Donna Angelica

xvi - Irriflessivo e insensibile

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Irriflessivo e insensibile
Unthinking and unfeeling

Impossible! Inconceivable! Incomprehensible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!

It was far too unreal. How she managed to remain standing was a great mystery, she could not falter just yet, she simply had to hang on. But even still, even still her throat was completely clogged with unexpressed emotion, her eyes were glossy and her precious face was heavily downcast.

Never in a million years did she ever imagine that this would be her fate, it had not occured to her in the slightest, never could she have thought that the moment she was led by La strega to the large oak doors the entire course of her life would be altered so greatly.

Her breathing was erratic and irregular, she was practically heaving, it was like her lungs were being squeezed. There was a loud ringing in her ears and the world was closing in on itself, morphing into something mightily unrecognisable.

She could not understand it, she lost the ability to properly grasp anything. It was akin to bring sucked into a wormhole leading to an alternate and bizarre reality. Never had she fervently wanted to go home to her parents, never had she desperately wished to be with Gualtiero. She mustered a modicum of strength and raised her head to look around. Members of his family were present, how dreadful it was, that they were the witnesses to her ruination, they did not stop it, they did not object to it, they had done nothing about it.

She disdained to look at Latona, she had wronged her more than she'd ever realise. She was irritated upon glancing at Ciro, what a fool he played her for. She noted the almost imperceptible smile of amusement on Dionisio's lips and it surged a rage within her, a strange anger. She feared she would spontaneously combust into flames as time waned. The dreaded premonition had come to fruition, who would have thought her status would so suddenly change from a mere maid cleaning a dusty attic?

"You should stop frowning so much." She jumped at the husky voice that came from behind her seat. She turned to see it was his younger brother Stefano.

He continued speaking with his arm coming to rest behind her head and his mouth close to her ear, "You must be very happy I presume. Today just might be the greatest day of your life." She gulped, disoriented and looked away from him.

He proceeded to poke her, "But what do we have here?" He pointed at his older brother that sat with the rest of the family in a wheelchair, "It's definitely one of the worst for him." Stefano's underlying tone was accusatory, as if she was the cause of the whole charade.

She kept silent and stared at her feet, indignant at being blamed for anything at all when she was the one being tossed around like a unthinking and unfeeling marionette with no will of her own.

Stefano did not quite have a reason to accuse her or assume the worst of her but he could not help his compulsion to set the girl straight before she got any funny ideas.

"But you will never have to worry about anything, everything you could ever want will forever be at your fingertips." He drawled. His words hit her deep and then she went blank.

Saverio was rather relaxed and unbothered, with his brothers talking while he listened half-heartedly.
His mother hadn't particularly been the happiest when it was finalised but there was no going back now was there? It was official—though it had involved a decent amount of bribery as it did not follow through according to procedure.

He stared at his brother and the girl, wondering what Stefano could possibly be saying to her till he stood up and came to join them once more. He continued to look in her direction, unable to see more than the back of her head, she still had her hair up in a bun.