Chapter 26
EVA
I sink deeper into the armchair, unable to tear my eyes away from Adriano and Mirabella playing outside.
Her laughter bubbles up, pure and uninhibited. It’s a laugh I never heard from her until Adriano.
The realization pierces my heart. It’s acknowledgement of how important Adriano is to her. How much she needs him. How she should have always been in his life.
In another life, one where my father hadn't been threatened by the Bratva, where I hadn't been forced to spy on the Dantes, where Lorenzo hadn't discovered my betrayal, we might have been this family from the beginning.
Adriano catches me watching and holds my gaze for a moment. Something unspoken passes between us, but I wouldn’t call it a warm connection.
He’s angry and hurt, as he should be.
And yet, there’s something in his gaze that tells me I’m not as emotionally dead to him as he says.
I wish I were brave enough to confess everything to him.
But even if I were, at this point, it’s too late.
I’ve done too much damage.
I need to settle for what I have now.
I’m still in Mirabella’s life, living on borrowed time until Alessandro or Adriano learns the truth.
The buzzing of my phone jolts me from my thoughts. I reach for it, expecting nothing important, maybe a notification from one of the apps I downloaded to entertain Mirabella.
My breath catches as I read the message from an unknown number.
We're coming for you, Eva. Remember what happens to traitors.
The warmth I felt a moment ago is now icy cold. I glance up quickly, ensuring Adriano hasn't noticed my reaction. His focus remains on Mirabella, thankfully, as he helps her position a purple block atop her fairy castle.
My fingers move instinctively, deleting the message before anyone can see it. The room suddenly feels too open.
The large and uncovered windows make me feel exposed and vulnerable even as I know Ivan’s men couldn’t penetrate the Dante compound.
But what if this isn’t from Ivan? What if it’s from Alessandro?
It doesn’t matter who.
The end result is the same.
They're coming for me.
I should tell Adriano, but I dismiss the thought.
What would I say that wouldn’t expose the secret I’m trying to keep?
The secret that he already suspects but I’m too chicken to confirm.
That I was a Bratva spy, that I infiltrated his family on their orders, that I reported every movement, every business deal, every weakness of the Dantes for months before I fell in love with him?
No. I can't tell him.
My instincts scream at me to grab Mirabella and run, but I've tried running.
It only made things worse.
This time, I need a different plan.
I force my face into a neutral expression as Adriano looks up at me.
The last thing I need is for him to suspect me of planning something.
Movement behind me shifts my attention. Alessandro enters the sitting room.
His expression is dark, eyes narrowed with menace that sends fear through me.
Is this it?
Has my time finally run out?
The playful sounds of Mirabella and Adriano fade into the background as my focus narrows to the threat moving toward me.
I steel myself to face him.
It’s not the first time I’ve endured his intimidation tactics, like that night in the kitchen when he promised to destroy me if I hurt his brother again.
But I expect it to be worse now after running and being dragged back.
I know his patience has worn dangerously thin.
He positions himself beside my chair, his gaze looking out the window at Adriano and Mirabella. "You're on the thinnest ice imaginable. One crack, and I'll make sure you drown."
I keep my expression neutral, though my heart is hammering.
"Your little disappearing act was your last chance," Alessandro continues. “You’re like a fucking time bomb and I’m tired of waiting for it to go off.” He leans in closer, his lips a whisper away from my ear.
“I’m ticking too, Eva. And when I go off…
” He doesn’t finish, knowing my imagination will be worse than any threat he can articulate.
The message on my phone flashes in my mind.
We're coming for you, Eva. Remember what happens to traitors.
“The text wasn’t enough? You have to threaten me to my face too?”
His eyes narrow. "What text?"
"The message. About coming for me." I search his face for confirmation, some flicker of confirmation that would tell me this is just another one of his tactics.
Alessandro doesn't pull away. Instead, his brow furrows. "I didn't send any message."
Weirdly, I believe him. He’s not a man to play games. If he sent that message, he’d be more than happy to let me know it.
A cold smile plays on his lips. "I don't need to send threatening messages when I could simply walk you out back and put a bullet in your head."
I don’t say anything, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I’m rattled.
He laughs. “I’m not surprised there are others who want you gone. Is it the Bratva? Tell me, are you fucking with Ivan like you’re fucking with my brother?”
“That’s absurd,” I hiss.
“Is it? Maybe you arranged the message hoping to create a crisis that has Adriano taking you back to his bed.”
I shake my head.
He glances toward Adriano and Mirabella. "What I find interesting is how a woman who claims to be terrified of the Bratva somehow survived years on the run from them. Most people don't last weeks."
The implication is clear. He thinks I'm still working with them.
"Unless," Alessandro continues, "they weren't really hunting you at all. Just keeping tabs until they needed their asset back."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"You know what I think?" His eyes turn predatory. "I think you'd be more valuable to us as a bargaining chip than a liability."
My mouth goes dry at the implication.
"Ivan clearly wants you for a reason. Maybe we should give him what he wants in exchange for something we want."
The room tilts around me. "You'd hand me over to the Bratva?"
His eyes gleam with cruelty. "In a heartbeat.
You're a security risk who's brought nothing but complications. And now, with Russians threatening to come get you… lucky for you, they won’t penetrate the compound. Still, they could create a hassle that I’m not interested in dealing with.
Handing you over is the perfect opportunity to solve two problems at once. "
My gaze drifts to Mirabella, arranging her blocks with Adriano's help.
“All I ask is that my daughter stays out of this.”
“You mean Adriano’s daughter.”
My heart clenches, but I nod.
“I’m a monster, Eva, but I love my brother. And he loves that kid. So you can die in the knowledge that she’ll be safe with us.”
The Mafia has strange morals and values, but I believe him when he says he cares for Adriano and will support him in raising Mirabella.
“Tell him what we want to know or I’ll call Ivan.” Alessandro walks away, leaving me feeling cold and empty.
My gaze returns to Adriano and Mirabella. The sight of them together makes my decision both impossibly hard and crystal clear.
I have to tell Adriano everything. Now. Before someone else does.
Before they come for me.
Before I lose them both forever.
I stand, my legs unsteady as I make my way to the back door.
"Mommy, look!" Mirabella holds her hands out to show me the castle she and Adriano have built. “It’s for a fairy princess and this is where her dragon lives.”
"It's beautiful, sweetheart," I manage.
Adriano's eyes meet mine over our daughter's head. “Everything alright?” He must have seen Alessandro talking to me.
“The same. I need to talk to you.”
"Later," he says, glancing meaningfully at Mirabella.
I nod, understanding but screaming inside. There might not be a later. Not if Alessandro makes that call.
Will Adriano even care? After all, he’ll have Mirabella, which is all he really wants now.
A profound feeling of emptiness overtakes me. I am utterly alone in a house full of people.
My past choices have led me here, I know that. But it’s not like this is what I wanted. I know I made choices, but they didn’t feel like choices. Could I really be blamed for wanting to protect my father? For running when my life was threatened?
I stand at another crossroads, and this time, there is still no good choice.
Tell Adriano everything and watch his resentment turn to hatred?
Keep silent and risk Alessandro trading me to the Bratva?
Try running again, knowing we'd never get far? No, I’d have to leave Mirabella behind. That seems to be my only choice.
My gaze falls on Mirabella. She deserves better than this life of secrets and fear I've given her. Perhaps she’d be better off without me.
Whether I confess or am betrayed, whether I stay or run, one thing is clear.
I will protect my daughter, even if it means sacrificing myself.