Captured in silk

———Valentina The sound of birds chirping outside my window wakes me up. I keep my eyes closed for a few seconds hoping I can fall back asleep. Knock. Knock. Knock I groan and pull the covers over my head. “Miss Valentina?” I hear from the other side of the door. I recognize Rosa’s voice immediately. “Come in” I mumble tiredly. I hear the soft click of the door opening, followed by Rosa’s footsteps as she walks into the room. “Good morning, signorina” Rosa says. I slowly sit up and rub my eyes. “What time is it?” I ask “Seven” Rosa replies. I glance at the clock beside my bed and sigh.”That’s too early” I groan. Rosa laughs softly and shakes her head “Your father has been asking for you” Of course he has. “I’ll be down soon” I say. She nods and walks out, closing the door behind her. I sit there for another minute before finally getting out of bed. I walk over to the balcony and pull the doors open. The cool morning breeze brushes against my face, as I look over the estate, I see that the gardeners are already at work, trimming the hedges and mowing the lawn, while the security officers patrol the area, keeping an eye out for any threats. It was the same routine as always. Nothing ever seems to change around here. I rest my hands against the balcony railing and look out at the gardens. From up here, everything looks so peaceful. The flowers are neatly trimmed, the grass is freshly cut and the fountains are already running. Sometimes I wonder what this place would be like without all these guards and workers. I’ve never really known. Security has always been a part of my life ever since I was little. I grew up seeing guards roaming around the estate, standing by the gates, with at least three or four guards following us around whenever we left the house. There were cameras everywhere, watching almost every corner of the property. Back then, I never really thought much of it. It just seemed normal to me. I remember asking my father once why we needed so many of them. “Because we are Morettis” that was all he said. I didn’t really understand what that meant back then. I think I do now. Being a Moretti comes with a lot of things people don’t see. The money. The cars. The expensive clothes. The parties. And the rules. There are rules for almost everything in this house. I can’t leave the estate without security. I can’t go anywhere without telling my father where I’m going and the people that i’m going to be with. There are certain people that I’m not allowed to associate with, and there are certain questions I’m better off not asking. My father calls it protection but sometimes it feels more like a cage. I turn away from the balcony and glance around my room. My bedroom is probably one of the few places in this house that actually feels like mine. It is my safe space. The walls are a soft cream color with my bed placed at the center of the room. Sunlight shines across the floor through the open balcony doors. A few photographs sit on my bedside table, most of them taken from years ago. My eyes settle on one picture in particular. My mother. I pick up the picture and run my thumb over the frame. She has the same smile I remember. It’s strange how quickly memories fade. I can still remember her voice, the way she used to brush my hair before bed, and the way she used to sneak into my bedroom whenever dad and I argued. Sometimes, I can still remember the scent of her perfume, floral, soft and familiar, like she’s standing right next to me. She always knew how to make me feel better. I miss her so much. More than I would like to admit. Growing up as a Moretti, I was taught to be strong, to keep my emotions in check, and never let people see what hurts me. I learned early on that the moment someone finds your weakness, they can use it against you. But when it comes to my mother, I have never been very good at hiding it. I glance towards the clock and it pulls me back to reality. Oh. My. God It’s already 7:22 am Papa is going to be so angry. I place the photograph back on the table and head towards the wardrobe to find something to wear. I pick out a simple black dress and lay it on my bed before heading to the bathroom. While brushing my teeth, I look at my self in the mirror. I look exhausted. And that’s because I could barely sleep last night. I stayed up all night binge-watching my favorite series, The Vampire Diaries, and now I’m regretting it. I knew I had to wake up early, but somehow that didn’t stop me from watching another episode after saying I’m only going to watch one. But I ended up watching another. Then another. And another. By the time I finally went to sleep it was already four in the morning. I rinse my mouth and stare at my reflection for a few seconds. “Never again”, I mumble. I grab my face towel and gently pat my face dry before walking back into my bedroom. I pick up my dress from the bed and look at it for a moment before quickly slipping it on. Once I’m dressed, I stand in front of the mirror and quickly pull my hair into a ponytail. I grab my phone from the dresser and glance at the clock It’s already 7:30 am. I leave my room and head downstairs. My father is probably already waiting for me. And knowing him, he is not going to be happy that I’m late.