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I admired Giovani – he was older, wiser, and taught me how to shave. We also pursued someotheractivities together that he agreed to keep to himself, involving some hard drugs and a few ladies eager to please. But that was a long time ago. More recently, he was the one Fabiano put in charge of informing me I was forbidden from seeing Grazia again and ever since, he made it on my shit list.
“He did. What do you have to say about that?”
“Nothing. It was something he had to do.”
“Maybe…” she left the sentence suspended, like I was supposed to guess her thoughts.
“Where are you going with this, Chiara?”
“Salvatore, I love Grazia, trust me when I say that I do, but I hate to see you like this because of her.”
“It’s not because…”
“Yes, it is, so either go get her back, or get yourself together, because this,” she gestured to the forgotten bottles next to me, “can’t keep going on.”
“I’m fine. Can you give me a fucking break?” She wasn’t my mother and I didn’t need her worries too. I had enough of my own.
“No, I can’t, Salvatore, because you’re all we have left. Adrian is gone, our parents have been dead for years, all Pietro and I have left is you. All my son has is you! And I won’t sit back and watch you destroy yourself trying to glue a broken heart.”
“I could do worse.”
“Well, I’m not willing to let you get there. You had a week to mourn and self-destruct, but now it’s over. Either you start living your life again, or I’m moving here.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m not joking, dear cousin. I’ll take my son and move us both into your guestroom to keep an eye on you if I have to.”
She sounded determined and that was scary.
“Woman, what’s gotten into you?”
“Thefamiglianeeds you and so do I.”
“Is everything alright?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “But you have to be alright too. Grazia can have your love, but she doesn’t get to ruin you.”
A bitter chuckle escaped me.
“Too late.”
“I know a thing or two about being left behind by a Caputo.”Goliath. “And I also know a thing or two about building yourself back. No more alcohol poisoning, no more moping around, no more hiding.”
I wasn’t going to run away and marry the first idiot that crosses my path like she did. Chiara was not healed, she just got good at covering her misery.
“You won’t let this go, will you?”
“Nope.”
Chiara was older than me, but she always was the object of my protection. Pietro knew that if this tirade would come from him, we’d probably end up boxing in the back yard, but instead, he sent his sister here with her doe eyes and sad smile, knowing she was my weakness.
“Chiara, how do you feel about tearing down some walls?”
“Come again?”
“I want to start changing father’s old library. Are you in?”
“Oh, yes, please! I really want to hit something.”
