Page 58 of Prideful Union
“Lucia.” He grabs my arms. “Lucia, please. Let me explain. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to see you upset. I’ve grown to care for you. Maybe even … love you.”
His words shock me to my core.
And all I can do is laugh.
CHAPTER 17
Lucia
Santino looks like I slapped him for real. “What’s so funny?”
I can’t stop the laughter from bubbling up. It’s not that I find it funny. It’s that Santino’s words are so shocking.
“You maybe love me?” I ask, getting my laughter under control. “Seriously?”
“What’s so wrong with that?”
“You lied to me, Santino!” I point toward the dining room. “You knew the truth. All of it. And you kept it from me. That isn’t love. How can you even say that? I thought you hated me.”
“Things … have changed,” he admits.
“When? When did they change?”
His gaze is intense, but I force myself to keep looking at him. “They changed when I saw you struggling. When you found out your mom lied to you. I felt for you. For the first time. I’ve grown to realize I don’t hate you. Not at all. I care about you, Lucia.”
I shake my head. “No, you don’t. If you did, you never would have lied to me. You never would have done the DNA test without telling me. You would have told me about the rape. Or at least told me that Antonio accidently told you something if you wanted to wait for my mom to tell me. You had so many chances.We’ve been talking. We’ve been making progress. But you just went and shit all over it!”
“That’s not how I see it.”
I huff. “Of course not. You always have to do things differently than me. We’re never on the same path, Santino. Never. So, how can youmaybebe in love with me? And what’s with the ‘maybe’ anyway? You either love me or you don’t. There’s no ‘maybe’ about that.”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you. I did what I did to protect you.”
“Protect me from what? The truth?”
“Yes!” he shouts. I flinch back. His eyes soften, and when he speaks again, his voice is lower. “I was going to tell you what Antonio told me. But you were so happy. I didn’t want to ruin that for you. I’ve grown to love your smile. Your attitude. I knew if you knew you were a product of rape, it would hurt you.”
“So, you gave that honor to my mom then? So, she could be the one to hurt me?”
“It was her story to tell.”
“I agree. But you still shouldn’t have lied.”
“What about your mom?” he asks. “She lied to you for eighteen years. Why are not yelling at her?”
“Because I understand why she lied. But you … you only lied to protect yourself. You don’t love me, Santino. You never have.” I walk away from him before he can say anything else.
I’m tired of him always getting the last word in. Now, it’s my turn.
My mom comesto my room to check on me. “You stormed out of dinner. I heard you and Santino arguing.” She steps next to me,where I sit on my bed, and reaches out a hand to touch my head before pausing.
I lean in closer to her, and she sighs, placing her hand on my head. “Where’s Luca?” I ask.
“Processing. He wanted some time to himself, which I understand.” She sits down beside me. “Is there anything you want to talk to me about?”
“I can’t believe Franco hurt you like that. And for so long.”
She inhales and exhales slowly. “I wanted to protect you older siblings from him. And then I was pregnant with you and Luca. I knew I had to protect you from him, too.”
