And with that, he turned and went into the bathroom. Leaving me chained, helpless, and drowning in dread.
TWELVE
Emily
The bed was as massive and intimidating as Carlo himself. I sat in the center, staring at the metal chain clamped around my ankle. The painful screams of those men still echoed in my head, the sickening sound of flesh sizzling made me sick. The stench of burned skin still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating.
Carlo had actually shown me mercy. He’d beaten them nearly to death without making me watch. Still, I’d slipped into that same haze again, unable to focus my mind.
I just kept staring at the chain, trapped somewhere between the past and the future. Then the trembling started. My body was shaking uncontrollably. Somewhere, I could hear Carlo calling my name, but his voice felt distant, like it was echoing from another world.
That stinging sensation came again, pulling me down into a restless sleep. A sleep full of nightmares. I was running. Tony, Giuseppe, and Carlo chasing me through an endless, barren desert. Each time I thought I’d escaped, I’d wake up inside another nightmare. Shadows followed me, sometimes chasing, sometimes standing there, looming over my paralyzed body. Pressing down. Suffocating me.
And through it all, I heard Carlo’s voice. At first, it was a whisper. Then louder. Closer. Until it was the only sound in my head. “Accept your fate, Emily.”
When I opened my eyes, he was there. Sitting beside the bed, watching me with that intense gaze. I couldn’t tell if I was awake or still trapped in some twisted dream.
“Will you ever let me go?” I whispered.
His jaw tensed and his chest heaved. “Hope can be a beautiful thing,” he said quietly. “But it can also be poison. I didn’t put you in this cage, Emily, your fate did. Even if you walk out that door, you’ll still be a fugitive. Running from a prison you’ll never escape. Always hiding. Always hunted. Constantly looking over your shoulder. No friends. No allies. No one to trust. You’ll live alone, and if you’re lucky, you’ll die alone. Because you know what they’ll do to you if they catch you. There’s no point in spelling it out. So stop fighting it. Accept your fate.”
His words were raw and impossible to ignore. The sins of my ancestors had finally caught up with me, and there was no outrunning the price I had to pay.
My eyes welled up again and I turned my head at the window. The silence stood tall between us, until the sound of him getting up broke it. I think the quiet bored him, and he’d decided there was no point in staying.
I don’t know how much time passed before my mind finally cleared. When it did, I looked around. I was in my room now and reeked of sweat and bile. I hadn’t showered in God knows how long. But right then, something inside me shifted.
I couldn’t keep living like this. Things could be worse. I could still be in Giuseppe’s hands. At least now, I was physically safe. I had a roof over my head. Food on my table. And one undeniable truth: If I wanted to survive this, I needed Carlo to trust me.
Tony was a liar, a manipulator. He thrived on games and illusions. But Carlo was different. He didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t. With him, what you saw was what you got. No masks. No bullshit. And when he gave his word, he meant it.
I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower, every step slow and heavy. The hot water rushed over me, washing away more than sweat and grime. It rinsed off the weight of all the dark thoughts clinging to me. It was time to reset. Time to be strong. To fight for my life.
After drying off, I got dressed and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked thinner. Paler. The chaos of the last few weeks had etched itself into my face. I put on a little makeup and opened the door, only to find Giorgio standing right outside.His face still held the fading bruises from last month, but otherwise, he looked okay.
“You need something?” he asked.
“No. Actually, I wanted to take a short walk. Is that a problem?”
“Yeah. Boss said you’re not supposed to leave the room.”
“Why not?”
He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know, maybe because you tried to escape a few days ago?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Did he tell you what to do if I walk out anyway? If I ignore your orders and go where I want?”
Giorgio frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, are you allowed to touch me? Because last I checked, three men were burned alive for laying a hand on me.”
“Don’t play games with me, and cut the crap. Go back inside. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”
I ignored him and stepped forward, trying to walk past but he blocked me with his broad frame.
“Hey, you deaf or something? I said I was told to keep you in the room.”
“Yeah,youwere told.Iwasn’t. I’m going to the library, because I’m bored out of my mind. If you think you can stop me, be my guest. If not, you’re welcome to tag along. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
