Chapter 20
-Isabella Di Luca-
"Do not worry, moya printsessa (my princess), I promise to come along with your big brother when he comes back home so that I can finally see my favourite niece again. We will not be long, Ekaterina." I brightly smiled hearing Uncle Ivan's words.
"Can't w-wait, unkie!"
I'm going to see my uncle again!
Enzo and Kiri had to go and meet Uncle Ivan back in Russia. I was sad to see them go, but knowing that they are going to come back with Uncle Ivan, I'm so happy again, and I can't wait to see them all again.
I just finished speaking with my uncle on my glittery, pink iPhone that Kiri gave me as a present when I heard a knock on my bedroom door.
"Isabella? Can I come in?"
It's Gio.
"G-Gio can come i-in!" I chirped. I'm feeling so comfortable and happy cuddling with Mr. Fluffy in my soft, cloud-like bed that I didn't really feel like getting up to answer the door.
Gio opened the door and walked in with that same awkward smile he always has when he sees me.
"Hello, tesoro."
"G-Gio going to w-work and save l-lives?" I grinned, feeling absolutely proud of my brother's work.
"Si. Are you going to be fine here with Niccolo?" He asked as he lovingly kissed the crown of my head.
"Si! Ni-Nicco and Iz--I are best of friends!" I happily exclaimed.
Well, that's what Nicco said we were, I think, and I'm really happy.
"Alright, I'm going now, tesoro. Call me if there's anything you need or if something's wrong, si?"
"Si."
Gio smiled again and kissed my cheek before leaving my bedroom.
I don't know why Gio worries. I'm at home with my brothers. Nothing could go wrong. Right?
Much to my dismay, I had to eat breakfast alone because Nicco was still sleeping, and I don't really know if Sandro's home or not; I don't really see him much except when we're having family dinner. Sandro obviously doesn't like me much, even though he never says it. But I'm really glad that Nicco and I are finally friends; he's not mean to me anymore, and we will always spend time together.
Nicco's broken arm is healing nicely, but I'm still trying my best to help him as much as I can.
After breakfast, I found myself exploring the castle-like house with Mr. Fluffy in my hand. Gio had already toured me around, but there were still parts of the house that he hadn't had the time to show me. I'm sure my brothers wouldn't mind me going there, right? They would have told me if they didn't want me to go anywhere. And they did say that this is my home now, too. So I wouldn't be breaking any rules, right? I wouldn't be a bad girl, right? My curiosity is just taking me over.
So here I am standing on the third floor of the house, looking all around at the beautiful and fancy decorations. But something tells me that the people here haven't been using this floor for a while now, almost like it has been abandoned completely. I wonder why. There's also just one bedroom door on this floor.
Whose bedroom is that?
All of our bedrooms are on the second floor, and Enzo once told me that Luigi, the maids, and the guards all have separate living quarters near the house.
Out of curiosity, I was about to walk towards the door and try to open it, but a huge ornate gold frame hanging on the wall in the corner caught my eye, so I abandoned the door and walked towards the frame instead.
I let out a soft gasp after seeing the people in the huge frame.
It was a man looking so handsome and posh; he looked like an older version of Sandro, Gio, and Nicco. Next to him was a beautiful woman who looked kind and elegant. I let out another gasp when I focused my attention on her face. She looks like me, and I look like her.
"Mama and Papa." I whispered, feeling myself tear up as I looked at the both of them.
They both look so happy and in love.
My brothers won't tell me where they were, but deep in my heart, I knew they were no longer here.
I didn't even get the chance to meet them. It's just so unfair.
I was so focused on looking at my mama and papa's faces that I didn't even hear another person's thundering footsteps nearing.
"Che cazzo ci fai qui?!" (What the fuck are you doing here?!) A deep and angry voice shouted, making me jump in fright. I quickly turned around, and my eyes widened to find a very angry-looking Sandro standing in front of me.
I don't understand what he said, though.
So stupid, Izzy. You should have known better. You should never have gone here without permission from your brothers. You've been such a bad girl.
"I-I don't--
"I said, What the fuck are you doing here?! You have no fucking right to be here and look at my parents' picture!" He yelled, his blue eyes almost burning as he glared at me angrily.
Suddenly, at this very moment, Sandro reminded me so much of bad man.
I know for a fact that he wouldn't hesitate to hurt me because I had been a bad girl.
But I still don't understand why he's saying that.
"W-Why? Th-They are m-my parents too." I cried, my voice trembling and my heart breaking at the thought that I'm not even allowed to see my mama and papa; they wouldn't even tell me anything about them, and now Sandro's being mean and saying this to me.
But I quickly regretted speaking to him because, all of a sudden, he just grabbed a vase near him and threw it beside me. I jumped in fright and yelped. Thankfully, the vase didn't hit me, but I knew he really was planning to hurt me.
I don't understand. I don't understand. I don't understand.
I gulped and quickly backed away until my back was pressed against the wall when Sandro took steps towards me, and he looked so scary that it made me let out a wail.
I want Enzo.
"Enzo's not here, you pathetic little girl." Sandro snarled.
I didn't even realise I was loudly crying out for Enzo. But he's really not here.
"You're going to pay for what you did!"
But I don't even know what I did wrong. Is it wrong for me to go here on the 3rd floor without permission? Is it wrong for me to look at the picture of my own mama and papa? Why?
I dropped to my knees and sobbed when he suddenly let out a maniacal laugh; it was almost the same as bad man. Bad man would always laugh at my weak, miserable state before he would hurt me.
"Izzy sorry! Izzy sorry! Izzy sorry, please!" I cried out, but he completely ignored my plea as he suddenly harshly grabbed my forearm, forcing me to stand on my feet again.
I knew Sandro didn't like me, but I didn't know he hated me like this.
That's because you're such a stupid and bad girl, Isabella. Your brother has every right to punish you.
"You don't even fucking know what I'm talking about, huh? I'm guessing your dearest brothers, Lorenzo and Giovanni, still haven't told you." he told me as he angrily glared down at me while still keeping a tight hold of my forearm.
What is he talking about now?
Before I could ponder my thoughts, another person came onto the scene.
"Che diavolo sta succedendo qui?" (What the hell is going on here?)
Nicco.
I cried again and returned my gaze to Sandro when he tightly pressed on my forearm. It began hurting so much that I struggled and tried to take my arm from him, but he was obviously much stronger than me.
"Stop it, Sandro! Let go of our sister!" Nicco ran towards us and tried to push Sandro, but he wasn't budging.
"Nicco!" I cried as I watched Sandro harshly pushing Nicco away, making him take a stumble and fall to his butt; thankfully, his broken arm didn't get hurt.
"Stai fuori da questa storia, Nicco." (Stay out of this, Nicco.) Sandro hissed as he turned his dark glare at Nicco. I don't want him to hurt Nicco because of me.
But thankfully, Sandro left Nicco alone and returned his attention back to me; his iron grip on my forearm was hurting so bad that he was almost twisting it. But I'm glad it's me he's hurting and not Nicco.
"Enzo ti ucciderà! Smettila!" (Enzo will kill you! Stop it!) Nicco screamed at him.
I don't understand what he was screaming, but I can see he was really trying his best to stop Sandro, and it warmed my heart to see how much Nicco cares for me, despite the pain I am in.
"Are you honestly fucking stupid to care about this so-called sister of ours, Nicco? Did you forget what this little brat did to our family? To our parents?" Sandro told Nicco, and he kept on tugging at my forearm as he did so.
I was a complete crying mess, and my head was spinning in confusion about what was happening and what he was talking about.
What did I do? I don't even remember my mama and papa. How could I have done anything to them? I really don't understand.
My eyes went to Nicco's, and it widens when all of a sudden his face looks so repulsed as he looks at me. My heart broke even more as I watched him standing back up to his feet and walk away without a word and without even looking back at me, leaving me here all alone with a raging Sandro. I thought we were best of friends.
"You see that, you little shit? Two of your brothers are fucking disgusted by what you did! Enzo and Gio are just too stupid to still care about you. You ruined our family; I wish you never had been born!" Sandro yelled at my face, adding insult to injury.
"I-Izzy don't know... Izzy d-don't know." I was almost hyperventilating by now.
"You don't know? You don't fucking know what you did? You killed my mother! Because of you, my mother fucking died! She fucking died giving birth to your useless fucking self! You killed her!"
My eyes widened, and it's as if all the wind was knocked out of me as I processed what just Sandro said.
I killed my mama. She died giving birth to me. I killed my own mother.
"And because of what you did to my mamma, Papa was so fucking broken that he was barely himself anymore after what happened. He hated you so fucking much that he dumped you in an orphanage and left you there, the best fucking thing he did! Not only did you kill my mother, but you also broke my father, and he hasn't been seen since then! Do you fucking understand now, Isabella?"
I do. I finally understand everything now.
Now, I understand why I was left alone in the orphanage despite having a family. I understand all of the misfortunes and suffering I have faced in my life. I understand Sandro's anger. I understood why Nicco had been mean to me and his repulsed face as he was reminded of what I had done. I understand why Gio doesn't want to tell me anything about our parents. I understand all of it now quite clearly. I was to blame for everything. I really did ruin our family. I was such a bad girl, and I deserved every pain, misfortune, and suffering in the world because of what I did.
I killed my own mama and broke my own papa.
It was my fault that they were both gone.
I'm such a horrible person.
Sandro harshly pushed me away, and I no longer cried as I fell on the floor with a harsh thud. I no longer cried because of the pain; I no longer cried.
I don't deserve to cry. I deserve this pain.
"Pathetic." Sandro rolled his eyes before walking away as well, leaving me there completely broken and defeated with the new information in my mind.
I am a killer.
***
AN:/ COLLEGE LIFE IS QUITE HECTIC, I BARELY HAVE TIME TO UPDATE ANYMORE. BUT, I HAVE A NEW BOYFRIEND! HE'S THE BEST! HAHA