35. Mia
35
MIA
N o. I can’t just sit here and wait for disaster to strike. I have to do something, anything, to stop Luca before it’s too late.
Jumping up, I try the door handle again, even though I know it’s futile. As expected, it doesn’t budge. I press my ear to the door, listening for any signs of movement outside. There’s a faint shuffling sound—someone’s out there.
“Hello?” I call out. “Is anyone there? Please, I need help!”
After a moment, a hesitant voice responds. “Mrs. Strambo? Are you alright?”
I recognize the voice—it’s Lucia, the housekeeper. “Lucia, thank God. Please, you have to let me out. It’s an emergency!”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Strambo,” Lucia replies, sounding genuinely regretful. “Mr. Strambo gave strict orders not to open the door under any circumstances.”
“Lucia, please,” I plead, desperation creeping into my voice. “You don’t understand. Luca’s going to do something terrible. I need to stop him!”
There’s a pause, and for a moment, I dare to hope. But then Lucia speaks again, her voice firm. “I’m truly sorry, Mrs. Strambo. But Mr. Strambo’s orders were very clear. I can’t disobey him.”
I slam my palm against the door in frustration. “Damn it, Lucia! This isn’t about following orders. Lives are at stake!”
But I hear her footsteps retreating, and I know it’s no use. The staff’s loyalty to Luca, which I once admired so much, is now working against me.
I don’t give up, though. Over the next hour, I try every trick I can think of. I call out to different staff members as I hear them pass by. I try to reason with them, to appeal to their humanity. I even try faking an injury, hoping someone will open the door out of concern.
“Alberto?” I call out, recognizing the footsteps of one of our gardeners. “Alberto, please help me!”
“Mrs. Strambo?” His voice is muffled through the door. “What’s wrong?”
I put on my best pained voice. “I’ve fallen and hurt my ankle. I think it might be broken. Please, I need help!”
There’s a long pause, and I hold my breath, hoping this will work. But then Alberto’s voice comes back, apologetic but firm. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Strambo. But Mr. Strambo was very clear. We’re not to open the door no matter what. I’ll call the doctor for you, though.”
I let out a frustrated groan. “No, Alberto, I don’t need a doctor. I need you to open this door!”
But it’s no use. I hear his footsteps retreating, just like all the others.
As I sink onto the bed, defeated, I can’t help but marvel at the irony. Luca’s kindness and fairness to his staff, one of the things that made me fall in love with him, is now preventing me from saving him from himself.
My frustration turns to anger. How dare Luca do this to me? How dare he lock me away like some fairytale princess? I am not some damsel in distress. I am Mia Strambo, née Marino, and I will not be caged.
But I can’t give up. I can’t let Luca destroy everything—not just our life together, but his own soul. Because despite everything, I know Luca has a good heart. His anger, his need for vengeance—it’s eating him alive, corrupting the man I know he can be.
And now that I know how close he and Dom were growing up, I fear the regret that would consume Luca if he actually went through with this. If he survives trying to kill Dom, that is—which seems unlikely now that Dom is the head of two powerful Mafia Families.
I look around the room frantically, searching for another way out. My eyes land on the large bay window, and a crazy idea starts to form.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m stripping the bed of its sheets and comforter. My hands shake as I start tying them together, creating a makeshift rope. It’s insane, I know. We’re at least three stories up. But what choice do I have?
As I work, a memory surfaces. Bianca and Sofia teaching me how to tie knots when we were trying to find a way to rescue Chiara. “You never know when you might need to escape,” Bianca had said as Sofia’s quick hands expertly tied the knots.
At the time, I thought they were just playing. Now, I silently thank them for the lesson.
I test each knot carefully, tugging with all my strength. I can’t afford any mistakes. This rope is my only chance to save Luca from himself.
Once the rope is complete, I secure one end to the heavy bedpost, tugging it to make sure it’s tight. Then, taking a deep breath, I open the window and look down.
The ground seems impossibly far away. For a moment, I freeze, terror gripping me. What am I doing? This is madness.
But then I think of Luca, of the pain and rage consuming him. Of what will happen if he goes through with his plan. I know I have to try.
Slowly, carefully, I lower my sheet-rope out the window. It barely reaches halfway down. My heart sinks, but I’m committed now. I have to do this.
I climb onto the windowsill, my whole body trembling. “You can do this, Mia,” I whisper to myself. “You have to.”
I climb onto the windowsill, my whole body trembling. The night air is cool against my skin, making me shiver. Or maybe that’s just fear. “You can do this, Mia,” I whisper to myself. “You have to.”
With one last deep breath, I grab the sheet-rope and start to climb down.
It’s even more terrifying than I imagined. The sheets are slippery, hard to grip. Every few seconds, I’m sure I’m going to fall. The wind whips around me, making the rope sway. I cling to it desperately, my knuckles white with the effort.
I try not to look down, focusing instead on the wall in front of me. One hand over the other , I tell myself. Just like Sofia taught you. Don’t think about the height. Don’t think about falling .
But it’s impossible not to think about it. Every creak of the rope, every gust of wind that makes me sway, sends a fresh wave of panic through me.
How the hell did I do this when we climbed in and out of Chiara’s room?
I’m only about a quarter of the way down when my arms start to ache. I pause, pressing my forehead against the cool brick of the wall, trying to catch my breath.
“Come on, Mia,” I mutter to myself. “You can do this. For Luca. For your family. You have to.”
Gritting my teeth, I force myself to keep going. Inch by agonizing inch, I make my way down the side of the house. I’m about halfway down when I hear an ominous ripping sound.
My heart leaps into my throat. No, no, no. Not now. Please, not now.
Before I can react, the sheets tear, and I’m falling.
A scream rips from my throat as I plummet through the air. This is it , I think. This is how I die .
But then, suddenly, my feet hit the ground. Hard, but not hard enough to seriously hurt me. My legs buckle, and I collapse onto the grass, my heart pounding so hard I think it might burst out of my chest.
As I lie there, gasping for breath, I realize the fall was only about three feet. I’d made it almost all the way down before the sheets gave way.
“Mrs. Strambo?” a shocked voice calls out. “What on earth?”
I look up to see Marco, Luca’s right-hand man, staring at me in disbelief. I scramble to my feet, ignoring the ache in my ankles.
“Marco,” I gasp out. “You have to drive me to my parents’ home. Now.”
Marco’s eyes widen. “Mrs. Strambo, I can’t. The boss gave explicit orders?—”
“I don’t give a damn about Luca’s orders!” I shout, surprising even myself with the vehemence in my voice. “I am the mistress of this house, and I am telling you to drive me to my parents’ home right now!”
Marco takes a step back, clearly taken aback by my outburst. “Mrs. Strambo, please, I?—”
“No!” I cut him off, stepping closer. My whole body is shaking, but whether from adrenaline or anger, I’m not sure. “You listen to me, Marco. Luca is about to do something that will destroy him. I have to stop him. And you are going to help me, or so help me God, I will make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?”
Marco stares at me for a long moment, shock written all over his face. Then, slowly, he nods. “Yes, Mrs. Strambo. I understand.”
“Good,” I say, my voice shaking slightly as the adrenaline starts to wear off. “Then let’s go. Now.”
Marco nods again, fishing car keys out of his pocket. “This way, Mrs. Strambo. Quickly.”
As we rush to the car, I send up a silent prayer. Please, let me not be too late. Please, let me be able to stop Luca before he does something he can’t take back.
Because I know, deep in my heart, that if I fail—if Luca goes through with this—nothing will ever be the same again. And I might lose the man I love forever.