22. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
Elise
My husband is a dangerous man who no one ever questions. He is so rarely questioned that it catches him off guard if someone makes that mistake. And not in the sense that he doesn’t understand the question. It is in the sense that he doesn’t understand why someone is asking. And that person instantly becomes a target.
And yet, here I am. Standing in the foyer of our home, awaiting his late return for the second week in a row. I know he’s been busy. And I know it involves my family, but I no longer want to remain in the dark. He never thinks before he speaks, and his words to me in the tub have tormented me over the past few days. No one in my life has ever taken me seriously, especially my father. And while Luca may see me as a “challenge” because of what I did, he still doesn’t respect me as an equal. He’s doing the same as my father, keeping me in the dark.
Except with Luca, it’s trust that fuels his decision.
I tense when the lights from his car filter into the foyer as he pulls into the circle drive. As I hear the sound of his door opening, followed by his voice speaking to someone, I can’t help the slight tinge of fear I have for making the decision to do this. But even in this elaborately built house, I still feel like a prisoner. As long as Luca sees me as his conniving wife, I’ll never be anything but.
The door opens, and Luca enters, his usually lax features contorted in irritation as he berates someone on the other end of his phone call. His eyes drift over the foyer, finding instantly, and to my shock, his features soften as a smile forms on his lips.
“I’ll call you back,” he says, his eyes remaining on me.
He hangs up the phone, placing it in his pocket as he approaches.
“This is a nice surprise…,” he says as he pulls me into him.
His scent filters over my senses, making it difficult to hold fast to my plans as he stands over me. His eyes drift over my face, his smile deepening as he reads my body language and instantly knows I want something.
“And what can I help you with tonight, my duplicitous wife? I am sure you aren’t standing here wide-eyed and trembling just to welcome me home,” he chuckles, releasing me.
He moves past me, making his way out of the foyer and as I follow him, my stomach dips as we head toward his office. I hate his office. Ever since he showed me his true colors in it, I know it is a place filled with death and torture. But he steps aside, welcoming me in first while waiting for me to voice my intentions.
“I want to know what you’ve been up to lately,” I say softly.
I almost slap myself for the way my voice comes out. But Luca doesn’t seem to mind it as he closes the door behind us, moving ahead of me to sit behind his desk. His gray eyes follow my every movement until I am seated before him, and he finally speaks.
“Why would I tell you that?” he asks.
“Because I know it has to do with my family…and I know it’s because of my father,” I say.
Luca laughs again, shaking his head. “They are not your family any longer.”
“I know. But I still want to know what will happen to them,” I say.
Luca studies me, his empty expression hiding his thoughts as he does.
“They’re going to die,” he says finally.
Nausea twists in my stomach as I take in his words. I knew it at the back of my mind, but hearing him say it out loud and confirm it feels entirely different. I feel Luca’s eyes on me as he watches my reaction. He’s obviously testing my loyalty, and if I meant it when I said they are no longer my family.
I use the moment to take in a deep breath, calming myself before speaking again.
“And my brother?” I ask.
Luca scoffs. “You mean the half-sibling who is the reason behind your attempted assassinations and your family casting you out?” he asks.
I pull in a deep breath, forcing myself to look him in the eyes as I push down my fears.
“Yes,” I say more firmly than I’ve spoken this entire time.
Luca notices and smiles, leaning forward to place his arms on his desk as he silently accepts my challenge.
“He’s going to help. And if he can’t, he’ll die alongside them,” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“Have you…completely lost your mind?” I say, standing.
Luca leans back in his seat, his eyes visibly darkening as he crosses his arms over his lap. “Have you?”
Silence passes between us, and I know I should sit down and take this conversation in a different direction. But I never do what I should. Not when it comes to Luca.
“He’s only a kid. You’re going to have him wipe out his own family?” I ask.
“A kid? He’s a year away from legally being an adult. When I found him, he was pick-pocketing in a club. He’s more than capable of following orders,” he says nonchalantly.
“To slaughter his own family? You’re going to rob him of his innocence for what? To get your sick and twisted revenge on my family?” I ask.
Now Luca stands, his gaze never wavering.
“My revenge? What about your revenge? Or would you rather just let it all pass without acknowledgment, right? You want to sweep everything that you came from under the rug and judge me from the fake pedestal your father created for you?” he snaps.
“That’s not—”
“I’m done having this conversation with you, Elise. I told you that if you wanted to fix what was broken, you needed to come to terms with all of this. But you’re still fighting me. How do you think your brother will live once everyone realizes who he is? He’ll be dead within hours. I’m giving him a chance to prove his loyalty,” he says.
“By forcing him into our fucked up world?” I ask.
“Yes. As your shitty father was going to do at your expense,” he says.
I don’t have a response for him. We both look at each other as silence passes between us until Luca finally breaks that silence.
“You know what? I’m sick of this. Why don’t you take your brother and return to your family? See how they welcome you. According to William, you had a big hand in ending your father’s life. I’m sure they’ll accept you with open arms,” he says, shoving past me.
My frustration boils to the surface as he leaves. He’s right. I need him if I want to protect my brother or even myself. I have nowhere to go. And if my family takes him in, placing him at the front as their leader, Luca will kill him, the same as he did with my father. I am once again at someone’s mercy, and I hate it. I have no voice. I never did. I am everyone’s pawn to play with, including Luca’s.
“You’re mine.”
The words trigger a rage in me that is so deep, so dark, and so defeated that my eyes frantically fly over the room for an escape, in any sense of the word. My breathing comes out in soft pants as a sense of euphoria washes over me. A decision that will give me release. And will make it so that I am never at anyone’s mercy again. So that I won’t have to hear or watch the massacre unfold.
I chuckle aloud.
It’s not as if I ever had an actual purpose anyway.
I silently cross the room to Luca’s desk, my eyes falling on the paperweight on the edge. My fingers are calm as I reach for it, and everything around me feels more vivid.
“Elise.” I hear my name, but I ignore it as I aim for the large mirror Luca keeps in the corner. The loud crash of glass fills the room that I’ve always hated. It’s almost poetic: My last moments will be in this room.
“Elise, what the hell—”
I pick up the sharpest shard from the pile, holding it firm. The pain of it slicing through my palm feels amazing. I am more in control than I have ever been. I release a soft chuckle as I turn to face Luca. Anger is evident in his features, and as he sees me with the shard in my hands, his eyes narrow.
“Really? So this is how it’s going to be? You’re going to threaten me now with that? Did you not learn your lesson last time—”
“This isn’t for you,” I say.
Luca’s eyes widen in shock as I run the shard over my wrist.
“Fuck!” he screams, crossing the room, but he’s too far away to stop me as I cut through my other wrist as well. I drop the shard, stumbling as the pain sends a wave of ice over me—thick waves of blood spill from my wrists, staining his floors. And I find myself hoping that he is never able to get it out. I pray that he has to remove the floor entirely so that my existence can be taken from this room.
I smile as I lower myself into the pile of glass lying on my back. The ceiling is vaulted and so high. Luca, being the extravagant man that he is, placed a beautiful chandelier in the center of it. It makes me feel at peace as I watch it, awaiting my death.
Luca suddenly appears in my line of vision, his panicked expression causing me irritation as he frantically tries to cover my wrists with a cloth. I quickly yank my arms from his grip, shoving him, but it does little to move him since I am weak at this point.
“Don’t touch me,” I whisper. “Just let me die.”