Chapter 2

The bus came to a stop near our old house.

It had stood vacant ever since Luca passed away. The walls were mottled and peeling, and rainwater trickled down the cracks, dripping onto thick cobwebs.

As I pushed the door open, I held my breath.

A faded toolbox leaned against the wall, showing four rusty pistols inside. They were designed and made by me, Luca, Sergio, and Elena.

Back then, Sergio and Luca were into modifying weapons, and Elena and I just tagged along.

Elena would hand tools to Luca with admiration and trust shining in her eyes.

I couldn't help but reach out and touch one of the guns.

Luca and I came from a happy family.

Our Papà, Aldo Lorusso, was the Don of the Lorusso family. He was the one who established the massive mafia empire.

However, he was betrayed by his closest allies and killed in a planned purge.

After that, they hunted Luca and me, forcing us to stay on the run.

One night when I was 16, during our escape, we rescued a badly beaten young man in an abandoned warehouse—Sergio.

He said he was an orphan who'd been bullied his whole life.

When he found out who we were, he wasn't afraid and even hid us in the orphanage where he stayed.

Even though we were always on the run, Luca treated me with deep care, and I grew somewhat spoiled.

Sergio hated me the most. He always frowned and called me a troublemaker who just dragged Luca down. But whenever anyone dared hurt me, he was the first to protect me.

Years later, Luca quietly rebuilt his position in the Lorusso family with help from Papà's old men.

But to keep me safe, he kept many things from me.

Once, when Luca went to a private bar for business, I sneaked after him but got separated.

When I turned around, I found myself surrounded by a group of thugs. They cornered me, their eyes leering as they insisted I drink with them.

I refused, but they forced the drink on me. The harsh liquor made me cough convulsively, and tears blurred my vision instantly.

Just as I was losing hope, a dull thud sounded. One of the thugs howled in agony as he hit the floor. His head was slick with blood.

Sergio stood behind him, holding a broken bottle.

Sergio, who always wore the mask of a perfect gentleman, now had a terrifying rage seething in his eyes. He kicked the rest of the thugs aside and carried me out of the bar.

As I leaned against his chest, I heard his rapid, restrained breathing. That was the first time I felt he really didn't hate me.

I asked, "Sergio, didn't you always call me a troublemaker? Why did you save me?"

"Luca cares so much about you. Of course I can't let anything happen to you."

Sergio paused, his ears turning red before he continued, "And… I never truly thought of you as a burden."

My heart skipped a beat at that moment.

That night, something unspoken grew between us.

Worried the drink was spiked, Sergio took me to the hospital.

After the checkup showed nothing was wrong, we were about to leave when I spotted Elena huddled in a wheelchair in a corner. With her legs wrapped in thick bandages, she was weeping in silence.

Her father, Rocco Lazzari, was a loyal enforcer who stood by Papà through thick and thin.

After Papà's death, the traitors forced him to surrender. When he refused, they shot him down on the spot.

Caught in the crossfire, Elena was shot in the legs. She had to crawl out of there.

She'd been hiding ever since, scraping by on odd jobs to pay medical bills that never seemed to end.

Luca and I didn't hesitate to take her in.

To cover her medical expenses, Luca worked even harder to reconnect with Papà's old loyalists, hoping to reclaim the family as soon as possible.

He took on more dangerous jobs and was always showing fresh wounds.

Fortunately, Luca was talented and rose quickly. The first thing he did after gaining power was send Elena to the world's best orthopedic hospital.

Their bond grew in those long days and nights.

But the lingering effects of his severe injuries haunted Luca forever. On rainy days, his hand would ache so badly that he could barely pull the trigger.

That was Luca's weakness, and only the four of us knew about it. We kept it secret and shared some of the happiest times of our lives.

I truly thought we would stay this close forever.

Suddenly, footsteps outside startled me.

I turned sharply and saw Sergio and Elena standing at the door.

I forgot that they had keys to this house too.

Elena clung to Sergio's arm. The ruby necklace around her neck glowed with a blinding brilliance.

She smiled at me warmly. "Janella, Sergio said you were back, so we guessed you'd be here. Why didn't you contact us? Hearing you're okay made me so happy. This place has been empty for ages. Come back to the estate with us. The helper is on leave, and we've cleaned the spare room."

She tried to reach for my hand, but I coldly avoided her touch.

I only came here to sort through Luca's things, not to stay.

Besides, someone else was waiting for me.

I said flatly, "Give me the keys. You're not welcome here."

This house had been in my name since Luca died. It had nothing to do with them.

Sergio's complex gaze fixed upon the gun in my hand. "Janella, if Luca were here, he'd want you living with us. He wouldn't feel safe if you were alone. Come back with us."

Elena looked away, unable to look at the gun carved with Luca's name.

I replied with only one word. "Scram."

Sergio ignored my words entirely. Instead, he took off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to clean. "Elena, open the windows. Let's get some fresh air in here."

For a moment, I felt like I was back in the old days.

Luca would be cooking in the kitchen with Elena helping by his side. Sergio would be vacuuming, and I would be standing on a chair, giving orders.

But now, the house was covered in dust. Even the echoes of our past laughter had grown dull under the layers of time.

I pulled out an old suitcase and began sorting through Luca's things—tie clips, a family badge, his diary, and a teddy bear with a voice recorder inside.

I pressed play without thinking. Luca's gentle, deep voice came through. "Happy birthday, Janella."

Tears welled in my eyes instantly.

Suddenly, Elena stormed over and slammed the teddy bear to the floor. "Why the hell did you bring that out?"

Her voice trembled.

Watching her panic, I couldn't help but sneer.

It turned out that she could feel fear after all. She was afraid of being stung by the remnants of Luca's past, and of the buried truths coming to light.

"I'm the owner of this house. I have the right to handle these things. What are you so afraid of?" I asked.

Sergio frowned. "Janella, Elena just worries about you. That teddy bear… It's been stained with blood before. It's just unsettling."

I looked up at them, a sharp chill in my gaze. "You know exactly whose blood it was."

Sergio and Elena went pale instantly.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the wind rattling the windows like a silent accusation.

This used to be the safest place for Luca and me, but everything changed in the second year after he got married.