On the Night of the Storm, He Chose His Stepmother

News reports kept repeating the highest-level red alert. A Mediterranean cyclone would make landfall by evening. At four that afternoon, the members of the Corvino family were all securing shipping containers at the docks, eager to get home to their families. When they asked if I wanted a ride home, I shook my head. "Luis said he's coming to get me." They laughed and said they wouldn't steal Luis's chance to play chauffeur. By five, the sky had turned a terrifying deep purple. The storm was tearing at the palm trees. I called my fiancé, Luis Corvino, but he didn't pick up. Our last exchange was at four, when he'd written, "On my way, babe. Wait for me." At half past five, floodwater rushed into the street below, and the cars parked along the curb were swept away like toys. The whole building lost water and power. I curled up on the leather sofa in my office and tried calling again. When the call connected, a woman answered instead. "Luis?" I called out. "Luis is helping me move some things." It was Sophia Corvino, Luis's young, newly widowed stepmother. "Water's coming into the house, and I'm so scared... Luis said it's too dangerous for me to be home alone. "Oh, and Isabella, Luis said he sent a helicopter for you. He texted you. Did you get it?" I looked out the window at the utility poles the storm had snapped. A helicopter? In this weather? He couldn't even be bothered to come up with a decent excuse. I looked at the water creeping in around my feet and kept my voice calm. "Don't bother. I'm already home." A home that didn't need Luis anymore. 1 "Good. I'm glad you're home." Sophia paused, then continued with smug triumph in her voice. "Oh, and the cyclone's about to hit. Luis says he'll probably have to stay at my place tonight. He won't be coming home." I gripped my phone so hard my fingertips went white. Just then, I heard Luis's voice on the other end. Even over the phone, I could hear the concern in his voice. "Sophia, put on that velvet robe. You'll catch a cold." Sophia giggled. "Luis, it's the middle of summer. You want me in a robe that heavy?" Right. It was the middle of summer. But as the seawater crept in around my heels, I felt cold all the way through. Before I could say anything, the call ended abruptly. I opened my chat with Luis. There was no message about a helicopter. The last thing he'd sent was still that four o'clock text telling me to wait for him. Maybe he really had sent it. Maybe it just hadn't gone through because the signal was bad. But even so, that only meant he'd never looked at our chat again after trying to send it. He hadn't even checked whether I'd gotten it. Luis hadn't always been like this. When we first met, Luis was never without his phone, afraid he'd miss a message from me. Sometimes, when I was too busy to reply, he'd keep texting me anyway—about a weird-looking tree he'd passed on the road or a cloud on the horizon. Even when a stray dog barked at him on the street, he'd text me to complain in mock outrage. Whenever I texted him, he answered within seconds. He said he'd never leave me waiting. He couldn't stand missing even one of my messages, and he was even more afraid that if I ever texted him while I was in danger, he wouldn't see it in time. And now, all that care had gone to someone else. I couldn't say exactly where it hurt. A bitter ache spread through me. The wind slammed against the windows, and every time they rattled, my heart gave a jolt. At six, the cyclone officially made landfall. I was trapped alone in an office with no water and no power. I went into the break room at the back of the office and shut the door tight. The room was pitch-black and silent except for the roar of waves crashing against the docks outside. Then my phone suddenly lit up, and I stopped breathing. I fumbled to unlock it, only to find that the notification still wasn't from the person I was waiting for. It was a citywide emergency alert. The last line read, "During the storm, all residents should shelter at home. The wind and rain may rage, but God is with Sicily." I gave a bitter smile. Suddenly, my stomach growled, loud and embarrassing. That was when I remembered I hadn't eaten all day, because I'd been going over Luis's books for him. I dug a pack of emergency crackers out of the supply cabinet in the break room and washed them down with ice-cold bottled water. I opened Instagram and scrolled aimlessly through my feed, trying to distract myself. The next second, my finger froze. Sophia had posted a photo on Instagram. Luis, his shirtsleeves rolled up, was making fish soup for her himself. The caption said, [What do you do when your stepson is this good a cook? I'm hooked.] Luis had learned to make soup just for me, because of my weak stomach. He used to say that before he met me, his hands had known only power and gunfire. After we met, he'd found another use for them. He promised he would cook for me for the rest of his life, and for no one else. But the forever he'd promised me hadn't even lasted through one rainy season. I looked at the photo calmly, then left a public comment under it. [Then why not just marry him?] In less than a minute, Luis texted me. [Isabella, delete your comment! That's way out of line!] Out of line? Wasn't what they were doing a lot more out of line than one sarcastic comment? He was so busy accusing me that he never noticed his message about the helicopter had failed to send. He didn't even ask where I was or whether I was safe. I gripped my phone hard, my knuckles white. I was about to tell him I was still at the office on the docks and had never made it home. But before I could say a word, a violent crash sounded outside. 2 I flinched and looked out through the break room window. A large section of the floor-to-ceiling window in the office had shattered. Something flew through the opening and crashed into the break room door. I stared through the shattered window at a sky that looked like the end of the world. For the first time, I realized how powerless we were against nature. Gritting my teeth, I shoved everything heavy I could move against the break room door. Then I curled up in the corner farthest from the window. The wind howled, hurling something against the door again and again. Finally, with a crash, the break room window shattered too. The gale roared through, driving saltwater into the room. My mind went blank. By the time I came to, I'd already called Luis. He answered at the last possible second. In the background, I could faintly hear cards being shuffled. Before I could say a word, Luis spoke, sounding a little impatient. "Isabella, Sophia cried for ages because of that comment of yours! "I'm busy calming her down. I'll call you later." With my life on the line, I couldn't spare a thought for what Luis was saying. I forced down my fear and said, "Luis, the office windows shattered, and water's flooding in. I..." Then a cheer cut me off. "UNO! Luis, I'm about to win again! The tarot cards said I'd have good luck tonight!" Luis gave a fond little laugh on the other end. "Okay, okay. I lost. Fair's fair. What do you want?" "You owe me one! I'll tell you when I think of something." Only after their teasing ended did Luis seem to remember I existed. "Isabella? What did you say broke? The living room window? "Then go wait in the bedroom. I'll get someone to fix it tomorrow." The words died in my throat. I couldn't make a sound. In that moment, I finally understood. The seven years Luis and I had spent fighting side by side, even risking our lives together, mattered less to him than his so-called stepmother did. Three years ago, when Luis first mentioned Sophia to me, all I heard in his voice was disgust. Back then, she'd only recently married Luis's father, Don Salvatore Corvino, and become his stepmother. He said Sophia was a complete idiot who couldn't even keep the Corvino family's books straight. Later, he complained that she'd knocked over a glass of red wine at a family dinner and ruined his suit. For a long time, Luis let out an irritated sigh whenever he mentioned Sophia. It wasn't until Don Salvatore's funeral that I saw her for the first time. She wasn't much older than us. In her black mourning clothes, with her eyes red, she looked pitiful and fragile. Luis had his arm around my waist when he introduced me, and his voice was as cold as ever. "This is Isabella." She gave me a small nod, her eyes misty with tears. The way Luis looked at her that day made me uneasy, though I couldn't explain why. Only now did I understand: what I'd seen beneath the disgust was concern for her. Later, I asked Luis to spend a weekend with me at the horse races on a nearby estate. He said Sophia hadn't been doing well since Don Salvatore died, and as heir to the Corvino family, he had to look after her first. After that, I asked Luis to see a play. He said he'd already seen it with Sophia. I asked Luis to dinner. He said Sophia's cat was missing, and he had to help her find it. I'd always been decisive in relationships, so I asked him outright, "Luis, are you in love with your stepmother?" He froze for a second, then stared at me wide-eyed, like I'd insulted him. "Isabella, how could you even think that? I'm just helping out where I can, out of respect for my father!" But he'd gone far beyond "helping out where I can" a long time ago. I didn't know when I fell asleep. All I knew was that I'd had a long, exhausting dream. In it, a flood swallowed me while Luis stood on the shore, holding an umbrella over someone else. When I woke up, it was already light, and the Sicilian sun was shining down on the wrecked streets again. At least that ridiculous dream was over for good. I went home and showered. When I came out of the bathroom, Luis was just walking in. When he saw me, he seemed relieved. He came over to kiss my cheek. "Everything okay yesterday? You said a window broke..." He looked around the spotless living room. The windows were perfectly intact. My expression blank, I stepped away from him. "I had a nightmare." He nodded and didn't think twice about it. Then he took my hand and gave me a coaxing look. "Isabella, could we postpone next Wednesday's meeting with your parents..." "Why?" He sounded almost like he was begging. "Next Wednesday is the anniversary of Sophia's mother's death. You know she has no other family. It'd be too sad to let her go to the cemetery alone. I'm afraid she might do something drastic." I forced down my anger. "Luis, this is the fourth time you've stood my father up because of her!" Luis cut me off, sounding irritated and accusatory. "Isabella, how can you be so heartless! "Am I supposed to just stand by and do nothing? She's part of the Corvino family now. I'm responsible for her!" I looked at Luis in silence for a long time. Finally, I made my decision. "Fine. Go." His face lit up. He thought I'd given in again. "I knew you'd understand." Then he took out his phone and walked out to the balcony, making a call. "Sophia, Isabella agreed. I'll spend the whole day with you next Wednesday..." I sent my father a text. [Dad, you were right. Luis isn't fit to be heir. Didn't you say there was someone else in the Corvino family who would be a better match for me? Set up a meeting for next Wednesday.] 3 When I got to the office on the docks, workers were already fixing the shattered floor-to-ceiling window. A few members of the Corvino family stood amid the wreckage, still shaken. "Good thing we got out early yesterday. That would've been terrifying." "I heard the steel door of one of the warehouses at the port got ripped right off!" When they saw me, one of them called out, "Isabella, Luis came for you yesterday, right? I heard he was so worried he sent a helicopter." My mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "No. He was busy taking care of his poor, frightened stepmother." The office went dead silent. Finally, someone asked cautiously, "So you drove yourself home?" "I spent the night in the break room." Looking at their awkward expressions, I shrugged as if it were nothing. I didn't see any reason to hide what had happened. After all, I wasn't the one who'd done something wrong. Toward evening, Luis actually texted me. [I'm downstairs.] My finger paused over the screen. This past year, he'd hardly ever picked me up himself. Every time he promised to, it fell through because of one sudden crisis or another with Sophia. I went downstairs, and sure enough, there was Luis's car. I walked straight over. I was just reaching for the passenger door handle when the window slowly rolled down, revealing Sophia's refined features. She took off her sunglasses and gave me a little smile. "Good evening, Isabella." Luis started explaining. "Sophia says there's a new, authentic Indian restaurant near the docks. I figured you hadn't eaten yet, either. Want to come with us?" I looked at him, and my voice went cold. "Luis, I can't eat Indian food." He'd even forgotten that I'd taken a bullet for him three years ago. The resulting lung damage meant I could no longer tolerate heavily spiced food. Luis froze for a second. He was about to say something. But Sophia already looked as if she were about to cry. "Luis, you should go have dinner with Isabella. I can go to that Indian restaurant by myself." As she spoke, she made a show of opening the door to get out. Luis frowned and instinctively grabbed Sophia's arm as she reached for the door. "How can you go alone?" Only then did he look back at me. "Isabella, I'm going to take Sophia to dinner first. I'm not comfortable letting her go alone. "Next time. Next time I'll come pick you up, and we'll get whatever you want." In the end, they drove off. The roar of the engine was painfully loud in the empty street. Next time I'll come pick you up. So this time, he hadn't come for me at all. His "fiancée" had crossed his mind only during a brief lull in his efforts to keep that woman happy. My eyes stung, but the sea breeze dried them fast. I looked up. The day's last light was sinking into the sea, turning the whole sky orange and red. I took a deep breath. I'd already spent years waiting. It was time to end this. That night, when I got home, I was about to tell Luis I wanted to break up. But before I could, Luis started acting secretive. He told me there was an important event on the Corvino family's private yacht on Saturday and insisted I arrive early. I paused, caught off guard. Saturday was our seventh anniversary. So he did remember. I didn't know what he was planning, but I'd tell him it was over afterward. At least I could give this relationship a dignified ending. Luis told me to be in the ballroom by ten. But traffic was bad, and I didn't get on board until half past ten. As I walked toward the ballroom, memories from past years came back to me. One anniversary, Luis had rented an entire island just to set off fireworks for me. He had once crafted a solid-gold pistol for me with our initials engraved on it. But ever since Sophia came into the Corvino family three years ago, all of that had changed. Three years ago, at my birthday party, Sophia suddenly developed heart palpitations, and Luis left me standing there just as I was about to cut my cake. Two years ago, on our anniversary, Sophia said she was afraid of the dark, and Luis took all of his personal bodyguards with him to protect her. Last year, Sophia got drunk at a club. Luis said he was going to pick her up, and he spent the whole night at her apartment. I pushed open the heavy ballroom doors. Bang! Gold confetti exploded through the air and landed in my hair and on my dress. The ballroom was packed with senior members of the Corvino family and leaders of Sicily's other major factions. When they saw it was me, everyone froze. "Huh? It's not Sophia?" "Who said those footsteps sounded like the Donna's? Hurry, reset everything. She'll be here any minute!" I stood there, bewildered, watching the ridiculous scene unfold. Luis came out of the crowd, pulled me aside without a word of explanation, and shoved a party popper into my hand. "Didn't I tell you to be here by ten? Quick, when Sophia comes in, pull this." It took me a long time to find my voice. When I finally spoke, it sounded so cold that even I didn't recognize it. I looked at him. "Luis, what is this?" 4 Luis kept his eyes fixed on the doors, his voice brimming with excitement. "I forgot to tell you. The charity Sophia took over raised a record amount, so I wanted to throw a party for her. "You know she's always been insecure. This is her big chance to prove herself to the rest of the family." "So this is a party for Sophia?" Luis kept staring at the doors. He didn't notice my expression harden. "Yeah. You kept saying I never brought you to family gatherings, so I made sure to invite you this time." "Luis, do you remember what today is?" He gave me a blank look and frowned, trying to remember. Just then, the doors swung open. I smiled and nodded, then leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Luis, the engagement's off. "We're done." Bang! "Congratulations, Donna!" The popping and cheering instantly drowned out my voice. Luis had already rushed to Sophia's side. As the crowd cheered them on, he slipped an affectionate arm around her shoulders. My mouth twisted in scorn. Amid the noise, I turned and left without looking back. I checked my phone. My father had texted half an hour earlier: [Isabella, your mother and I are in Palermo.] They had already met the other young contender to lead the Corvino family, the man my father had mentioned before. My father said that before he could even bring up the subject, the candidate had invited all of us to dinner on Wednesday night. Three days later, I took my parents, Vittorio and Elena Benedetti, on a tour of old Palermo. We had just finished touring the cathedral when Luis started calling me over and over. When I answered, he asked where I was, his voice urgent. I didn't want to deal with him, but he sounded like someone had bombed Corvino headquarters. To get him to leave me alone, I sent him my location. Before long, Luis showed up, furious, with a red-eyed Sophia right behind him. When he saw my parents, he froze. Then he dragged me aside and demanded, "Isabella, what's going on? Didn't I tell you I have to take Sophia to the cemetery on Wednesday and that I don't have time? Why did you bring them here anyway?" I gave him an indifferent glance. "If you won't come, plenty of people in Sicily would line up from here to the coast for the chance to dine with the Benedetti family." He assumed I was sulking. With a scoff, he took out his phone and pulled up a post on a private underworld forum. The post showed several photos from Saturday's yacht party. In the first one, Luis had his arm around Sophia. In the second, Luis was tucking a strand of hair behind Sophia's ear. In the third, the two of them were whispering on the deck with their heads close together. The photos had been posted from Sophia's account. The caption read, [The most important day of my life] The party had been crowded, yet the only photos she posted were those intimate shots of herself and Luis. I scoffed. One of the comments caught my eye. [Isn't it a little inappropriate to get this close to your stepson? Especially when Luis already has a fiancée.] Under it, someone had posted a photo of Luis and me together. Luis glared at me. "Isabella, you posted that comment from a burner account, didn't you? Now everyone in the underworld is talking about Sophia! They're saying she's seducing her stepson! Do you have any idea how much trouble this is causing her? "Get online right now and reply. Tell them you're Isabella and that you were at the party too, and prove that there's nothing going on between Sophia and me!" "And if I say no?" "Isabella, you never used to be this petty." Luis stared at me in disappointment, as if I were the real villain. Just then, Sophia broke down sobbing nearby. "I've never had feelings like that... If Isabella really thinks that about me, I'd rather die!" My parents frowned as they watched us, clearly unhappy with the scene. Luis threatened me through gritted teeth. "Isabella, if you won't post it, I'll explain the situation to your parents and get them to speak up for Sophia!" I stopped him, my voice cold. I was sure that if Luis dared say a word to my parents, they'd rip into him. But I really didn't want to drag my parents into this disgusting mess. "I'll post it." Right in front of him, I opened the post and typed my reply word by word. [This is Isabella Benedetti. My engagement to Luis Corvino has officially ended. From now on, whatever he does with any woman has nothing to do with me or the Benedetti family.] Luis's frown deepened when he saw it. "Even if you're clearing things up, you didn't have to say that." When he saw the comments finally turning in Sophia's favor, his expression eased. As if he were doing me a favor, he said, "I'll try to make time to join you all for dinner tomorrow." I said nothing. Taking my silence as agreement, he put an arm around the tear-streaked Sophia and walked away with her. The next day, dinner was set for six. At five, he said Sophia had cried so hard at the cemetery that she'd fainted, and he had to take her to the private doctor first. At six, he said Sophia wouldn't let go of his hand, so he'd be a little late. At nine, hurried footsteps finally sounded outside the private dining room. The door flew open, and Luis walked in smiling. "I'm so sorry. I got held up on the way..." But when he saw what was going on inside, the smile froze on his face. I sat poised at the table, clinking glasses with the distinguished young man beside me. And that seat was supposed to be Luis's.