Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Lucia
I yank open drawer after drawer, desperate for anything to hide the bruises blooming across my cheek. Or better yet, one of Emily’s old tops so I can finally peel off this oversized man’s shirt. No such luck.
The door flies open and Antonia bursts in, eyes sparkling, words tumbling out.
“Mommy, you won’t believe it! I played with Gabriel, ate birthday cake, and chased Diablo—he’s the naughtiest puppy ever! When is Daddy coming? I want to ask him to get me one!”
I kneel down and pull her tiny body into my arms, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“Soon, baby. Daddy’s going to find us any minute now.”
She leans back slightly, her bright blue eyes scanning my face, then widen in shock.
“Mommy…you’re hurt?”
I force a smile and brush my thumb across her cheek. “I just tripped, baby. It’s nothing.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch another figure standing in the doorway. Emily. Carlo looms right behind her, eyes locked on me like a predator. I stand up carefully, making sure not to provoke him, and turn to Emily.
“Thank you,” I say quietly. “She clearly had the best day.”
Emily’s face stays carefully blank. “She’s full of life. Gabriel adored her.”
Antonia bounces on her toes. “Mommy, can we get a little brother? Babies aren’t boring like Adam says, they’re actually really fun!”
Tears prick my eyes. A few nights ago I had a whole future planned. Now I have less than twenty-four hours left.
Emily’s eyes soften at my tears. Carlo doesn’t move a muscle. He stands behind her like a wall of muscle and menace.
I steady myself and, before they leave, turn to Emily. “I’m so sorry. For everything you went through. I had no idea how bad it was.”
She takes a deep breath before responding.
“I’m sorry for you too. It seems we both endured a lot, unwillingly.”
“If I had the power, I’d turn back time and stop myself from dragging you into this.”
Emily shakes her head immediately.
“If I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing. Not a single thing. Coming to Italy, becoming part of this family, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Even if I knew I’d end up black and blue under Giuseppe’s fists again, I’d say yes to the past a thousand times over.”
My eyebrows shoot up in shock. I glance at Carlo, catching the unmistakable pride in his eyes as he looks at Emily. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, his breathing deepening.
Is this really Carlo? The notorious Wife-Killer? He looks more like someone caught under a powerful spell.
His thick arm slides around Emily’s waist as he pulls the door shut. At the last second I catch his other hand cupping her breast in a blatantly possessive grip.
As the door clicks shut, I turn to Antonia, taking her hand and leading her toward the bed. I sit her down gently, kneeling in front of her.
I unclasp the thin chain from around my neck and hold the tiny golden wings in my palm. The same necklace Tony gave me years ago. Leaning in, I fasten it around Antonia’s neck.
She whispers in my ear, “Mommy, why are you giving me your angel?”
“Because I want it to keep you safe.”
“But… aren’t you going to protect me anymore?”
I stare into her worried green eyes, shimmering with uncertainty. “Of course I will, my love. I just want you to have some extra protection too.”
Lying beside her, I run my fingers through her soft hair, tracing the delicate features of her face. Her skin is impossibly soft under my fingers, and my heart squeezes so tight I can hardly breathe.
Tonight is my last night with her. I can’t stop looking at her, drinking in every detail. If God shows me even a sliver of mercy, her beautiful face will be the last thing I see before I die.
One day she probably won’t remember any of this. She might not even remember me.
Motherhood is a strange thing. I’m hours from dying, and all I can think about is what life without us will do to her.
Her tiny hands cup my face, and she whispers, “Mommy, I don’t like this game anymore. I want Daddy.”
Maybe the last thing I can do for my daughter is make this separation as easy as possible. I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “The game isn’t over yet, sweetheart. Tomorrow Daddy’s coming to find us.”
Her eyes glisten, and her voice brightens. “Really?”
“Really, my love. And after that, a new game begins. Uncle Fabiano will take you somewhere, and Daddy and I will have to find you. The longer it takes us to find you, the bigger your prize will be.”
Her little mind latches onto the idea of a prize, and nothing else matters. She nods excitedly, completely missing the deeper meaning behind my words.
I turn off the light, pulling the blanket over both of us. For the last time, I tell her a bedtime story.
A story about a little girl whose parents disappeared one day. But instead of mourning them, she decided to be happy—because she knew that no matter where they were, they were always watching over her. They always lived in her heart.
If she was happy, they were happy too. If she was sad, they were with her in her sorrow.
They were always with her.
***
We wait just outside the iron gates. Carlo stands right behind me in a tight black t-shirt and dark jeans. Nearly a hundred armed men surround us. The air feels thick enough to choke on.
Antonia presses herself against my leg, overwhelmed by the wall of stone-faced, hulking men.
In the distance, I see a car approaching, weaving between the towering pines lining the road.
I press Antonia’s head against my leg, shielding her from whatever is about to unfold, and turn to Carlo.
My voice trembles with the weight of unspoken fear, my throat tight with unshed tears.
“Carlo…please. Let us go.”
A smirk tugs at his lips, his tone laced with mockery.
“And why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because you’re better than this.”
Maxim pulls his gun from his shoulder holster, smirking. “No, lady. He really isn’t.”
I ignore him and push forward.
“You’re not the same man I ran from, Carlo. Emily and Gabriel changed you. They made you better. I know that terrifies you, but it’s true.”
He takes one slow step toward me. His voice is just as hard as the rest of him.
“Don’t say my wife’s or my kid’s names with that filthy mouth. Yeah, maybe I’m better for them. But for the bitch who humiliated me?” His eyes narrow. “Just wait. You’re about to meet the man who’s gonna make you regret every fucking thing you did.”
“You owe me.”
His brows pull together in irritation. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“He was right, Carlo. Every single word Tony said. I was your wife. Your responsibility. But to you I was invisible. A ghost. I got raped on our wedding night and you didn’t even notice.”
His jaw clenches so hard I hear his teeth grind. “Because you never opened your fucking mouth to tell me. Maybe you even wanted it, maybe you wanted the man who was supposed to be your husband before me to break you in.”
I scream it, raw and shaking. “Or maybe I was fucking terrified! I wasn’t ready to die.
You were a monster. My father sold me to you.
For two years I was just a goddamn decoration in your house.
You ignored me. You never protected me. And now you want to make my daughter an orphan?
” My voice cracks. “Fuck you, Carlo. I hope you rot in hell, the only place you belong.”
Antonia bursts into tears, startled by my shouting. As my own sobs break free, I drop to my knees and clutch her against my chest.
Maxim chuckles low. “Damn. Even the blonde Barbie’s got a sharp tongue when you push the right buttons.”
I shift my gaze back to the gate. The car has stopped a short distance away, and ten men are approaching. Even from here, I recognize Tony and Fabiano instantly.
Tony’s eyes lock on us and his hands curl into fists.
The same suit from two days ago hangs wrinkled on him.
His face is pale, unshaven, hollow. The dark circles under his eyes are deeper than I’ve ever seen.
He looks wrecked, but to me he’s still the same proud, beautiful man I met that spring afternoon in the garden full of blossoms.
The gate swings open. Tony calls her name. Antonia tears toward him like she’s been shot from a cannon. I move to follow, but Carlo’s iron grip clamps around my wrist, holding me back.
Tony drops to his knees and crushes her to his chest. She sobs into his neck. “Daddy, I don’t like this game anymore. Take me home.”
Tony buries his face in her neck and says nothing. The veins on his forehead stand out as he fights to keep it together.
A few steps away, I spot my brother Fabiano, looking like he’s aged ten years in just two nights. His shoulders are slumped, his eyes dull and shadowed..
I blink the tears away, barely managing to force the words out. “Fabi…take care of my daughter.”
His hands ball into fists at his sides. He throws a glare full of hatred at Carlo and moves toward him, but Carlo’s men grab him from behind.
Carlo smirks. “Easy, doc-to-be. I wouldn’t mind adding you to the body count and handing the kid over to her loving grandfather.”
I turn to Fabiano, my tone urgent. “Go back, Fabi.”
Carlo’s attention shifts to me. “Hand over the kid.”
I spin to face him. “I haven’t even said goodbye yet.”
“Maybe you should’ve used those last words on your daughter instead of barking at me.”
A fresh wave of tears floods my eyes as I turn back to Antonia, desperate for one final look.
Tony kisses her face again and again like he’s trying to brand the moment into her skin. “Daddy loves you so much, baby. Never forget that,” he whispers through her sobs.
And then, in a flash, he separates himself from her and puts her in Fabiano’s arms.
Antonia screams for him, but Tony strides toward me with determined steps. Ignoring Carlo entirely, he pulls me hard against him.
Carlo’s grip finally releases. I cling to Tony and sob into his chest.