My eyes are bleak, my entire soul ripped apart as I stare at her.
I stoop low, wrapping my hand around her throat, the barrel of my gun connecting with her temple.
"I'm so-so-sorry," she hiccups, her eyes cloudy with tears. I dig the gun deeper into her head, a burning need to rip her limb from limb and set her on fire growing inside me.
Her hands start pushing at my arm, and it's only then—by chance—that I look down at her bare shoulders.
My eyes widen for a moment, and I blink twice, wanting to make sure I'm not seeing wrong.
No scar.
No scar from the bullet she'd taken in Malta.
My gaze trails back to her face, and I look at her, stupefied.
How is this possible?
There's no other difference save for the lack of a scar….
I fling her from me, determined to get to the root of this.
"Luca saved you. I won't leave my son without a mother," I lie, watching her pitiful form coil back in fear. "Next time you fuck someone, don't do it in the house, anddon'tlet me see it."
44
ENZO
If I wasn't sleepingbefore because I'd been taking care of Luca, now I couldn't because these crazy ideas wouldn't stop forming in my mind.
Her behavior. Her new friendship with Rocco. Her fucking whoever indiscriminately.
And no scar.
Even before noticing that glaring difference, I could tell this wasn't the Allegra I'd fallen in love with. And so my suspicious mind compelled me to figure out what the fuck had happened.
The next morning, I take advantage of the early hour to plant bugs in the entire house. If something is afoot—as I'm already suspecting—fake Allegra is bound to tell someone about our little encounter.
And so I wait.
It's not long before Rocco andAllegrashut themselves in Rocco's office. The first thing I hear is a resounding slap.
"Fucking bitch! You're jeopardizing everything," he hisses at her.
"Me?Youtold me he doesn't care about his wife and that he wouldn't notice a difference."
"Are you fucking stupid? Any man would care about his wife fucking another manin his own house," he yells at her.
"At least now we know he doesn't really care," she retorts, clearly annoyed. "You assured me they barely interact at home, but he still expected me to take care of that brat," she curses, and Rocco tsks.
"Knowing Enzo, I'mreallysurprised you're alive," he says, his words filled with disgust. "First you ruin our plans at the hospital, and now you're making mistake after mistake. I should have known not to trust aMarchesi."
"Oh, really? Need I remind you what the alternative was? My sister would have handed you over to the feds, and you would have spent the rest of your life behind bars. Let's not kid ourselves here.You needed me," she says, pacing around, "not the other way around."
"Goddamn it! And I thought your sister was difficult to deal with."
Sister?
I remember Allegra mentioning a sister, Chiara—the one who'd gotten married to Franzè—but she had forgotten to mention one small detail: that they're fucking twins.
