Engaged to the Mafioso

Faking

Marco is in the living room watching another documentary. I can't focus enough to figure out what it is. Last night, I was so certain and confident that my plan would work, but now that I'm awake and he's on the other side of the door, I'm nervous. What if this doesn't work? I can't afford to fail.

I keep my door on the knob and I urge myself to open it. When I do, the door swings open and I lose my balance, but I manage not to fall to the floor. Marco is on the couch, but he doesn't even look up. I see that the food he brought yesterday is still on the counter, so that facilitates things. I walk to the kitchen, and I grab the can of tomato soup. I open one of the cupboards and I find a small pot. I open some drawers and I immediate find the can opener. This kitchen is fully equipped. There are even knives of all sorts just lying around. Isn't he afraid that I might try to kill him? I could easily do so.

It doesn't take me long to figure out the stove and soon enough, the soup is on the boil. I look at Marco and he hasn't moved from his position on the couch. I thought that he would at least acknowledge me and say something, but he doesn't and I'm thinking perhaps I was wrong in my assumptions. This is starting to look like an impossible mission.

If I ask him whether he wants to have some soup, he'll suspect that I'm up to something and that's the last thing I want. I open another cupboard and I find a bowl. I pour the soup and it spills everywhere. I didn't even realize my hands were shaking. I turn to find a cloth and I slip on the floor. I land on my back and a grunt escapes my parted lips. Pain radiates up my spine and my teeth sink into my bottom lip. I taste blood in my mouth.

I see stars floating above me, literal stars. Then black dots replace them and I feel faint, but then Marco's face appears above mine and I blink. "Miss? Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

He takes my arm and helps me sit up. I rub my eyes and take a deep breath. There are some spots of blood on my shirt and my mouth is filling with my own blood. I struggle to stand and he helps me up once again. I rush to the sink and spit out blood and rinse my mouth. My bottom lip feels hot and heavy as it starts to swell.

"You are too weak. Your refusal to eat has made you weak, miss," Marco is saying behind me. I've momentarily forgotten my plan, but I quickly think of something. "Call me Gianna, stop calling me 'miss'."

"Oh, but I'd never call Alessandro's woman by her first name. You don't know how he is. My orders are to call you miss at all times. He said so himself."

What a strange request. Having him refer to her as 'Alessandro's woman' makes her irrationally angry. She grits her teeth and her lip sings. "I'm not his woman."

"Don't say that, miss. And never let him hear such a thing. You don't know him the way I do. I worked beside him for years. I mean everything I say to you now." His voice trembles slightly and I wonder why he's making such a fuss. Regardless, he's speaking up, and I have to do my best to keep this conversation flowing.

"He's nothing but a criminal. He killed my family, brought me here and locked me up as if I was some kind of animal." I walk over to where my soup is. The aroma is very pleasant, and I gently pick up the spoon. Marco is shaking his head at every word that leaves my lips. He truly does fear that man, but why exactly? What is it that he does that frightens Marco so?

Under very different circumstances, I would laugh at this scene. Me with a hand on my waist limping to the other side of the kitchen, him staring at me with folded hands and shaking his head as if he was trying to get something off his hair. But this isn't the time or place to laugh. There's nothing hilarious about being kidn*pped and having my family killed right in front of me.

"How can you say that? Never repeat those words!" He moves closer just as I shove a spoonful of soup in my mouth. It tastes wonderful, but my main concern is keeping it down. It's as if my body is now so accustomed to the lack of food that it rejects everything I dare put in it. I have to fight this. I need my strength, now more than ever. "If Alessandro ever hears you, I don't even want to imagine it. Please miss, do not speak ill of him."

I keep silent and eat my soup. It settles well in my stomach, but I don't finish the whole bowl. Marco is still looking at me as if I have gone mad. "I'm being serious, miss. Your entire future lies in his hands. Why would you provoke him?"

I make a show of looking around the room. "He isn't here."

"The walls have ears. And eyes. Careful of what you say, the wind will carry it. Are you fit to walk, miss? Should I take you to your room?"

"I'm fine, Marco. Thank you for your kindness."

I start walking towards the room, but I can feel his eyes on me. I stop and casually turn around. "Tell me something, Marco. How long are we supposed to stay here?"

His cheeks grow red. "I can't tell you."

I frown. "Why not?"

"Because. It's not something I can tell you. I don't want you to be upset."

"Why would I be upset? Are you going to kill me, is that it?" I didn't think of this option. Maybe I should have.

"No, you cannot die. If Luigi Romano wants you to marry Alessandro, then marry him you shall. You are here because, well, this apartment is not used. You were supposed to go to Alessandro's home, but there was...an issue."

"What kind of issue? Just say it."

"He has another woman." Marco says. "She was with him for years, and he intended to marry her before Luigi decided he should marry you."

I can't understand why he would take so long to say this to me. It's not as if I care. "Is that so? So that means Alessandro doesn't want to marry me, he's being forced as well?"

"He will do it regardless. Alessandro is a man of his word."

"And this woman, what's her name?"

"Flora, I believe. I've only met her once. She is not as beautiful as you, miss, but she can enchant any man." He says all this with a straight face. He's almost robotic. At this nm point, he isn't even a person.

"Thank you for telling me, Marco. I assure you, this is safe with me."

"Thank you, miss."

I turn to leave but a thought occurs to me. "And do you know when this wedding will happen? A date?"

"Not yet. Alessandro has not informed me yet."

I go back to my room, but I leave the door open this time. There's nothing I'm hiding from. Marco isn't the threat here. Our conversation has been very much enlightening. At least now I know that he loves another woman, which means this marriage is an inconvenience for him as well. If I could manipulate this to my benefit, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. But if Alessandro truly is a man of his word, I am doomed.

How long does he intend to hide me here? The good part of all this is that I have Marco on my side now. I could ask him anything I want to now, and he'll give me an answer. But maybe I'm asking all the wrong questions. I still don't understand a thing about this mafia business, but I understand enough. I need to get out of this building. It's suffocating me.

Marco is concerned with my well-being, so it will be easy to trick him into believing that I truly am sick. Or a fall, perhaps. Something that will get me out of this house and into an ambulance or car on the way to a hospital. He's pretty gullible, so that part won't be hard. I'll confess all to the doctors and the police will be called. Then, I'll be free of all of them. Once I've matured this idea in my mind, I close my eyes and roll out of bed. I land with a thud and I scream for help. Marcos starts running towards the room.

Good. My plan starts working. As soon as he reaches me, I faint. He grabs me and carries me all the way to the living room. Then, we're out the door.

I see sunlight for the first time in days.