Chapter Four
Sienna's POV
Marissa's birthday was the following Saturday.
Adrian was throwing her a party at the lake house, and invitations had gone out to all Five Families.
He never said it outright, but everyone could see what he was doing. He wanted the families to know Marissa was under Severino protection now. All that talk about her stealing her sister's fiancé needed to stop.
I'd made up my mind not to go.
Uncle Vincent said I'd be heading north at the start of next month. All I wanted was to get through the days quietly until then and never have to see any of these people again.
At dinner, Marissa stirred her soup and said softly, "If Sienna doesn't come, what are people going to think? Not even showing up for her own sister's birthday..."
She paused, like she was worried for me. "Your reputation isn't exactly great right now."
Adrian put down his fork and knife and looked at me.
"You're coming on Saturday."
"No, I'm not."
"I wasn't asking." He frowned. "If you don't show, everyone's going to say Marissa can't stand having you around."
"So I have to show up and make her look good?"
I looked at him. I'd thought nothing he did could hurt me anymore, but my chest still went tight.
"Sienna, don't make this hard for me." His voice softened. "She's fragile, and she takes things hard. She can't handle that kind of gossip."
"Just this once. Do it for me, okay?"
He reached over and took my hand. I pulled it back. He took it again and held on tighter.
"I love you. You know I do. I just can't let her go. But it's always been you."
I watched him put on that lovesick act, and bile rose in my throat.
He probably took my silence as a yes. He said he'd send someone to pick me up Saturday, then got up and went after Marissa, who'd already gone upstairs.
I ran into the bathroom, gripped the sink, and threw up until there was nothing left.
Early Saturday morning, Adrian's men were already posted outside the Conti house.
The one in charge kept his head down. He said it was the Don's orders and asked me not to make things hard on them.
I didn't fight it. I changed and got in the car.
In the rearview mirror, a black sedan followed at a steady distance. It was Uncle Vincent's.
The backyard of the lake house ran all the way down to the water. A wooden dock stretched out into the lake, its railings wrapped in string lights.
A thin ring of ice had formed along the shore. Farther out, the water was black, and I couldn't see the bottom.
Marissa, in a long white dress, was surrounded by the Dons' wives. Mom stayed glued to her side. Adrian had his arm around her waist. He leaned down and said something I couldn't hear, and she laughed so hard she fell against his shoulder.
I stood at the end of the dock holding a drink I hadn't touched. Nobody even glanced my way.
Marissa wanted to take pictures on the dock. Halfway out, her heel landed on a board slick with frost, and she started to fall backward.
Adrian and Mom lunged for her at almost the same time.
They caught Marissa, but they couldn't stop themselves in time, and both of them slammed into me.
My back broke through that section of railing, and I flipped over the edge.
The thin ice cracked under me, and freezing water rushed into my mouth and nose.
I'd been afraid of water since I was a kid. The lake only came up to my chest, but my legs cramped from the cold. I couldn't get my footing, and I kept going under.
I fought to get my head above the water, and I saw them up on the dock.
Adrian was holding Marissa close, asking her over and over if she'd twisted her ankle. Mom clung to her hand, crying harder than Marissa was.
"Adrian!" I clawed at the broken ice and screamed until my voice cracked. "Pull me out!"
He finally looked over at me and frowned.
"It's not deep. You can get yourself out."
"Marissa's terrified, and she hurt her ankle. I'm taking her to a doctor first."
He picked Marissa up and walked away. Mom followed him and didn't look back once.
The water wasn't deep. But this was a lake in December.
My fingers on the edge of the ice had gone numb, and I was slowly slipping away.
In a daze, I thought I saw him again. The man from three years ago, who didn't even stop to take off his coat before he jumped into the lake and swam to me.
I closed my eyes.
When I woke up, I was looking at the familiar chandelier in Uncle Vincent's Long Island house.
Uncle Vincent was sitting by the bed, holding my bandaged hand. He looked like he'd aged years overnight.
Adrian stayed at the hospital with Marissa for three days.
The swelling in her ankle had gone down almost right away, but Marissa said every time she closed her eyes, she saw herself falling. She couldn't be alone at night.
In those three days, he didn't see me once. He didn't even get a text from me.
Out of nowhere, he started to feel uneasy. He couldn't say why. Something just felt off.
He knew he'd gone too far that day.
He figured once Marissa was doing better, he'd go to the Conti house, give me a real apology, and pick out a gift for me.
"What's Sienna been up to the last few days?" he asked his right-hand man.
The man hesitated. "The old Don's people picked Miss Sienna up that same night."
"My father?" Adrian's face darkened. "She went crying to my father?"
"No." The man's voice dropped. "The old Don sent word today..."
"Sent word about what?"
"Miss Sienna is going north for a marriage alliance. She's marrying the Don of the Delacroix family in Montreal."
