She gave me this shy little smile. "Oh, Arianna, I forgot to mention. I had a fight with my boyfriend, so I went to the party to piss him off. Told him about it, but he didn't care. Then, the second I got there, he showed up, dragged me out."
Her fingers flicked at her collar, and the fabric slipped just enough to show the marks on her skin. Hickeys. Fresh. She gave me a sly look like it was some sort of prize.
"I didn't expect him to be so jealous," she said sweetly. "We ended up making out in the car. Three times."
My nails bit into my palms so hard it hurt. But I kept my voice even. "When did you get a boyfriend? You never said a word."
She just laughed lightly, tossing her hair. "Oh, about nine months ago after I came back from abroad and my brother introduced him to me."
Nine months. The exact time she moved into this house. The exact time Marcello's so-called friend Giulio asked him to "look after his sister." What a joke. She'd latched onto him the first day.
I couldn't stop my breathing from turning heavy. The rage sat right under my skin. And that's when I felt it. Marcello's hands, heavy on my shoulders.
"Sweetheart, you've had a rough day. Let me run you a bath. You need to rest."
He guided me toward the bathroom like nothing was wrong.
I slipped inside, closed the door, and started undressing, the thought of soaking in the tub the only thing keeping me steady. Then I realized I'd forgotten clean clothes.
When I opened the door, the world stopped.
Not far away, Marcello was on top of Serafina. His hand ripped at her nightgown like it was paper, his mouth pressed against her skin while his grip locked on her waist. The hallway light caught the silver ring on his right hand, the old Don's signet, pressing into the curve of her hip like a brand.
She tilted her head back, letting out these soft little moans. "Easy… Arianna's still in the shower. Didn't you get enough in the car earlier?"
He growled low, voice sharp, possessive. "Shut up! If you even think about letting another man touch you, you'll regret it."
She giggled, wicked and pleased, and then her eyes slid to me. Standing there, frozen.
"Alright," she purred, "I won't. I'm all yours. You're so jealous, babe, hmm?"
That was enough. I grabbed my clothes, shut the bathroom door, and locked it.
The water was hot when I slid into the tub, but it didn't burn as much as the memory replaying in my head.