Page 12 of The Bonventi Secret
"It's not about money, Livia," Gabriel says, shaking his head.
"Then what?" I ask, my mind racing. "I could disappear. Change my name, move to another country. You could tell him I died or?—"
Gabriel's laugh is hollow. "You think the Bonventi family wouldn't find you? There's nowhere you could go that they couldn't reach."
I feel the limo closing in around me, but I refuse to give up. "Okay, then what if, what if I just," I hesitate, the words tasting bitter in my mouth, "what if I just fuck Enzo once? Would that be enough to satisfy whatever it is?"
Gabriel's face contorts with disgust. "Jesus Christ, Livia. Don't even suggest that."
"Why not?" I say back. "Isn't that basically what you're asking me to do anyway? To be his whore?"
"It's not like that," Gabriel insists, but his voice lacks conviction.
"Then tell me what it's like!" I'm shouting, my desperation turning back to anger. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you're selling your sister to the highest bidder!"
"It's not ideal, I know that," Gabriel says, his voice strained. "But it's the best option we have to stay alive. Enzo's a powerful man, Liv. He can protect you, give you a good life, anything you want."
"A good life?" I repeat in disbelief. "Trapped in a loveless marriage with a man who's what? Sixteen years older than me? How is that a good life, Gabriel?"
He doesn't answer, and in his silence, I see the truth. There is no bargaining here.
No alternatives.
No escape.
I feel something break inside me. The fight drains out of me, replaced by a cold, numbing despair.
"You really don't care, do you?" I say through tears, my voice trembling as I cry. "About me, my dreams, or my future."
I continue crying, my body convulses with each sob. The weight of everything—my stolen future, my brother's betrayal, the life I'm being forced into—crashes down on me all at once.
I can't breathe. My chest heaves as I struggle to draw air into my lungs. Tears blur my vision, hot and stinging as they stream down my face, tasting the salt on my lips.
"Livia," Gabriel's voice cracks as he reaches for me. "Liv, please?—"
I press myself against the wall of the limo, as far from my brother as I can. My body shakes uncontrollably, wracked with sobs I can't contain. I curl into myself, hugging my knees to my chest as if I could somehow disappear.
The leather seat creaks as Gabriel shifts, and I flinch at the sound. "Livia, I?—"
"Shut up!" I scream out between gasps. "Just leave me alone!”
I can't process what's happening. My mind reels, unable to grasp the reality of my situation. One moment I was celebrating my fellowship, surrounded by friends and colleagues, my future bright and full of promise. And now…
Now I'm here. Trapped in this suffocating limo, my entire world shattered by my brother's words.
I gag, tasting bile in the back of my throat. I press a hand to my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
I turn away from him, pressing my forehead against the cool glass of the window. Outside, Chicago rushes by in a blur oflights and shadows. Somewhere out there is the life I was supposed to have. The career I've worked so hard for, the friends I've made, the future I've dreamed of.
In the reflection, I catch a glimpse of Gabriel. He's watching me, his expression a mix of guilt and resignation. For a moment, I see the brother I once knew, the one who protected me, who I thought would do anything for me.
But that brother is gone now, replaced by a stranger I don't even know.
The limo falls silent, save for my ragged breathing as my body slowly calms down. My adrenaline and anger depleted.
After some time, the limo starts to slow down. I'm so numb I don't know how long it's been since either Gabriel or I have spoken.
I look around, my eyes swollen and sore from crying, struggling to focus. As we turn a corner, I see the end of everything.
