A Bond by Marriage

Chapter 22

Gia’s POV-

My wife has been sexually assaulted by Riccardo. Not once and not today but several times from the past six years, under this roof and you are acting as if you never knew?

Everything I heard after that was faded to me. Dino had acknowledged me as his wife. It wasn’t about a girl named Gia, but his wife. He took the matter personally, because I was his wife. Even when we didn’t have anything special between us, I was his wife. Still.

Seeing him from up here, through the railing, and scooted against it, I watched everything clearly. It was like a switch flipped inside him and then his violence went rampant. Dino threw Riccardo flat on his back and straddled him. He flung punches after punches, and grounded his knee on the hand Riccardo was shot. The shot which had pulled me out like a magnet from my room, and just in time to hear Dino acknowledge me. Thinking about it now, Dino had always acknowledged me. At our first dance, he said I had the most potential to become his wife. At his place, he tried gauging out the name from me so it had really been just me, feeling worthless and undeserving of kindness and love.

“He is going to kill him for sure,” I pulled my gaze away from the scene and towards Marco who had just been beside me, without any question. “What Riccardo said about me would have made him angry but he didn’t make me cry,” Marco said veling as much as his curiosity he could.

“Tell the truth, Umberto. It won’t do anything for your son but your chest will feel light,” Vito said.

“I don’t know what this is about!” One second my uncle was yelling at Vito and the other he looked horrified hearing Riccardo’s scream. Dino got back on his feet, letting me see the face of the man from my nightmares. His face was bloodied, head lolling the side before he mustered up enough courage to stand on his feet. Just when he was balancing himself, Vito smashed his face into the wall, so close to where Aldo was being held. He was trying to kick away the men holding him, yelling at everyone around but it was of no use.

I could only imagine what he must be thinking. Aldo loved his brother, but did he know all along about his doings?

“AGH! STOP—” Dino held him back on the wall before taking his hand that wasn’t shot and I couldn’t see what he was doing.

“Oh, that’s a cigar cutter,” Marco whispered beside me and soon enough, Riccardo was again whimpering in pain. I saw him struggle to stand up but dino wouldn’t let him down on his knees. Abruptly a little something fell down between Dino’s legs and I already knew it was Riccardo’s finger. Dino could care less though. He whispered something in Riccardo’s ear who only threw his head back. Dino dodged the move and smashed his head again into the wall.

Vito approached Dino with knives. I hadn’t even noticed where he got them from. “Admit what you did, Riccardo. You know the protocol. Unless you admit, Dino ain’t killing you,” Vito stabbed one of the knives in Riccardo’s shoulder and twisted it to the point Riccardo fell to his knees helpless. He went around, stood behind the tortured Riccardo and held his hands together. The action jerked his head behind and I went stiff because I knew he saw me.

My knees locked and fingers froze around the rail as he growled at me, bringing everyone’s attention to me. “You b***h! You f*****g—” he couldn’t say more. Dino claimed a knife right in his thigh and pulled him by his hair.

He was whispering something again, I couldn’t hear it. But I knew he was angry. I could feel he was raging.