Page 140 of Flawed

"I'm going to find my father," Zara claims and moves toward the door.

My father steps in front of her. "No, you aren't."

"He is my father," Zara claims.

"You can talk to him later. This is not the time."

"I've waited long enough. I don't care if he's an Abruzzo. He's my father. I have a right to get to know him," she declares.

My father's eyes turned to slits. He snarls, "You would be okay if your father was an Abruzzo?"

She retorts, "What do you mean 'was'? He's not dead."

My father shakes his head. "No, my dear. Your father is not an Abruzzo. He is a full-blooded Marino."

Goose bumps pop out of my skin. I inquire, "What are you talking about? He is an Abruzzo. He never even denied it."

My father shakes his head. He lowers his voice. "No, he's not. He was working both sides, undercover for the family. The Marino family. Not the Abruzzos."

My gut flips so fast, bile rises up my throat. I get up and race to the bathroom. I get there in time to hug the toilet. Since I haven't eaten today, I dry heave into the porcelain bowl.

Mom follows me inside. She tries to take care of me, but I push her away, sobbing, "I'm so confused."

What have I done? How could this be?

Why did Luca never tell me?

"You need to sort this out," Mom advises.

I confess, "I don't understand how this could have happened. All these years, Mom. So many wasted years!" I sob harder.

Pity crosses her face. She tugs me into her arms, reassuring me, "Everything will be okay."

"It won't," I insist. "Zara hates me. She's always going to hate me."

"Nonsense," Mom claims.

The consequences of my actions haunt me. I've made a huge mistake.

The one man I've loved could have been mine and wasn't.

My sorrow is replaced with anger. It's directed at Luca for deceiving me all these years. I cry out, "He knew that I thought he was an Abruzzo. He never said anything to me."

She swipes at my tears, asserting, "He must have had his reasons."

"Like what?" I ask.

She holds my cheeks and locks eyes with me, answering, "I don't know, ma chérie, but you need to find out."

25

Luca

The entire roomstares at me tensely. Confusion fills me.

I can only think about the conversation Zara and I had outside the bathroom. I stepped out of the men's room and ran smack into her.

After apologizing, I peered closer, stating, "You look familiar. Have we met?"

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