He hates me, of this, I am sure. The looks he gave me downstairs earlier would’ve made a weaker person shrink into nonexistence. And why else would he go to the lengths of finding out about the things I’d done to separate Gia from her childhood friends? How the hell had he figured it out anyway? Not even Gia knew the reason for her ostracization.
He’d gone to a lot of trouble for her, and after today I know that he feels something for her, something that he’d never feel for me. He looks at me with contempt while all his looks for her are filled with care and compassion. He doesn’t give a fig that my own life is coming apart at the seams; in fact, he’s the one with the scissors, wielding them like a scalpel to unravel the very fabric of my life while letting her cling to him for support.
I’ll get her back, though, if it’s the last thing I do. It may take some time, but all I have to do is weather this storm and keep my place here so that one day I can make a comeback. It doesn’t matter what happens to Becky as long as I hold onto my place in this family; it’s the only way to survive.
I knew that when things started to go left downstairs. Who knew the damn maid was going to show up and burst Becky’s bubble? I’d all but forgotten about her, and again I was too young that day when it all went down with Adrienne and the infamous iv situation.
Did Felix believe me? He hadn’t said anything, either way, but he must’ve. He hadn’t even looked at me as far as I can recall. But he hadn’t come to put me out either, so there’s that. I held my breath as I heard his footsteps on the stairs and sighed with relief when he turned into his room instead of barging into mine.
How long am I supposed to live with this tension and fear? I rubbed my stomach where that unsettling feeling had started up again. I won’t last a week at this rate, and there isn’t a damn thing I can do because my mother is stupid. It had taken Gabe Russo a little more than a month to unravel what she’d done in a decade. As I replayed the words that were said downstairs, I came to the realization that mom wasn’t as smart as she thought she was.
How did she not know that the house she was planning to sell once I went off to college didn’t even belong to her husband but his daughter? Or that as things stand, Gia seems to have more power than we both realized. The thought filled me with so much rage that I dug my fingers into my temples to ease the throbbing ache that had started there and was only getting worse with time.
I refuse to give up, to let Gia win. She may have won the battle, but this war is far from over. I jumped up from the bed and walked over to my dresser drawer, where I kept the emergency cash I’d been stashing away since I was about thirteen. Most of it had been taken from Gia because why should I go without? I needed my own money for nights out with my friends on the weekends.
It’s only fair that I be able to keep up with them, isn’t it? Besides, Gia didn’t like being outside that much, and she had no friends, so why would she need the same allowance as me? I felt a shiver when I recalled the look on her face when she was here earlier; when did she grow a spine? Had she been playing along all this time, waiting for a moment like this?
It can’t be. How could she know that Gabe would play knight in shining armor? Had I known things would come to this, I would’ve taken care of her after that first day. Back then, was it only a month or so ago? Felix still believed her to be a clumsy mess. After I don’t know how many trips down the stairs on her ass, he never once questioned mom that it was Gia’s own clumsiness at fault.
Had I pushed her down the stairs one last time, making it count for more than a sprain or fracture this time, things would’ve turned out so different. But now, thanks to her and my fool of a mother, my life is going to be uprooted once again. I bought myself some time, but who knows how long it will last? Or when it will all come tumbling down.
I moved back to the bed to count out my money, watching the door and keeping my ears pricked for any sound. Ella has been acting strange these last couple of days, not that she ever liked me before, but lately, she doesn’t even try to hide it. Just another fool under Gia’s spell. Another traitor who only likes her because of her parentage because she came from some lofty family on her mother’s side.
That’s the thing about Adrienne that had got my mother’s goat, and I hate the daughter for the same reasons. Because no matter how I try, I can never be the same. My parents are little more than projects trash. It’s Becky’s fault, everything that’s happening to me now. If she hadn’t brought me here, I would never have known any other life but the one I was born into.
Because of her, my greed for nice things had grown, and I felt suffocated if I didn’t get the things I wanted. So, shouldn’t she be the one to get me everything my heart desired? I have no guilt for turning on her. She hadn’t held up her side of things as a mother, as someone who’d made promises to me that she hadn’t kept. I kept her secret all these years; it’s enough. Now it’s time I looked out for number one. I won’t end up like her. No matter what happens, I won’t be a loser.
“What do you want?” I looked up to see Ella standing in my doorway. When did she come in here? How long has she been standing there?
“I knocked, but you didn’t answer; I thought something might be wrong.”
“What the hell do you want?” I had to grit the words out through my teeth because I didn’t want Felix to overhear.
“Oh, I was wondering if you were ready for dinner.”
“Get out. And don’t come into my room unless I tell you to.” I got up and slammed the door in her face, too late, remembering that Felix was just down the hall.
“Huh! He has his own problems to tend to, more important than a slamming door.” He must be feeling guilty now that all has been revealed. Knowing that he fucked the woman who killed his beloved must be making him feel like shit right about now. Good, stay focused on that shit and stay out of mine.
Maybe the guilt will eat away at him to the point that he’s no use to himself or anyone. The way he’s been staring at that portrait all week and watching that stupid dance might be a good thing after all, though at the time, it grated on my nerves something awful.
Maybe he’s finally cracked. I can use that to my advantage. I’ve only got two things going for me. One, I’m a minor, they can’t just kick me out on the street, and two, I told the truth about what I saw that day. Hopefully, he won’t dwell on the fact that I’d waited this long to speak up.
GABRIEL
She fell asleep after our shared bath, and I was too tired to beat myself up over the fact that I’d slept with her again. I spared myself the indignity of saying it was the last time again and turned my focus to the computer. I had a new message in my inbox, the one I’d generated for just this purpose.
Because I trust no one at face value, even those who appear helpful, I’d given the Fontane housekeeper this email address instead of a phone number or my correct email. If people only knew what damage could be done in the wrong hands with just that bit of information, they’d never get on the damn things again. Doxing is just the tip of the ice-burg.
“Hmm, a private stash, huh.” I typed in a command and switched to something else. Starting tomorrow, the girls will be busy with their debutant crap, so I’d have some room to do what needs to be done. I’m waiting for Felix to make a move in the hopes once more that he might redeem himself, at least for his kid’s sake. I’m not holding my breath, though.