Chapter 2

[Alessia's POV]

The shocking revelation left my mind blank. I felt like all my blood had been drained in an instant.

Vito had lied to me. He had someone he loved but couldn't have. He'd deceived me. Then what did that make me?

I stood at the doorway, my fingernails digging so hard into my palms that my fingertips went numb with pain. I wanted to storm in, grab him by the collar, and demand an explanation.

Right then, a bodyguard suddenly rushed up to Vito and bent down to whisper something in his ear.

Vito's expression changed in a heartbeat. He snatched his jacket and bolted for the door. When he passed me, his shoulder slammed hard into mine. However, he didn't stop. He didn't even look at me.

I stood there, frozen, feeling the cold spread inch by inch through my body. Then, almost on instinct, I followed him. His car ultimately pulled up outside an abandoned warehouse in Blacklyn.

I hid in the shadows and watched Vito kick open the warehouse door and charge in with a group of bodyguards. Inside, a thug with a face full of scars had a knife pressed to a young woman's neck.

She wore a simple white dress, and her long hair fell over her shoulders. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls.

The moment Vito saw her, his whole demeanor changed. For the first time, I saw panic, fear, and a raw, undisguised tenderness in him.

"Let her go! Take me instead!" he yelled.

The kidnapper let out a twisted laugh. "I knew I snatched the right person! Everyone out there says you spoil that lawless Donna rotten, but I'm the only one who knows who actually has your heart. It's her, Cecilia Romano!"

Cecilia Romano. Her name was like a poisoned blade that stabbed me right in the heart.

"Because of you, my men ended up dead or crippled over that shipment at the docks!" the kidnapper snarled. "Tonight, I'm going to give you a taste of what it's like to lose the love of your life!"

He kicked a dagger across the floor. "Stab yourself. I might consider letting her go if you do."

"No! Vito, don't!" Cecilia sobbed, crying even harder.

Vito looked at her. In his eyes, tenderness, guilt, and love surged like a rising tide. I'd never once seen even a trace of those emotions in his eyes when he looked at me.

He bent down and picked up the dagger. As I watched in astonishment, he plunged it into his own abdomen without the slightest hesitation. With a wet, sickening sound, blood immediately gushed out, soaking through his white shirt.

My fist was clenched so tightly that my fingernails dug into my palm. I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep myself from screaming.

Vito, a man who wouldn't even flinch when he took a bullet, was willing to die without a second thought for Cecilia.

"Now, will you let her go?" His face was ashen, but he forced himself to stand tall. "Let her go, and you can do whatever you want to me. You can even take my life."

The kidnapper laughed hysterically. "Guess you really are crazy in love with her! All the more reason for me to kill her!"

The bodyguards hidden around the warehouse swarmed in at once. Within seconds, they had the kidnapper pinned.

Cecilia tore free from her restraints and threw herself into Vito's arms while sobbing. "Vito, are you insane? How could you be so stupid?"

He weakly raised his hand and wiped away her tears, his voice so soft and tender. "Don't cry… It doesn't hurt…"

"How can you say that when you've lost so much blood?" Cecilia cried, looking both angry and anxious. She grabbed the bloodstained dagger and slashed it hard across her own forearm. Blood immediately gushed forth.

"What are you doing?" Vito's face changed, pure panic coloring his tone.

She stared at him through her tears. "Does it hurt now? Don't you get it, Vito? When I see you hurt, it feels like I'm hurting right here with you."

She pointed at her heart.

Vito's eyes reddened as he stared at the wound on her arm. Then, he pulled her tightly into his arms and said hoarsely, "I get it now. I'll take better care of myself from now on."

The wail of sirens grew louder and louder as the ambulance approached. Vito was lifted onto a stretcher and rushed into the ambulance.

From beginning to end, not a single person noticed me standing in the shadows of the warehouse. I remained there, chilled to the bone, as if I'd been locked in a frozen tomb.

Then, a shadow fell over me. Cecilia walked up to me. Without a word, she slapped me hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed in the air. My cheek burned with searing pain.

Rage shot straight to my head. Without even thinking, I raised my hand to hit her back.

"Go ahead. Hit me!" She lifted her chin and closed her eyes, her whole body shaking as she cried. "You Morettis have already ruined both my life and Vito's! If he and I can't be together in this life, then I don't see any point in staying alive anymore!"

My hand froze in midair. I stared hard at her and forced through gritted teeth, "What exactly is your relationship with Vito?"

Cecilia opened her eyes and looked at me, a bitter, mocking smile forming on her face. "You want the truth? Fine. I'll tell you."