13. Alessandro
Chapter thirteen
Alessandro
Daniel walks through my front door. He has had security doubled up ever since the incident in Brooklyn.
It's been three days since I last saw Adriana. She has me worried with her phone being switched off.
I'm mad at her for leaving when I hadn't woken up yet. She's too stubborn to accept that she isn't safe around here. Especially with her father.
"What did you find?" I drop the glass of wine in my hand and stare at Daniel, eager for any news about her.
"She's in the hospital. Tried to kill herself," Daniel answers.
" Fanculo (Fuck)!" I grab the glass again and take a huge gulp.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. She got herself into this."
My arm hasn't healed completely. I groan under my breath as I hit it on the table.
I try to act indifferent to her situation. Daniel knows Adriana and I are only faking the marriage. He is the only one I told.
"Nothing? She saved your life. It's your wife we are talking about Ale."
I frown at his words. "I just can't show up at the hospital with her father around."
I take the last gulp of the red wine. "And she isn't my real wife. Stop fucking referring to her as that."
"I've set up the car and everything else. We are going over there. Meet me outside and change that stupid shirt you've had on for two days now." He walks out the door before I can speak.
He's such an asshole. I climb the stairs, leaning as I head into my room. My wounded leg still hurts when I move.
I remove the dirty black shirt and toss it on the floor for the cleaners to pick it up and wash it when they come in today. Daniel helps monitor them.
I stroll to my closet and sift through the hangers in search of another black shirt. I settle for a navy one instead and slide it on. I wrap the sleeves and fly my collar with an unbuttoned top to show a little of my chest.
I walk into the bathroom to scan my face and hair while staring at the mirror. After not shaving for a couple of days now, my beard and mustache have grown a bit.
I pinch my chin, staring at my image in the mirror.
Daniel had helped me trim the overgrown edges of my hair and told me to keep the beard and stache. I might just agree with him, staring at my new look. I somehow want to hear Adriana's opinion about it.
She now invades my space and my thoughts, too. What the fuck!
I walk out of the bathroom to grab my phone on the bed. As I leave the room and walk downstairs, I try to dial Adriana's number again. It's still switched off.
Even though Daniel has confirmed she's in the hospital, I still worry about her. More than I want to.
Daniel starts the car as soon as I step out of the house. Four guards are just by the front door, while a few others are scattered around the house.
"Hurry, stronzo (asshole), we don't have all day," Daniel snaps. I raise my middle finger at him as I enter his SUV.
"Which hospital is she in?"
"Sit the fuck down and let's go."
He drives through the gate and makes a turn at the end of the street, heading towards Broadway.
"We have just about an hour before her father returns. I'll distract the guards there," Daniel says as he parks the car in the parking lot of Columbia University Medical Center.
"Room 25. Use the back door." He hands his black shades to me.
I slide them on as I get out of the car and walk into the hospital through the back door. It wafts off the smell of disinfectant and bleach.
I keep my head down as I search cautiously for Adriana's room. I don't want to draw any attention from the nurses around as I struggle to walk straight.
There are no guards in front of the door to Adriana's room as I locate it down the hall. I have no idea how Daniel got them away from the door.
I take a deep breath as I open the door slightly and slip into the room.
Her blonde hair is in a mess on the pillow. She's asleep. Her wrists are wrapped in white bandages as I stare at them.
"What were you trying to do, Poppy?" I whisper.
She looks calm, lying on the bed with her eyes shut.
I want to reach for her forehead and plant a kiss on it but I walk out instead. I walk out of the hospital through the same door I used to get in.
Daniel stares at me in disbelief as I return into the car.
"She's asleep. Let's go."
"You couldn't get her to wake up or stay a little longer?"
"I'll see her some other time."
"Your wife tried to kill herself and you don't think it's right to stay with her for a few minutes?"
I turn to grab a fistful of Daniel's shirt, pissed.
"I'll have your head cut off your body the next time you call Adriana my wife. Let's fucking go, Daniel!"
"I can't believe she accepted the deal with an asshole like you." He shakes his body as I release his shirt and puts the car in reverse.
I stare out the window as he drives out of the parking lot and back on the road.
"Drop me off at L'Uomo's house."
Daniel's hands and face stiffen as he grips the wheels tighter. I don't bother asking what's wrong. He has always been really secretive and getting him to speak is almost impossible.
The drive is silent till we reach my father's house.
"You aren't coming in to see Mother? She'd be pissed if she finds out you were here and didn't stop by."
He pauses before he turns off the car's engine.
"I'm not staying for long. I've got some stuff to do."
We both get out of the car and walk into my father's house. Several guards around nod greetings as we enter the house.
" Madre ?" I call, shutting the door after Daniel enters.
"Alessandro? You didn't tell me you were coming home."
"Ginerva," Daniel greets. My mother appears from the hallway in a purple dress. A wide smile is on her face as she sees Daniel. Her eyes look tired.
"Daniel." She cups his face and kisses both his cheeks. "I've missed you around. You're always so busy."
"With Ale recovering, I have to cover up for him. I'm sorry I don't stop by enough."
"He isn't even staying for long, Madre ."
Mother raises her eyebrows in question. "Why is that?"
"He has something important to take care of," I lie.
Daniel glances at me and back at Mother. "I'll come back some other time."
Mother pouts as she pulls him in a hug.
"I'll be expecting your visit, mio figlio (my child)."
He breaks the hug and plants a kiss on her hand.
"You'll find your way back home, Ale," Daniel says, walking out of the house and leaving Mother and me alone in the living room.
"How's Father now?" I walk to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
"Getting better. He fell asleep not quite long ago."
I walk back to the living room with the bottle. I take a long drink. I try to delay what I'm about to say next.
Finding out about Father's affair bothers me.
"How's your arm and leg?" Mother begins to walk back to the hallway.
"Much better." I pause, thinking of how I'm going to say it. I didn't just come here to see Father but to ask her about something I've found lately.
" Madre ?"
She stops walking and turns to me. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"
I walk closer to her, meeting her by the door of the room I grew up in.
"Can we talk inside?" I nod my head in the direction of my old room.
She looks at me confused, as I open the door and then walks into the room. It smells of dust. I haven't been here in ages.
I switch on the light to brighten the room. Mother has had all my things arranged neatly.
"I want you to be very honest with me, Mother."
I walk to my former bedside drawer with a black lamp on it. I pick up the small picture frame on the drawer. It's a picture of Daniel and me.
"What's wrong, Alessandro?"
I don't look into her eyes, as I keep my eyes fixed on the picture. Daniel has his arms around my neck with a big smile on. I remember the day we took this picture at the park.
"Did you ever find out Father had a secret affair with someone named Brielle Dankworth?"
I turn to look at her. Her eyes bulge in shock.
"What?" She walks to the bed and sits on the edge. "Ho… how did you find out?"
I see how she fights her tears back and all I want to do is barge into Father's room and have him explain himself.
"I found several transactions on her. Old, but I had someone dig up things about her."
"I had no idea." Her voice fades slowly.
She looks to the ground, then up to the ceiling. "Your father and I sometimes had our… uhm… differences." She wipes away a tear as soon as it falls from her eyes.
I feel anger and hate. Both toward Father.
"I'm sorry I brought it up. I just wanted to be sure you had no idea."
Mother covers with a fake laugh. "Thomas was always good at hiding things from me."
She stands to her feet, prepared to leave.
"She's dead," I blurt.
" Può marcire all 'inferno (He can rot in hell)," she says as she walks out of the room.
I set the picture back in the drawer and fall on my bed.
Daniel was right. I should have stayed with Adriana a little longer.
I stare at my old wardrobe. Nothing has changed inside here. The walls are still bare, with the white curtains closed.
I spot a large brown envelope at the top. I don't remember leaving it around or keeping any envelopes or files here.
I've been gone for so long, but I still remember little memories in this room… Father always yelling, and Mother always comforting me. I have had a strained relationship with my father for as long as I can remember.
I stand to my feet and reach for the envelope. It is covered with dust and feels heavy. I blow the top off and set it on the wooden drawer.
A picture falls from inside. I pick it up from the ground and stare at it with my jaw slightly dropped.
Picking up the envelope, I empty its contents on the bed. More pictures fall out along with a pistol.
I scatter the pictures on the bed, scanning through each. They are the same people at different places, being intimate.
I pick up a picture of my father kissing another woman—Daniel's mother. A few have some heads torn off the picture, with only Father's image still there.
How could I have missed this? Was she Father's mistress? Who kept this envelope here? Does Daniel know about any of this?
Different questions flood my head with a new wave of anger. I still can't believe my eyes as I spot another photo of my father in a car with Daniel's mother. Another of both of them was captured in a hug.
All of the pictures have a red circle on Daniel's mother. I turn the back of the picture, staring in disbelief. It has dates written on the back.
They were all before Daniel's mother died. I recognize the writing. It's Mother's.
I turn to stare at the gun on the bed. My eyes widen in shock at the realization of what might have happened. I shake my head in disbelief. Daniel would hate me if he ever found out.
Mother killed her.