LOGINFive years ago, I finally had my father’s killer at gunpoint—only for my husband, Don Salvatore Rizzo, to pull the killer’s daughter into his arms. "Julia, don't kill her. She had nothing to do with our fathers' feud." My grip tightened on the gun. "Do you know my parents were tied to stones and dumped into the sea because of one lie she told?" Salvatore sighed and pressed down on my wrist. "Darling, calm down. Caterina is just an innocent girl. She was forced into it." To keep me from killing Caterina, he insisted on bringing her into the Rizzo Family. From then on, there was nothing left between us but hatred. Whenever I held a knife to Caterina's throat, Salvatore aimed a gun at my back. When I tore up the gown Caterina's mother had left her, Salvatore made me stand outside all night in the freezing cold. Until today, when Caterina appeared behind Salvatore with a pregnancy report from the Family doctor in her hand. Salvatore shielded her with his body. "She's pregnant. I can't stand by and let you hurt her." Caterina said timidly, "Julia, please. For the sake of the Rizzo heir I'm carrying, put down the gun." I was the biggest joke in the world. I took half a step back and drew the gun at my waist. "Let's play a game. There's only one bullet in this gun." "If I die, no one will stand in the way of your happy little family." "If I survive, let me go."
View MoreHal terakhir yang Karra lihat adalah seorang pria tanpa busana di dalam mobil.
Lalu– Brak! Mobil yang ia tabrak meluncur begitu saja hingga jatuh dari atas jembatan, menimbulkan bunyi debum yang sangat menakutkan. Setelahnya, Karra kehilangan kesadaran. Saat akhirnya kembali membuka mata, Karra merasakan sakit di kepala dan sekujur tubuh. Cahaya perlahan memenuhi kamar bercat putih tempatnya berada saat ini. Gadis itu berusaha mengumpulkan ingatan dan kesadarannya perlahan. Malam itu, Karra tanpa sengaja bertemu kembali dengan sang ayah yang dulu meninggalkan ia dan ibunya demi seorang pelakor. Sampai kini, ayahnya hidup bahagia dengan keluarganya yang baru. Sementara Karra sudah tidak punya siapa-siapa lagi. Ibunya pun sudah lama meninggal dunia karena tidak sanggup menerima sakitnya penghianatan. Lama tidak bertemu, bukannya meminta maaf, sang ayah justru memberikan penawaran bahwa ia bisa saja menerima Karra kembali asalkan Karra bersedia menikah dengan pria tua yang menjadi investor bisnis ayahnya–yang kalau dilihat dari berita yang beredar, sangat berengsek dan mata keranjang. Kecewa, gadis berusia 20 tahun itu melajukan mobilnya dan tidak sengaja menabrak mobil lain yang terparkir di tepi jembatan. Anehnya, mobil itu dengan mudah terpental hingga menjebol pembatas jalan. Setelahnya– "Aduh..." Karra mendesis. Kepalanya benar-benar sakit saat ini. “Akhirnya kamu sadar juga!" Suara asing itu semakin menyedot kesadaran Karra. Rupanya ia tidak sendirian di ruangan yang dingin ini. Karra menoleh, dan berhasil memindai sesosok pria tinggi tegap, berdiri tepat di samping tempat tidurnya. “Siapa….?” batin gadis itu. Kenapa wajahnya cukup familier? Dan setelah sedikit mengingat-ingat... “Paman Max?” Akhirnya satu nama terucap, dan sosok itu tampak tidak suka saat Karra menyebut namanya. Benar. Karra mengenal pria itu. Maxime Draven, seorang pengusaha kaya raya yang merupakan teman lama kedua orang tuanya. Seseorang yang sudah lama tidak Karra temui karena keluarganya sudah hancur sejak lama, jauh sebelum ibunya meninggal delapan tahun yang lalu. “Kenapa Paman di sini?” Suara gadis itu terdengar serak. Apakah Max hadir di sini sebagai walinya? “Paman, maaf merepotkan. Semalam … saya bertengkar dengan Papa. Lalu menyetir dalam keadaan emosi,” terang Karra sebisa mungkin. “Bagaimana keadaan pengemudi yang saya tabrak, Paman?” Sosok itu tidak menyahut. Ekspresi wajahnya dingin saat menatap Karra, membuat gadis itu langsung berpikir ulang. Apakah benar pria ini datang sebagai walinya? Namun, sikapnya sangat janggal. Dan Karra mulai bertanya dalam hati, kenapa pihak rumah sakit menghubungi pria ini untuknya? Toh mereka bukan keluarga dan tidak pernah bertemu selama bertahun-tahun. Tiba-tiba saja sebuah pemikiran melintas di otak Karra. “A-apa … Paman Max keluarga korban?” Max masih tidak menyahut. Sorot matanya semakin tajam, membuat jantung Karra kian berdebar karena takut. "A-apa orang itu baik-baik saja, Paman? S-sumpah, saya tidak sengaja. Dan lagi, berhenti di tepi jembatan seperti itu harusnya tidak boleh, kan?” Karra buru-buru menambahkan. "Berhenti mencari pembenaran dan berhenti memanggilku ‘paman’. Aku bukan pamanmu!" ucap pria itu dengan suara rendah, sarat akan kemarahan. Pria itu mencengkeram lengan Karra dan menariknya duduk. Gadis itu pun mendesis, mengaduh sakit. “Ah! Paman, saya minta maaf. Saya benar-benar–” “Dia koma.” Max berkata setengah menggeram. “Dia nyaris saja mati karena keteledoran gadis bodoh seperti kamu!” Lalu tanpa banyak kata, pria itu menarik Karra hingga berdiri. Gadis itu nyaris terjatuh dari tempat tidur, tapi tanpa ampun, Max menyeretnya sepanjang koridor rumah sakit. "Ah ... sakit!" Dengan lemah, Karra mengiba. Tubuhnya pun penuh luka, langkahnya tertatih mengikuti langkah Max yang tegas dan panjang. Mereka baru berhenti setelah sampai di depan ruangan ICU berdinding kaca. “Lihat baik-baik hasil perbuatanmu!” Max berkata penuh penghakiman. Di dalam ruangan ICU tersebut, seorang wanita tengah terbaring tak berdaya di tempat tidur. Ada banyak selang dan peralatan terpasang di tubuhnya. Namun, Karra tidak mengenali wanita itu. “P-Paman, dia siapa…?” tanya gadis muda itu takut-takut. Tubuhnya terasa menggigil saat telapak tangannya menyentuh dinding kaca itu. “Apakah korbannya ada dua orang?” tambah Karra dengan nada heran. Max mengernyit. “Omong kosong apa yang kamu katakan?” "Demi Tuhan, yang saya lihat malam tadi bukan wanita ini, Paman,” jelas Karra dengan suara pelan. Lalu, gadis itu mendongak menatap wajah Max. Selisih tinggi badan mereka cukup jauh. Karra hanya setinggi dadanya. “Saya yakin, malam tadi saya hanya melihat satu orang. Laki-laki, tidak pakai baju. Berarti jika istri Paman juga korban dalam kecelakaan itu, bukankah harusnya korban ada dua orang?” Wajah Max perlahan berubah. Pria itu beringsut maju dan satu tangannya segera menyambar leher gadis malang itu. "A-aaakh!! S-saya tahu saya bersalah, Paman. Tapi t-tolong, jangan begini!!" Karra menggeliat dan mencengkeram pergelangan tangan Max, berusaha melepaskan diri dari cekalan pria itu. "Jangan mengada-ada. Istri saya ditemukan sendirian di mobilnya!" "I-istri?" Karra mengerjap tidak mengerti. Ia jelas-jelas melihat seorang pria tanpa busana sesaat sebelum kesadarannya menghilang. Ia tidak mungkin berbohong soal ini. “Uhuk! Lepas, Paman,” sengal Karra saat ia merasakan cengkeraman Max makin keras. Ia sudah tidak bisa bernapas. Karra menggeleng, megiba. “S-saya ... tidak ... bohong!” Suaranya makin tercekat. “Lalu, kamu mengatakan kalau istriku selingkuh. Begitu?” Max sungguh ingin membuat gadis itu mati di tangannya. Tapi tidak sekarang. Ia harus memastikan sesuatu lebih dulu. Ia lempar gadis bodoh itu ke lantai lalu pergi begitu saja. "Uhukk!!" Karra terbatuk parah, dan meraup udara sebanyak-banyaknya. Tangisnya pecah, dan Karra tahu, setelah ini hidupnya tidak akan pernah sama lagi. * "Lihat, kan? Akhirnya kamu membutuhkan bantuan Papa!!" Pak Anggoro menatap Karra yang sepertinya tidak sudi membalas pandangannya. "Kalau kemarin kamu tidak kabur dan terima-terima saja, kamu tidak akan berakhir seperti ini, Karra. Tapi tenanglah. Kalau sekarang kamu mau menurut, Papa mungkin bisa bantu." Dalam semalam, Karra langsung menyandang status sebagai terduga pelaku atas kasus kecelakaan yang mengakibatkan seorang wanita mengalami koma. Rupanya polisi mampu menghubungi ayahnya--sosok yang seolah menghilang selama bertahun-tahun, hanya dalam hitungan jam. Namun, meski semua ini terasa pahit, ada hal lain yang lebih menyita pikiran Karra saat ini. Bagaimana bisa korbannya berubah menjadi seorang wanita? Andai dugaannya benar, mereka adalah pasangan selingkuh yang sedang lupa diri, lalu ... ke mana perginya si pria? -----++-----His voice cracked, like sandpaper grinding over rusted iron.I didn't stop. I pulled the zipper all the way shut."Just hear me out..."He rushed in, shut the door behind him, and pressed his back against it, as if afraid I'd bolt."Julia, what am I supposed to do?"You've never given me a straight answer," he said, his voice shaking. "How could I not worry? That's why I monitored your calls... What if you disappeared again?"I stopped and looked at him."That's exactly why I'm leaving."He went still."Salvatore, you've never seen me as a real person." My voice was quiet. "This is just your possessiveness talking. You're not afraid of losing me. You just can't stand that I don't want you anymore."His mouth opened. His throat worked.I didn't wait for him to argue.I pulled my father's old revolver from the hidden compartment of my suitcase."Let's make another bet." I set the gun on the table, my fingers resting on the cold metal. "One bullet. Same as before."He stared at the gun, h
He handed me a black folder bearing the seals of all five Families.The first page formally cleared my parents. The second stripped Caterina of every protection and inheritance right she had ever claimed.After the child was born, she would spend the rest of her life in a maximum-security prison controlled by the Commission."I'm sorry," Salvatore said. "For believing her. For judging your father. For making you carry the truth alone. For choosing her until it cost you our child."I closed the folder."Clearing my parents' names is justice. It is not forgiveness."A silence settled between us."Marcus is a good guy."He said it suddenly. His voice was low, as if the words had been dragged from deep in his throat.I glanced at him."Yeah," I said. "He wouldn't rush off to protect someone else while I was bleeding out. He wouldn't lock me out when I needed him most. He wouldn't accuse me of terrorizing another woman out of jealousy."Salvatore's lip trembled."I know I can't go back to h
By the time Marcus and his men rushed over, I already had Caterina's gun hand pinned under my boot.He scanned the scene, crouched beside Salvatore, and checked the wound. Quick. Efficient."Bullet went clean through. Didn't hit the artery. But he's lost a lot of blood." He looked up at me. "You okay?""I'm fine."I said.Marcus didn't give Salvatore on the ground a second glance. He just called for his men to drag Caterina up and haul her to the camp's holding cell.Then he re-dressed Salvatore's bandage himself, firm but measured, the way he would handle any ordinary casualty."Thank you," Salvatore rasped.Marcus grunted, stood up, and brushed the dust off his hands. Then he turned to me."Mess hall's got beef stew tonight. Coming?"I nodded.He left.Just me and Salvatore.I looked down at him.He was propped against the wall, white as paper, sweat sliding down his forehead, but his eyes hadn't left me."Why did you do that?"I asked, my voice quiet.He opened his mouth. Blood seep
His mouth opened. His throat worked, hard."What about the baby?"The question came suddenly, barely above a whisper.I stopped.A long silence."Gone."The color drained from his face. His lips trembled, unable to form words.I watched his expression and felt something die a little inside me too, but I no longer had the strength to hurt over it."How?"He asked."You don't need to know."I turned and walked away.On the fifth evening, I had just returned from a reconnaissance mission.Then I heard the sound.I jerked my head up.Caterina charged out from behind an abandoned pickup truck off to the side.She was gaunt, her hair tangled and yellowed, her face streaked with grime, but her eyes were blazing, terrifyingly bright.The look of someone pushed past the edge of madness.She had a gun in her hand.I recognized it.It was the pistol Salvatore kept in his study.Her finger was already on the trigger, the barrel aimed at my chest.Time slowed.I could see her finger tightening on t


















Welcome to GoodNovel world of fiction. If you like this novel, or you are an idealist hoping to explore a perfect world, and also want to become an original novel author online to increase income, you can join our family to read or create various types of books, such as romance novel, epic reading, werewolf novel, fantasy novel, history novel and so on. If you are a reader, high quality novels can be selected here. If you are an author, you can obtain more inspiration from others to create more brilliant works, what's more, your works on our platform will catch more attention and win more admiration from readers.