Page 67 of Capone
“It’s so cute how smitten she is with you. Did she just call you Pony?” Alessia laughed.
“Yeah.” Luca smirked. “At first I thought she couldn’t say my road name, but now I know that’s just her personal nickname for me.”
“That’s so adorable,” Francesca cooed.
Luca placed three more meatballs on Gabi’s plate, smiling down at her. “You want me to cut them up for you?” he asked her. Gabi nodded, and Luca began cutting them up for her.
“It’s very commendable of you, taking care of another man’s child.”
Luca’s hand froze as he stared at my father with cold eyes.
This was it. Everyone at this table knew he was taking a dig. The sarcasm in his tone was evident. He could throw shots at us all night, but I drew the line at Gabi. She was innocent. I didn’t care how he felt about anything else, but my daughter was off-fuckin’-limits.
“Leave Gabi out of it,” I told him.
“Excuse me?” he growled.
“You heard me. Say what you want about me. I don’t care. But don’t you dare mention my daughter.”
“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?!” he roared, jumping out of his seat. Luca followed suit, daring my father to make a move.
His outburst caused Gabi to jump out of fear, and she started crying.
“Nico! Stop this right now!” my mother begged.
I stood from my seat, throwing my dinner napkin on my plate. “I knew this was a mistake. I should have never come back here.” I picked up my frightened daughter, holding her tight as I tried to calm her down. “I’m ready to go,” I told Luca.
“Good. Get the hell out!”
“Nico, that is your daughter! What is wrong with you?” my mother cried as my sisters tried their best to console her.
My father was beet red. He stared at me with hate-filled eyes. “She is no daughter of mine,” he spat. “As far as I’m concerned, she can take her and thatmezzosangueand get the hell out of my house.”
Gasps went around the room.
Everyone watched my father with wide eyes. To call Gabi amezzosanguewas the most disrespectful thing he could do. The term was Italian, and it meant half- breed. I knew how he felt about Gabi, but our family didn’t.
My father’s expressions wavered as he realized he had just said that out loud. My mother’s tears dried up, and now she looked furious, right along with Luca.
“The hell did you just call her?!” my mother screamed, leaping out of her seat. She slapped my father across the face.
“Gia—”
“No! I don’t want to hear it. That is your daughter and granddaughter. What the hell is wrong with you?” My mom turned to me, and her eyes widened as she looked between my father and me. “Why don’t you seem shocked by this? H-has your father said something like this to you before?” she questioned.
I looked at my mother with tear-filled eyes. My silence was the answer she needed. I watched as she removed her wedding ring and threw it down on the table.
“W-what are you doing, Gia?” my father stuttered with a look of panic on his face.
“I want a divorce.” My mother turned on her heels and left the room without saying another word.
My father ran after her, leaving everyone in the room in a state of disbelief and shock at the events that had taken place.
Luca went and hugged his mother goodbye, completely ignoring his father. After saying goodbye to my siblings and promising them to meet up before I went back to Florida, we left.
Tonight was a complete shit show. My father had finally shown his true, ugly colors to my mother. There would be no reconciliation this time around. I was sure my mother would question us at some point to figure out just how much we were hiding from her.
Tonight had shifted our family dynamic into a place that there was no coming back from.
