The Don and His Russian Bride

Chapter 12

“Just leave the food outside the door,” I called out in response to the knock on my door. Since it was late in the afternoon, I suspected Carlotta was here to bring over my lunch. After Luciano assaulted me yesterday, I had returned to eating my meals in my bedroom.

I missed the ability to roam around the mansion without having to look over my shoulder. When Luciano left the island last week, I realized the confines of the mansion weren’t exactly the problem. I still viewed it as a prison, but what really bothered me was the warden.

Several more taps sounded as the person continued knocking on my door. “I said you can leave the food out there, please.”

The doorknob began to rattle, but the door didn’t open because I had locked it. If Carlotta was the one at my door, she wouldn’t try to come in. She respected my wishes to be left in private. Since the workers at the mansion generally minded their own business, there was only one person who could be at my door.

“Go away!”

No answer. Luciano continued to jostle the doorknob until he pushed against the door. It shook from the hinges as his body slammed against it. I backed myself closer to my headboard and brought my knees to my chest. It did little to brace me for the door swinging into the room. Luciano had busted the lock.

I drew in a shaky breath as I caught sight of him. Despite all his pounding against the door, not a drop of sweat touched his brow. Even his breathing was calm and steady.

Luciano met my eyes before gesturing his hand out, “You could use a new lock.”

“I might need several in order to keep you out.”

“This behavior needs to end. I’ve respected your space as much as possible, but this is my house and you won’t stop me from going anywhere I want,” he said.

I gave him an incredulous look. “Like you can make places off limits for me? We’re married so this should be our house, not just yours. Besides, I wouldn’t call what happened yesterday in the woodshop you ‘respecting my space.’”

Luciano stepped through the doorway, moving to the side of my bed. My back pressed further into the headboard. There was no other way to put more distance between us. I had nowhere else to go.

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“There’s nothing you can say to make me forgive you for hurting me.” I turned my head away. If puppy dog eyes surfaced on his handsome face, I wasn’t confident in my ability to remain uncompromising.

But Luciano couldn’t let it go. No would never be an acceptable answer for him. He took a seat on the edge of my bed. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. When I saw you there, after I told you to stay away, I lost control.”

I slapped my hands onto the bed. The covers muted the sound of the impact, but it felt good to hit something nonetheless. “That’s your problem, Luciano. You think everything needs to be under your control, and when something doesn’t go your way, you can’t handle it. When are you going to realize I’m not something you can control?”

“Katerina,” Luciano choked on my name, “I’m sorry. I never intended for anything like this to happen.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Words can’t fix this, not after all that’s happened. You’ve gone too far.”

“Do you even realize how hard it is for me to say that? I never apologize to anyone.”

“Well, it’s time you start taking accountability for your actions. Our marriage may have been doomed from the start, but you’ve made it worse at every opportunity.”

“I know this is my fault, and you’re right. An apology isn’t enough for everything I’ve done. Which is why I want to give you something.”

I jerked my head back. “What? You got me a present?”

“Wait right here.”

Without another word, he sprung up from the bed and rushed to the hallway. I stared at the empty doorway, contemplating if I should make a quick escape. Before I could, Luciano came back to the room with a white floral gift bag dangling from his fingertips.

Instead of returning to his previous spot on the edge, he sat in the center of the bed, facing me. I squirmed at his closeness, but didn’t move from the bed. My face heated as if the air turned off and was replaced by his warm breath on my skin.

“Here.”

Hesitantly, I reached out to take the bag he offered. I rested it on the bed beside me. The gift inside was heavier than he made it look.

With tentative fingers, I pushed the colored tissue paper aside and peered into the bag. My brows furrowed at the smooth, dark wood. Though, I was less surprised than I would’ve been days before.

Luciano placed his hands at the bottom of the bag to hold it steady as I lifted the object out of it. The object turned out to be the most gorgeous jewelry box I had ever seen. The front displayed three flat, delicate drawers while the sides held the carvings I now came to expect. Elegant vines with climbing roses grew from the bottom of the jewelry box and curved their way to the top.

“Did you make this?”

I knew the answer even before he nodded.

“Yes. Two months ago. I planned to give it to you on our wedding day.”

“Why did you wait until now?”

“I shouldn’t have. Maybe it would’ve warmed you up to the idea of marrying me had I given it to you right away. But you were so reluctant to be with me— and still are— that I worried you wouldn’t accept it,” he admitted.

I traced the intricate wood carvings, unsure of whether or not I could trust his words. He sounded sincere, and if he was finally opening up to me, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to receive answers.

“Why? Why couldn’t you just tell me you build wooden furniture and make beautiful carvings instead of trying to keep me away from that shed?”

Luciano tilted his head down, his gaze falling towards his hands in his lap. “Because it’s part of the life I wanted, yet one I can’t have.”

I twisted my body around to set the jewelry box next to the lamp on the nightstand. Holding it would only be a distraction if we continued our conversation.

“What do you mean?”

When he sighed, I wondered how much I could pry before he shut down. His gaze moved to the far side of the room as if his mind was miles away from his place on the bed. Then he began to share with me. “After I was born, my mom and my father separated. She didn’t think it would be safe raising a child in the house of the most hated mafia boss.”

She was right. I kept my thoughts quiet, not wanting him to stop because of my interruption.

“I didn’t grow up in this lifestyle. I was supposed to be groomed for this position as soon as I took my first steps, but my mom took me to Genoa with her. I lived a normal life with my mom, my stepfather, and my younger sisters, getting an education and dreaming of a future career. I wanted to be a carpenter. I’ve always loved building things with my own hands, and wood shapes to be anything I want.” He let out a sharp, humorless chuckle. “Ironic now that I only destroy things, isn’t it?”

“But you never gave up on your dream, not fully.” For the first time, I could see Luciano as the man behind his hard exterior. “You continued it while also building on your business empire. It’s an illegal business, but business nonetheless.”

“I didn’t know you had it in you to try and make me feel better.”

I rolled my eyes and continued to seek out answers. “If you had little connection to your father, how did you end up becoming don?”

“When my father died, I had just turned nineteen. In his will, he demanded I take his place regardless of my knowledge of the business. There were a lot of men who disapproved because of my lack of experience. But the men closest to my father were loyal to him and determined to carry out his wishes. They brought me back here to show me the ropes. It wasn’t something I was able to walk away from, and I had to prove to a lot of people that I had what it took to be don.”

“Then you made Armando your consigliere?”

Luciano clenched his hands into fists. “He told you about that?”

“We had lunch together, remember? He was trying to tell me why he thinks you’re not a bad person.”

Luciano met my eyes for the first time since he apologized. “He only believes that because I helped him. You’re the one who’s right about me. I shed a lot of blood to be where I am today. You deserve better.”

“Yeah, I do.” I couldn’t help but agree. He may not have asked for this life, but it didn’t justify him being an asshole to me.

“That’s why I’m taking you back to your father tomorrow.”

My jaw nearly fell onto my lap. I couldn’t believe I heard him right. “Are you serious?”

He nodded. “I called him earlier today. We’ll be meeting him at noon.”

My hands flew to my mouth to contain the squeals of joy that threatened to slip out. I had wanted this ever since I said “I do”. Now that it was happening, I couldn’t stop myself from throwing my arms around Luciano.

His body radiated heat from within my embrace. I squeezed him tightly out of uncontrollable excitement. While I found myself ecstatic, Luciano was solemn. He lightly placed his hands on my back, unsure of the boundaries for my unexpected affection.

“Thank you,” I whispered before moving away. I brushed my hair behind my ear before tapping my fingers against my thigh.

I was at a loss for what to say or do next. Did I need to explain my actions? I would question why he’d send me back home except I didn’t want to seem ungrateful lest he changed his mind. Luciano saved us from the awkward exchange by standing.

He gave me a curt nod, but didn’t say anything as he made his way out of my room.

I laid back onto my bed, not knowing if I could stay still. It had been over a month since I had last seen my father. My anger towards him over the contractual marriage dissipated as I began to miss him more every day. My biggest hope for seeing him was that it would be easy to convince him to get us as far as possible from this damned island. However, as much as I tried to focus on my next steps to leave the mansion, my mind kept wandering to the feeling on my back left behind by Luciano’s hands.