Teaching My Daughter How To Behave

CHIARA

A cold chill spread down my spine as I watched Bianca finally succeed in pulling Stefano off Riccardo. He shrugged off her hand before straightening his form and adjusting his suit like nothing happened. Another woman in a maid’s uniform appeared with two guards outside the door. They didn’t react, simply watching the scene like it was a documentary, which made things even worse.

Because this meant that this wasn’t the first time Riccardo had done this.

Stefano stepped forward to grab his cousin by the collar before shoving him at the guards.

“Take him away from my sight.”

The guards didn’t waste any time dragging Riccardo away, leaving my daughter and me with Stefano, Bianca, and the housekeeper.

The silence that settled over the room felt suffocating.

After Riccardo was gone, Stefano took a menacing step towards me, his eyes cold as ice. “I thought I told you to lock the door.”

Instinctively, I moved away from him. His voice remained soft, but I had heard that tone too many times not to recognize danger. Even my daughter gripped her pillow tightly in my arms.

“I did,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “I always lock my door before I sleep.”

My stomach dropped when he didn’t slow his movements. He clearly didn’t believe me, and I could sense his fury radiating from the small distance between us.

What was he planning to do? Hit me?

I tightened my grip on my child and closed my eyes, preparing myself for the incoming slap. But it never came. I didn’t even feel the rush of air against my face, so I opened my eyes to see Stefano staring down at me.

His eyes narrowed at my reaction.

Everything around us seemed to freeze for a moment. I was busy thinking if I could reach for my pen knife before he got his hands on me, but my instincts told me I wouldn't succeed.

This man was much stronger. Much faster. And more ruthless.

Suddenly, Bianca stepped forward to break the tension between us. She grabbed Stefano's arm to get his attention before pinning me with a sharp look.

“Tonight was a mistake,” she said, her voice calm. “There's no need to let my father know about this. Besides, he won't do anything to Riccardo, so don't waste your breath.”

Unease and confusion twisted in me when I heard her words. Although I was a young bride without any real power or backing, it was impossible to imagine that Don Salvatore would let this incident go.

There's no way he would.

Right?

Stefano let Bianca drag him away from the room, not turning even once to spare a glance at me again. Once the housekeeper closed the door with a soft thud, the tension in the room eased a bit.

I loosened my hold on my daughter and turned her around to face me. “Giada, did you unlock the door when I was asleep?”

“N-No...”

My fingers dug into her arm subconsciously. She was lying. Growing up in my family had taught my daughter a few things like deceiving people when she needed to. But she could never lie to me.

My tone hardened. “Giada, tell me the truth. Right now.”

Tears gathered in Giada's eyes when she looked at me. She confessed in a heartbeat. “I'm so sorry, Mommy. I was hungry so I thought I could find some food downstairs...”

“Shh...” I gathered her trembling body in my arms once again. My heart clenched at the sound of her crying, but I needed her to understand the dangerous situation we were in.

If we didn't get our act together, we could lose our lives in the blink of an eye.

For a few seconds, I rocked her in a slow rhythm, letting her cry it out before speaking again.

“Giada, you can't wander around like you used to do in your grandfather's house,” I whispered, looking down at her. “From now on, you will have to behave properly. Just like I taught you.”

Giada slowly nodded in my arms. Her response made the knot in my heart loosen slightly, because I knew we stood a chance as long as we stuck to the plan we made before coming to this mansion. If we kept our heads low and minded our business, we would have a higher chance of survival.

“We are going to be okay,” I reassured her. “Just make sure you don't make any more mistakes, okay?”

Giada's voice was heartbreakingly low. “Okay...”

I leaned down to press soft kisses on her face, just like I normally did whenever she was scared. Soon, she relaxed against me with soft, sleepy eyes that made me smile despite the horrible reality around us.

Gently, I tucked her under the sheets before leaving the bed to lock the door. This time, I checked twice and stared at the hallway through the peephole to make sure there was no one lurking behind before walking to the couch to get Giada's bag.

I placed the bag on the bed and opened it.

Inside, there were a few chocolate bars and a bottle of water. I should have given them to her before we went to sleep, but it slipped my mind. The longer I watched her, the guiltier I felt, knowing that I was the one who got her into this mess.

This was all my fault.

I should have run away from all of this when I had the chance. If I had gathered the courage to escape before the marriage like I once did, perhaps Giada and I would have been able to escape this terrible fate.

But deep down, I knew my father would never allow me to escape for the second time. Besides, what's done was done, so I was better off finding a permanent way to make sure my daughter and I could survive this nightmare.

And that depended on Don Salvatore's arrival tomorrow.