Chapter 18 #2
He takes a sip of his drink, shaking his head slightly without opening his eyes. His voice is weary, but his words are steeped in arrogance and unshakable confidence—the kind of confidence that does nothing to calm me, “A meteor hitting Earth right now is more likely than someone hurting me.”
I can’t help the bite that creeps into my tone. “What makes you so sure of yourself?”
He opens his eyes and sits up straight, fixing me with a cold stare. The exhaustion vanishes from his voice. “My power.”
Taking another sip of his drink, he adds, “I’m the king of this city.”
I’m smart enough not to challenge him on that. Instead, I cut straight to the point. “Did you figure out who was behind the attack?”
“I did.”
I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. Instead, he toys with the glass in his hand, ignoring me completely.
“Well? Who was it?”
“Can’t you guess?”
I clench my fist so hard, my nails bite into my palm. God, no. Please, no.
He seems to notice my tension. “Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen. I won’t let it.”
I rise to my feet, my legs shaky as I put some distance between us.
“How much is the bounty on our heads?” I ask, pressing a hand to my aching chest.
He doesn’t even try to soothe me. “Enough to send you into labor right now.”
Tears gather in my eyes. “Dead or alive?”
I hear the rustle of his clothes as he rises from the couch. His hand lands warmly on my belly, his breath brushing against my ear.
“He wants you alive for sure. Me…preferably alive.”
When I close my eyes, a tear escapes down my cheek. “Oh God, no.”
His other arm wraps around me, pulling me closer against him. His breathing grows heavier.
“What are you so afraid of? I’ll protect you. Both of you.”
“You don’t understand, Tony. Carlo isn’t just some ordinary criminal.
He’s the most brutal crime lord in Italy.
A cunning, venomous snake that, once he marks his prey, will wait years to strike.
Time doesn’t matter to him. The method or the amount of blood spilled doesn’t matter.
Carlo Bruni always gets what he’s hunting.
And now, his sights are set on us. That means as long as we’re alive, we’ll have to live in fear of him. ”
For a moment, I feel his fingers tighten on my skin before he suddenly lets go and steps back. He walks toward his jacket and pulls out a cigarette. His movements are calm, but the tension in his body is unmistakable.
He lights a cigarette, takes a deep drag, and stares at me for a few long moments.
“Funny you think you know Carlo better than I do. Need a reminder of my last name? Or the fact that I grew up in the same house as him?”
“Tony, that’s not what I meant—”
He doesn’t raise his voice but cuts me off with the same icy calm.
“You really thought Carlo would just swallow this disgrace? That he’d simply understand his cousin was fucking his wife behind his back, keep his mouth shut, and walk away like some spineless coward?
That he wouldn’t hunt us down? If you honestly didn’t expect this kind of retaliation, you’re even dumber than I thought. ”
“I know you’re under a lot of pressure, but please don’t take it out on me again.”
He takes another drag from his cigarette, ignoring me completely.
“I knew exactly how Carlo would react. I knew he’d be out for blood, that he’d plot his revenge meticulously. That’s why I built my army. I’m not afraid of your clever, cunning Carlo Bruni, Lucia.”
He crushes the cigarette into the ashtray and strides toward me.
“You misunderstood me.”
His hands land firmly on my shoulders, and his voice drops to a deadly tone.
“I can hear the respect you have for him, for his character as a man, even his demeanor as a criminal, woven into every word you say. What exactly did I misunderstand? That bastard left your body untouched, but in the two years he had, he fucked your mind thoroughly. You fear him…but you also respect him. To you, he’s both the vilest criminal alive and the purest saint. Isn’t that right, Lucia?”
With my breath hitching and my gaze fixed on the floor, I avoid his eyes.
It’s as if the truth Tony’s spitting out has hit a switch in my brain, clearing a blockage I didn’t even know existed.
He’s right, every word he says is a slap of reality.
Maybe Tony is the eternal love I dream of, but in my darkest moments, it was Carlo who felt like the unshakable rock I leaned on.
Our encounters were limited, but they left a mark. Two months have passed since I left his house, yet Carlo Bruni’s charisma seems to have crossed oceans, stuck deep in my head.
Tony’s smirk twists cruelly as he steps back. “Don’t worry. I’ll break you down and build you again. I’ll wipe every trace of Carlo from your pathetic brain.”
He lunges forward suddenly, gripping my head between his hands, his voice seething with restrained fury.
“I’ll carve my name into your soul until it’s etched into your very bones. I’ve got a thousand ways to break you and rebuild you exactly the way I want.”
His hand snaps between my legs, clutching it possessively. My body tenses, every muscle locking in alarm. I try to step back, but his other hand tangles in my hair, not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to keep me in place. He spits out his next words like venom.
“Just like I claimed this, made it mine, I’ll take that head of yours and make it my own too.”
He releases my hair, letting his hand fall to my swollen belly, his tone shifting slightly as he continues.
“But this is my child that is growing inside you, and I won’t let anything harm her.
Especially not me. I almost lost her once because of my blind rage at you, and it’s still killing me.
I won’t let it happen again. Until you give birth to my child safely, I’ll put up with those twisted thoughts of yours that make me sick.
I’ll bite my tongue and keep my distance to avoid hurting you, intentionally or not. ”
He steps back and picks up his jacket from the chair. “But after that, I have plans for you, my dear. Big ones. Be ready.”
Without another word, he leaves the house, slamming the door behind him, leaving me standing frozen, shaken to my core.