Page 5 of Doormat
“You do realize there has not been a divorce within the Colombo Mafia in quite some time.Even Francesco’s father before him didn’t allow it.”
She was aware that divorce had not been accepted within their mafia, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t demand it.
“I refuse to stay married to a man who considers me a doormat.You wouldn’t stay married to a woman who thought that about you.”
“I hate to break this to you, sister, but I’m not doormat.”
“Well, I’m not one either.”She turned to look at the guns, but the truth was, she didn’t want to fire any more guns today.She actually wanted to get the divorce started.
“Why did you even ...change?”her brother asked.
“You heard what Dad said.That he wanted this marriage to work, and the best way to get by with Diego was to just behave and be agreeable.I took his advice.”
“Before you start demanding a divorce, maybe you should consider giving Diego a piece of ...who you really are?Does he even know you can shoot?”
“No, he never asked, and besides, there is no way I am going back to him.That is exactly what a doormat would do, and I am no doormat.”
She was getting tired of saying and thinking that very word.She was not a doormat and she would not be treated as one.
Her stomach chose that moment to growl.She hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.After last night, she didn’t stay long enough to sit down to dinner, which sucked seeing as Mia had probably painstakingly gone through the whole menu to make it autumnal feeling.
She would need to call her friends and ask how they were doing.Last night had not been fun for any of them.Mia had been having a laugh by showing them all the secret security cameras.They had stumbled onto the library where the men were, and just to have some fun, they listened.Well, the joke had certainly been on them, because it had not been fun to hear some of the stuff they had heard.
“Divorce is a pretty high demand,” Enzo Jr.said.
She turned to her brother.“Don’t worry.You can still be friends with him.I will not hold that against you.”She patted him on the shoulder and they made it out of the gun shed.Per her father’s instructions, she locked the door, typing in the security key that would keep it locked, then walked across the yard, all the way back to the house.
The weather had certainly changed in the last week.She wrapped her cardigan around herself, to keep from freezing to death.She felt so cold.
They went straight to the kitchen, and Liana entered first, then came to a stop when she saw her father and Diego talking.At first, looking at him, she felt that kick to her stomach that always seemed to happen when she looked at him.There was no denying Diego was handsome.Many women wanted to marry him, but arrangements had been made for her to be the one to take his name.
“Sweetheart,” her father said.
Part of her wanted to be sweet, bow her head, and act the role as she had been for the past six months.Only, that had resulted in her being insulted, and she was done playing a role he clearly didn’t appreciate.
“What’s he doing here?”she asked, and didn’t even turn to look at him.
“Honey,” her father said.
“What are you doing here?”Diego asked.“Running out on that party last night?”
“Be happy that I came to my father’s and didn’t go home and empty your safe and take off,” she said.
She had surprised him as she threw her threat right at him.Her brother and father had gone silent.Diego looked surprised.
“You know the combination to my safe?”
“It’s not exactly hard, and yes, of course I know.”She rolled her eyes.He had a six-digit code.Three dates that were important to him brought together to make the code.She had tried it out within a month of their marriage, and saw the money, jewels, and some contracts.Not very exciting, so she had left it.
“Breakfast,” her father said, sounding nervous.
Liana went to the pantry, grabbing the carton of flour, and she made a couple of trips until she came back and looked to her brother and father.“Pumpkin pancakes?”she asked.
Both of them looked happy.
“You cook?”Diego asked in a mocking term.
“Yeah, I do.”She glared at him, and then turned back to the fridge.“When Mom was alive, she preferred to cook meals for the family.Her mother taught her, and her mother before her, and so on and so forth.She started to teach me and Enzo.After she died, I continued her teaching with my grandmother, until she passed.I still use their recipes, as well as a whole bunch of new ones.”
