A Time Ticking Bomb.

ALESSANDRA

After my sister's words, I immediately rushed down the stairs along with my father to see Leonardo standing in the living room with a small army of men. The room was filled with quiet sobs as everyone watched him wielding a knife at my cousin's neck.

“What the hell do you think you are doing? Put the knife down, Leonardo!” My father's furious voice cut through the suffocating silence in the room. I knew all hell was about to break loose when my eyes spotted some men moving across the room from the other end, silently trying to close the distance between them and their target.

Leonardo's eyes did not stray from me even one bit but his men kept their vigilant eyes on their surroundings. The way his eyes locked onto mine, cold and unyielding, sent a jolt of fear through me. I could tell he was very furious about my sudden disappearance but there was something darker lurking in his eyes.

Something raw and intense.

“Since my wife decided to visit her family without telling me, I thought I should come to spend some time with you guys as well,” his smile was dangerously wild. Everyone probably thought the same thing I was thinking, that this man was a ticking bomb waiting to explode.

The air in the room thickened with tension as all eyes fell on me. I knew what he was doing but I had no intention of leaving with him. There was nothing left for me here anymore, and I wanted him to know that. I was done, ready to turn my back on it all.

“Come here, Alessandra," he commanded, his tone laced with an undeniable authority that sent shivers down my spine. Leonardo's smile vanished instantly as he reached out

to me with his other hand.

I shook my head, willing my body not to take a single step towards him. “I'm not going back with you, Leonardo. Our marriage is over and I don't want to see you-”

My voice was drowned by the sudden, piercing screams that tore through the room. The sight of my cousin collapsing onto the floor turned my mind blank as I watched him holding his neck. Commotion reigned over the place when my father's men finally stormed into the room, aiming their weapons at my husband.

“You are not going to pay for what you just did,” My father pulled out a gun from behind his suit jacket and pointed it at Leonardo. My family's doctor entered the room, examined the scene, and rushed to attend to my cousin.

Leonardo remained unperturbed amidst the chaos happening in the room. “I will leave after I get my wife. I hope you haven't forgotten that you still owe me $500 million, Patrizio. Because I certainly haven't.” he retorted, his voice dripping with arrogance.

The air thickened to an almost tangible weight, pressing down on my chest and making each breath a struggle. I faltered with shaky steps, as I witnessed the scene. People were going to die, and it was all because of me. A voice in my mind told me to be selfish and stand firm in my decision not to go with Leonardo but I knew there was no way I could do that.

Leonardo killed my uncle, Enzo and now, he hurt his son. I had no doubt in my mind that he was going to send everyone to hell if I wasted another minute in another man's territory.

“I'll go with you,” I declared, my voice slicing through the tension and reverberating off the walls. Both men turned to face me but my gaze remained firmly fixed on my father. “And I will do what you want, Patrizio,” I continued, my tone unwavering and resolute.

My father's eyes gleamed with approval but I pretended not to see it. My mind and body felt numb as I descended the stairs, walking to Leonardo's side. I saw my aunt brawling her eyes out as she watched the doctor struggle to save her son. My heart clenched with guilt so I apologized to her, “This all happened because of me. I'm so sorry-”

“You are nothing but a curse on this family,” she fumed, her eyes ablaze with fury, piercing through me as if I were truly nothing but a jinx brought upon them. She continued, “You are exactly like your mother who-”

My father suddenly stepped forward with a warning in his tone, “Keep my wife's name out of your mouth, Stefania, if you don't want me to finish what Leonardo started.”

As I watched my aunt rant in Italian and tried to process my father's unexpected words, Leonardo suddenly pulled me towards him. His gloved hand was slippery to the touch, reminding me of what he had just done.

Heavens, why was this happening to me? My second husband was also a killer, as ruthless and heartless as his brother, Giovanni. The nightmares I had faced in my first marriage resurfaced in my mind, causing tremors all over my body.

My father was right. The only way I could leave this world forever was to ensure that no one like Leonardo would come after me again. Despite all my efforts to save him, he had chosen to become a monster whose hands were stained with blood, and I could never forgive that.

“Let's go home,” I told him bleakly as I walked past him and his men. My eyes strayed to my sister, Mia, who was hugged by our mother, and I managed to summon a smile in front of her.

Whenever I wondered if I should just run away, I remembered that Mia could easily replace me in my father's scheme to use his daughters as tools for money and power. She was the reason I was still putting up a fight because I didn't want her to live the life that I lived.

I had gotten myself into this mess and I was going to get out of it at all costs.