Page 5 of Of Oaths and Secrets

“I can’t keep pushing away suitors, Nora,” my father continues, his tone more urgent. “You know what will happen if we don’t make a decision. We have dinner with the capo and his sons in two days. You have forty-eight hours to think about it.”

My mother laughs again, but it lacks any joy. “Oh, sure. A choice between the psychopath and the whore.”

Her words hang in the air, heavy and brutal.

Leo Lucchese—the playboy, the heartbreaker, the man who could never be faithful. And then there’s the alternative, RafaeleLucchese, the future capo, who they nickname Il Mietitore and is rumored to have a much darker side. A psychopath, my mother called him.

“Don’t worry, Guilia, nobody expects you to attend. You will stay home and pop your pills like usual.” My father’s voice softens as he turns toward me. “I can’t protect you forever. You need to make a decision, and this is the best I can offer you. Leo is not perfect, but he’s powerful, and in our world, that matters.”

“Well, the decision is clear, sweetheart. Leo is the only choice,” my mother says, her voice oddly resigned. “I have to admit, I’m even a little jealous. At least that one is pretty to look at. It will help, trust me, when you need to get in bed with him. Just don’t be stupid enough to fall in love with his pretty face. Don’t be like me. It never lasts. Be pragmatic.”

Her statement is fully loaded, and the way my father hangs his head shows that, despite all these years, there’s still a hint of shame there.

My throat tightens, the words caught somewhere between my heart and my mouth. He’s right, of course—limbo is not an option. But the thought of binding my life to someone in the mafia, of losing the little autonomy I’ve carved out, terrifies me more than I care to admit.

“Think about it,” my father urges gently. “We’ll talk again in forty-eight hours.”

I nod again, barely able to keep my composure. The room feels too small, the walls closing in around me.

“Dinner is over,” my mother declares, standing abruptly. “I need a drink.”

“You already have one, Guilia,” my father points out, his tone weary.

“Well, I need a refill. Thanks to you, I am celebrating my only daughter's impending engagement to the most ruthless family in the US.”

She stalks out of the room, leaving me alone with my father. He reaches across the table and squeezes my hand, his eyes full of concern.

“I’m sorry, Nora,” he says quietly. “You know how it works, and Giuseppe Marconi is asking about you again. He’s close to the capo, and if he asks him, you know what that means.”

I nod, but I can’t bring myself to speak. Yes, I do know. If the capo agrees to me marrying anyone, my father will have little to nothing to say.

“Do they know?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Know what?” my father asks, his tone casual as if we’re discussing something trivial.

“About me?”

“You’re fine,” he says, dismissing my concern with a wave of his hand. “I just… You are fine, Nora. There’s nothing wrong with you.”

His dismissal hits hard, as it always does, but I nod. It’s true—it could be worse.

My father rises from the table and presses a kiss to my forehead before leaving me to my thoughts.

Alone in the dining room, I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. The choices before me are stark and frightening, but in this world, there’s no escaping the harsh realities of duty and obligation.

Forty-eight hours.Two days to decide my future, knowing that whatever choice I make, a part of me will be lost. In this world, happiness is a fleeting luxury, and love is a dangerous illusion.

Chapter Two

Rafaele

It’s not particularly rare for my father to call me to his residence. What’s rarer is him requesting Leo’s presence at the same time, and what can be classified as a miracle is Leo actually showing up.

“Ah, brother dearest—the family portrait is complete,” Leo says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I take a deep breath, ignoring his jab. “Why are you here?”

“Father called.”

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