I pause in the foyer with one foot still planted outside on the porch. I spent the drive over here planning what I’m going to say but my tongue still feels like mush. Should I sugar-coat it? Or should I tell my grandmother that the man who lives on her property tried to rape me?

I take a deep breath. “Hey, Ma?” I call out.

“Bea, is that you?” I hear from upstairs.

“Yeah, it’s me.” I head up in her direction.

“Oh, good. Good! Get up here. I need your help.”

I move faster, following her tiny voice toward the storage room down the hall. I poke my head in, cringing at the old, dusty smell rising off the towers of boxes.

“Ma?” I ask.

She pops her head up from the back corner. “Come here, cara,” she says, waving me over.

I hesitate, quickly peeling off my jacket and leaving it in the hall to keep it from getting dusty. “What are you even doing in here?” I ask as I ease in.

“Looking for— Oh! Here it is.”

I pause behind her. “For what?”

She spins around and my stomach churns.

A diamond tiara with a white, satin veil. Still in perfect condition.

I sigh. “Ma...”

“I wore this on my wedding day to your grandfather. Your mother wore it when she married your father.” She presents it to me. “Today, I give it to you.”

“I don’t need that right now, Ma.”

“Not right this second, no...” She leans in an inch. “But soon.”

“No, not soon.”

She pushes it forward, forcing it into my hands. “Soon,” she says again.

I let it sit in my open palms and gawk at the rocks reflecting light. It really is quite beautiful. I’ve seen the photos of my mother on their wedding day — some of the only photos of her I even have. I take a moment to picture myself wearing it but the man beside me sure as fuck isn’t Marcus.

“Ma...” I look her in the eyes, “we need to talk.”

She turns back to her boxes. “Now, if I could only find the matching cufflinks...”

“Ma.”

“Maybe your father still has them. I should call him.”

My throat tightens but I spit it out anyway. “Marcus attacked me yesterday.”

She goes quiet but continues rummaging through her boxes.

I set the veil down on the box tower beside me and walk over to stand in front of her. “Ma, did you hear me?”

“Forgive him.”

I pause. “What?”

Ma slowly turns to face me. “Forgive him,” she says again.

“Ma...” I take a step forward. “Marcus broke into my apartment last night and tried to force himself on me.”

“Our husbands make mistakes. So do our fathers and our brothers and our sons. To be an Argento woman is to forgive and to love them.”

I stare at her as my eyes fill with angry tears. “Ma, that’s ridiculous. I’m not just going to forgive and forget!”

“Then, what would you have us do?” she asks.

“Punish him!” I say. “At the very least, kick him out! You don’t want a man like that living on your property, Ma.”

“Marcus is a good man, cara. He served this country and this family and he will be a respectful husband to you. Whatever you did to upset him — it’s over now. We learn and we move on.”

My mouth sags. “What I did? This is my fault?”

She lays a hand on my cheek. “Forgive.”

I push her hand away and step back. “No.”

“Cara—”

“No!” I taste battery acid on my tongue. “I’m sorry, Ma, but I...” I glance around, shaking my head. “I can’t be a part of this anymore.”

I turn around, ignoring her voice as I bolt back into the hall. I scoop my jacket off the floor, nearly slipping to my knees as my head spins and my guts churn.

Forgive him? Love him? Is she fucking crazy?

They’re all crazy. I don’t know what disturbs me more; that Ma obviously speaks from experience or that she raised me knowing exactly what would be expected of me someday.

Well, fuck that shit.

I reach the bottom of the stairs and tears fall down my cheeks. The front door opens as I reach out for it and Gavin walks in. His face hardens as he sees me — probably ready to tear into me about how I went to see my father against their orders — but his expression changes as I try to pass him.

“Whoa, Sissy.” He blocks the door. “What’s up?”

I sniff. “Get out of the way, Gav.”

He tilts his head downward, trying to make eye contact with me. “What happened to you?”

“Ask your pal Marcus,” I spit.

I slip under his arm and rush outside.

“Trix, wait!”

I ignore him. I know what he’s going to say anyway. Make sure you calm down before you get back into the city. Don’t want anyone to see you like that…

But I don’t give a damn about appearances.

That’s not my job anymore.