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“My last name isn’t Kent. It’s Maranzano,” I start.
Sabrina’s expression doesn’t even flicker at that. “Go on,” she prompts.
She’s always known I had secrets. I guess this is confirmation.
“Before I continue, I just want you to know that I never meant to lie to you, Sab. I did it because I had no choice.”
“You know I hate it when people say that. Claiming that they did something because they didn’t have a choice isn’t a viable excuse. There’s always a choice. People just choose the one that works better for them. The easier path,” she states.
Okay then. We’re starting off strong with the judgment. I haven’t even said anything scary yet.
“Just try not to freak out,” I say under my breath. “I can’t really explain exactly how everything works, but there are different crime organizations in this city. I know you’ve heard about the mafia before. Organized crime syndicates. And in Chicago, we have several of them. There’s the Italians, the Mexicans who run the cartels, and then there are Russians as well. There’s also the Irish. They don’t matter, though. What matters is where I come from. My family.”
“Your family belongs to a crime syndicate?” Sabrina asks slowly.
“Not exactly. We don’t just belong. My father was a mob boss. To be exact, he was the Don of the Chicago outfit. My parents are Italian. Or at least they were. My family has been a part of the Cosa Nostra for a very long time.”
“The Cosa Nostra?”
“It’s what the Italian mafia is called,” I explain.
“Okay,” Sabrina says, nodding. I can see her trying to take it all in. “So, you’re the daughter of a mob boss. I can deal with that. But you’ve also apparently been lying to me every day for the past ten years since we met. What’s with the change of heart now?”
I let out a quick breath. “I couldn’t hide it anymore. It was either come clean, or disappear entirely, and I couldn’t do that to you.”
“But you had no problem lying to me.”
“Sabrina, I’m sorry. I told you I didn’t have a choice. Not everything was a lie. I told you. Due to complicated reasons, my sister and I cut ties with our father a long time ago. We left the outfit and everything behind because we weren’t safe, and we didn’t want that life for ourselves anymore. When we left, we decided to start fresh. We changed our last names in order to start new lives without the weight of our last name haunting us.”
“Ten years, Aurora,” she repeats, her voice cold. “You had ten years to come clean to me. I understand not telling me in the beginning. After all, I was a stranger. But we grew closer. You were my best friend. I told you everything about me. I told you about my family. And you just sat there, and you listened to me while holding everything back. Do you understand what that means? It means I never even knew you at all!”
Her voice cracks on that last word. My chest tightens.
“That’s not true. You knew me. It’s still me, Sabrina. Nothing’s changed.”
She gets to her feet, running a hand through her hair.
“Everything’s changed, Aurora. Is that even your real name?”
Ouch.
“Of course it is,” I say softly. “I’m really sorry for hiding the truth from you, Sabrina. I really am. At first, I didn’t know if I could trust you. And when I figured out I could, I didn’t think it mattered anymore. I thought I had put that life behind me for good.”
She looks away from me, but not before I catch the tears in her blue eyes.
“I’m going to go, Aurora,” she says softly.
“Sab.”
“No, it’s fine. You finally came clean and told me the truth. Now it’s up to me to figure out how I want to deal with it. Just give me some time.”
“Okay.” I nod. “How long do you need?”
“I don’t know, Aurora. Maybe ten fucking years!” she snaps angrily.
I flinch at her tone. Yeah, I definitely deserved that.
“I’m sorry,” she says after a minute because she’s probably the kindest fucking person on the planet. “I just…”
