94. Chapter Ninety-Four
Chapter Ninety-Four
Mariella
I sa is practically glowing as she flops onto the couch beside me, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips.
“Oh my God, Mari,” she gushes, her eyes shining. “He’s perfect. We talked for hours. Hours! I swear, I haven’t laughed that much in forever.”
I smile, genuinely happy for her, even though my own heart is racing for an entirely different reason. She’s completely caught up in the magic of her first date with Andrea, and I don’t want to steal her moment.
So I listen, nodding along as she describes his smile, his charm, the way he reached for her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
But the whole time, I’m barely holding back the words pressing against my lips.
When she finally pauses to take a breath, I seize the moment.
“Isa,” I say, shifting closer, lowering my voice. “I need to tell you something.”
Sensing my unease, her smile falters. “What is it?”
I hesitate, because even now, I can hardly believe it myself. I glance around the room, checking that we’re alone, and reach for her hands, gripping them tightly.
“Teo and I are leaving.”
Confusion flickers across her face. “Leaving? What do you mean?”
I take a deep breath, steadying myself. “Leaving la famiglia . The mafia life. All of it. You understand because you’re attempting the same thing.”
For a moment, she just stares at me, as if waiting for the punchline to some twisted joke. But when it doesn’t come, her eyes widen in shock.
“You’re serious.” She shakes her head, her grip on my hands tightening. “But that’s impossible. You’re… he’s—”
“I begged him to let me tell you,” I blurt out, needing her to understand. “No one else can know, Isa. Not mamma , not our sisters. To the world, we’ll be dead. ”
She jerks back like I slapped her. “ Dead?! ”
Tears burn behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. “It’s the only way. There’s no leaving the Mafia, Isa. Not alive. You know that. But Teo and I, we have a plan.”
She’s shaking her head again, her breathing unsteady. “Mari, you can’t ask me to just pretend you’re gone. Do you have any idea what this will do to mamma ? To all of us?”
I swallow hard, the guilt already suffocating me. “I know. And I hate it. But it’s the only way we get to live, really live.
“And you’ll have to act like you’ve actually lost me. You’ll have to play your part, or the whole scheme will fail. I know I’m asking a lot, but I couldn’t let you believe I was dead when I’m not.”
She drags a shaky hand through her hair, her expression twisting with conflict.
“Tiero left plans and money in untraceable offshore accounts . ” My voice wavers slightly, and I take another breath. “He made all these preparations. For when he got Ella back. And he shared them with Teo, told him to get out. We’re using those plans now.”
Isa stares at me for a long moment, then suddenly lunges forward, pulling me into a fierce hug.
“You better not actually die,” she chokes out.
I cling to her, my heart aching. “We won’t.”
She pulls back, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “When?”
I shrug my shoulders. “That part isn’t clear yet. But if you hear of an attack, don’t fret, okay?”
My phone buzzes on the coffee table, an unknown number flashing on the display.
Hmm, how odd.
This is a secured line. No one should be able to reach me unless I’ve given them the number.
I hesitate before answering. “Hello?”
“Mari?” a familiar voice replies.
The breath catches in my throat. “Sofia? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Her voice is steady, but there’s something underneath it, something brittle.
“Oh my God.” I press a hand to my chest, trying to contain the rush of emotions.
Relief. Shock. A sliver of fear… for her.
“Are you okay? I never thought I’d hear from you again. How did you even get this number?”
A quiet chuckle. “I have my ways.”
“You clearly do. After all, you escaped.”
“I’m sorry for that,” she says, and actually sounds like she means it.
“The opportunity came up when you and Mateo were gone, and the whole house was in chaos over Gualtiero’s death. I had to take it.”
A beat of silence. “You didn’t get in trouble, did you?”
“No, of course not.” I glance over my shoulder instinctively, but other than Isa sipping her cup of tea, the library is empty. “And nobody is looking for you. If you’re still in hiding, you can stop.”
A pause. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” I sink onto the couch, tucking my legs beneath me. “I live with the person who makes those decisions now, or have you forgotten that?”
“Yeah, I heard you got married,” she says, a touch of amusement in her voice. “Congratulations. He’s quite the catch.”
I snort, making Isa look up from the magazine she was flipping through.
“Yeah, well. He and I both wish he wasn’t the Don.”
Silence stretches between us for a moment. Carefully, she asks, “What do you mean?”
I stare at the bookshelves lining the walls, my fingers tightening around the phone. “Sometimes we fantasize about getting out.”
The words slip out before I can stop them. Merda . Just having talked with Isa about it has loosened my tongue.
“If only it were that easy,” she jokes.
“It can’t be that hard,” I counter.
God, why did I say that?
There’s a shift in the air, subtle but there. When she speaks again, her voice is quieter, more intent. “You sound serious about this.”
I blink. I really should have kept my mouth shut.
“Forget I said anything. I’m just venting. This hasn’t been an easy transition for us.”
Another pause. Then, softer, “Take care of yourself, Mari. I just wanted to let you know that I’m okay, because you would have worried. Thank you again for being there for me when I needed a friend.”
That makes me feel all warm inside. “You’re right. I was worried about you. But you’re free now. Be happy, Sofia. Make the most of it.”
Something in her tone leaves me with a chill. There’s an edge to it, a strange finality that I can’t quite place.
“I will,” she says. “I promise.”