CHIARA P.O.V.
It's been five days since I came to this place, I think. I have no knowledge of the country I am in or its exact location. All I know is that I will never be allowed out, just as Wolfgang warned me.
I've gotten used to confinement. In fact, there is hardly any difference between this room and the one I had in Sicily. The room I used in my uncle's house was bigger, but that didn't make me any less miserable. I have been wearing the same clothes for 2 days, and they have not allowed me to bathe. I wonder if I should feel panic and despair in this situation, but it's like those feelings have been sucked out of me along with the hope of living.
I get out of bed and look out the tiny window in the room. Then I remember that for me there is a difference between this room and the room I lived in in my uncle Aldo's mansion. Outside this small room, there is something beautiful that makes me want to go out. The vineyard that stretches before my eyes is impressive. For the first time in a long time, I feel the desire to explore and enjoy the beauty that surrounds me.
I shake off positive thoughts, because even the change of environment does not improve my mood at all. My suicide plan is still on and I just need to find a chance to make it happen. I must find a way to keep one of the cutlery that will be brought to me with my lunch meal. Hans only brings me food once a day, with a small glass of water. The lack of food and water does not worry me, since I did not consume them regularly when I lived with my uncle Aldo. I just need to distract Hans so I can keep that fork when he comes back for the plate.
These five days of further isolation and loneliness have given me the courage I needed to want to end my life. After all, I know perfectly well that there is no one who can miss me anymore. I just long to rest from it all, like my parents did. Death seems to be the only way out.
My dark and gloomy thoughts consume me as I patiently wait for lunch time. And at the same time, I can't help but wonder if I will ever be able to escape from this nightmare or if, instead, if I don't die now, this will be my eternal prison, or my new grave, and Wolfgang would be the one to kill me.
***
A couple of hours later, I hear a soft knock on the door and I know it's Hans. Despite everything, I feel a strange sense of calm because I know it's about Hans, two days ago the food was brought by another man, so Hans didn't seem so scary to me. This new man had a scar that ran down the middle of his face, and he looked at me with contempt and disgust. Hans is different, he could just open the door and walk in whenever he wanted, but he does the opposite.
Hans enters quietly and hands me the tray with my meager food. He avoids meeting his gaze with mine, as if he wants to avoid any kind of emotional connection. I try not to think about the fact that he might also feel guilty for his part in the kidnapping. I remember the day he brought me the clothes and I could see the guilt in his eyes. But I prefer not to think about that right now, nor am I interested in any kind of emotional connection with anyone, much less with men involved in mafias.
I nod in thanks as Hans leaves. I hold the tray excitedly, eyeing the perfect iron fork that rests next to the plate of food. It seems to be the opportunity I was waiting for to carry out my plan.
My hands shake slightly with anticipation as I pick up my fork. It is my little secret, my tool to try to escape from this situation. I know it's risky, but I'm willing to do anything to get my freedom back, even if it's not the way I wanted before.
When I sit up in bed, my spirits suddenly drop more, if that's possible. Being excited to find an object to kill myself with is not a sign that I'm emotionally okay, but I haven't been okay for a long time, and I know now more than ever that nothing is going to get better if I'm alive.
I put the fork carefully in a hidden place and prepare to eat the little food they have given me. My body hardly feels hungry, so I don't eat much, after all, I don't need energy to say goodbye to this world.
***
WOLFGANG P.O.V.
My men enter the room, their faces serious and their expressions tense. I can feel an unexpected tension in the air as they prepare to give me their report. They have returned from Italy this morning, and the wait has been longer than agreed. Impatience annoys me, I wait for them to inform me about the news they have brought about Aldo and his futile attempt to find Chiara.
“Aldo has been looking everywhere for Chiara since she disappeared,” Klaus begins to speak. “He already knows that you have his niece, but he still has no information on your exact whereabouts. It will be a while before they can find them.”
I cross my arms.
“That just means that Aldo is more incompetent than I thought. Do you have the information I asked about Chiara?” I ask them.
Karl, Gunther and Klaus look at each other for a moment, their gazes tense.
“There is some information that Gio has given us about Aldo's interests,” says Karl seriously. Gio is our undercover, an Italian man who's been working for Aldo for years, but I pay him better. "Aldo has no interest in the well-being of his niece."
“He doesn't seem to have an emotional interest in Chiara. Her main goal is to find her alive, but he shows no concern for her well-being or her suffering, he never has,” Gunther adds.
I frown, what they tell me doesn't make sense at this point.
"Because?" I ask them.
“Chiara didn't grow up in Sicily,” Klaus explains, taking a step toward my desk. “Chiara Bianchi grew up in Verona, she studied Veterinary Medicine and her mother died when she gave birth to her. Andrea worked in a restaurant in Verona, but according to Gio's information, Andrea was not that far from the mafia, especially after learning that he had cancer."
I do my best to control my urge to swear, and not lose my cool at the possibility of involving a completely innocent girl in this hell.
“Aldo is miserable with his own niece. Besides keeping her locked up, he wouldn't let her out of the house,” Klaus continues. “Chiara tried to escape from Aldo once, but she was caught before she could, and Aldo punished her without food for a week. We could say that we robbed a thief, because Aldo kidnapped his own niece."
The little calm that was left inside me vanishes, and I explode in fury because I don't like to be wrong. And when I think about how I've been depriving Chiara of food for a whole week, I feel my stomach turn.
“How the hell did they miss all that information!?” I slam my desk hard.
“Chiara came to Sicily long before you partnered with Aldo and bought Gio's loyalty,” Karl explains. "There was no way to predict this situation, Gio told us that everything regarding Chiara was dealt with in a very mysterious way."
I look at Klaus, he's the one who communicates directly with Gio.
"What else has Gio told you?"
“Right now I can't communicate with him. Aldo is subjecting all of his men to an investigation. Luckily, the money you pay Gio goes to an account under a fake name in the Philippines, and while Gio always gives me a fair amount of information every time we talk, our communication is sporadic. I'll have to wait for him to pass Aldo's test."
Gunther shrugs.
"If Gio can pass the test and they don't kill him."
"If Gio dies, things will get complicated," Karl complains.
“What will we do with Chiara?” Kurt asks. "Will you let her go?"
“Aldo isn't emotionally attached to Chiara, but he definitely needs her for something, and his desperation shows it,” Karl says.
“Exactly,” I reply, still feeling the fire of my anger roaring under my breath. “Chiara stays here.” I look at Klaus. “In the meantime, I want you to find a damn way to communicate with Gio. I want to know what Andrea and Aldo had planned for Chiara and why she is so important."
“It's only a matter of time before Aldo's limited little brain understands that Chiara isn't in Italy,” Klaus laughs. "I'm sure he'll bring people to Germany when he finds out who you are, but Aldo won't come here, he's a coward."
I settle back in my chair, thirsty to see the light disappear from Aldo's eyes, as I saw it in my mother and grandmother.
"I hope Aldo isn't that easy to kill," I say. "It would be a disappointment if he gave up quickly."
I want Aldo to feel the weight of his actions through long torture.
Just then, Magda opens the door, and though she's still far from me, I can smell the freshly baked cheesecake. These last 5 days I did everything possible to avoid Magda with the excuse that I have a lot of work. However, the situation with Chiara has changed drastically, and I know that although I must find a way to tell Magda about Chiara, I am worried about her reaction now. Magda knows how to read her soul with her gaze, I knew what she is capable of with those skillful golden eyes since my adolescence.
Magda is my grandmother's twin sister, she and her husband Bruno moved into this house after my mother and grandmother died. My father didn't know anything about raising a child, so Magda took care of me, and Bruno was more of a father to me than my own father. After my father died, I gave Magda complete freedom regarding this house, I put Bruno as the main manager of the vineyard, but he still likes to take care of the house plants.
Klaus and Gunther turn to Magda.
“Is that cheesecake?” Klaus asks.
Magda smiles.
"You three can leave now", I order them.
“In the kitchen there is cheesecake, you can go for a piece”, Magda encourages them. Then she looks at them sternly. "But first you guys have to eat lunch."
As the boys leave the office, Magda catches up with me, placing the tray of food and cheesecake on the desk.
“I brought your favorite dessert” says Magda with her motherly smile.
"Thank you. When is Bruno coming back?” I ask him.
Magda sits in the leather chair across from my desk.
“I spoke to him last night, he told me he's coming back next week. Bruno is excited to see you.” She looks at me curiously. “I like it when you come to visit us, but I would like you to take some time to have a chat with this old lady. Is there a reason why you don't allow anyone to go to the north side of the house?"
She looks at me suspiciously. I feel the tension creep into my bones, Magda is doing it right now, she's trying to figure out what's going on. I don't want to tell her yet, I have to get Chiara out of that room first, or I know perfectly well that Magda will be very angry if she knows the conditions in which Chiara lived all these days.
"What's going on Wolfgang?" Magda insists because I don't answer her.
I'm about to give Magda a false answer, but Hans bursts into the office and runs towards us. There is despair in Hans's eyes, and I am surprised when I see his trembling hands. The last time Hans acted like this, his sister had died.
“Wolfgang, Chiara tried to kill herself,” he says quickly.
CHIARA P.O.VMy steps echoed through the room, a constant drumming fueled by fear. A lone table lamp wouldn't be enough the next time I faced Aldo. I need something more, something that will give me a chance to protect myself once again.Suddenly, a deafening sound reverberates throughout the building, and the ground beneath my feet trembles. The explosion resonates in my chest, and my heart beats intensely. Wolfgang? The mere thought of losing him paralyzes me. Tears blur my vision as my mind fills with fears. But I can't allow this wave of panic to sweep me away.I run towards the nearest table, trying to find shelter underneath it. My heart beats so loudly that I feel it's going to burst out of my chest. "No, not again," I repeat to myself, but the betraying tears persist. I can't afford to fall apart now.The door swings open, and Aldo's mocking voice cuts through the air, the certainty of his presence filling me with terror. How did he find me so quickly and amidst the explosion?
WOLFGANG P.O.VSeparating from Chiara, even for a moment, unleashes a whirlwind of emotions within me. I watch as Aldo takes her away, her figure disappearing down the hallway, and desperation consumes me. I shouldn't have let this happen, we shouldn't have separated. For a moment, I think about my decision to let Chiara come along as well, and I fear that my thirst for revenge is stronger than what I feel for her.But I know it's not true, my feelings for her are intense, deeper than I ever imagined possible, and that's why I allowed it, I want her to feel that with me she can be free to make whatever decisions she wants, that she's no longer and will never be imprisoned again. So, even though every step I take in the opposite direction of her is a stab of helplessness, and it torments me not to be by her side at this moment, protecting her, making sure she's safe, I remember that this is our battle, not just mine. I trust Hans and the plan we've devised.I promised to free Chiara fr
CHIARA P.O.VI thought I was going to have a heart attack during that infernal minute I shared with my uncle in the elevator up to the 7th floor. Then Aldo drags me through the intricate network of hallways, and meanwhile, I try not to think that every step takes me further away from Wolfgang and the safety he represents. Walking under Aldo's control was like reliving my worst nightmares all over again. The feeling of being trapped, at the mercy of my uncle, of not being able to speak up again, plunged me into silent despair. Suddenly, separating from Wolfgang felt like they were extinguishing the spark of hope that had given me back my voice, and now I felt almost literally mute again.Fear is making me reconsider whether I'm really capable of enduring this without breaking down again."You look better than before," Aldo comments, irony lacing his voice. "Wolfgang seems to feed his hostages well. I guess that's your little power, your breasts and your body, men desire you and you can
CHIARA P.O.VI glance towards Aldo, and beside him, a man with a lecherous gaze whom I don't recognize. A shiver runs down my spine as I recognize the lust in his eyes. The premonition that this man is the one they call Il Lupo makes me feel like vomiting. His greasy hair slicked back, he's tall but lacks muscularity. His suit is white, and he wears a red scarf around his neck, ridiculous for a mafioso. His eyebrows are thin, and his eyelashes are long. Though he looks off, I can sense his evil and dangerous aura.Wolfgang walks with astonishing confidence and assurance, as if he's playing the role of his life on a stage. For a moment, I question if Wolfgang would really hand me over. Fear starts to play with my mind, but I stop, reminding myself that Wolfgang wouldn't do that. The tension in the air is palpable. I also remind myself that this is a plan.I keep calm, though my hands are trembling. I can't help but wish to cling to Wolfgang for security, but I know that could give away
CHIARA P.O.VI place my hand on Wolfgang's arm, momentarily freezing the anger on his face. It takes him a moment to turn towards me, as if it's difficult for him, but he finally does, lowering his gaze to look at me."What's going on?" I ask, gripping my hands on the lapel of his suit. "I don't want you to lie to me anymore. I don't want anyone to lie to me anymore."Wolfgang looks towards Hans and Blaz, orders something in German, and they step out onto the balcony, leaving us alone."What should I do?" I inquire."They want me to let you go alone with Aldo if the opportunity arises. You'd have an earpiece and microphone to communicate with us, since you can speak. They believe Aldo and Il Lupo wouldn't suspect anything if I agree to let you separate from me, and that would give Hans and the others more time."I do my best to appear unfazed outwardly, even though inside I've already started to hyperventilate."If it's necessary, I can do it."Wolfgang frowns. "No. Look at yourself,
WOLFGANG P.O.VThe water cascades over my skin, and I have Chiara against the tiled wall, her soft voice releasing moans that drive me even wilder. I still couldn't believe she had regained her voice at such an unexpected moment. If I had known earlier, I would have proposed to her a long time ago because I know I've always wanted her for myself, but the man of flesh and bone that I still have in me wanted her to truly want that too.I didn't know what to expect from this change in our plan to confront Aldo tonight, how it would transform her personality, or if she would remain the same. What I didn't expect was the deep impact it would have on me. Every word that escaped her precious lips awakened in me an obsession, a dangerous and animalistic desire. I hadn't been warned about this, about how every time I heard her speak, I would feel my blood boil and my soul ignite. Any man who dared to look at her or simply stop to listen to her during our walk triggered an uncontrollable fury w