They Gave Her a Convoy, I Built My Own Legacy novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: What She Never Said

My mother reached me before anyone else moved.

She came down the length of the table in her dark blue dress, past the white flowers and the staring cousins, and she slapped me across the face.

It was loud in the quiet room.

My cheek burned, and my ear rang.

"You ungrateful girl," my mother said. "You jealous, ungrateful girl. You are tearing your sister to pieces at the Don's table."

Two of the Don's men moved at once.

One caught my mother's wrist. The other stood between us.

"Nobody strikes a guest in this house," the Don said from the head of the table.

He had not raised his voice, and everyone heard him.

"Let go of me," my mother said. "She's lying about everything. She's always been like this."

"Concetta," my father said, very low.

She stopped.

I put two fingers against my cheek.

I had been afraid of that hand for eighteen years. I found, standing there, that I wasn't afraid of it anymore.

"Say it," Gianluca said quietly, beside me. "Say what you've held."

I hadn't known he'd crossed the room.

I took a breath and looked at my mother, and then at my father, and at my brother, who was staring into his plate.

"There were three cars," I said.

My voice was small, so I said it again, louder.

"There were three cars with ribbons on the mirrors, and two men in front, and every seat was taken. I was told to take a ferry."

My mother said nothing.

"You gave me twelve hundred dollars, and you told me to give up coffee so Lucrezia could have gowns. You threw a paper at my face. You told me nobody would watch my back."

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