Chapter Eight

GABRIELLA

I coughed out, letting out the sound I had been holding in for a very long time. I was in a cell, an actual cell, for two days. The air was tight, and I struggled to breathe.

My defiance to eat caused me further pain, and this only proved that Marcello wasn’t joking when he said he was going to punish me.

I had neither eaten nor drunk any water. For the first time in days, I valued my life much more than I did death.

“Anybody, help me!” I screamed.

I screamed every single day, hoping that someone would hear me. There was no ventilation, no air.

“Marcello! Get me out of here!” I screamed again, my voice weakening.

Suddenly, I heard the door open. That was the first time it had opened since I was imprisoned. Light poured in from the hallway, almost blinding. I saw a figure walk in, but the rays of light kept me from seeing who it was.

The figure came closer, grabbing my wrists and dragging me up.

Then I saw that it was one of Marcello’s men.

“What do you want?” I asked, trying to figure out who the person was.

“Do you want to remain here till you die, or will you keep your questions and come with me?” he asked.

I recognized the voice, the same familiar voice.

At that point, I didn’t care. I just wanted to get out of the cell.

He dragged me out quietly, as if he was intentionally trying to sneak me away. I could only wonder who he was and why he was helping me, defying the great Marcello.

We reached a corner of the hallway, and he slipped me into a room and locked the door. I looked around, it was a simple room with a bed at the center, a cupboard, and a few clothes. It was the room of a modest man.

“You’ll be safe here for now. Whenever Marcello chooses to release you, I’ll take you back to your cell so he doesn’t find out that I snuck you out.”

“What if he catches you? What if he finds out that you helped me, or what if he goes to check the cell?”

“I know Marcello. He never goes into the cells. If he’s tired of torturing you or desperately wants to see you, he’ll have you brought to him,” he said.

“Why are you helping me?”

He didn’t reply. He only brought out something for me to snack on from his fridge.

“You’re the one who brought me that hamburger the other day, right? Talk to me. I feel like I know you, but at the same time, I’m not so sure. Your voice, it rings a bell. Plus, I’m all alone in this house. I don’t know anyone, it’s like I’m losing my mind. It’s like I’m trapped in a cell. Knowing that someone knows me and would risk his job for me really means a lot, and I’d love to know who you are,” I said convincingly.

Luca removed his mask, revealing his face.

“Oh my God, Luca! What are you doing here?” I exclaimed with joy. Luca was an old family friend I had lost contact with for the longest time.

He would always come around our house to spend time with us, especially during Thanksgiving. He was family.

Luca smiled and answered, “The obvious, I work here now.”

“I mean, I can see that,” I said, relieved to see a familiar face. He ushered me to the bed, and I immediately grabbed the food from his hands and began to eat.

“How long have you worked here?” I asked while eating.

“A while.”

“Wow! So you’re one of Marcello’s masked guys,” I said with sarcasm.

He laughed.

“I must say, you’ve really grown.”

“I know, right?” I said, gulping my drink.

“To be very honest, when I saw you, I couldn’t believe it was you,” Luca said.

“How did you get yourself mixed up with Marcello?” I asked.

“I should be the one asking you that. Out of all the men, why Marcello?” he replied.

I heaved a sigh. “It was Father. I don’t know, but I think he was in some kind of trouble. So he had to marry me off, and you know our slogan.”

“Family comes first,” Luca finished.

“Luca, you’ve got to help me get out of here. I can’t stand to live another day in this house. Do you know that…” My voice broke. I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn’t.

For the first time since Papi was murdered, a tear rolled down my cheek.

“Father is… Father is dead. He was murdered by Marcello.”

Luca exclaimed, pulling me close and offering comfort in a hug. I stayed there for a while, then slowly pulled away.

“Marcello killed my father and made me marry him. As if that wasn’t enough, he took over Father’s properties. What was meant to be mine was taken away. He’s ruined my life, and I’m going to ruin his too. Maybe that’s why you’re here. Maybe you’re here for a reason. You’re going to help me, Luca. You owe it to Father to help me avenge his death.”

“Ella, it’s not as easy as you think.” Luca said.

“I know,  but you’ve worked here the longest, you know everywhere. All you need to do is point me in the right direction and I'll take it from there…” I said.

There was a sudden, heavy bang on the door. A voice called out, “Luca, are you in there?”

It was Marcello.

My heart skipped harder than it ever had.

Marcello was right outside.