I think of Vittoria lying in that hospital bed, of the terror in her eyes when she tried to protect him even after what he did.
"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
As I hang up, one thing is crystal clear in my mind: Domenico Costa made a fatal mistake when he hurt my wife.
And I'm going to make sure he never gets the chance to do it again.
CHAPTER NINE
cesare
The rhythmic beepingof the heart monitor is the only sound in the hospital room as I sit by Vittoria's bedside. It's been hours since she was brought in, and she still hasn't regained consciousness. The doctors assure me this is normal, that her body needs time to heal, but every minute feels like fucking eternity.
I can't stop staring at the bruises on her neck, stark against her pale skin like a goddamn necklace. The image of Domenico Costa's hands around his own daughter's throat plays over and over in my mind, fueling rage I can barely contain.
My phone buzzes with another update from Lorenzo:
We've had men combing the city for Domenico, but the bastard's managed to evade us. He knows he's a dead man walking.
A soft groan from the bed snaps my attention back to Vittoria. Her eyelids flutter, and I lean forward, gently taking her hand.
"Tori?" I say softly. "Can you hear me?"
She blinks slowly, eyes unfocused at first. Then her gaze locks onto mine, and I see a flicker of recognition.
"Cesare?" she croaks, voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm here," I assure her, squeezing her hand gently. "You're safe now. You're in the hospital."
Confusion clouds her features before memory returns. Her eyes widen in panic, and she tries to sit up, wincing in pain.
"Easy," I say, gently easing her back down. "You're hurt. You need to rest."
"My father," she gasps, tears welling in her eyes. "He?—”
"I know," I cut her off, unable to bear hearing her recount the attack. "We have the security footage. He won't hurt you again, Tori. I fucking promise you that."
She looks at me, eyes filled with pain and fear. "You know," she whispers. "You saw what he did?"
I nod, swallowing hard against the lump in my throat. Has she forgotten that I knew already? That I told her I knew? "Why didn't you tell me how bad he hurt you, Tori? I could have protected you."
A bitter laugh escapes her, followed by a wince. "Protected me? Like you protected me today?"
Her words sting, but I can't deny their truth. I failed her. "I'm sorry," I say, words feeling wholly inadequate. "This is my fault. I should have had better security."
Vittoria shakes her head slightly, then grimaces. "It's not your fault," she says softly. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have blamed you. It's his. It's always been his."
The resignation in her voice breaks something inside me. How long has she lived with this? How many times has she suffered in silence?
"Tell me," I say, voice low and urgent. "How long has this been going on, Tori? How long has he been hurting you?"
Vittoria closes her eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. When she speaks, her voice is barely above a whisper. "As longas I can remember. At first, it was just... harsh words, impossible expectations. But as I got older, and he started drinking more..."
She trails off, her body shuddering with silent sobs. I want to gather her in my arms, shield her from the pain of these memories, but I'm afraid of hurting her further.
"It's okay," I murmur, gently stroking her hair. "You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready."
She shakes her head slightly. "No, I... I need to say it. To finally tell someone." She takes a shaky breath. "The first time he hit me, I was twelve. I'd gotten a B on a math test. He said I was embarrassing the family, and that I needed to learn my place."
