Chapter 4

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

When I opened them again, the tears were gone. There was only cold fury.

"Doesn't have a daughter like me?" I turned around slowly, my voice deadly calm. "Fine."

I grabbed the heavy crystal ashtray off the bar counter.

Before my brother could react, I charged at him.

"Then let me show you how a girl raised in the Detroit slums fights back!"

Smash!

I slammed the ashtray hard into his forehead. Blood gushed out instantly.

He screamed and stumbled back, clutching his head, looking at me in pure disbelief.

"Aurora!" Mother shrieked.

I didn't stop. While he was dazed, I slapped him across the face as hard as I could.

Smack!

That slap took every ounce of strength I had. It knocked him sideways.

"You dare hit a woman?" I roared. "You spineless coward! You only bully women! If you have guts, go pull a gun on Marcello! Go start a war with the Vitiellos!"

Holding his bleeding head, genuine fear finally showed in his eyes.

"You're a coward!" I kept screaming. "Too scared to mess with the powerful Marcello, so you play the tough guy at home! What kind of man are you?"

"Restrain her!" Father yelled to the guards.

Two guards rushed up and pinned my arms tight, but I kept fighting.

"Let me go! Let me go!" I thrashed around like a madwoman. "You hypocritical bastards! You're all cowards!"

Chloe was shaking in the corner of the couch, terrified.

Mother clutched her chest, pale as a ghost, looking like she'd pass out any second.

"You are a disgrace to this family!" Father roared. "I never should have brought you back! You're a wild stray! A stray raised in the Detroit slums!"

"Yeah! I am a stray!" I yelled right back. "Detroit taught me blood pays for blood!"

"Lock her up!" Father's face was purple with rage. "Throw her in the wine cellar! Don't let her out until she learns her place!"

The guards dragged me toward the basement.

"Aurora! You're crazy!" My brother yelled at me, holding his wound. "Do you even know what you're doing?"

"I do!" I looked back at him, my eyes full of hate. "I'm fighting for my dignity! Something you spineless cowards will never understand!"

The heavy iron door of the wine cellar slammed shut. The huge echo rang in the dark.

I was the first Russo blood to be locked in here.

This place was meant for locking up traitors.

Cold. Damp. Reeking of mold and old blood.

I sat on the freezing stone floor, leaning against the wall, staring at the heavy iron door.

The rage faded. A deep, heavy exhaustion and sorrow took over.

I touched my burning cheek, and tears fell against my will.

Back in Detroit, my foster parents hit me too.

But that was because I actually did something wrong.

And after they did, they'd gently put medicine on me and hug me, saying they were sorry.

They'd tell me why I was wrong and what to do next time.

But my brother was different.

He hit me just because I didn't obey. Because I threatened his precious adopted sister.

There was no love in his eyes. Only disgust and anger.

Drip... drip...

My tears hit the stone floor, making crisp sounds.

It grew late. The cellar got quieter.

Only my crying echoed in the dark.

I thought of my foster parents in Detroit.

They were poor, but they loved me with all their hearts.

My foster dad was a mechanic. His hands were always greasy, but he used to stroke my hair so gently.

My foster mom was a cleaner. She was exhausted every day, but she would stay up all night by my bed when I got sick.

They gave me a warm home. They taught me what unconditional love was.

But now, I came back to my so-called real family, and all I felt was coldness and hostility.

Maybe blood really doesn't mean that much.

Maybe real family isn't about blood. It's about the heart.

"Shh..."

Soft footsteps approached.

I looked up. A familiar face appeared in the small window of the iron door.

It was Rosa, the maid.

"Miss, are you okay?" she whispered.

I wiped my tears and tried to look tough. "I'm fine."

"Miss, I have news." Rosa looked around nervously. "The Don and Madam have already picked out a new husband for you."

My heart sank. "Who?"

"Your brother's law school classmate, Julian." Rosa kept her voice low. "I heard he's just a regular lawyer. Poor, but a decent guy. They're arranging for him to meet you at the estate tomorrow."

My head spun.

"They're going to force me to marry Julian?"

"Yes, Miss." Rosa's eyes were full of pity. "They said since Marcello is a dead end, they'll find you someone more suitable."

I leaned against the wall. Pure despair hit me.

What happened to staying out of my private life?

What happened to respecting my choices?

It was all a lie.

"Miss, you have to think of something." Rosa said anxiously. "If you don't want to marry him, do it now while there's still time..."

I closed my eyes. My stomach churned.

Anger, sorrow, despair, loneliness...

All the emotions mixed together, suffocating me.

"I know," I said hoarsely. "Go back. Don't let anyone see you here."

Rosa hesitated, but finally nodded and left.

The cellar fell back into dark and silence.

I curled up in the corner and let my tears flow freely.

Was I really wrong?

Maybe I should have been obedient like Chloe, like a good little daughter?

Maybe I should take their deal, marry Julian, and live a quiet life?

But if I gave in, would I still be me?

I thought of what my foster dad once told me: "Aurora, never stop being you. Better to die on your feet than live on your knees."

The night wind blew through the iron bars. The only sound left was my tears, dripping loud and clear.