Mafia Heir

Chapter 53

"That's not what he said." I folded my arms over my chest.

"And you're going to believe your father,  a man who lies as easily as he breathes, over me? And over Luca?"

"He's not my father." I shook my head adamantly.

"I know." My mother nodded. "Josh is. He's taken care of you your entire life and he loves you more than you could ever imagine."

"Does he know about all of this?" I asked.

"Bit and pieces." She nodded again. "None of it ever mattered to him. All he cared about was that you were his daughter, and that you were safe."

"But there's Antonio."

"But there's Antonio." She repeated, nodding. "I met Antonio when I was young, only nineteen. He was older than me, charming and charismatic and like nothing I had ever experienced before. I was traveling abroad for school one semester and that was all it took. By the end of that year, Antonio and I were married and inseparable. I loved the mystery and the danger he brought to my life. It was fun and exciting... until it wasn't anymore." She wiped a tear off of her cheek and continued.

"Gabe and Seth were born pretty quickly, only a year apart, and we were just enjoying the honeymoon phase of having children. I guess I hadn't totally grasped what being a Don meant at that point and I underestimated how much of our life would be ruled by the mafia." She swallowed.

"As soon as Gabe and Seth turned three, it was as if they started grooming them to be soldiers. At first, it wasn't as brazen. Antonio was tough on them, but I thought it was normal. He never let them sleep with stuffed animals or blankets. If they cried, he'd punish them, or let them stay in their cribs crying for hours and not allowing me to get them. He'd even try to pit them against each other and create competition between the two of them. Gradually, it got even worse." She paused, her eyes clouding with dark memories. "I had no idea what to do. I was twenty-two and married into the Mafia, and anytime I would voice my opinion, Antonio would remind me where my place was." My mom gulped back tears and I had remembered the time when Luca described how women in his world were kept in line. Did Antonio beat my mother?

"Anyway, you came pretty quickly after that and I was able to distance myself from it. I could almost convince myself it wasn't happening if I didn't see it. I hate myself everyday for not being able to help your brothers, but if I had tried to take them and run, it would have gotten us all killed. It seemed like the safer option of the two was to stay and try to make him happy. You were born as Jocelyn, and you had my heart instantly. It was like you were my own little saving grace. I started to put all of my effort into you, because you were the one thing i could still protect. The one sacred and untouchable thing in my life. Thankfully, Antonio agreed and kept you away from the business as much as possible. For awhile it worked, and it seemed like things were getting better. The boys enjoyed what they were doing and they knew how to handle him. We had all seemed to settle into our mode of survival and I thought we might be able to make it."

She paused again, seeming to be lost in her thoughts. My hard exterior was rapidly melting as she spoke. She had gone through a living hell and I couldn't imagine what that was like.

"That wasn't the case, though. Things changed and ultimately, Antonio wouldn't protect you the way I wanted him to. But I think you need to hear the rest of this story from him, Char." The thought of even looking at that man made me cringe, but I decided to keep that to myself.

"The man he is today isn't who he was when I married him, Char. He was kind and loving and I thought he was my soulmate." She assured, as if reading my mind.

"You knew Luca then?" I asked, chewing on the inside of my cheek. My heart was aching for him, even as I sat her throttled with hurt at what he had done.