Page 60 of Prideful Union
I follow him downstairs. “You’re drunk. You shouldn’t be going anywhere. Let’s sober you up, and then we can talk.”
“No!” he shouts, pulling away from me. “I don’t always want to talk, Lucia. Franco was our father, and Mom lied to us about it. He fucking raped her! How is any of this ok? How are you so ok with this?”
“I’m not. I …”
“‘I’ what?” He scoffs. “Your ability to seek out a happy ending is astounding. You’re so desperate for everything to be perfect, you’re overlooking what Mom told us. I’m not ok with it.”
“I never said you had to be.”
“You implied it.”
I bristle. “No, I didn’t.”
“Oh, fuck off!”
Santino enters the foyer. Great. “What’s the matter here?”
“We’re fine,” I tell him, keeping my eyes on Luca.
“No, we’re not,” Luca says, looking at Santino. “Your wife is in denial, by the way. I’m not staying in this house a moment longer.”
“Wait. Luca, don’t go.” I chase him to the door and try stopping him, but he wrenches away from me.
“I’m not going to pretend everything is ok,” he growls before leaving the house.
“Luca, don’t go!” I slump against the doorframe, knowing it’s useless. When Luca wants to go off on a bender, there’s no stopping him.
I can feel Santino behind me. His eyes have a power to them that makes me shiver. I turn to him. “What? What do you want?”
“I just wanted to make sure you’re all right,” he says in a soft voice.
I want to believe him, but I don’t trust him. Not after how he’s treated me.
“I’m not all right,” I say. “My brother is gone. He’s probably going to die out there, given how drunk he is. And there’s nothing I can do about it. So, no. I’m not all right, Santino.” I brush past him, heading back upstairs.
I feel his eyes on me the entire time.
CHAPTER 18
Santino
Idecide to find Luca.
Normally, I’d say,Fuck it. Let the drunk get what he deserves. But Luca going off by himself wasted upsets Lucia.
And I’ve discovered I don’t like seeing Lucia upset.
When I first met her, I loved seeing Lucia get riled up. It just meant she was a challenge. But as time has gone on, I’ve grown to care for her. I’ve learned I like seeing her smile. So, seeing her cry is not a good feeling.
The reason she’s upset right now is because of Luca. He’s hurt over learning the truth, which I can understand. But he’s also being stupid. Going off on your own when you’re drunk like that is never a good idea.
By the time I leave the house, I don’t see Luca outside, so I get in my car and start searching for him. It’s getting dark out now, making him harder to find.
I’ve been driving for around ten minutes before I see something. Multiple people are huddled around a building, looking up at something. Or someone.
When I slow down, I see the someone is Luca, standing on the building’s roof, close to the edge. He’s swaying and stumbling.
Shit.
