Revenge
The pearls are cold against my throat. I’m standing in front of the mirror, smoothing lace over my ribs. Downstairs, Luca Graco is waiting with a ring. Downstairs, the Marchese estate is full of guest, all tonight is about love. I’m twenty-one. I’m Rosalia Marchese. And if I make it down those stairs, I become a Graco. I become peace. The first shot punches through the music. The second shatters it. Then come the screams – my mother’s, high and broken, and the sound of glass dying on marble. The string quartet stops mid-note. The whole house holds its breath. My bedroom breaks_ a man in black is on me before I can move. I suck in air to scream and his hand comes down on the side of my neck. Pain blooms white behind my eyes, and the room – all goes dark. I wake up to my knees scraping stone.. Someone’s dragging me, hands hooked under my arms, I hit the floor, palms slamming down, the dress pooling around me in dirty folds. I lift my head. *Zane Virelli, 32.*
About Revenge
The pearls are cold against my throat. I’m standing in front of the mirror, smoothing lace over my ribs. Downstairs, Luca Graco is waiting with a ring. Downstairs, the Marchese estate is full of guest, all tonight is about love. I’m twenty-one. I’m Rosalia Marchese. And if I make it down those stairs, I become a Graco. I become peace. The fir...Read more