Gia: Running away from feelings. Very mature.
Gia: But I love you anyway. We'll talk tonight.
I pocket my phone and stand, needing to escape the weight of these thoughts. Alessandro is waiting outside the door, professional and patient.
"Ready?" he asks.
"Yes. Let's go."
We head to lunch at a small restaurant near the port, one of Papa's longtime favorites. I order mechanically, trying to focus on the menu, on the food, on anything except the fact that Santino is out there somewhere right now, systematically destroying an entire crime family for me.
"Excuse me, miss?" The waiter approaches with a deferential expression. "A message was delivered for you."
He hands me a folded piece of paper, expensive stationary that feels heavy in my hands.
Roberto Benedetti has forty-eight hours to leave the city. After that, his family is done. You'll never have to worry about them again. - S
He didn't sign his full name. Didn't need to. I know exactly what this message means.
Santino isn't just eliminating a business threat.
He's giving me a timeline. A promise. A guarantee.
Forty-eight hours. Then it's over. Then I'm safe.
I fold the paper carefully and slip it into my purse, my heart pounding.
"Everything okay?" Alessandro asks from his position, his trained eyes catching my reaction.
"Fine." My voice is steady even though my heart is racing. "Everything's fine."
But it's not fine. Nothing is fine.
Because Santino just sent me a message. Just told me exactly what he's doing and why.
I don't know what to do with that information. Don't know how to feel about it.
I eat my lunch mechanically, the food tasteless, my mind elsewhere. The afternoon passes in a blur of more meetings, more decisions, more pretending I'm focused on work when all I can think about is that note in my purse.
Forty-eight hours.
By the time I get home to the estate, darkness has fallen completely. Mama and Gia are in the living room, looking up expectantly when I enter.
"Long day?" Mama asks with concern.
"Something like that." I don't elaborate.
I head upstairs to my room, closing the door behind me and finally allowing myself to breathe.
Pull out the note. Read it again, studying every word.
Roberto Benedetti has forty-eight hours to leave the city. After that, his family is done. You'll never have to worry about them again. - S
He's doing this for me, not to win me back. The note doesn't say anything about getting back together. Doesn't ask for forgiveness or a second chance.
Just that I'll be safe. That's all.
I pull out my phone and stare at his contact information, my thumb hovering over the call button. But I don't press it.
