Chapter 3

I was packing the last of my silk nightgowns into a leather trunk when the bedroom door was kicked open, crashing against the wall with a deafening bang that made my heart leap into my throat.

Elio strode toward me, carrying the scent of the night wind and acrid gunpowder.

He lunged, his hand clamping around my wrist like an iron vise, the force so great I thought my bones would crush.

"Eleonora! I've explained it a thousand times. There is nothing between me and Ava!"

"Her father died for the family. I feel sorry for her. She can't sleep, she lives in constant fear. Why are you trying to destroy her?!"

He jerked me so hard I stumbled, a sharp pain shooting up my arm. I winced, my face paling. "Elio! Let go! You're hurting me!" I struggled, but my strength was nothing against the tyrant born to control everything.

My cry of pain seemed to infuriate him. He swept an arm out and slammed me against the walnut wardrobe. My back hit the wood hard, and I let out a muffled grunt.

"How did you become so heartless?"

"Have I given you too much freedom? Spoiled you so much you've forgotten the most basic rules of this family? Have you become this cruel?!"

"Do you have any idea Ava almost died last night? Someone planted a bomb under her car!"

"She screams at the sound of a car engine now! She's on the verge of a breakdown!"

I leaned against the wardrobe, gasping for breath, rubbing my aching wrist. As I listened to his accusations, my heart sank. So, in his eyes, I was the villain.

"I didn't do it," I said, looking up at him, my voice tired but clear.

"Who else in New York would dare touch my people besides you?!" he sneered, closing in, his rough thumb digging into my cheek.

"Eleonora, I missed our anniversary. I didn't have dinner with you. And for that, you resort to this? How did you become so vicious?!"

"I said, I didn't do it!" I took a deep breath, my eyes stinging as I fought back the tears.

"Enough!" Elio shouted, his patience gone. "Since you can't stand to see her happy, since you're so jealous, then you can experience the life she's been living!"

My heart clenched. "What do you mean?"

"The abandoned church in the north suburbs, where the family deals with its traitors. You'll stay there," he sentenced me. "It's the same place Ava hid when she was at her lowest. You can repent before the cross. When you've learned some mercy, you can come home."

"Are you insane? I'm not going." I couldn't believe his cruelty.

"It's not up to you." Elio gave a cruel smile. "Eleonora, on my turf, you don't have the right to say no."

He strode forward and threw me over his shoulder.

He carried me from the master bedroom and threw me into the back of an armored SUV. The doors locked, sealing my struggles within the bulletproof glass.

The car stopped before a gloomy, desolate church. He dragged me out and shoved me into a cold, damp stone prayer room with no heating.

A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen. I looked around at the drafty stone walls, cold sweat soaking my back. "Elio, it's too cold in here. My stomach... I think I might be..."

"What? The precious Donna can't take it already?" He cut me off, reaching out to smooth my messy hair, but his touch made my skin crawl.

"Ava had it a hundred times worse. This is for your own good. Reflect on what you've done. Starting tomorrow, you will kneel and pray under the watch of the guards."

He turned and left without a second glance. The roar of the engine tore through the night, leaving me to be dragged into that cold, shadow-filled building.