Sins of the Blood

The executioner handed over a thick black leather whip. The tip of the whip had small knots lined with thin shards of metal. A tool designed not just to strike, but to tear flesh from the bone.

“Papa, don't! Please!” I bowed low on the dirty floor, begging with all the remaining pride I had left. “Just kill me! Just destroy me! Not him, Papa! I promise I will do whatever Papa asks. I will marry anyone! But please let him go!”

“Marry?” Papa laughed, a hollow laugh that echoed terrifyingly. “Oh, you will certainly marry, Selena. But tonight, you must learn what punishment traitors receive.”

Papa raised his hand.

CRACK!

The lash of the whip cut through the air, followed by the sound of tearing fabric and flesh.

Enzo's body jerked violently forward, then was pulled back by the chains. A long, deep red line was instantly printed on his broad chest.

Blood spurted out, a few drops splashing onto my face. It smelled metallic and felt hot on my cheek.

I screamed with all my strength, covering my ears with both hands, unable to hear the sound of the whipping. I closed my eyes tightly.

“Open her eyes!” Papa ordered.

Two guards immediately squatted beside me. They grabbed both of my arms, forcing me to kneel. One of them grabbed my hair from behind, while his rough hand held my face so that it remained turned toward Enzo.

My eyes were forced open.

“Look closely, Selena. This is a special work of art for you.”

The second lash hit Enzo's shoulder. His skin peeled off. Enzo clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white.

The blood vessels in his neck bulged, holding back the immense pain so that not a single groan escaped his mouth. He knew that if he groaned, I would fall apart even more. Even on the brink of his death, he was still protecting me.

Papa walked around Enzo like a predator enjoying the fear felt by its prey. “How long have you been fooling me? Was it when you pretended to shoot her in the lobby? Was it when she pretended to protect you from an assassin last year? You two are incredible actors.”

The third strike hit Enzo's waist. This time, Enzo could not hold back his groan. A low, raspy groan escaped his throat, followed by a cough of blood.

His body finally weakened, resting entirely on the chains around his wrists.

“Stop... please stop...” my voice was gone.

I sobbed endlessly, letting tears mix with the splashes of Enzo's blood on my face. “I love him... Papa, please for Mama's sake... let us go.”

Mentioning Mama was the biggest mistake I had ever made.

Papa's body instantly stiffened. The whip in his hand slipped and fell to the floor with a thud. His face darkened, consumed by a pure rage I had never seen before.

“Your mother,” Papa hissed, stepping closer to me. He grabbed my jaw with one hand, crushing it until I winced in pain.

“Your mother was a traitorous whore who ran away with another man and abandoned me! And you... you inherited her dirty blood, Selena! You think you can love this dog and run away from me like your mother?!”

Papa released my face with a rough push, then turned toward his executioner.

“A whip is too gentle for him. Bring the bone-breaking tool. We will start from his fingers. I want to hear this dog bark tonight.”

My blue eyes widened. My heart seemed to stop beating.

“No... no, please...”

Two heavily-built executioners stepped forward. One of them released the handcuff on Enzo's right wrist, while the other immediately twisted his arm back and pressed it firmly onto a small wooden table that was already stained with dried blood.

Enzo was breathing with difficulty. His eyes were half-closed from the blood flowing from his forehead, but he looked at me. His lips moved silently.

‘I love you.’

The first executioner brought an iron hammer and a large pair of pliers. He spread Enzo's right palm on the wooden table. The hand that always stroked my hair gently, the hand that always hugged me when I felt afraid in this house, was now under the shadow of a sledgehammer.

“Destroy it,” Papa commanded emotionlessly.

“NOOO!” I struggled with crazy strength, biting the hand of the guard holding my face until he swore and released me for a moment.

I managed to crawl forward, reaching for the hem of Papa's pants.

“Just kill me! Please, just kill me!” I wailed hysterically.

My head was dizzy, my vision started to spin. Oxygen seemed to vanish from this basement.

However, in the middle of my wailing, the sound of crushing bones was heard clearly. Followed by a scream of pain that tore through his vocal cords.

Enzo's first scream that shattered the silence of the night.

My world collapsed right then and there. I looked at Enzo's right hand, which was now deformed, destroyed by the blow of the iron hammer. Fresh blood flowed heavily from between his fingers.

Enzo bowed his head, his breath gasping and ragged. Cold sweat mixed with blood dripped from his chin. His body trembled violently, enduring the shock, but he did not beg Papa for mercy.

Papa looked at his masterpiece with a sinister smile that froze the soul. He squatted, leveling his face with mine, as I lay nearly paralyzed on the stone floor from fear and indescribable pain.

“Look, Selena. You see what happens because of your love?” Papa whispered in my ear, his voice as cold as ice. “You are the one who destroyed his fingers. And soon, you are the one who will kill him.”

Papa stood up, adjusting his suit as if he hadn't just committed a barbaric cruelty. He looked at Enzo, who was now nearly losing consciousness.

“Call Doctor Silvio,” Papa ordered his guards. “It's time this dog is put to sleep for good.”

Hearing that, my chest felt as if it were stabbed by thousands of knives. My breath caught in my throat. My eyes were fixed on Enzo's helpless figure.

In this basement, our fate was written in blood, and I was forced to be an eyewitness to the death of half my soul.

My tears had dried up. All that remained was pain that slowly turned into endless darkness.

I lay helpless on top of the pool of Enzo's blood, waiting for the end of everything, while my heart, which was once warm, now began to freeze into stone.

“Enzo, I will always be with you, even in death.”