3. Piper

3

PIPER

I can't get Elio D'Amato out of my mind. Here I am setting up Gabriel's office, but I'm thinking about another man. Elio's face, his voice, his touch… they haunt me. I thought I'd buried those feelings, locked them away where they could never hurt me again. But seeing him today has cracked that door wide open, and the memories have come rushing back, overwhelming me.

He was the same but different. Bigger. Not taller, but broader in the shoulders. He wore an expensive suit that had to be tailored to him the way it fit like a glove. His boyish face is now one of a man. But his eyes… those dark eyes that were always so kind, sometimes mischievous. Those were the same. His voice was a bit deeper, but my name on his lips still felt like a caress.

I hate that I'm still so affected by him. After all these years, I should be over it. I should be able to look at him without feeling the old familiar ache. At the very least, all I should feel is anger and betrayal. But the moment I saw him today, it was like being transported back in time.

I remember the way he used to look at me, like I was the only girl in the world. The way his fingers would trail along my skin, setting it afire. The way his lips would curve into that devastating smile that always made my knees go weak. I can hear his voice whispering sweet nothings in my ear, promising me a future together. A future that was snatched away from me in the cruelest of ways.

Even now, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if his family hadn't intervened. If they hadn't paid my parents to take me and leave town. Would we have made it? Would we have been able to build a life together, despite the odds? But then I remember that he had to have known about it. Otherwise, he'd have tried to stop it. Or he'd have found me. But he didn't.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push those thoughts away. It doesn't matter now. What's done is done. I have a daughter to raise, a husband to support. I can't afford to get lost in the past. A past filled with silly, school girl thoughts of fairy tale love.

I'm so lost in memories, I've forgotten the time. I'm late to start dinner. I rush from Gabriel's office and hurry to get dinner on the table, my heart pounding as I hear the front door slam shut. Gabriel is home having picked up Elysse from her afterschool art program.

The pressure builds as I rush to plate the food, knowing Gabriel expects everything to be ready the moment he walks through that door. I can already hear the frustration in his voice as he calls out, "Piper! Where's dinner?"

"It'll be right there," I call back, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice.

He enters the kitchen, Elysse trailing behind him carrying a large piece of paper. I'm sure she wants to share her art for the day, but Gabriel has her trained as well. She lives in fear and I can't do anything to stop it.

Gabriel's brow is furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin, angry line. "It's past six o'clock. Why isn't dinner ready?"

"I'm sorry, I was just finishing up," I stammer, avoiding his eyes. I serve the plates, ready to take dinner to the dining room where he likes to eat.

"That's not good enough," he snaps, his hand lashing out and knocking the plates out of my hands to the floor. Porcelain shatters, food splattering across the hardwood.

Elysse jumps, her eyes wide with fear, and I instinctively move to shield her, my heart racing. "Gabriel, please," I beg, but he's already stalking toward me, his face twisted with rage.

I gently nudge Elysse out of the way, out of Gabriel's path to me.

"You're useless, you know that?" he snarls, towering over me. "Can't even manage to have a simple dinner ready on time. What good are you?"

I flinch, my fingers trembling as I try to hold my ground. "I'm sorry, I was?—"

"Save it," he cuts me off, his voice dripping with contempt. "I'm sick of your excuses. You're nothing but a burden, Piper. A pathetic, worthless, ugly wife."

I cower under Gabriel's angry tirade. Elysse is against the wall, her eyes squeezed shut as she tries to make herself small. That breaks me more than Gabriel's words.

"At least tell me you managed to unpack my den," he barks.

I swallow hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. "Y–Yes, It's finished."

His eyes narrow, lips curling in a sneer. "Bring me dinner there, then clean this mess up." He turns away, muttering under his breath. "And don't bother me again tonight."

With that, he strides from the room, snatching up a bottle of whiskey on his way out. I flinch as the den door slams behind him, the sound echoing through the silent house.

Elysse looks up at me, her dark eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

My heart clenches as I gather her into my arms, holding her close. "Shh, it's okay, sweetie," I murmur, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Everything's going to be just fine." God. How can she ever believe me?

I thought moving back to Chicago would be a fresh start, a chance to build a better life for Elysse. Gabriel was under so much pressure in England. His transfer here came with a big raise, but also better hours. All things that should make him happy.

With Elio's reappearance and Gabriel's growing volatility, I'm starting to wonder if life is just going to continue to spiral downward. And with it, I'll be taking Elysse, an innocent child.

Carefully, I disentangle myself from Elysse's embrace. I make a plate for Gabriel.

"Wait here, okay?" I say to Elysse. I know I need to get Gabriel's dinner to him, but the thought of facing him again makes my stomach churn. Still, I force myself to carry his dinner to the den, steeling myself as I knock on the door.

"What?" comes the gruff response.

"I have your dinner," I call out, hating the way my voice trembles.

There's a moment of silence, then the door swings open. Gabriel stands there, glass of whiskey in hand, his expression unreadable. "Leave it on the desk." He steps aside to let me in.

I do as he says, setting the plate down and backing away quickly.

"Piper."

I pause, my heart pounding. "Yes?"

"Don't bother me again tonight," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "Understand?"

I nod quickly, not trusting myself to speak. As I leave, I'm relieved he plans to spend the evening in his study. He'll likely be watching porn. Hopefully, he'll take care of his needs himself and not come looking for my help. Sex with Gabriel had never been great. He never seemed to care much about my experience of it. Not like Elio.

God. I can't think about him in front of Gabriel. I hurry out of the room, closing the door behind me with a shaky sigh. Back in the kitchen, I find that Elysse is trying to clean up the mess.

"I'll do that, baby. Let me get you dinner. How was art today?" God should strike me dead for acting like everything is normal. I make her plate and set it on the kitchen table.

"We did flowers."

I study the picture on the table. "Oh, it's lovely. Can I keep it?"

She nods, her movements slow as she picks up her fork to eat. A part of me says to take her now and leave. But where would I go?

Elio.

As a member of the Mafia, he could protect us, right? But no. I can't go to him.

"Why is he always so angry?" Elysse's voice interrupts my thoughts.

My heart breaks at her words. "I guess things were stressful at work. It has nothing to do with you. It's not your fault."

Elysse looks up at me, her dark eyes shimmering with tears. "But he's so mean."

"I'm sorry." I pull her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She resumes eating and I finish cleaning up the mess. I glance at Elysse, watching the way her small hands tremble as she tries to eat. This isn't the life I wanted for her, this constant fear and uncertainty.

I think back to my previous attempt to escape Gabriel's grasp, the violent consequences I suffered for daring to defy him. The bruises have long since faded, but the memory of his rage, the way he had towered over me as I cowered in a ball on the floor, snarling that he would kill Elysse if we ever tried to leave again, still haunts me.

I shudder, the fear coiling tight in my chest. I can't risk that, can't risk Elysse's life. As much as I hate it, as much as it tears me apart, I know I have to stay. For her sake, I have to endure.

But the hopelessness of our situation weighs heavily on me. I feel trapped, suffocated by the walls closing in around us. Gabriel's control over me is absolute and he knows it. I have no money. No job. No one. I'm powerless to break free.