you here?” he shouts. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

Zina steps in between the two boys. Guido is younger than Dante, but they are almost the same height. Dante’s eyes are filled with rage, the only emotion that might distract him from his grief, as he tries to push Zina away too. She grabs his wrists and forces him to look at her.

“Dante, stop this. Your mother would not want this.”

“What do you know about my mother? Who the hell are you?” he shouts again.

Everyone in the room is watching and a heated murmur of questions begin to flurry over the surface of the room. Who is she? Who is the boy? What is going on? Was Giovanni having an affair? Why have we never seen her before?

“Enough.” I shout over the noise. “Stop this immediately.”

Dante ignores me and pushes the boy again, so I storm over to him, grab him by the collar, and drag him aside. “This is not how we behave.” I snarl at him, but my heart aches to see the swollen redness of his eyes and the pain drowning him.

Grabbing him into a tight hug, I hold him against my chest, pressing his head against me as I whisper. “It’s going to be ok, Dante.”

He breaks down against me and sobs, heavy, aching sobs of grief.

“She’s gone, dad.”

“I know.”

“She’s never coming back.”

“I’m so sorry, son.”

Santino gently pries Dante from my arms and guides him out of the main hall, onto the front step, to watch the rain and breathe some fresh air.

I turn towards Zina, angry and glaring coldly at her. “What are you trying to do?” I snap.

“I just need to talk to you, Giovanni.” She says quietly.

“And you honestly thought this was the right time?”

“It’s the only time. I’ve waited sixteen years.”

I shake my head. The only way to get rid of her is to listen. I gesture for her to follow me as I walk briskly towards a private room at the back of the hall.

Zina takes her son’s hand and pulls him to follow her.

Romeo runs outside to tell his brothers what is happening.

TWO

zina

Icame here knowing that it would not be easy. Knowing that Giovanni would not be happy to see me. But what choice did I have? I’ve waited sixteen years to see him. I respected his wishes to stay out of his life, but his wife is dead now and he can no longer push me away.

We were in love once. At least I was.

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