27. Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Serena
" T here are a couple of reasons I hate your fucking guts and your husband’s, too."
I gasp at his vitriol. This man was supposed to protect me. Antonio's mask has long slipped from his face and, instead of the usual emotionless expression, he's wearing one of pure hatred.
"I’d taken a couple of weeks off from work and came here to the cabin in the woods where it's peaceful and quiet. Planning to fish and relax, I took a walk on the mountain road one night and, to my surprise, a car came barreling towards me. Not allowing me the chance to move out of the road."
My heart beats harder, and my breathing picks up when I realize what Antonio is saying. "You are the person I ran over that night?"
"I am. The same person you left lying in the street, bleeding out like an animal as you drove away with no worries."
Tears tumble down my cheeks. What he’s saying is true; I left him there to die. Either way, I am at fault and deserve his hate.
As tears continue to cascade down my cheeks, I implore, "Please forgive me, Antonio. I'm so sorry. I was scared and made a huge mistake, and I've lived with terrible guilt ever since."
The expression on Antonio's face turns monstrous, and it sends a shiver down my spine. He pulls his hand back and it comes flying at my cheek, quickly followed by a sting that takes my breath away.
The intensity of his words becomes palpable as he leans closer to me, his breath on my face, and sneers, "Shut the fuck up. Too little, too late. I don't want to hear your lies. I spent weeks in the hospital and months in PT to learn to walk again. When I found out Emilio wanted to take revenge on your family, because of your brothers, I knew it was my way in. Not only did he intend to take what I had worked hard for, being Mario's second for years, but he was also taking you. It gave me the perfect opportunity to enact my own revenge plan. And it couldn’t have worked out any better. Two birds, one stone."
At this point, Antonio is pacing the floor in front of me and running his hands through his hair. He looks like he's having some kind of mental breakdown.
"First you hit me and ruin my life, then Marcello and Gio dismantle Mario's empire and kill our men, while Emilio has the nerve to think he’s entitled to mete out revenge. No, that privilege is mine and mine alone. You, Emilio, and your brothers need to pay. I'm not stopping until you get what you deserve."
"Antonio, please, I'm pregnant. You don't want to hurt an innocent baby."
"Actually, I want to make Emilio hurt, and the way he's been crazy about having a child, I know the thing that will cause him the most pain is when he sees his pregnant wife and unborn child dead. That's going to ruin him." Antonio is yelling now, and it sounds like someone is exorcising a demon.
My stomach growls loudly at the most inopportune time. Willing the baby to be patient for food, I try to forget that I missed lunch. Hoping to buy time until Emilio can find us, I don't ask for anything to eat or drink, even though my mouth feels like cotton. I realize I need to shut up to keep my baby safe.
Antonio walks away, into another room, and I hear him talking to someone on the phone.
Who the hell could he be talking to while all this is going on?
Testing my binds, the rough, coarse ropes dig deeper into my tender flesh, leaving painful imprints on both my wrists and ankles. Looking around the room, I notice the décor is cozy, yet a little dated and tired. The walls are adorned with faded wallpaper, and the windows are framed with heavy, patterned curtains. I see several pillows thrown on the couch, a thick, patterned rug on the floor, and intricate doilies on the coffee tables.
The aesthetic screams feminine. Dried flowers, their petals brittle and faded, but still beautiful, fill a crystal vase on the coffee table.
Shaking my head back and forth, I try to make sense of it all. Specialty soap that is scented on the sink, pillows on the couch, and a vase full of flowers doesn't feel like something a man would choose. I don’t think Antonio lives alone here.
After what seems like hours of sitting in this uncomfortable chair and waiting in silence, I hear a vehicle pull into the driveway and Antonio talking to someone else .
What the fuck?
Suddenly, a figure appears in the doorway to the cabin, and when they step into the light, I gasp.
As Josephine walks towards me with a scowl on her face, I'm shocked to see the sweet mask she wears when she’s around me at Emilio's, completely absent from her face.
She pulls back her hand before slapping the opposite side of my face. The urge to soothe my flaming cheek is overwhelming. Tentatively, I run my tongue over my lips and immediately taste blood.
"You, bitch. How dare you fucking hit Tonio and leave him to fucking die."
"I'm so sorry,” I cry out. “I had no idea."
"Didn't know that you left a fucking human being lying on that road like a piece of raw meat?"
"You were always so sweet," I reply, still in shock.
"Yeah, I was in a drama club in high school and rather enjoyed acting class." She chuckles.
My eyebrows furrow as I try to figure out Josephine's hidden motives. What's she getting out of this? I never saw her and Antonio interact more than necessary communication around the house. Still tasting the metallic trace of blood from my busted lip, I don't dare voice my question.
I watch as my two captors sit across the room huddled up, whispering softly to one another.
What the fuck is going on?
Then I notice their body language. Josephine is leaning close to Antonio as she places her hand on his forearm.
And that’s when realization dawns. It all makes sense now.