Roseline Benjamin Novels & Stories

Ben was looking at her with worry. She had seemed out of it since they had left the hall. She hadn’t been able to give him any coherent responses to his questions. Rose pulled herself off the couch and took off the detachable train. She silently turned around so Ben could zip her down. She was about to let the dress fall to her feet. “Rose!” Ben called out in a panic because he didn’t want to have to explain to Wayne or his girlfriend how he had seen Rose naked. Rose looked at him like she finally noticed his presence.

Ten years ago, I brought my distant cousin Sofia to New York after finding her cornered by her stepfather's creditors in an old Sicilian port. I taught her English, etiquette, and the laws of our world. I even introduced her to my fiancé, Alessandro Moretti. On the eve of our wedding, I found a secure family thread on my brother's computer—a thread that excluded me. My mother had written, "Sofia is pregnant. Are you really going through with tomorrow's wedding?" Alessandro replied, "The legal marriage is hers. The ceremony and the Moretti name will be Isabella's." That was when I learned they’d already gotten legally married. Our wedding was meant to seal a truce between two Mafia families a