ON HOLD - Silent Whispers - Family Secrets

~Chapter 1~

Chapter Song

Lipstick On Your Collar - Connie Francis

Darkstaroreo this is for you... Because you hate Claudia so damn much ;-) 

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"He's cheating on me." Giovanna stated coldly lowering her voice so to not alert the other patrons.  Her eyes remaining on her less than exciting Greek salad as she picked at the square portions of feta cheese.

"Excuse me?" Her long time best friend Tiziana responded shocked at her statement. She remained dumbfounded with her fork in hand awaiting additional information to follow such a bombshell.

"You heard me," she tilted her chin up finally making eye contact with Tiziana. "He's. Cheating. On. Me." Reaching for her glass of water she brought the refreshing beverage to her suddenly parched lips.
She had been waiting all afternoon to say it out loud; it was the first time she had dared to speak the words.
Her fiancé, Francesco Abandonato, cheating on her? The same man who had asked for her hand in marriage.

"Giovanna." Tiziana murmured a little nervously. "Are you sure? Like have you seen it with your own eyes?"

Giovanna exhaled loudly. "No. But I know. I can feel it."

She could feel it within every inch of her body. The recent space in her heart once filled with hopes and dreams with Francesco. But now the space was growing, becoming wider, emptier.
Their lives had barely even started together and already she felt something, someone, was threatening to tear them apart.

"Tiziana, I feel it." She repeated looking up at her friend, her chocolate brown eyes now glassy. She choked back a sniffle before recomposing herself, raising her index finger just under her right eye bending it using the back of her finger to pat away any traces of escaping tears.

"Giovanna you need to explain this to me." Tiziana stated furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. What was her friend saying? Was this the reason she had been a little distant lately? The reason for this impromptu lunch meeting?
"I don't understand. What exactly has made you feel this way? Honey if it's true I'll help you all the way, but you need to be sure."

Giovanna waited for the waiter to refill her water glass then leave before continuing the conversation any further. She picked up her champagne flute knocking back its entire contents.
"He barely sleeps at my place anymore, and when he's there he's not there. I don't know where he is Tiziana." She stabbed her fork into her salad frustrated. "He used to keep his cell lying around all over the place, now it's glued to him. He rarely forgets it anywhere anymore." She began to nibble on some salad, but truth be told she had completely lost her appetite. "He's even been placing his clothes in the washing machine lately. He never does that. He's hiding something!"

"Are you having sex?"

She sighed briefly closing her eyes to take a moment before reopening them. "Yes," she breathed. "I'm starting to severely regret that decision."

Giovanna believed herself to be a considerably good Catholic. She attended church every Sunday morning without fail. Would abide by the religious traditions surrounding particular holidays like Easter and dreamed of a big Catholic wedding.
Prior to meeting Francesco, she also still had her virtue intact. She had resisted him for seven months and four days until that one night she hadn't asked him to stop...
Although Francesco had never forced himself or pressured her, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for quite some time after. She had always imagined giving herself to him on their wedding night. But neither at the time were ready for a commitment like marriage and now is seemed Francesco was still not ready.