CHAPTER V
I didn’t know how long I sat out on the patio, my eyes fixed on the horizon as the sun dipped below the trees, painting the sky in hues of crimson and gold. Despite the beauty of the scene, I was unable to find peace, as my heart was burning with seething hatred.
Hatred for not believing Gigi when she needed me most.
Hatred for shoving her into the basement, binding her like a traitor, as if she were the enemy instead of the woman I loved.
Hatred for letting my adversaries infiltrate my thoughts.
Hatred for the way they stole her from my home right under my watch.
Hatred for the unspeakable horrors I couldn’t shake from my mind—what might be happening to her, alone and terrified.
I gripped the railing with a ferocity that threatened to splinter the wood.
Feelings.
No matter how hard I tried to ignore them—these pesky feelings.
I was the goddamn mafia don, a person to be feared, yet here I was, grappling with emotions I hadn’t allowed myself to feel since Selena.
It was as if Gigi has woven some kind of spell around my previously dead heart, and despite every instinct telling me to break free, I found myself tethered to her in ways that defy logic.
I’d built an empire on strength and control, yet she slipped through my defenses.
Why did she have this hold over me? I should be untouchable, but with every glance, every shared moment, I felt the walls I’d constructed beginning to crumble.
Whenever I closed my eyes, my thoughts were overwhelmed with memories of our time together.
It was in those moments that reminded me of the weight of my choices and the pain I caused her.
I was meant to safeguard Gigi’s heart, to cherish it, yet instead, I tossed her into the inferno, allowing the demons to ravage her soul.
How could she ever forgive me? How could I forgive myself?
I was so deep in my turmoil that I didn’t hear the doors slide open or register Luca’s voice until he was right beside me.
“We’ll find her.” His words were firm, a promise forged in the crucible of our shared pain.
I pulled back, attempting to muster a laugh. “Look at me, falling apart like a little bitch.”
“You’re hurting, Nico. It’s okay to feel. You’re not Superman. Even heroes can break.”
I scoffed, bitterness rising in my throat. “I’m no fucking hero, Luca. I’m the fucking villain in this story.”
He shrugged, his hands shoved into his pockets. “You may be the villain, but even a villain has limits and can break.”
I shot him a side-eye, my heart heavy. “You think my angel needs someone with a black heart in her life? She’s in this position because of me!” I slammed my fist against my chest, the impact reverberating through me.
“Your heart is no longer black or dead. She brought it back to life, Nico. That's why you’re shitting out all these feelings.”
A smirk tugged at my lips at his insight.
He was right. My girl brought me back to life.
“So, the question remains,” Luca said, a serious edge to his tone.
“Which is what?” I asked.
He turned to face me fully, his eyes locked on mine. “What the fuck are you going to do about it?”
Just as I opened my mouth to respond, soft piano notes drifted through the air. We stepped into the music room; Alphonse sat at the piano, his fingers dancing over the keys, lost in his own world of sorrow.
“Where’s Dante?” I asked, scanning the space.
“He stepped out to make a call,” Luca explained.
Suddenly, the same older woman who greeted us at the door entered with a warm smile gracing her lips.
“Would you like something to eat?” she offered, her voice gentle.
I shook my head, but Luca interjected before I could voice my refusal. “Actually, yeah, that would be great.”
I shot him a glare, but he met my eyes, unwavering.
“What?” He shrugged. “I’m hungry.”
Her smile widened, and she said, “I’ll get the table ready and let you know when dinner is served.”
She exited the room, and I turned my gaze toward Alphonse.
Something made him stop playing. I could see the tension coiling in his shoulders, and he clenched the top of the piano like it was his only anchor.
He was a king, yet today, he was grappling with the brutal truths that had shattered his world: the murder of his first love and the revelation of a daughter he never knew existed, now seemingly lost to him.
“I’m going to check in at home,” Luca said, pulling out his phone.
I nodded.
We quietly slipped out into the hallway, where we ran into an older gentleman.
“Excuse me. Where can I make a phone call?” Luca asked.
“Ah, this way, signore,” the butler replied smoothly, gesturing for Luca to follow him down the corridor.
Just then, Dante’s voice drifted from the living room, and as I turned the corner, I found him deep in conversation on the phone.
I cleared my throat, and Dante looked up.
“I’ll check in later, Liam,” he said and hung up.
Dante motioned for me to sit on the couch, and I complied, my ass sinking into the cushions. He settled onto the couch opposite me, his posture coiled tight as he leaned forward.
The atmosphere was so intense that it would have set the room on fire if I’d lit a match.
“I remember the times Angelica would sneak out of the house to come here,” he finally said, breaking the stillness. “She was never good at hiding it from me.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “You were protecting her from her father.”
“Yes,” he replied.
“Why didn’t you stop it then, knowing their relationship was forbidden? Why risk it?”
“It wouldn’t matter what I said to Angelica. She had her own mind and wasn’t afraid to use it.”
A grin spread across my face. Sounded like Gigi. My angel. And soon to be my queen.
He sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping as he turned away for a moment. When he looked back at me, a haunting shadow of regret flickering in his eyes. “But now, I wished I would’ve have said something. She might still be alive if I had.”
“Then Gigi would never have existed,” I remarked.
He let out a soft sigh. “Just spending time with her at Thanksgiving felt so natural. She captured my heart the way her mother had,” he proclaimed with heartfelt admiration.
My smile widened. “She is amazing. A hard worker, kind, selfless, loyal, fierce as fuck.”
That made him chuckle.
“But she’s also a magnificent violinist,” I added. “And she’s full of love. A love that will last a lifetime. A love that will make you want to be a better man, to do right by her and give her all she deserves and more.”
He watched me closely. “I can see how much you loved her.”
“ Love ,” I insisted. “I still love her. And I promise I’ll do whatever it takes to bring her home.”
“Don’t make false promises,” Alphonse shot back, a sneer curling his lips as he stepped into the living room.
I reclined in my seat and studied Alphonse as he watched me intently. “It’s not false. I'm bringing my girl home.”
“Your incompetence cost me my daughter. I should kill you now.”
From the icy glare in his eyes, I could tell he wouldn’t think twice about doing it.
“You could, but you won’t, because you know it would crush your daughter. And you don't want to be the reason she loses the man she loves.”
Alphonse sneered. “You think my daughter is going to forgive you for what you did to her?”
“No,” I admitted. “I’ll crawl on my goddamn hands and knees and beg my girl for forgiveness for the rest of my life.”
“She was no longer your girl the moment you fucking betrayed her!” He was a vengeful storm as he took a step toward me, but I kept my ass firmly planted on the couch.
I draped my arm over the back of the couch, meeting his gaze head on. “And I’ve owned that mistake.”
“Which doesn't mean shit to me,” he retorted, a flicker of rage igniting in his eyes.
“Then I don’t know what to tell you,” I replied.
“I want you to tell me she’s alive. That she’s happy, that she’s living without fear.” At that moment, I realized he wasn’t just talking about Gigi. He was also talking about Angelica.
“We can’t change the past, Alphonse,” I reminded him. “All we can do now is focus on the present and the future.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets as he stood there, appearing forlorn and lost.
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened to Gigi's mother. You did what you had to do to keep her safe,” I continued, trying to reach the part of him that still held onto the pain. The same pain I held onto for Gigi.
“And she was killed for it,” he said, his tone filled with regret. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to turn back time.
“This is our world,” I replied, my own heart heavy with the truth of the words. “It’s what we were born into. She knew that, and she accepted her fate. But at least she gave her daughter a safe and comfortable life for as long as possible. That has to mean something.”
The shit thing about our lives was that we were criminals, and we subjected our families to a life full of pain but of love too.
It sounded like a fucked-up fairytale, but when it came to the people we loved, there were no limits to how far we could go to protect them.
To keep them safe. To give them the world.
“That may be true,” Alphonse finally said. “But I will never forgive myself for what happened to my girls.”
I met his gaze, nodding in a silent acknowledgment, a shared understanding of our burdens.
“Signore.” The older woman from earlier stood by the door, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. “Dinner is ready.”
Alphonse turned to her, his expression softening for a fleeting moment. “Grazie.”
She nodded, a hint of warmth in her eyes, and turned away.
He faced me again, a look of resolution on his face. “Let’s eat and form a plan to bring my daughter back home. Alive. ”
After dinner, we ventured back into the room from earlier but now gathered around the table. Luca sat across from me and Dante, while Alphonse was at the end of the table to my right.
“Let’s get back to the task at hand,” Alphonse remarked, his gaze hardening.