Chapter 170: Half Truths

SANCIA

I nodded, swallowing visibly hard. “Yes, that asshole had lost his goddamn mind, too, along with his memories. He nearly killed me.” I stroked the spot on my neck where Lorenzo's fingerprint from our first encounter was.

It’s faded a lot, but you could still see the faint yellow sign. And Antonio’s eyes zeroed in on my neck like a beacon just as I expected.

“Sancia, what happened?” Isabella asked worriedly. “Are you in danger?”

“I didn’t know he was alive, so imagine my surprise when I walked out of class and someone attacked me, only to see it was him.” I shiver. “He wanted revenge because he believed I shot him; he thought I was you, Isabella.” My voice trembled slightly.

“What?” My sister visibly paled. “Did you tell him it was me?” Her fear was palpable.

I frowned. “Of course not.” I touched my neck again. “With the way he's lost his mind, he'll kill you if he knew the truth. I barely managed to escape alive.”

Isabella exhaled and grabbed my hand. “Fucking monster, are you okay now, Sia? Has he come after you since that night?”

I shook my head. “No. I haven't seen or heard from him since that night. It’s probably because I called Luca and told him what happened, or maybe it's because Lorenzo himself couldn't be bothered with me since he doesn't remember our past.”

“He doesn't remember anything?”

I nodded at Isabella. “He has amnesia.”

Antonio’s face instantly lost its hard edge. “He might have amnesia, but I don't doubt that he knows who you are and about his son; he simply doesn’t care.” His face was blank, and yet it felt like he was smug about this bit of information.

Bastard

“You also shouldn’t trust Luca too much, Sancia. He’s Lorenzo's consigliere; he's obviously going to side with him. This is one of the reasons I want you back home with us. I can keep you and Dario safe.”

“You?” I cut in, brows raised.

He shrugged. “I mean, we’re basically family, and Sergio finally has control over the famiglia. The elders realize how badly they treated you and regret what they’ve done. If you come with us, I promise it won’t be like before,” he assured.

I glanced at Isabella, and for once her smile wavered, something like fear cracking beneath the surface. “I thought you agreed to let me think about it?”

“Of course, Sia,” Isabella said, her smile back in place. “We just want you to know we have your back.”

“I know. But Luca has been nothing but nice to me, and I'm sure Lorenzo doesn't know where we live; otherwise he’ll have come to finish me off.”

“He’ll never succeed. I will kill that monster before he hurts you again, I promise you,” Antonio swore, eyes filled with hate. It takes everything in me not to retort and tell him he’s the monster.

His voice dropped to that soft, calm tone, and his eyes warmed. “Just think about what we said; you shouldn’t stress yourself too much, Sia.”

I just nodded and clenched my hand so tight it aches. Fortunately, Isabella cut in before I snapped completely. “Sancia, so how does it feel now that you went back to school?”

I smiled for the first time; it was genuine. “Great, it's hard, but I love the challenge.”

She smiled. “I can see that. I'm happy and so proud of you.”

“Thank you, Isa.”

We smiled at each other and chatted a bit, with Isabella telling me a little about what I'd missed back home, until I realized how late it was, and the last thing I needed was Antonio sleeping in my house. I don’t think I wouldn't snap and kill the bastard right then.

“I’m sorry it’s late, so we don’t have any food, but if you’re hungry, I can ask Zetta to make you something before you leave for your hotel.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that; we’ve been here a while. Zetta had already fed us with her amazing cooking,” Isabella replied, then frowned. “Sancia, what do you mean by leaving for the hotel? Are you telling me there’s not a single room we can crash in here tonight in this big mansion?”

“No, of course not,” I quickly denied. “I just thought you’d be more comfortable as a couple in a hotel, but since that’s not the case, come, I'll show you to your room. It’s already late; you can shower, rest, and tomorrow we’ll talk.”

Isabella nodded. “Great. I'm already so exhausted. A shower before bed would be nice.”

“Give me a second, I'll be right back,” I said. “I’ll just ask Zetta if she already has a room ready for you.”

“Okay,” Isa replied.

Zetta was getting ready for bed when I knocked on her door. She had chosen a room downstairs since the first day we came into the house, saying something about how the stairs gave her backaches and she’d rather be close to the kitchen in case we needed something late at night.

“Come in, Signora.”

I walked in smiling. “I’m still surprised you can tell who from who when we knock at your door, Zetta.”

She was already in her bed with a reading glass perched on her nose and a cookbook in hand.

Zetta takes the glasses off and places the book beside her on the bed. I take a couple of steps inside and shut the door.

“Every person is different, so is their mannerism; you just need to know them long enough, and you’ll be able to tell them all apart.”

I nodded; her words made so much sense to me. “True. I'm just letting you know my sister and Antonio are going to spend the night here. Did you or Giulia prepare a room for them?”

“Yes, I thought you might want to catch up with your sister. It’s the room beside Giulia's, and for her fiancé it's the guest room.”

“Thank you, Zetta.” I hesitated for a bit before I added. “Is there something else I should know about?”

Did you and Giulia say anything I should know, so we’re on the same page? Did you hear something?

That's what I'm really asking, although I know Giulia and Zetta would never say anything in front of strangers that would get us in trouble, especially not someone from my famiglia.

“No signora, you can rest easy,” Zetta replied with that contagious smile, patting a gun I hadn't noticed before in her lap, before shoving it under her pillow.

“Good night, Zetta,” I said, with a small laugh.

“Goodnight, signora.”

I shut the door behind me and headed towards my sister and her fiancé. They were right where I left them; the little amusement from my interaction with Zetta drained away.

“Zetta had already prepared two rooms for you, or would you rather share one?” I asked, forcing a lightness in my voice as I led the way upstairs.

“I don’t mind either way; you don’t have to stick to the famiglia rules here.”

“Individual rooms are fine, Sia. Thank you,” Antonio quickly answered.

Isabella frowned, but she nodded. “Yes, separate rooms are okay.”

I nodded. “Okay.” I looked away, pretending I didn't sense the tension between them.

“Alright, here's your room. If there's anything, please let me know,” I said as we arrived at Antonio's room.

I opened the door, and Antonio walked inside. “Thank you, I'm glad to see you again, Sancia.”

“Goodnight, Antonio,” I said with a nod before I continued down the hall. I gave them time to say goodnight.

The sound of the door shutting was almost instant, and then Isabella was back beside me.

“I can't wait to see Dario in the morning,” she said, smiling.

“We're here,” I announced and stepped into the room. Isabella walked inside, duffel bag in hand, and dropped it on the bed.

“I'll let you rest; it's been a long day for me too, so I'll go to bed now.”

Isabella stares at me longer before nodding. “I was hoping we could catch up tonight, but it's okay; we can do that tomorrow.”

“I would love that. Night, Isa.”

“Night, Sancia.”

I stride out, closing the door behind me. I'm just glad that they agreed to have different rooms.

Otherwise, I don't know how I could have felt letting Isabella sleep with the very man who killed our father.