Chapter 5

I didn't expect him to come back so quickly. Bianca's baby must have survived.

He'd left her at the hospital and rushed back to interrogate the culprit.

Everyone in the mansion had been sent away, leaving just the two of us.

He dragged me out and threw me onto the couch in the main hall.

Alessio sat on the opposite end, his presence suffocating, tension radiating from every inch of him.

His men checked the security system and found every camera between the service hall and the storage room had been wiped for exactly that window of time.

Only someone with authority over the Costa estate could have wiped that much footage. Alessio considered this for a heartbeat, then fixed his fury on me.

Nearly blinded by fury, he drew his gun and pressed it against my forehead.

"Why did you hurt her? I promised I'd give you a child someday. Why can't you stop being jealous of Bianca?"

"Behave, and you will always have your place as my wife."

His absurd promises made me sick. I'd gone a full day and night without food, and all my stomach could produce was acid.

Gunfire shattered the silence. The front doors burst open, and a tactical team in black flooded the hall, weapons trained on Alessio's men.

One shot knocked the gun from Alessio's hand. The next thing I knew, I was in my mother's arms.

Alessio froze for only an instant before his training kicked in. He scanned the room, counting heads and weapons, then stood up slowly, his face ashen.

"I don't know who you are, but you're on Rossi property. Lower your weapons, and I'll forget this happened."

My mother ignored him.

She held me tight, looking down at my swollen cheek and frail body. The warmth in her eyes turned to ice, degree by degree.

Then she passed me to someone behind her, rose to her feet, and turned around.

"Elena is my daughter. I'm Cecilia Nightingale, head of the Nightingale Family, and I'm taking her home. Try to stop me."

The Nightingale Family. The moment that name hit the air, I felt Alessio go rigid.

The Nightingale Family was the oldest and most secretive criminal organization on the East Coast. Its reach was vast, and no rival crossed it lightly.

"She is my wife. You can't take her."

Alessio clenched his fists. For the first time, the man who was always composed, always in control, had a tremor in his voice.

No one answered. Two Nightingale guards moved to help me stand.

Alessio suddenly lunged in front of me, his eyes bloodshot, sweeping the room. Every word was ground out through clenched teeth.

"She is my wife. Touch her and see what happens."

Cecilia laughed.

Before the laughter faded, a guard behind her moved without a sound.

A suppressed shot cracked through the room.

Alessio's arm dropped at an unnatural angle. Whatever bone the bullet had struck, he could no longer block my path.

As I was helped out the front door, I caught a glimpse of Alessio from the corner of my eye. He was on his knees, clutching his shattered arm, his eyes locked on my retreating figure.

I turned away without a shred of hesitation, gulping down the fresh air outside.

Sitting in the Nightingale Family's car, I watched the Costa estate disappear behind us.

I rested my forehead against the cool glass, closed my eyes, and let out a long breath.

I was finally free.