Page 85 of The Don

Rose places her hand on my thigh and squeezes. She leans over and whispers, “But we’re still us.”

Rose will always be Rose. Loud, headstrong, viciously loyal, and protective.

Me, on the other hand, I’m still trying to work through the trauma and hurt he caused.

I know I’ll get there. In time.

“That massage,” Rose says as she sips on her water at the restaurant. “I fell asleep and when I woke, I was drooling.”

My sister makes me laugh. “My masseuse used her elbows to get in so deep. I think she broke something,” I say as I rub at the top of my shoulder.

My phone on the table vibrates and I look to it. “Look at that smile.”

I glance at my sister and tilt my head. “What smile?” I can’t seem to straighten my mouth.

“So, tell me. He’s good to you, right?”

“Very good. He’s so kind in every way.” I pick up my phone and look at the message. You look happy. I lower the phone and pull my shoulders back as I peer around the restaurant.

“What is it?” I hold the phone out to Rose who reads the message and laughs. “Our men are hard-core stalkers.”

Ruben is nowhere to be seen. “Stalkers?” I say with humor.

“Yeah, your security will have been instructed to call him or text him probably everywhere we go.”

I type out a quick reply. I am. I love spending time with my sister. Thank you for arranging this. I lay the phone on the table and lean closer to Rose. “He was never good for me at all. And now Ruben, he’s the complete opposite.” I look at my wringing hands and worry my lip between my teeth. “I have to be honest, Rose. I never thought I’d allow someone else into my life, but with Ruben, it feels so effortless and genuine. I’m already comfortable with him.”

“Then it’s meant to be.”

“Mrs. Sacco, your mushroom risotto,” the waiter announces and places Rose’s dish in front of her. He then turns to me and says, “The antipasto platter for you, Mrs. Sacco.” He places the massive platter in front of me.

“Thank you,” Rose and I say in unison.

He nods curtly before walking away. “Yum, olives.” Rose takes an olive off my plate. “So,” she begins as she picks her fork up and pushes her piping hot risotto around. “You used to refuse to tell me why you married Adrian, but it’s time, Eliza.” Her blue eyes harden.

My shoulders sink as I stare at the arrangement of cured meats and vegetables on the platter. “I—”

“No.” She waggles her finger at me. “You don’t have a choice in the matter now. I know you weren’t in a good space, and you couldn’t tell me, but now it’s different. You have so much support, and although it might hurt you to tell me, I deserve to know. I was there for you, Eliza. I left Dominic to be with you.”

“Please, don’t lay that guilt on me.”

“I’m not trying to. All I’m saying is that I also sacrificed for it, and I think I deserve the reason as to why you married him to start with.”

She’s right. Rose did sacrifice so much to help me, the very least I can do is tell her. I’m just so afraid she’s going to hate our parents. But, she’s an adult, and she did help me, so with my head hung low, I intake a long breath and tell her. Everything. By the time I’ve finished I’m a damn mess.

I haven’t been able to make eye contact with Rose. It’s all too shameful. “I’m sorry,” I say through the tears.

“Eliza, look at me,” Rose demands. I can hear it in her voice, she’s crying too. “Look at me.” I refuse to lift my chin. I’m so ashamed of everything. I hear the scraping of her chair, then feel her arms around me. “Our parents were assholes.”

I turn in my chair to embrace Rose. We need each other. “Don’t hate them.”

“Of course, I’m going to hate them. Look at what they did to you. And you took the brunt of it so I would never know what they did. You’re a-fucking-mazing, Eliza. I can’t thank you enough for what you did. And I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I wish I knew, I...I...”

“There was nothing you could do, he owned them which means he owned me too.”

Rose hugs me tighter, holding me in her arms until both our tears subside. “We have to tell Dominic and Ruben,” she says when she pulls back and sits in her chair again.

“Ruben already knows. And I made him promise me not to tell you because I didn’t want you to hate our parents.”

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