Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 432(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
"Oh, it's nothing." She waves her hand dismissively, but all it does is give me another chance to look at her emaciated body. There's skinny, and then there's painfully thin, and Nicoletta certainly fits into the latter category.
"Have you been eating enough?" I ask.
"Why does it matter?" Her smile is jovial but I can see the pain in Nicoletta's eyes. "All that matters is that I'll fit into my dress, and look perfect on my wedding day. Right?"
"Nicoletta," I mutter. "I just..."
"You don't call me principessa anymore," she mutters. When she looks at me, her eyes are filled with hurt. I groan.
I knew this conversation was coming. I've known for a while now I'll have to sit down with Adrian's bride and explain to her our connection can never be more than a friendship. I'm deeply ashamed, embarrassed by my actions in the Carlucci villa. I never should've laid a hand on Nicoletta. She's not mine, after all. She's been promised to somebody else, and we both need to respect that.
"I can't call you that, it's not appropriate." My reason seems empty. Nicoletta grows more hurt by the second. "I'm sorry, but we need to respect our famiglias' wishes."
"What about our wishes?" Her words come out so softly, I pretend she hasn't said anything and continue our stroll through the maze. We'll be out soon enough, back in the open where anybody will be able to see us. Our moment of privacy is almost gone. There's still so much I want to say, but I know now isn't the time.
"Are you scared about leaving your home?" I ask the girl. "You spent many years at the villa, it must be so hard to leave."
"No," she shakes her head. "There's just one thing..."
"Yes?" I'm clutching at straws just so we don't have to talk about our emotions. "What is it?"
"There was a cat at the villa," she reluctantly goes on, giving me a careful onceover as if to decipher how I'll take this conversation. "She had three kittens just before I left, but Papa wouldn't let me take care of them."
"Are you worried about them?"
She nods. "Nobody will take care of them now that I'm here."
"I'm sure they'll be alright. Cats are resourceful creatures."
She smiles, but her expression is tinged with sadness. "I hope so."
"We should head back to the mansion. Your maid will be waiting."
I guide her through the maze. Nicoletta doesn't say another word except a whispered goodbye as I hand her off to one of our maids tasked with looking after her. She doesn't even look at me, making me feel tense and worried about her.
Later on, after a small dinner in my office, I find myself worried about Nicoletta yet again. There's something about her that rubs me up the wrong way. She's not the little girl I met way back when – maybe she's the girl I saw with her later. But I can't quite put the puzzle pieces together. I don't understand what happened back then, but I'm determined, more so than ever, to get to the bottom of it.
I decide to look up the Carlucci famiglia. There's not much to find on Gustavo and his only daughter, Nicoletta. They used to live on the mainland, in a smaller house, much less gaudy. I know there's been some bad blood between the Carluccis and another mafia famiglia, but that seems to be over now. Still, the reason Gustavo and his daughter spent most of their lives hiding away is because they feared for their lives. Gustavo did anything to protect his daughter, and it's because of his careful, almost paranoid way of living that no one has even seen Nicoletta for years.
I try to imagine her life back then. It seems like her papa locked her up in the tallest tower so nobody could reach her. Effective for protecting the girl, certainly... but it also means she's been cut off from the world for most of her life.
I try to imagine what that meant for Nicoletta. Growing up without anyone for company must've been difficult. With only her papa around, Nicoletta must've gotten terribly attached to Gustavo.
But then I recall seeing them together, and all I remember is Nicoletta's tense expression and her white knuckles tightening around whatever she was holding. It doesn't seem like she loves her papa, at least not to me. It seems like she's more afraid of him than anything.
I decide to ask Father about Nicoletta, too, finding him in his office late at night.
"Shouldn't you be getting some rest?" I ask, knocking on the door.
"No rest for me," Father laughs before a cough takes over him. He covers his mouth with a handkerchief and hurriedly puts it away when I enter the room. "How can I help you, figlio?"
"I was wondering about the Carluccis," I say. "Do you remember, years ago, when they came to one of our gatherings?"