CHAPTER THIRTY-THREEARIAMy heart stopped beating for a moment, Caterina’s words sinking into my bloodstream. There was no way she was telling the truth. She was just trying to get to me.When I ignored her, I heard her chuckle behind me.“You think I’m lying?” She chuckled, raising her hand for me to see.“He gave me this ring when we were in high school,” she continued in a soft, dreamy tone. “I’ve been his ever since, and he’s mine. So,” her tone turned bitter, “He might be fucking you now and bringing you here to annoy me since we are currently fighting, but he’s mine. When he’s done with you, he knows where home is.”Her heels clicked against the floors again, the sound getting fainter in my ears as she walked away.That was when I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. My throat felt tight. My eyes welled up with tears, hurt searing through me like a dagger in my chest. I couldn’t describe the pain I was feeling or why I felt it in the first place. I shouldn’t be bot
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURMAXIMO“I believe every business proceeding should be discussed in my office, Mr. Russo, not at a ball,” I said, shaking my whiskey glass to swirl the liquid inside.Russo Gonzalez had been trying to sell me a business idea for a year now, and I was getting tired of it. He wanted me to partner with him in the shipping business he wanted to open, claiming it would make it easier for us to transport drugs, guns and other things across borders. I knew what he wanted from a business deal like this one, of course. A good partnership between me and him would help boost his reputation as a great businessman and give him more clout. The problem was, I never gave trust easily, and Russo Gonzalez was one sneaky man. Like every man desperate for great wealth, he could put anyone's life at risk just to save himself. He lacked loyalty, and I could never work with someone like that.“Of course,” he let out a small chuckle. “It’s just that you’re a busy man and it’s almost impo
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVEARIADrip, drip, drip.Drops of brown-coloured water dropped from the leaking tap into the dirty sink across the empty room. The sound was steady and predictable with an interval of five seconds between each drop. It echoed in the silent, dimly lit room. It drove me crazy, but at the same time, it was the only thing that kept me awake and grounded.Tired of lying on my left arm, I sat up and rested my back against the wall behind me. A sharp wince escaped my lips as my naked back came in contact with the cold, rough surface. My head dropped slightly forward as I looked at my beautiful dress, the one Maximo had bought me, the one I tried to escape in. The beautiful chiffon material had been sullied, now covered with a mixture of grime, dirt and blood. I wished it was my blood. I wished I didn’t have to go through this again. In the past few months, I’ve been kidnapped a good number of times and I am now accustomed to what a cell looks and feels like. It is always
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIXMAXIMOMy blood boiled in my veins as I took in Aria’s body. Her torn clothes, the blood and dirt on her beautiful skin, and the dead look in her eyes. My chest squeezed painfully with anger and hurt. Several words sat at the tip of my tongue, waiting to explode the moment I opened my mouth. Instead of saying any of those, I walked over to her and gently picked her up.She remained expressionless as I lifted her light body into my arms. She was in shock, and it broke my heart to imagine what must be going on in her mind. It broke my heart to imagine what those bastards would have done to her if I’d wasted another second before coming here.The men Lorenzo captured had given up easily, thanks to my very creative and painful torture methods. I’d found out that they were a rising Russian gang, not part of the Russian mafia, and someone had given them intel about the Delveccio ball. They confessed that they only needed the ransom money and didn’t plan on hurting Aria. S
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENARIAA loud bang reverberated through the room, making my heart jump. I quickly sat up on the bed as the door was crashed into again. My breath hooked in my throat as I watched in a mixture of horror and surprise as the wooden door broke off its hinges. The door crashed down to reveal an angry-looking Maximo. I instinctively took a step back. That seemed to annoy him even more. His grey eyes flashed with anger. I gulped, refusing to give him any further reaction as he stormed towards me.His long hair fell in angry curls down his face. The sharp edges of his face seemed more prominent, and I could see that it was a result of him gritting his teeth and clenching his jaws. As he reached me, one hand extended to grab my right hand firmly. I mentally braced myself for what would happen next, refusing to fight against him. Fighting against him would be useless, and I just didn’t have it in me to fight for anything anymore. I expected him to pull me to him, crash ou
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTARIAMaximo chuckled bitterly at my question.“I see you finally remembered you could talk,” he sneered, coming to stand before me.He looked angry, his eyes gleaming dangerously as he stared at me. What right did he have to be mad at me? How dare he?I felt my anger rising, burning in the pit of my stomach like a volcano about to erupt. I was grateful upon realizing that I still could feel something, that I wasn’t broken. I embraced it, letting it fuel my actions and guide my words. “I want to know why you brought me here, Scar,” I said calmly, coldly. “You must be enjoying this little game you’re playing. The game where you treat me as an object of your obsession for a few days, kiss me, touch me, and then throw me away when you get bored with me? Or maybe, perhaps the game is over now, and you’ve decided to kill me. You don’t need me anymore, do you? You’ve gotten what you wanted from me, and now you’re bored..."“What the fuck are you talking about?” He cut
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINEARIA‘Or maybe I should just kill you now.’For the majority of my life, I’ve thought of dying. Losing my mother and watching my stepfather turn into a monster. Running away from him while knowing that I could get killed. Getting kidnapped a good number of times. Staring at the walls of my prison room with no hope of escape. I’ve thought of dying all these times, but I never thought of how exactly it would happen. I let that particular thought wander, leaving it up to the universe to decide. Now, as I stared into Maximo’s eyes gleaming with an unreadable emotion, I wondered how he would kill me. I let my mind wander for a second, to the pleasant moments we once shared. The desire that coursed through my veins whenever he was near, the feel of his skin against mine, his lips on mine, the pleasure he gave me and the conflicting feelings I felt in my chest afterwards.I let myself feel everything for what could possibly be the last time. A single tear rolled down m
CHAPTER FORTYMAXIMOThe car engine came to a stop directly in front of the beach house. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling a heavy breath. My heart was still heavy despite my efforts to forget everything that had happened in the past hour. I wished I could forget the details of my argument with Aria, I wish I could forget how her words cut me like a knife, how the mixture of hurt, pain and guilt settled in my stomach. But I couldn’t.I accused her of being impulsive, but heck! Bringing Aria here was an impulsive decision, one I hoped would get her to open up to me. I knew she hated being in my mansion. She hated being locked up. She hated being stuck with me.But the realization that was too painful to accept was the fact that she hated me too, so much that she wouldn’t mind risking her life or dying just to get away from me.The pain in my chest returned in full force, squeezing and burning my lungs, making it hard to breathe. My hand tightened against the steering wheel before
CHAPTER ONE HUNDREDEPILOGUE (Eight Months Later)ARIA“Maximo,” Dr. Marini said, adjusting her glasses as she peered at him from across the table. “We’ve talked about this. You can’t solve everything with threats.”Maximo, sitting beside me in a perfectly tailored suit, crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t threaten,” he said smoothly. “I give options. It’s not my fault people don’t like the consequences of the second one.”I stifled a laugh, earning a sharp look from Dr. Marini. She was one hell of a woman. Soft when she needed to be, but also scary nonetheless. It was why she was the only woman in the Cosa Nostra who could call my husband by his first name. I still wasn’t sure how I should feel about that.“Aria,” she turned her attention to me, “how do you feel when Maximo behaves this way?”“Honestly?” I said, tilting my head. “It depends. Sometimes, it can be infuriating..."“I didn’t even do anything,” Maximo grumbled beside me. “Do you know what other dons do
CHAPTER NINETY-NINEARIAThe sting in my hand was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. Maximo stood frozen for a moment, his cheek reddening from where my palm had connected. And then, to my utter disbelief, he laughed—a low, bitter sound that rumbled deep in his chest.“Wow. And here I was thinking you would be happy I’m offering you an easy way out,” he murmured.An angry snarl slipped past my lips as my hand shot up again, ready to slap him a second time. But before I could bring my hand down on his cheek again, he caught my wrist in midair. His grip was firm but not rough, and despite everything, a small, pathetic part of me was happy that he was touching me again.Piercing, grey eyes bored into mine with a mix of frustration and something else I couldn’t quite place.“Aria,” he said sharply, his voice edged with irritation, “I thought you’d be pleased.”“Pleased?” I yelled, my voice rising as tears burned in my eyes. I wrenched my hand free from his grasp, glaring at him th
CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHTARIAIt had been five days. Five days since Maximo killed Lorenzo. Five days since Maximo last spoke to me or looked at me.The house felt colder than usual, and the silence pressed down on me like a suffocating blanket. I’d spent the entire day trying to distract myself from the ache in my chest, but nothing worked.I had tried cleaning the kitchen even though everything was already spotless, scrubbing every surface until my hands were raw. Maria panicked when she saw me, and when she tried to shoo me away from the kitchen, I reminded her that I was her boss’s wife. I did it a little too harshly, I’ll admit, but I’ve been on an uncomfortable edge ever since.I prepared lunch with the rest of the kitchen staff. At first, there was an uncomfortable silence due to my presence in the room. But after I urged them to ignore my presence, a soft conversation amongst the maids followed, and I drowned myself in the city gossip I never knew could distract me.By mid-afterno
CHAPTER NINETY-SEVENMAXIMOA sharp scream pierced the room as Aria crouched to the floor. My heartbeat thudded in my ears as Lorenzo’s head snapped back, crimson blood staining the wall behind him as his body crumpled to the floor.Silence followed, but it was so loud that it felt like a roar.I stared at the lifeless heap on the ground, at the way his blood—my blood—pooled beneath him. My hand stayed clenched around my gun, trembling as I tried to make sense of what was in front of me. The pure rage that had driven me seconds ago evaporated. It was now replaced by a hollowness that spread through my chest like poison.I did it. I killed my brother.The realization ripped through my chest, leaving behind a void so vast that it threatened to swallow me whole. Lorenzo’s face was frozen in a blank state. I stared at his once-sharp features—features that were almost identical to mine—and the slack and lifeless face stared back at me. His eyes—eyes that used to glint with mischief, love,
CHAPTER NINETY-SIXMAXIMOI stood there, gun in hand, staring at my brother as his smirk spread and his mocking laughter echoed around the room. It wasn’t the laugh of someone remorseful or regretful. It was the sound of someone who had nothing left to lose.“You’ll have to be more specific,” I said through clenched teeth. “What exactly did you mean when you said you’ve been behind everything?”Lorenzo tilted his head, his smirk widening. “Do you really want me to go into detail? Are you sure your heart would be able to handle it?” He asked with a mocking pout.My anger burned hotter in my chest, and I tightened my grip on my gun. “Start talking.”“Fine,” he huffed, but then his eyes glinted with malice as he began to speak. “Do you remember when we were boys? How I did everything right? I trained harder, studied more, followed all the rules of the Cosa Nostra, and yet..." He waved a hand as his voice took on a bitter edge. “Yet you—the reckless, weak son—were chosen to lead.”“Yo
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVEMAXIMOI couldn’t wrap my mind around what Aria had just said. Her words echoed in my mind, loud and jarring like a bullet through the air. It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t be true.“I don’t believe you,” I finally said, and I saw the way her eyes fell.“I’m telling the truth, Maximo. What will I gain by lying about this?”I gritted my teeth and stepped away from her, needing to clear my head. The woman I loved just told me that my own blood brother, whom I’ve known my whole life, is planning to have us killed. What the fuck was I supposed to make of that?She took a step towards me, and I raised my head to look at her again. My eyes narrowed at her as I tried to understand if she was lying, if she had misheard something, if this was some kind of sick joke. “Have I ever done anything to break your trust?” She asked, and I could hear the hurt in her voice. The fear in her eyes and the slight wavering in her voice were too raw to be fake.“Are you sure?” My voice
CHAPTER NINETY-FOURARIAMy heart thumped heavily within my chest as I slowly turned to face him. The air between us crackled with tension as Lorenzo’s dark eyes fixed on mine. I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat, pretending I didn’t hear or understand a single word of his phone call. “Oh, Lorenzo, I hope I didn’t interrupt your call,” I chuckled lightly. “I was just walking around the compound, admiring it for one last time before we finally leave. I didn’t expect to bump into you.”His expression was unreadable as he studied me for a moment too long, making my stomach churn with nerves. My palms were slick with sweat, and I clasped them tightly behind my back to keep from fidgeting.“You didn’t interrupt my call,” he said finally. His voice was smooth but sharp, like a blade wrapped in silk.I faked a frown, pulling my brows together. “But you look upset. Irritated even.”He chuckled, and the sound was more of a harsh one than an amused one. He took a step closer, and
CHAPTER NINETY-THREEARIAThe morning air was cool and quiet as I stepped outside. My shoes crunched lightly on the gravel path as I stepped away from the main house. For a moment, I just stood there, letting the breeze brush over my skin. It felt so peaceful out here, and I didn’t feel like I was suffocating.I didn’t know why—maybe it was the weight of finally leaving Milan all behind—but I felt something uneasy gnawing at my heart.Someone had just tried to kill Maximo yesterday. Whoever it was had succeeded in killing Luca. I’d tried to calm Maximo down yesterday. I’d offered him the comfort I could give, but deep down, I was troubled and scared. I barely slept a wink last night, even after Maximo and I retired into bed. I kept thinking about the blood I washed off his clothes and body. Luca’s blood. I kept thinking about how, even though we were so close to leaving, it still didn’t make me feel at ease. There was still someone out there who wanted Maximo dead. And heck, the perso
CHAPTER NINETY-TWOMAXIMOLuca’s funeral was set in the small graveyard of a chapel on the outskirts of the city--a place Luca had picked years ago in one of his rare candid moments. “My Papa was buried here. If I’m ever killed, I want to be buried here too,” he’d told me once. I never thought I’d be standing there, watching it happen.The air smelled of fresh-cut grass and incense, the kind that always felt heavy in my lungs. A priest stood by the white coffin, and in a steady voice, he recited prayers that pierced the thick silence hanging over the men who surrounded the grave.Dark suits, stiff shoulders, and lowered gazes--it was the mafia’s version of grief. None of the men spoke, though I caught a few glances aimed my way. Pity. Respect. It all weighed heavy in their eyes. I ignored them all and returned my gaze to the coffin resting over the open grave.Luca’s mother stood closest to the dug ground before us. My heart clenched as I watched her small frame sway slightly under th