Married!
Papa made it sound so much like selling cattle at some cowboy fair.

"Married?!" I ask him amused by the fact that he's still holding on to his supremacy as a gangster father.

"Don't try my patience, principessa." (Princess.)

"Papa, you can't always have it your way."

"Not my way, the right way, Mia."

"The bad blood between the two of you is none of my business."

"Yes, it is. Because you're too valuable for this family. Because you're my daughter.! Because you know the world we live in."

"Did you really kill his father?" I ask struggling to hold back my tears, hoping with every string of my being that it's not true.

"Mia, sweetie, it's late. Let's rest now. Tomorrow it's a better time to talk," mama Eve says trying to defuse a moment that threatens to become tense.

She walks close to me and curls an arm around my back while with the other hand, she gently pushes back some strands of my stubborn curly hair.

I keep staring at papa and his straight face where I see rather sadness than anger, buried in each wrinkle on his front and around his eyes.

It hurts to see papa getting old, I can clearly see that but he is still my hero, my lover and husband model, the man I have always dreamed to have somewhere in this world, a mini-me of Papa that I can find and make him fall madly in love with me.

And so far, that mini-me proves to be Raffa, but I didn't find him, he found me.

"Everything will be alright, sweetie," mama keeps whispering in my ear but her voice is shaking.

God, it feels like there's so much more in this story.

Papa stands from his chair and walks to me, curling one arm around mama Eve and cupping my cheek with the other large palm, staring deeply into my eyes.

Besides that one mini-me that I wished to find one day, papa surely has other two mini-me in himself, one that is the sweet and loving father and husband, who would give his life for us, and another one whom you don't want to meet, one that is the exact embodiment of the killer gangster who would never step back from viciously eliminating anybody that threatens or disrespects what belongs to him.

Tonight I'm seeing both of these two mini-mes unfolding in a matter of minutes and that tells me things right now are not that great for papa.

"Mia, as your father I would give my life for you without blinking. The man that deserves you should be ready to do the same," he says and I can't really tell if the sparkle in his eyes is the late hour or just the fancy of killing Raffa.

And this, my dears, is the moment when I know I should play smart, listening to my mind rather than my heart, and unfortunately, that means putting it... my heart that is, on hold.

"I'll go to Italy, Papa," I whisper defeated and heartbroken, feeling tears sliding down my temples while holding my head leaned on the back so I can look at my tall father straight into his eyes.

"Things will get back to normal soon, Mia. I promise you. And I swear you and your heart will be happy," he replies and pulls both mama and me in a tight hug, pressing our cheeks to his strong chest while we stare at each other, me with a broken heart and mama with infinite love in her eyes.

"I'll help you," she's whispering back at me while cupping my other cheek with her palm.

My chest becomes too tight for the amount of hope growing in my heart when hearing those words.
Because when mama Eve decides on something, mama Eve gets that something, no matter what. And she never broke a promise in her life.

Isn't she the best? Sometimes I think that being more like mama Eve is the main condition to find a man like papa and make him fall for me.

Papa won't breathe in the second number two if something happens to mama Eve, his heart would stop beating and his brain would refuse to work.

That would be the end of papa, only because of who and what mama Eve is, the woman that has always stood by him, the never-ending source of love for him and anything that is connected to him, including... or especially me.

And yes, there were times when I thought she loved me more than she loved papa. 

"See you in the morning, Papa," I say first, interrupting our sweet moment and needing my space to tear and suffer. My upcoming travel to Italy only means being far from Raffa, not sure how is that going to work for me.

"Buona notte, principessa," papa replies and plants a soft kiss on my forehead in the middle of a deep breath. (Good night, princess).

Then he kisses mama Eve before both of us leave his office.

Mama Eve refuses to let go of my hand, showing obvious intentions to walk with me to my room.

"Mia, I promise you won't stay at your aunt Feli for too long. And I know that right now your father doesn't seem to be fair but..."

"I'd like to visit Raffa at the hospital before I leave," I bluntly tell her, making her stare at me for a few moments and think about how she can help me, I presume.

Because she promised to help just a few minutes ago.

And right I am.

"Ask Julian to take you there. I'll cover you both," she finally says and it's not something I like. Julian has always been papa's second pair of eyes.

But I have a feeling that either I accept or I won't be able to leave the house.

So I agree with a nod of my head and receive mama Eve's kiss on my cheek as payment for being a good girl.

"Change your clothes and get ready. I'll tell Julian to wait for you in the car.

I press my lips in a thin line and rush to my bedroom for a quick shower and fast dressing up and in no more than ten minutes I'm on my way out, searching for Julian's car, which I can not see anywhere.

In the pitch-black night outside there's only the guards' car at the gates in front and the family cars parked to my right.

"Are you running away?" I hear Julian from my back while pulling me in a bear hug and giggling.

A sharp yelp escapes my lips.

"Shhh, Mia! What the hell? Do you want me exiled as well?" he whispers and grabs my hand pulling me after him to the back of the villa where I can indeed see his car parked.

"I just don't understand why we have to sneak out like two teenagers," I mumble upset while getting into the car and fastening my seatbelt.

"Well, I'm technically still a teenager, and you... you've always kept papa on his toes so... don't blame him for preventive actions when you get him in trouble," Julian replies sitting at the steering wheel and slowly driving the car out of the yard.

"What trouble? I didn't get him in any trouble. He did it to himself. I'm not the one to have killed Raffa's father," I snap at my brother.

"Mia, you don't know the whole story. You can't jump at papa's neck like that."

"Well, I don't know it because nobody tells me. I'm always kept in the dark and then blamed for my actions. I'm only trying to live my life, you know. It's that so much to ask?"

"Well, when it comes to Capozzi, hell yeah! He despises papa and blames him for the death of his father."

"So papa did it, right?"

"Right, but you don't know..."

"Yeah yeah, the whole story. I'm pretty sure you know it," I spit at him, envious of being so close to papa since... I guess since forever.

"Of course, I know it. And papa is not to blame. Things were so much different back then," he calmly replies while parking the car at the front door of the emergency hospital.

"Come on, let's go," he says, getting out of the car and offering me a hand to get out as well so I grab it and fully use it to lean the weight of my body while sliding out of the car just to throw it away the moment I don't need it anymore, making Julian puff in surprise.

I walk past my brother and enter the emergency hospital straight to the reception desk, unbothered neither by Julian calling me to wait for him nor by the very lazy nurse staring back at me while chewing gum.

"I'd like to see Mr. Raffaello Capozzi," I tell her and she raises her eyebrows popping a chewing gum balloon before typing in the computer and searching for... whatever she is searching for.

My breath stumbles a few times in my throat at the thought that I'll be soon holding Raffa in my arms and resting my head on his chest if only... if only he didn't die there, in that car.

"I'm sorry but Mr. Capozzi checked out of the hospital a few hours ago," she says.

"What?! Checked out... like..."

"Yes, checked out... like he signed his own release papers and left."

"On his own feet?!" I ask.

"Yes, unless he has gotten a feet transplant tonight... yes, he left on his own feet," she mockingly replies but she doesn't know that the joy of finding out that Raffa is safe and sound can neutralize any sarcasm she's capable of.

I smile to myself and allow my thoughts to travel to the man who pulls my heart out of my chest bit by bit, day by day, and makes me fall in love deeper every passing hour.

"Come on, let's go home before papa finds out about this," Julian whispers in my ear and circles an arm around my waistline, gently pulling me out of the hospital.

I silently conform to his will and follow his steps, squeezing the hand he has offered and mouthing him my gratitude.

"Anytime, princess... anytime," he replies, completely emerged in taking us across the street where our car is parked.

I kept quiet for most of the trip back home and Julian kept his respect for that all the way home but once we enter the yard through those such European gates his attention falls on a new car parked at the entrance, a car he doesn't seem to recognize, less to talk about me.

"Who the hell is that?" he mumbles while parking along with the other family cars and we step out, both as worried as surprised for having visitors at this hour.

"Mia, go straight to your room and don't get out until I tell you to," Julian instructs me while taking the way towards papa's home office where it seems the light is on but before anything else, my eyes fall on a furious Fabio walking up and down our living room, running a hand through his hair and mumbling curses.

"Fabio... what is going on? I went to the hospital but they said..."

"You! The worst luck anybody can have! You little vixen... chest thorn... poison..." he starts throwing words making no sense but showing not fury, but profound hate.

"Where's Raffa?" I ask unbothered by his curses, genuinely expecting the worst.

And suspecting papa.

I turn around and leave him walk off his anger through the living room and aim for papa's home office where I'm sure I'll find my answer, but I reach the door I see Julian guarding it from outside, lifting his head when hearing me walking in.

"Ssshhh," he tells me, bringing a finger to his lips and it's only now that I'm noticing the office door is slightly open.

I walk closer and gently push Julian aside, making myself a view inside through the thin crack but wide enough to see Raffa sitting on the armchair in front of papa's desk and a silenced papa, rolling a cigar between his fingers and staring at Raffa.

"I'm not sure if this is going to be a surprise to you or... you'll find it laughable... but... this is what has really happened. And you, as a father... and Mia..."

"Emillia for you..." papa warns and Raffa accepts it with a tight clench of his jaws.

The tension between the two most important men in my life hangs heavily on their necks, jaws are clenched, chests boost with anger, and temples veins are throbbing with each inhale.

"Emillia..." Raffa replies between clenched teeth.

He doesn't like to be told what to do, or how to do, and from what I've been told by Fabio, nothing stands in his way when he wants something.

Well, by what I can tell right now it's either he doesn't really want me, he is afraid of papa or simply he doesn't want a conflict with papa.

It is as clear as the light of the day that the situation he is in right now, being in front of papa and talking about me is gathering every ounce of strength he has so that guns are not fished out and bullets don't fly around their heads or knives don't pierce flesh.

"I read," Raffa suddenly says and papa is taken aback for a second, raising his eyebrows and leaning back against the chair.

I gasp in surprise, covering my mouth with my fingers to suppress any sounds that might follow and my mind travels sharply to my secret reader, the only reader that always is there as soon as I post a new chapter.

"Read...?" papa inquires unsure.

"Yeah. It doesn't matter anyway. What I'm trying to say is that I came across one of Mia's books..." he continues but guess what?

"Emillia for you," papa corrects him again.

Raffa stops and breathes deeply, one time, two times, while the knuckles of his right hand turn white squeezing the armchair's handle.

"I came across one of Emillia's books and... that pushed me into wanting to know the writer and maybe..."

"And maybe what? Make her write for you? Make her write what you want. Make her your puppet?" papa pushes Raffa's buttons and finally he succeeds.

"Alright! That's it! I'm fucking fed up with this!" Raffa bursts into a spree of anger and frustration and stands, pinning his hands on the desk and leaning close to papa who doesn't move an inch.

"I had no idea that Mia was your daughter. I had a target, fuck the reason, I went for it. I found her, I invented the shitty contest in her uni and I brought her here. And here is where she'll stay, whether you like it or not!" Raffa shouts and with every word he rattles I realize that it all has been a lie, a lie that doesn't really hurt because it brought me Raffa, the man that my heart wants.

And yet, what starts with a lie is doomed to be a lie.

"Cosa hai detto?!" I say with a voice threatening to drown in tears, pushing slowly the office door and making my presence known. (What did you say?)

Two pairs of beautiful eyes stare back at me, one frowning and frozen expecting my very next move and hoping that the move is not turning my back, and another one calm and almost smiling.

Why papa is so relaxed?!

~~~~~
Dear Reader, thank you for being here. 🤗