I Took the Fall, He Took Her Side

By the time I was done receiving my punishment, it was already late at night.

I waited for Luca Alfonso in the garage with the top-secret documents.

He didn't like me asking after his whereabouts. According to him, constantly informing his whereabouts was like placing his weak spot right in someone else's line of fire.

It was freezing cold at night. I was shivering, and it took pacing around in several circles for my body to start warming up.

I waited from 8:00 pm to 12:00 am without seeing a single glimpse of Luca.

When I went upstairs to take a look, his office was dark.

I couldn't help but break one of his iron laws and called him on his private number. I'd made three consecutive calls before the fourth call was finally picked up.

"Luca, didn't you ask me to wait for you in the garage after work? Where are you?" I asked, my voice shaking from the cold.

"Rosa, haven't I taught you not to cross my boundaries during my private hours? Have you become so stupid that you can't even remember the basic rules now?" he retorted accusingly.

I wanted to read out the email he'd sent me, but then Margherita Vitale's pitiful sobbing rang out from the other end.

She said, "Don Alfonso, I'm so glad for your escort home. I would've been so scared otherwise."

The call was then disconnected.

I didn't continue explaining myself. It was futile anyway.

I recalled how, in the year I graduated, I'd helped Luca deal with a traitor in his family. The traitor had ended up dying in my car.

Feeling afraid, I wanted to take Luca's car home, but he rejected my request.

"Non va bene. My enemies might misunderstand the nature of our relationship. I'm doing this to protect you. I don't want you to become a target," he'd explained.

After wrapping a scarf around my neck, he turned and left while I walked all the way home.

Luca came home at 3:30 am.

I was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. Luca heated up some milk from the fridge for me.

When he handed the glass to me and came into contact with my cold hands, he frowned and said, "It's late, yet you're still not going to sleep. Look—your hands are practically frozen."

I glanced at the clothes stand and noticed that his coat was missing, so I asked softly, "Aren't you cold? You even gave Margherita your coat."

Luca pursed his lips, looking displeased. "What do you mean by that? Are you questioning me?"

I sneered and replied, "My fiance, whom I'll be marrying next month, came home in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a thin shirt. I don't think it's unreasonable for me to ask after your clothing, right?"

Luca, his expression dark and tone overbearing, said, "Rosa, my patience has its limits. I escorted Rita home because today's incident left her terrified. Listen, Rosa—from now on, please focus on your work and keep that foolish, ridiculous possessiveness of yours to yourself."

He spoke in a loud voice that made me wrap my arms tightly around myself in reflex.

A traitor emerged in the family five years ago. He concluded that there was something between me and Luca simply because we used the same brand of mug. So, he took me hostage in order to threaten Luca into letting him go.

However, Luca silently allowed the traitor to tie me to a chair and suspend me over the sea for two days and nights. By the time he shot the traitor dead and I was rescued, I was already out cold.

I'd been traumatized ever since. Whenever I was scared, I would reflexively wrap my arms around myself.

When Luca saw my shivering frame, a flash of regret crossed his gaze, but it only lasted an instant. He quickly reverted to his condescending, arrogant attitude and said indifferently, "The milk's getting cold. Drink it and go to bed."

It suddenly began snowing heavily outside.

I abruptly recalled how, during my student days, I'd resolved to also join the mafia after discovering Luca's identity as a mafioso.

It wasn't for any particular reason. I just wanted to be with him.

The weather had been similar back when I was learning to make counterfeit money and forge documents in the basement for the first time.

The entire room was covered in printing ink, which I'd clumsily spilled all over the floor.

Luca had originally planned to carry out a mission for the Don that night, but he chose to stay behind with me.

He taught me how to compare the film negatives and adjust the ink density for the money printer, though his brows remained tightly knitted throughout the whole half hour and he tossed countless mean remarks my way.

"You really are hopelessly stupid."

"Do I really have to explain to you just how severe the consequences of printing even a single digit wrong can be?"

Despite his terrible attitude, he'd been willing to put a pin in his own tasks to help me clean up my mess. He'd also taught me a great deal.