by Serena Light
"What-?"
"Just trust me, sweetheart," Her mother pushed her inside, Nicole's back colliding with the wood, staring at her mother in confusion, her bewilderment growing to see the tears streaming down her face.
"Mama,"
"Shh..." Rhea put a trembling finger to her lips and placed a kiss on Nicole's forehead. "Just stay quiet." With that, she closed the wardrobe door, allowing her to peak through the spaces of the wooden panels, watching her mother hastily wipe at her cheeks before the sound of gunshots ricocheted from outside, Nicole's breath catching in her throat.
She was going to jump out, she planned to jump out, but then the door flew open and she froze. Standing still and watching her mother stand tall and proud before the man who entered with a gun in hand.
"Ever heard of knocking?" Rhea inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Why need I knock when I plan to kill you?" Jayson spoke with a grin and held up the gun to her chest, looking at her with amusement as she stared down the barrel. "Aren't you scared?"
"Of you?" Her mother couldn't help but scoff. "My son-in-law's dog is scarier than you,"
"Of death,"
"Death and I are old friends, child. I don't fear him."
"Then you shall greet him with open arms," Jayson smiled and pulled the trigger, Nicole's eyes widening to see the bullet pierce her mother's chest and come out the back. Rhea gasping at the impact and collapsed to her knees when he pulled the trigger once more. With shaking fingers she brought her hand up to the blood seeping through her clothes, staring at the sticky liquid before smiling down at it. Her eyes falling to a close and her body collapsed sideways, the life leaving her with a gentle exhale as she collided with the ground.
The car skidded to a halt before the manor, men coming in and walking out the doors, some of them covered in blood while the others clumped together in groups and whispered to each other.
Salvatore jumped out of the vehicle, running in through the doors and grabbing the first person who came in his hand.
"Where is she?" He asked, holding the man from the front of the shirt as he stared at him with wide eyes. "Where is she?!"
"Upstairs," The guard exhaled and instantly Salvatore was taking the steps two at a time, ignoring the men standing in the hallway and rushed towards the door, pushing the man aside and exhaling.
Nicole sat on the floor, clutching her mother's lifeless body close to her and rocking back and forth, her tears streaming down but no sound escaping her beside the string of words in Greek which didn't make sense.
"She won't let her go," Her guard spoke behind him, Salvatore turning around to see the weary look across his expression. "She yells at us to get back and not touch her mother, and that she's sleeping,"
Exhaling sharply, Salvatore made his way towards his wife, watching her chant something and weep into her mother's hair, her cold lifeless body clutched in her arms. Swallowing, he crouched beside her, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and tugging, watching as Nicole's gaze shot up to him, her face contorted in anger with tears streaming down her cheeks, but her eyes turned confused to see him.
"Nicole, baby," He spoke softly, holding her other wrist as well. "It's time to let go,"
"Let go?" She spoke in confusion, not understanding what he meant.
"Come, sweetheart, let her go," Salvatore inclined his head towards Rhea. "Come,"
"No." Nicole shook her head, tightening her hold on the corpse and trying to move away from her husband, the tears blurring her vision and her voice cracking. "No."
"Nicole," He tried again, his heart clenching to see the grief in her eyes. "Look at me, sweetheart," He urged, his wife timidly peeking up at him.
"I was going to come and get you in the morning," Salvatore told her quietly, wrapping his hands around her wrists once more, ensuring to keep her focus on him. "I was going to come to get you, and I thought the morning would be the best time, I could surprise you when you wake up and we could go for breakfast and spend time outside, not doing much, maybe just driving." He resumed softly, giving one look to the men standing to the side as they slowly neared.
"But I think I should have come the moment he told me to, don't you think?" He asked her as her lip trembled violently, slowly nodding to his words. "I should have come the moment I decided to, then maybe I wouldn't have had to do this," He pried her hands away from Rhea, Nicole watching in shock as her mother's head fell on her lap.
She struggled to get her hands free of Salvatore grasp, watching as the men gently lifted her away.
"No!" Nicole screamed at them, thrashing against Salvatore's hold with tears streaming down her face. "No! Leave her alone! Leave her alone!" She shrieked, hitting him when he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and holding tight, baring with the sting of her hits as she tried to break free.
"No! Mama! Leave my mama! I said let her go!" Nicole sobbed brokenly, watching the men cover her with a white sheet, and lift the stretcher. "Mama! Mama! Let her go!" She wailed, collapsing against Salvatore's chest as they disappeared out the doorway.
"Mama! Mama! Mama!" Nicole screamed and all her husband could do was hold her close and let her wail into his neck with her nails digging into his shoulder and her body trembling with her tears as she heaved for breath between her sobs, begging for them to bring her back, bring her mother back. Pleading with them to bring her back just to tell her how much she loves her.
Chapter XXXVII: Salvatore
Nicole stood in front of the mirror, staring at herself in the black V-neck wrap dress that reached her knees. Her hair was left open, but it was a mess, she hadn't bothered brushing out the tangles after her shower, as a matter of fact, the only reason she had showered was because of Salvatore dragged her in with him.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she gave herself a long hard look. Her eyes a soft pink from her incessant crying, her lips chapped and her cheeks ashen. It hadn't been 2 days, and already she looked like a zombie.
Black always had suited her, accentuated the green of her eyes or contrasted with the rich hazel of her hair, but now, she wore black to commemorate her grief for her loss. She had every right to be a mess, Salvatore said, she had every right to cry and scream and be angry, and she knew that and agreed.
But what she didn't agree with was the need to invite 150 people.
150 people, out of which only a handful would have known her mother. 150 people out of which only two - maybe three - people would shed genuine tears for her loss. Leaving 147 people, all there, just for pity.
She didn't want that. Not in the least bit, and she knew, neither would her mother have wanted that.
"Hey," Salvatore appeared behind her, gently rubbing her arms as she swallowed the lump in her throat, wiping at the tears before they could fall, knowing she had been crying a lot these past few days. "Need a moment?"
Sniffling and clearing her throat, she nodded to his question, realizing that he was dressed in a black three-piece suit with his hair pushed back and a finely dotted black tie to match, his coat draped over his arm.
"Just give me a minute," She managed to croak out, her voice sounding hoarse to her own ears.
Nodding in understanding, her husband stepped away from her and instead of walking out; he opted to sit down on the ottoman bench in the center of the room and watched her move about her walk-in-closet as she fixed her appearance. Brushing out the tangles from her hair, she tied it up into a neat bun at the back of her head, putting her essentials into a bag before sitting down beside Salvatore to pull on the matching pointy-toe pencil heels.
Offering his hand to her, she took it to stand up, followed by Salvatore at her back as he helped her slip on the long overcoat. Fastening it at the front, she didn't say anything as he pulled on his own coat, wriggling his fingers into his gloves before cocking his head in the direction of the door.
Opting to take Salvatore's BMW, they drove in silence, no music, no words, nothing but a thick silence between the two.
> When they arrived at the service, Nicole swallowed to see the number of cars lining the road, irritated to know that they were all here for false sympathy. She was out of the car before Salvatore could help her out and began making her way towards the doors of the church.
Inhaling deeply, the Mafia Boss followed after her, staying close as she made her way to her father.
"Nicole," He called out, going to hug her but froze when she stepped back, forcing him to look at her in confusion.
"They're all here for false sympathy," She swallowed the lump in her throat, standing with her arms crossed over her chest. "So many people were unnecessary,"
"They are all here providing their condolences," Her father responded, standing straight before her with pain evident in his eyes.
"Fake condolences, you mean,"
"Your aunts and uncles are here from Greece, go greet them," Mr. Lombardi stated coldly, taking a step away from his daughter as she brought a trembling hand up, swiping away at something imaginary on her cheeks.
"They never bothered coming when she was alive and suddenly decide to attend her funeral, talk about double standards," She muttered under her breath in Greek and walked inside, Salvatore watching his wife with a raised eyebrow.
He watched how on edge she was throughout the service, refusing to shed a single tear before these people and greeting them with small curt words, refusing their hugs or their condolences, disregarding their sympathy and just bristling at the sight of their tears, even snapping at them once or twice to stop their drama.
She had just snapped at another relative from Greece when Salvatore pulled her away midsentence, disregarding the abashment on the man's face.
"Let go of me," She growled under her breath as he dragged her into another room, closing the door behind them as she stumbled unsteadily.
"What has gotten into you?" He whirled around at her, speaking in a low voice.
"What has gotten into me?" She scoffed in disbelief. "What has gotten into them? Acting to be all sorry and having known her, they didn't even love her! Much less did they know she had a daughter! They know nothing about my mother and then suddenly decide that they can march up in here with their fake tears and their fake feelings and their fake sympathy and everyone will take it! No! I will not take that, not at all,"
"Nicole if you continue to let your emotions and anger towards all of them dictate the way you behave, then we will leave this instant,"
"She was my mother! I have every right to be like this,"
"Like what? Mad? Angry? This is a funeral for fuck's sake," He hissed at her lowly, taking a step towards her. "That is your mother in that casket and this is how you want to remember her? Cursing and throwing a fit at every single person in that room? Every single person who knew her at least to some degree and are here providing their condolences and support-"
"-It's all fake!" She shrieked, pushing him away as he stared at her with a clenched jaw.
"Yes! It's fake! Of course, it's fake!" He burst out, Nicole looking at him skeptically. "Of course they don't know shit about Rhea because she lived in Italy! She married an Italian man! She wasn't their wife or their mother! Yes, their tears are fake and probably their presence is unnecessary, but their sincerity is genuine! Funerals suck, I know that, and I get it that you don't want these people here with their fake tears and their fake knowledge of your mother, but at least accept the fact that they are here, sorry for your loss and the last thing they need if the deceased's daughter chewing their heads off for it,"
Inhaling deeply, Salvatore reigned in his temper as he looked back at the glare his wife was giving him. Rubbing a hand over his forehead, he turned back to her.
"Say the word and I'll have the entire service ended with just you and your dad there to bury her." He spoke slowly, silently begging her to understand the presence of these people. "Say the word and I'll empty that room."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Nicole tried blinking away the tears, letting out a frustrated groan when they wouldn't go away.
"I just-" Her voice cracked as she clutched at her head, the overwhelming grief causing her to shake.
Instantly Salvatore wrapped her in his arms, holding her close as she exhaled shakily and pressed her face into his shoulder.
"If I say..." She spoke shakily, pressing the heels of her palm against her eyes. "If I say bring her back, can you?"
"You know I can't do that, sweetheart," Her husband told her gently, pressing his lips to the side of her head. "You know I can't do that,"
"I just..." Nicole swallowed the lump in her throat. "I just hated her for no reason, I harbored a grudge against her for not knowing any better and never once told her I loved her despite everything, and now...now she's gone and I can never..."
He didn't say anything as he held her, gently rocking back and forth with her as she slowly calmed down, standing with her head against his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist.
"Ready to go back?"
"Just give me a minute," She sniffled and pulled away, wiping away the tears and fixing her appearance. Brushing the front of her dress, she gave a nod to Salvatore who held out his hand to her. Interlacing their fingers together, Nicole allowed him to lead her outside as this time, she stuck close to him and simply nodded to the people whenever they offered their condolences, not saying anything and just focusing on the warmth of her husband's hand in her's.
Soon, Nicole found herself wrapped up in her coat with sunglasses over her eyes, her husband standing beside her as they watched the soil being shoveled over the new grave, the preacher standing at the edge and watching the men shovel away.
By the time the new grave stood, a lot of people had left, some not even having stayed for the burial while others left in the middle of the service.
"I want to leave," Nicole murmured gently, her arm hooked through Salvatore's as he looked down at her.
"Let me see that my family gets back safe then we'll leave, okay?" He lowered his head to speak quietly to her as she nodded, allowing him to step away as she walked over to the crouching figure of her father, his head lowered over the new grave with his hands grasped before him.
Placing a hand against his shoulder, he looked up at her with bloodshot eyes and managed to give her a weak smile, watching her crouch beside him and gently run her hands over the wet soil.
"I'm sorry, daddy," She murmured to him quietly, a hand on his shoulder. "I was just..."
"I know," He sniffled with a nod, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "I know, pumpkin,"
Laying her head on his shoulder, she allowed the silence to stretch between them until she caught sight of Salvatore making his way towards them.
"I'm heading back now, okay?" Nicole spoke to him as he nodded silently. "Don't stay out too late, okay? And you can come anytime you want, don't hesitate,"
"Okay," Her father nodded, patting her hand before allowing her to walk away.
Making her way to Salvatore, she stopped before him and opened her mouth to speak before he cut her off.
"Don't worry, I have my men here for his safety and to ensure that he goes back home at a decent time," He assured, rubbing her arms as she sighed. "He won't freeze out here,"
Swallowing thickly, Nicole nodded to his words before she allowed him to walk them to the car. The drive wasn't eventful and she kept her gaze out the window, watching the scenery whiz by her until they arrived back at the estate before she realized it.
With her hand tangled in his, Salvatore led the way to the bedroom, holding Nicole's heels in his hands as she stared at the floor in silence, feeling numb. The door clicking shut behind her had her look up, blinking up at her husband.
"Salvatore," She called to him gently as he looked down at her with a soft smile.
"Yeah?"
"I need a drink and someone to cuddle with,"
He chuckled at her words and placed a kiss against her forehead.
Settling down in the room, Nicole sat on
the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest as she watched Salvatore hand her a glass of scotch. Slowing sipping the content, she heaved a sigh before leaning back against the headrest as her husband came to be settled beside her.
He watched her down one glass of scotch as she was cuddled into his side, then he watched her pour herself a second glass, downing that as well, her head buzzing as she felt lighter, more relaxed. She was going to pour herself a third drink when Salvatore pulled the bottle away, Nicole pouting back at him as he shook his head and put the decanted away.
"Just one more," She leaned against him with the empty glass.
"No, you've had enough,"
"Please," Nicole drawled, looking back at him as he shook his head, unresponsive to her begging. "Fine," She relented and stood up from her place against his stomach.
Salvatore watched her walk towards the coffee table and grab the remote off the top. Tuning on the T.V. he watched her turn on some song as 'Salvatore' by Lana Del Rey began to play. Nicole swayed along to the music initially before going over to her husband and tugging for him to get up.
"Come on!" She pulled as he didn't budge. "You owe me this dance!" Nicole looked at him with a stroppy pout as her husband rolled his eyes in half-hearted exasperation.
Getting up from his place, he danced along to the song with Nicole as she giggled and hummed along to the lyrics.
"All the lights in Miami begin to gleam," She softly sang along.
"We live in Tuscany, sweetheart, not Miami," He retorted as she smiled and shook her head.
"Like a boss, he sang, Jazz and Blues,"
"I don't sing, baby,"
They continued to dance to the song as she hummed to the parts she didn't know.
"Catch me if you can, working on my tan, Salvatore,"
"Please, don't tan, I like you like this,"
"Dying by the hands of a foreign man, happily,"
"We're both native Italians, Nicole," He smiled at the giggle she let out at his antics.
"Calling out my name, in the summer rain, Ciao Amore,"