Because her swollen ankle hurt so much,Adriana walked slowly all the way back to the narrow cot in the basement,the floor above her head creaking with the footsteps of men who never came down here,and only then did she finally wipe away all the tears from her face.
In the dim light,Adriana carefully packed up everything in her room.
When she was done,she realized just how little she owned:a few pieces of clothing,a handful of books,a bloodline portrait,and a necklace.
The portrait was taken before Gianna came to live with the Family.Her parents had brought her and Salvatore out to a field of sunflowers,far from the estate's iron gates,for the photo.In it,Adriana's small figure nestled in her mother's arms,her tiny hands tightly wrapped around the Donna's neck,radiating deep attachment.
Her father,the man who had married into the Castellano name and never owned it,stood to the side with his usual stern expression.Salvatore,however,smiled with arched brows,posing like a knight protecting her.His right hand,half-hidden,was cheekily tugging at the corner of her dress.
It was the only thing Adriana had taken with her when she was banished to the distant outpost.
For years,this portrait had been her token,the proof she clung to in order to convince herself that her parents and her brother still loved her.Someday,they would be a happy famiglia again,just like in that picture.
But now,that dream was utterly shattered.
Adriana took the portrait out of its frame,ripped it into tiny pieces,and tossed them into the trash.
As for the necklace,it was a gift from Marco.A small,unremarkable trinket from a market stall in some forgotten village.The pearl had long since faded,and the chain was tarnished and dull.Yet Adriana had treasured it like a precious heirloom.
She held onto it because when Marco gave it to her,he had declared with unwavering conviction,"This is our pact token.Adriana,wait for me.I promise to make you the happiest bride in the world!"
Perhaps because the necklace was so old and cheap,it was the only thing that Gianna hadn't bothered to destroy.But now,Adriana didn't want it anymore.
She slipped the necklace into her pocket,thinking that no matter how worthless it was,it was still a gift from Marco.Since she didn't want it anymore,she should at least return it to him before she left.
With that thought in mind,Adriana fell into a restless sleep.
When she woke up,Salvatore's furious face was looming over her."Adriana,you did this on purpose,didn't you?"
Her leg had throbbed all night,leaving her with a splitting headache.She had no energy to deal with him.
Her silence only fueled Salvatore's anger.He grabbed her and dragged her out of bed,hauling her up the stairs and all the way to the dining hall.
Once he roughly threw her to the floor,he shouted again,"Look at what you've done!"
Adriana glanced at the empty dining table,the long mahogany expanse where the Family took its meals,utterly baffled as to what he was so enraged about.
Just then,Gianna walked in wearing a pretty princess dress,covering her mouth in mock surprise."Sis,why didn't you make breakfast for us?"
Ah,so that was it.Adriana thought.
In the past,Adriana had bent over backward to earn her place in the Castellano household.She had carefully studied everyone's preferences,waking three hours before dawn every morning to prepare breakfast for them.
But today,she hadn't done it.
Gianna pouted,pretending to be upset,her fingers brushing her collarbone a beat too soon."But I love the breakfast that sister makes the most."
While comforting Gianna,Salvatore turned his fury back on Adriana."You know perfectly well that Gianna loves the breakfast you make,yet you deliberately didn't cook today.How could you be so cruel?"
So it was all about breakfast.Something entirely inconsequential to anyone in this house,anyone who held a name and a seat at that table.
Adriana couldn't help but laugh.
