What a Daughter Carries

Alice’s POV

I left the office that day with my broken dreams—and a broken pocket. The job listing for my position was created right away, and people started applying almost instantly. Good news: I wouldn’t have to see my grumpy boss’s face for too long. Bad news: I was about to lose a well-paying job that anyone would kill to have in this economy. And all because I couldn’t adhere to the company's conduct policy on personal relationships. If this incident ever leaked—just like Mr. Anton had threatened—it wouldn’t just be a lost job. It would be the end of my professional career.

So, I had to do whatever it took not to piss him off further and leave in peace. How to find another job that paid this well? That was a problem for another day.

While I was walking toward the subway, lost in thought, my phone rang. It was Rachel.

“Hi, Ri-ri!” I answered, trying to sound upbeat.

A sob came through the speaker. My whole world shifted.

“What happened?” I asked, alarmed.

“Dad… He—he—”

“What happened to Dad? Speak to me, Rachel!”

“He was beaten by three men. In front of our house. They broke his leg and some ribs. He’s in the hospital, Alice. Mom is a mess. You need to come right now!”

“I’m coming.”

I dropped everything and ran.

Two excruciating hours later, I arrived in New Jersey. The hospital was crowded and cold.

Mom was sitting in front of the operating room, crying. Rachel and Bunny were trying to comfort her, though they were clearly shaken too.

“Mom!”

“Alice!” She jumped up and threw her arms around me.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I was sending him off to work this morning. I kissed him goodbye, and he waved at me from the driveway. Then three men approached. They started arguing about some money Frank owed them. He said he still had time—that it wasn’t the agreement. But they didn’t care. They started beating him. I couldn’t do anything. They threatened me, too.”

She started sobbing harder. Her shoulders shook violently in my arms.

“Okay, Mom. That’s okay. There was nothing you could do.”

“But before they left, they said we have two weeks to pay the debt. Otherwise, they’re coming for me and the girls next.”

She collapsed into my chest again.

“Do you know who they are? What debt they’re talking about?” she asked with wide, tearful eyes.

I glanced at my sisters. They were watching us closely. I couldn’t let them know the debt was tied to Rachel’s tuition. That would crush her.

“Come with me,” I whispered to Mom.

“I’m taking her out for some fresh air,” I told my sisters. They nodded, wordless.

Mom followed me out into the hospital garden, silent as a ghost. Like she already knew what I was going to say.

“You know what happened to your father, don’t you?”

“I… kind of know.”

“Kind of?”

“He borrowed money from a loan shark. He couldn’t afford Rachel’s tuition. He didn’t want you to know.”

“I thought he got a loan from the bank. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought that too, at first. But when I visited last time, I saw two men at the door. He had to come clean. The debt got transferred to a mafia don. They started demanding early payment.”

“And you didn’t think I should know my family was in danger?”

“It’s not like that. Dad made me promise not to—”

“You and your little father-daughter club,” she spat. “You never let anyone else in.”

“It wasn’t about keeping secrets from you—”

“No? You thought you were smarter than me again. That pathetic housewife mom didn’t need to know what was happening under her own roof?”

“Mom, you’re overreacting.”

“Overreacting? Three men nearly killed your father and I’m overreacting?”

“I didn’t want to scare you!”

“Scared? You think I’m not scared now?”

Something inside me snapped.

“Then maybe you should’ve noticed something was wrong! He’s been getting thinner, quieter. You never asked. You never saw him slipping. As long as he provided for you and this perfect little life—”

“Enough.”

“Did you even once consider getting a job? Supporting the family? I had to watch Dad drown in guilt while you stood there acting like a queen on her throne. And now you act like you care?”

Slap.

My cheek burned. The crack echoed between us.

“How dare you,” she hissed. “I stayed home and raised three girls while your father worked himself to death. Do you think I didn’t want more from life? A career? A purpose? But I chose you. All of you. And I would do it again.”

I froze.

The weight of her words landed like a punch to the gut. She wasn’t perfect—but neither was I. Maybe I had taken on too much. Maybe I had learned to carry so much that I expected her not to carry anything at all.

I looked at her—really looked. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Her hands were trembling. And I realized… she was just a woman. A wife. A mother. Flawed, but trying.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I whispered. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… I’m scared. And tired. And angry. But not at you. Right now, we need to focus on Dad.”

She nodded silently, her grip on me tightening.

When we pulled apart, I asked, “What did they say exactly?”

“They want 500,000 dollars.”

“What? His debt was 300,000!”

“They said it’s interest. A penalty for late payments.”

“But… you can offer them a payment plan, right?”

I wanted to tell her I’d been fired. That I had no income now. But I couldn’t bring myself to make her panic.

“Yes, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

We walked back into the hospital silently.

But inside me, a storm was brewing.

—

Unknown POV

“Is it done?” the woman asked through the phone.

“Yes, ma’am,” Don Virelli replied. “We beat him bad. And we made sure the family knows the deadline—two weeks. Interest included.”

“But I still don’t get it. That kind of debt’s not even worth our time. We’re the third-biggest mafia in the city. What’s in this for you?”

“Do you always ask this many questions, Don Virelli?” she cut in sharply. “You’re being paid well to obey, not to think. Do we understand each other?”

“Yes, ma’am. I apologize.”

“Good. Wait for her to come to you. And when she does—call me.”

The line went dead before he could respond.