Melina tries to break free as James pushes her naked form onto the table. He tightens his hands around her neck and forces her down as he works his zipper. Melina didn’t have much energy left to fight. She’s exhausted from blood loss and has been screaming in pain over the past hours. James had wiped her back for hours on end.
“Look at me!” Someone in the room speaks to Melina. She lifts her head and locks her eyes with Thomas. He is tied to a chair with his blood all over the chair and floor. Melina could barely recognize him as they had beaten his face to disfigurement. His chest is exposed and filled with blade cuts. Fresh tears fill her eyes as she feels guilty about his condition. Thomas would never be in this position if he didn’t agree to switch places with her sister.
“I’m sorry,” Melina says hoarsely. Her throat is sore from screaming at James to stop beating Thomas to a pulp.
Thomas cradles Melina in his arms and speaks soothing words to her. Hours pass, and he only moves when Melina's sweat starts to dry on his body."Where are we going?" Melina inquires as Thomas lifts her out of bed."You need to shower," he says as he leads her into the bathroom.“Oh.”He puts her on the ground and places his hand on the edge of her shirt. He begins to pull it off her body, but Melina stops him before he reaches the middle of her stomach.“I’ll wait outside,” Thomas says, pulling his hand from her body and turning to walk out.“Wait,” Melina stops him, grabbing his hand.“Yes, principessa.” He turns around her face her.“You can go ahead,” Melina says, biting her lip, surprising both of them. This is the only way to know if Franky was right or wrong.“Are you sure, principessa?”“Yes.&rdqu
Melina wakes up late the next morning to find the house empty and a bodyguard at her door. Everyone appears to have gone out. She goes to the mafia house in search of Thomas. She's hoping he hasn't already left for work. She wants to know what he has planned for the day of the exchange. Melina believes there is no way Thomas will go in blind, so she might as well know everything he plans to do that day if she can't persuade him to change his mind. Perhaps I can help in some way.Getting there, she finds his office and bedroom empty, so she checks the next possible place he could be, which is the basement. Melina asked Linda if he had gone to the office, and she said he was still at home.Melina saunters into the basement because the lights are dim. As she walks down the stairs, she hears Thomas' voice. Thank goodness I’ve found him. Following the sound of his voice, she finds him talking to someone she’s only ever met again in her dreams.
Weeks have passed, and there have been no leads on where Franky is being held. Thomas has told Melina about his plans for the day of the exchange, but it didn’t lessen her worries as things could always get out of hand in such situations. Regardless, they haven’t stopped trying to find Franky and hope to before the trade-in. Richard was close to finding her once, but Rafael and James found out and moved her. Melina worries about how she’s faring under the control of James and Rafael.They are monsters and every second Franky spends with them puts her life at significant risk.Melina snaps out of her reverie when Serena asks her a question while they make dinner in the kitchen. Linda is feeling under the weather, so Serena is making dinner for the maids today.“Have you ever thought about what you will do if things work?”“What do you mean?” Melina asks.“If Franky is found without Thomas ha
THOMAS“Where is she? Where the fuck is she?” Thomas barks at the men in the basement with him. He was asking for Kimberley. He just found out that she took Melina out of the house and handed her over to James.Thomas wouldn’t have caught on to Kimberly’s plans if Melina hadn’t told him Kimberly apologized and took her out. He didn’t believe it for a minute. He knew immediately Kimberly was up to something.On getting home, he realized she used it to get Melina out of the house. And that’s not all he discovered. He asked Richard to look through her phone and discovered she was the one who had told Rafael about Melina. Thomas couldn’t believe she would betray him in this manner. He’s enraged by what she did and wants to rip her head off her body right now.“They found her boss. They’re bringing her in,” Leo informs him.A few seconds later, two men walk into the basement with Kimberley. She barks at them to let her go, but they ignore her, throwing her in front of a seething Thomas.“T
MELINAMelina paces the room she’s been held, trying to figure out a way to escape. The room has no windows, and the door is heavily guarded. She’s sure Thomas has noticed her absence and is looking for her, but she feels it won’t hurt to try to flee before he arrives. She also hopes he won’t have to because Rafael will ensure he never leaves. Her train of thought is disrupted when the door creaks open. Melina turns around to see James enter. She knew it wouldn’t be long before he came looking for her. He gets off from torturing her. She’s seen him hard every time he did. He’s such a sicko.“Hello Mel, how are you settling in?” James asks, walking toward her.“Thomas is going to kill you once he finds me. You won’t be able to escape like y
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help Melina because James surprisingly kicks the bucket off her hands and backs her into a wall. He wraps his hands around her neck, restricting her airflow.“Fuck having your body; I’ll just fucking kill you.” He digs his nails into her skin and draws blood as he strangles her. Her face darkens as the veins around her face appear ready to burst at any moment. Melina places her hands above his to free them from her neck. She scratches his hand, drawing blood, but he doesn’t budge. Melina can’t believe this is how she dies. I have to do something.She checks her surroundings for anything that might be of help. Nothing is within her grasp because everything is on the floor. As he squeezes her neck tighter and presses her head deeper into the wall behind her, the wound behind her head burns. Her eyes become heavy. Melina could feel her soul slipping out of her body.I must act now.
“Mel,” someone calls from behind her. She turns and sees it’s Leo.“Thomas is dead! He’s dead, Leo,” Melina says, sobbing and showing him her hands filled with Thomas’ blood.“I know, Mel, but do you know something else?” Leo asks calmly.She responds by shaking her head.“Until a doctor fucking calls the time of death, Sotto capo is alive. Do you hear me?”She nods her head, agreeing with him.Thomas could still be alive and just unconscious from blood loss.“He isn’t dead until a doctor says so,” she whispers, looking at his chest. She stares at it, waiting to see it move, but it doesn’t. The little glimpse of hope of him being alive dies. She snaps out of staring at his chest when Leo bends down to her on the floor.“Can you apply pressure to his wounds while we carry him to the car?” he asks, taking off his shi
A few hours have gone by since Thomas was shot. The whole family is in the hospital. Melina fears every second, the doctors will just come out and confirm Thomas is dead.Hopefully, that won’t happen.She snaps out of her reverie when someone calls her.“Melina,” someone says, barging into the room. Melina turns her head to the door, and her eyes widen in shock.“Franky!” Melina jolts out of her seat and runs to her sister.“Hello, Mel,” Franky says, smiling.“Oh, my God! Franky, it’s really you,” Melina says, pulling her in for a hug.“Yes, it’s me.” “I’m so sorry for what happened to Thomas,” Franky says, pulling from their embrace.“I don’t know what I will do, Franky, if he dies. I didn’t even tell him I forgave him before he closed his eyes,” Melina says, as fresh tears sting the back of her eyes.