Mafia’s Prisoner: He Wants Revenge, But I’m Innocent

Most people wake up from nightmares. She woke up into one. Nora gasped as her eyes jolted open. She forced her face away from the harsh light. Panic struck her as she realized that she couldn't push herself up. Cold chains nailed her down. No matter how hard she pulled, they refused to budge. She had to stop once the metal began to dig into her skin. The intense stench of blood and rot pierced her nose as she slowly came into her senses. She felt her throat tightening. Her clothes still bore that elegance it once held. Only that now it was beneath layers of dirt and something else she didn't want to name. It felt like the sad, distant reminder of a long gone life. Her vision slowly adjusted to the haunting surroundings. Dark, stained walls closing in like silent witnesses. Nora stared at the blood splattered floors. She pressed her lips together to fight the nausea. She could only imagine the kind of horrors unfolded there, just like the ones awaiting her. One by one, memories

Aria's ambition grew limitless as she made connections in the underworld. She plotted new ways to grow her reach. Then, she found her next perfect prey. She set her sights on Cain, Dante's brother.Cain was the type Aria disliked. Kind, good hearted and trustworthy. But that only made him an easier target. She approached him acting all sweet and vulnerable to gain his trust. Cain, a man known for his loyalty and kindness, had no reason to suspect her. Just when he let his guard down, she betrayed him, tipping off Dante's enemies to seal his fate.Something worse than death.A blood-stained box arrived on Dante's doorstep, heavy and silent. Inside was Cain's severed head. Eyes dull. Mouth slightly parted. A final, gruesome message from his killers. Dante's hands shook as he lifted his brother's lifeless face, fury erupting within him like a blaze. His brother had trusted too easily, loved too blindly. And now he was gone. Because Dante had let it happen. He had failed. The only way to

Nora woke up with deep chills running through her. Ice-cold water drenched her whole body and soaked her clothes. She started coughing, trying to catch her breath. She blinked rapidly to clear the sting from her eyes. She finally opened them to see one of Dante's men standing there with an empty bucket. He stepped back, and Dante came into her still-blurry view. He watched her intently as she wandered back into consciousness.For an odd moment, she was grateful for the water. She could tell she was getting weaker each day. The stench of her own body was settling over her. The water felt more like a grim kindness than a punishment. She tried to swallow through her raw, dry throat. Fatigue had grown over her so much that it was hard to even tell where exactly it ached. There was no way to keep track of time. No windows. No clock. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? All she could spot was a buzzing overhead bulb. It was always on, casting a pale, unpleasant light across the room. She was

As Luca approached, disbelief crashed over him like a wave. The figure slumped on the cold floor was just a girl. A fragile, battered thing. She looked like she belonged anywhere but in Dante’s grasp. He just couldn't understand why his brother would go after someone so vulnerable.Kneeling down, he brushed back some messy hair from her face. She was out cold, with bruises all over her delicate features. He noticed she was wearing expensive clothes. Proof that she wasn’t a nameless nobody. But they were dirty and torn. Like she’d been through a lot in a short time. Luca wondered. What had happened to her? What story did she carry? But none of that mattered to him right then. All he saw was someone who needed help.Sympathy flooded him, a quiet, undeniable ache in his chest. He didn’t know how she’d ended up here, or why Dante was keeping her hidden… but one thing, he was sure of. He couldn’t just leave her like this.He slipped back quietly but quickly to gather some bandages. When h

Dante finally returned. His mood was visibly darker and more focused than before. He took in every detail of Nora with his sharp gaze. She could tell immediately that he was in his mood to punish. He refused to take his eyes off her and it made Nora uneasy. "Oh... So I see that you're doing well here." He sneered with contempt. "Look at you." His gaze slithered over her body to scrutinize every inch. She could feel the judgment in his eyes. He was silently noting how the small, rationed meals had brought a hint of life back to her weak appearance.Nora's thoughts flitted back to Aria, her stepsister. Aria had always been bitterly jealous of Nora's curvier figure. She used to call her "fat" and often tried to deny her meals. The only reason she'd survived those times was because of a few kind maids who would sneak her food, until Marcella found out and fired every single one of them.Nora was snapped back into reality as Dante roughly yanked her hand forward. She winced and braced her