Chapter 2

I regained consciousness three days later to a throat so dry and painful that it felt as if I had swallowed razor blades.

I pried my eyes open and saw a four-poster oak bed. On the nightstand next to me, there was a Colt revolver and some half-taken medication.

Mamma was sitting by the bedside, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion and her hair graying at the temples. She abruptly stood up the moment she saw me regain consciousness, exclaiming, "You're finally awake, Grazia! Get Antonio over here this instant!"

I weakly held her hand and shook my head. "I'm fine, Mamma."

I tasted blood in my throat the moment I spoke, and before long, a streak of it slipped from the corner of my lips.

Mamma quickly wiped the blood away with her hand while crying. "How can you say you're fine when you're like that, Grazia? You almost died! Antonio said that even the smallest carelessness could be fatal for you now…"

I knew exactly what she meant, even if she didn't finish her sentence.

There was a commotion of footsteps outside the door, and before long, Papa walked in, accompanied by Marco and Luca.

Luca was in a wheelchair with his left leg in a cast and his right leg bandaged, his back bruised from being hit with clubs. He looked as if he had been dismantled and rebuilt.

He glared at me upon entering, snapping, "You filthy bitch! You not only feigned death to implicate Serena but also dared to falsely accuse me of pushing you! You slipped of your own accord! Is this what you wanted, for me to end up like this?"

Marco agreed with a cold expression. "Serena hasn't been able to eat or sleep because she's so scared, Mamma. Grazia should apologize to Serena since she is alright now. That way, we can all put this behind us, Mamma."

Their concern was reserved solely for Serena. Toward me, the actual Principessa of the Salvatore Famiglia, their attitudes consisted entirely of disgust and defensiveness.

Mamma, trembling with rage, bolted to her feet. "You want Grazia to apologize to Serena? You people almost killed my daughter, and now you want her to apologize to an outsider! Have you gone blind, Vittorio? Grazia is your biological child!"

Papa's expression hardened. "Serena may not be our biological daughter, but we raised her for 18 years, Rosalina. She's already part of the Salvatore Famiglia.

"Grazia, on the other hand, was raised outside and developed bad habits. She had caused chaos in our Famiglia the moment she returned. She's causing all of us quite a headache here!"

I leaned back against the pillows and watched them quarrel. I suddenly felt an increasing tightness in my chest, making me part my lips in a strained effort to breathe.

Upon seeing my silence, Luca assumed that I was guilty. He lunged to get out of the wheelchair, but the bodyguard caught him, and he slumped back into it. He pointed at me, yelling, "Why are you being so quiet now? You were doing a great job pretending earlier!

"I'm telling you—I won't marry you just because you returned to the Salvatore Famiglia! Serena is the only fiancee I'll acknowledge! You're so full of spite that you aren't even half the woman she is! I'll never marry you, Grazia!"

I looked up at him silently. I began to cough uncontrollably just after taking a deep breath. It started as a mild cough but grew increasingly intense, causing my whole body to shake beneath the quilt.

Luca sneered. "You want to put on a performance again, huh? Do you really think acting sick will help you escape punishment?"

I suddenly lurched forward before he could finish his berating. I spat a thick spray of dark, clotted blood directly onto him, covering his face and shirt and leaving the whole room thick with the metallic stench of blood.

Luca cried out and tipped over in his wheelchair. He crashed onto the floor, his cast striking the wooden floor with a dull thud.

I fell weakly back onto the bed, my eyes rolling back as my breathing became shallow.

Mamma rushed forward and shoved Marco aside. "Grazia! Get Antonio over here this instant!"

She turned around, staring intensely at Luca on the floor. She then ordered, "Get this monster out of here and break his other leg!"

It was then that the bodyguards from the Salvatore Famiglia rushed in and pressed Luca down onto the ground.

Luca shrieked in a panic. "Help me, Don Salvatore! Help me, Marco! You can't do this to me! You're making an enemy of the entire Moretti Famiglia if you lay another hand on me!"

Papa stepped in to intervene. "You can't lay a hand on him, Rosalina! He's the son of the Don of the Moretti Famiglia!"

Mamma looked coldly at Papa before pulling a signet ring from her clothes and holding it in the light. That ring bore the emblem of her Famiglia, a Mafia Famiglia far older and more vicious than the Salvatores or Morettis.

"If you utter another word of protest, I'll see to it that the Salvatore Famiglia is erased from Novarra tonight, Vittorio!"