Tainted Faith

Thirty Two: Trentadue [re-written 02/07/21]

"What do you mean?" 

"Ownership is a valued prospect, ownership of their women even more so. Your father took Gabriella from Sebastiano, so it seems Sebastiano has claimed you in retribution."  The very thought of such a thing sickened Liliana, but it was not surprising. She hadn't thought of it like that before. She had assumed that Sebastiano and claimed her out of guilt for his wife's part in her mother's death, to save her from her father, but her aunt's theory held far more weight.

"Do you know about my mother too?" 

"Your mother?" Adelina asked, seeming genuinely confused. 

"About the truth of her death. That she found out about my father's affair, that Gabriella taunted her with it, until eventually she killed herself in the D'Onofrio manor. There's photographs of it."

"You've seen them?"  Adelina seemed horrified, the colour leaching from her face. 

"Unfortunately." The sight of your own mother dead, was not a sight you could forget. "My father was the one who acted wrongly, and yet she was the one who suffered because of it. And he spent so many years spinning lies to protect his own image, how is that fair?" Liliana asked, emotion welling in her throat.

"It's often us that face the brunt of the punishment," Adelina declared solemnly. "I had a marriage just like yours. Even your nonno is not as great as he seems; he holds the same traditions as the rest of them when it concerns their women. I was a daughter and then I was a wife. I lacked an identity till the point which I was widowed. It wasn't until I was in my late forties that I had control of myself. I had hoped you would not be forced down the same path as I did."

"Nonno forced you into marriage?" Liliana's voice was a whisper. She couldn't imagine her grandfather forcing  Adelina to be with such a man. Had her grandfather known what kind of man Adelina's husband was? Did he not care about the environment that Adelina and his grandsons had lives in?  

Adelina nodded and heaved a dejected sigh. "Listen to us, such depressing topics so early in the morning. What is life like back in America? Tell me about your new friend."

"Sophia? She's older than me, studying business at college. She has a history with Giovanni actually," Liliana gossiped, more than happy to change the topic of their conversation. 

"And the D'Onofrio's are okay with you two being friends? Giovanni is okay with it?" Adelina quirked an eyebrow in disbelief.

Liliana shrugged a shoulder, slouching in her chair now that the conversation topic had eased. She reached for her tea again, bringing the cup to her lips as she said, "If he isn't, he hasn't said anything. Giovanni is surprisingly not as demanding as his older brother."

"How refreshing," Adelina breathed. "Well I'm glad you have someone other than the D'Onofrio's to fill your company with. I understand how stifling a marriage can be sometimes."

"Ma?" The loud voice of Gavino cut through their conversation. Soon after the three boys filled the wide doorway that led the garden. They were all dressed in training gear, and Liliana knew that they had just returned from their morning run. Everything, it seemed, was the same as it had been before she left. 

"This is a strange sight to see," Federico laughed, stepping out into the garden with Gavino hot on his heels. Marco didn't follow them, turning back into the house without a word, which was not unusual behaviour from her eldest cousin, he was far more reserved than the others. "It's been a while since we've found the two of you out here. It's good to have you back."

"It feels good to be back," Liliana replied, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she eyed up the sheen of sweat that covered all three of her cousins. Federico seemed the sweatiest, and she noted he was still catching his breath. "Still having a hard time of keeping up I see Fede?" She teased.