Chapter 3

The hum of the machine grew louder, like a relentless drone. The red needle on the control console went wild, shattering past the safety limit.

Blood welled from every opening—my eyes, ears, and nose—streaming hot down my face. My throat filled with that metallic, bloody taste. I clenched my teeth so hard that they split, soaking my gums in blood.

On the main screen, the display flickered and shifted again. It now replayed my memory of that night, cold and drizzling with rain.

Sophia's body had been pulled from the docks, swollen and pale.

Valeria threw herself over the corpse, her screams raw and broken. "Sophia! Dio mio, wake up! Who did this to you?"

I stood to the side, trembling. Clutched in Sophia's stiff fingers was half of a Leone family cufflink. The cufflink bore a lion crest, and I recognized it immediately. Only members of the Leone inner circle were allowed to wear this.

At that moment, everything clicked. This incident was no accident. It was a setup—a move meant to shatter the alliance between the Sollozzos and the Gambinos.

"It was the Leones!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"Lina must have taken their money. That's why she helped cover it up!"

"Kill her!"

"Then, we should level the Leones' territory!"

Valeria's eyes held me in place, her hatred so fierce that it felt like it could burn me alive. "Lina, you saw them—it was the Leones! Why didn't you say anything? Why protect them? How much did they pay you to betray all of us?"

"It… wasn't…" I forced the words out as blood welled from the corners of my mouth. "It wasn't the Leone family, Valeria. Per favore, let me explain."

"Explain?" Her hand snapped out, striking across my face. My vision blurred, and my cheek was instantly on fire.

"What's there to explain? Ten years! You watched me live in the dark for ten years. You watched our family tear itself apart. You watched our men die, one by one. Are you happy now? You heartless bitch!"

Just then, the footage on the big screen started to warp and flicker. The crucial scene about to unfold seemed abruptly cut off by something, dissolving into static snow.

The machine shrieked with piercing alarms, and the technician's face paled.

"What's going on?" Valeria turned, glaring at him.

He wiped cold sweat from his brow and stammered, "M-Ms. Sollazzo… She's fighting it. Her mind is rejecting the extraction. The system's about to overload!"

"Rejecting?" Valeria let out a furious, icy laugh. She stepped closer and yanked a fistful of my hair, forcing my head back to meet her gaze.

"Even now, you're still resisting? Who is this killer? Who is worth risking your life to protect? What could he have given you that matters more than the ten years we've shared?"

"He's not… what you think…" I gasped, struggling for breath. My vision blurred, and the image of Valeria before me slowly merged with the woman she was ten years ago.

"Valeria… Stop… Please… The truth… It will destroy everything… It will destroy the Sollazzos…"

"Destroy everything?" she roared, her eyes bloodshot. "Everything was already ruined the night Sophia died! You coward! You traitor! You watched it happen and did nothing. You won't talk… Is it because you helped kill her?"

The crowd was completely enraged. People broke through the Soldati's barricade and charged toward the iron chair, brandishing knives and iron clubs.

"Kill her! Cleanse the family!"

"We can't let this traitor live and disgrace our name!"

In the chaos, a club grazed my shoulder and smashed against the chair, causing sparks to fly. The Soldatis immediately moved to block the attackers, brawling with them as the tribunal hall descended into chaos.

Valeria stood at the center of it all, unmoved. Her eyes were ice-cold as they locked onto me. Her voice cut through the noise, sharp and final. "No matter what it takes, I'll unearth the truth. Lina, you'd better pray that you last until then. I'll make you pay dearly for your silence."

She raised her hand, signaling the technician. "Keep going. Even if you have to scramble her brain, pull that memory out. If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

The machine's power surged again. It felt as if my soul were being torn apart.

Through the agony, I seemed to see that rainy night from ten years ago—Mateo Sollazzo's cold eyes, and the words he spoke. "If you talk, I'll make sure the Sollazzos and the Gambinos tear each other apart. Everyone will go down with Sophia."

I clenched my jaw as my consciousness sank deeper into the dark.

No. I couldn't let Valeria see the truth. I absolutely could not.

But I couldn't hold on any longer. The memory I had buried so deep resurfaced, appearing on the large screen.

A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.

Valeria spun around, startled. When she saw the familiar face on the screen, all the color drained from her face.