Ludevica Scuderi

**Ludevica Scuderi** was a minor character in the Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles. She was born to unknown parents and was sister to Livia and Ornatella. She was also the wife to Rocco Scuderi Sr. and had children Aria, Gianna, Liliana and Fabiano.

## Appearance and Character

Before succumbing to cancer, Ludevica was a very beautiful woman with long dark blonde hair she was known to pile in a bun. After chemotherapy, she lost her hair and her skin became gray and pale. She was still likely very beautiful but sickly-looking due to the nature of her terminal illness.

Ludevica was described by Gianna as the perfect Italian wife, always polite and proper and well-dressed and incredibly skilled at hiding bruises when her husband slapped her. Due to growing up in a misogynistic and patriarchal society and her fear of her abusive husband, Ludevica had trouble standing up for herself or her children, often only protecting them in subtle ways like shushing Gianna at the dinner table in Bound by Hatred to prevent her from getting herself in trouble and vocally defending Lily from Rocco in Bound by Temptation. Due to the mafia requiring women to wear masks, she watched Aria get led to the master bedroom for her wedding night without a "flicker of compassion" but she did say to Aria she wished she could've protected her the morning after and confided in Lily she regretted not protecting all her children more. Ludevica did very much love and care for her children and Lily states she hugged them, read them stories, and generally tried to be the best mother she knew how to be. Ludevica also admitted to Lily that she respected Rocco but had never loved him, contrary to statements both Aria and Lily had said and personally believed. She was also very reserved with sex and did not educate her daughters on sex, though this was possibly due to not being educated about sexuality herself and actually believing sex was only to please a husband. She was generally friendly and popular in her society though it's unknown if this was her true personality or just a mask and doing her duties as the consigliere's wife. According to Valentina, she was an excellent cook.

## Early Life

Little is known of her life before the start of the books, but her family must have been prominent as she married one of the sons of a Consigliere and she had two sisters Livia, who married an Underboss, and Ornatella, whose daughter also married an Underboss.

In Bound by the Past she is mentioned in passing as Rocco's wife, with Dante Cavallaro saying that by the events in that passage, Rocco was already married with two daughters, meaning Aria and Gianna. They later went on to have two more children Liliana and Fabiano.

## Born in Blood

### Bound By Honor

Before the start of the book, when she first learned of Aria's betrothal to Luca Vitiello, the oldest son of Salvatore Vitiello, the head of the New York Cosa Nostra, and future Capo dei Capi of the New York Famiglia, she begged Fiore Cavallaro to let her finish school and be of age, and Fiore relented and agreed.

When we first meet Ludevica, she goes into the library to summon Aria to Rocco's office so that she can inform her of her betrothal to Luca.

Ahead of Luca and Aria's engagement party, Ludevica was busy ordering around the servants and making sure the house was spotless for the big event.

At Aria's engagement party, she wore a floor-length gown, with her blonde hair pinned up, while Aria wore a dress that her father had chosen for the occasion. Aria was uncertain about it, as she had never worn anything so revealing. The black dress clung to her butt and waist and ended at her upper thighs; the top was a glittery golden bustier with black tulle straps paired with five-inch black heels.

Ludevica told her daughter she looked like a woman. When Aria commented she looked like a hooker, she responded and said that hookers can't afford a dress like that. She put her hands on Aria's waist and said that she has a wasp waist, that the dress makes her legs look very long, and that she is sure Luca will appreciate it. She then handed Aria her heels and told her to hold her head up high. Fiore Cavallaro called you the most beautiful woman in Chicago. Show Luca and his entourage that you are more beautiful than any woman in New York too. After all, Luca knows most of them, hinting that she may have read the tabloid articles about his conquests, as did Aria. She then told Aria to go on, that this was her day, and that she should enter the room alone. That the men will be waiting and that her father Rocco will present her to Luca, and then they will all come together in the dining room for dinner. True to her word, the next time we see her is when Luca leads Aria to the dining room and she pretends to admire Aria's engagement ring.

Two and a half years later Aria, Gianna, Lilliana, and their mother go dress shopping and Aria unenthusiastically picks out the most expensive gown in the shop's collection, a dream of brocade; the bustier was embroidered with pearls and silvery threads made from platinum that formed a delicate flower pattern.

The book again skips to the wedding six months later, which is being held in the vast gardens of the Vitiello mansion in the Hamptons. The Scuderi family stayed in the suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manhattan, Salvatore suggested that they live in one of the many rooms in the mansion until the wedding in five days, but Rocco declined, as even after three years, they still did not trust each other. The three sisters share a suite, while Rocco and Ludevica have another.

When Luca then asks Aria if she is on birth control, Aria responds that of course, she is not. Luca scrutinized her saying that her mother could have started her on it in preparation for the wedding but she said that her mother would never do that and that her mother wouldn't even talk to her about those things.

On the morning of her bridal shower, she mentions that she was hoping to be spared of the tradition, but her mother insisted it would be an affront to the women of Luca's family if they couldn't meet her before the wedding. Gianna was allowed to attend, but Lily was deemed too young. Aria worried that there might be another reason behind Ludevica's agreement as Gianna had just turned 17, which meant she was almost old enough to marry off as well, but she pushed the thought away. Aria and Valentina are talking, but the conversation is cut short when Ludevica and Gianna come into the room, and more guests arrive after that.

While in the shower, Luca's cousin Cosima mentions how embarrassed she was when it was time for the presentation of the sheets. When Aria asks what that is, Nina patronizes her and says that didn't her mother, Ludevica, explain it to her. Aria looked at her mother, who just pressed her lips together, two red blotches appearing on her cheeks. Nina explains that it is a Sicilian Famiglia tradition that they have proudly upheld for generations, that after the wedding night, the women of the groom's family come to the bridal suite to collect the sheets they spent the night on. Then those sheets are presented to the fathers of the bride and groom and whoever else wants to see proof that the marriage has been consummated and that the bride was pure. Cosima added that it is also called the tradition of the bloody sheets for that reason. Gianna exclaims that it is barbaric and that Ludevica can't allow it, but she simply responds that it is not up to her. Nina adds that they do not abandon their traditions and from what she knows, the Scuderi girls have been well-protected from male attention, so Aria has nothing to fear. The sheets will prove her honor.

The day before the wedding the Scuderi moved out of the Mandarin Oriental into the Vitiello Mansion in the Hamptons, where workers were busy setting the pavilion that would serve as the church for the ceremony the next day.

***To be continued...***

### Bound by Temptation

Ludevica gets diagnosed with stage three lung cancer. She doesn't want anyone to know she is ill, so she only tells Liliana and her husband. Liliana doesn't agree with this and after talking to Romero, she decides to tell Aria. Aria had already suspected something was going on as Ludevica looked very pale despite having layers of make-up on.

Her disease progresses despite her cancer treatment, and she is bedridden with a nurse caring for her. Only Liliana keeps her company which allows the two to strengthen their bond as Ludevica opens up to Liliana about her past and her regrets in life, urging her not to make the same mistakes she did and to be happy. Although Aria and Gianna wish to be with her, they are not well received in the home by their father.

Rocco doesn't visit her in her room and spends his time with his mistresses instead which angers Liliana as he is showing very little love for his wife in this difficult time.

Ludevica is on the brink of death so Liliana calls her sisters which angers her father but once they are in the home he cannot deny them although he fights with Gianna. When Ludevica sees her children she seems happy to see them, even Gianna who was not on good terms with her after running away from her marriage with Matteo.

She dies surrounded by her children and is buried at the cemetery.

## Appearances

* *Luca Vitiello*
* *Bound by Honor*
* *Bound by Duty*
* *Bound by Hatred*
* *Bound by Temptation*
* *Bound by the Past*