All Chapters of Innocence Interrupted - A Mafia Story: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

MadeleineThe VIP room is comfortably cool, but sweat drips from my brow and soaks into my uniform. I pull at the tight skirt, aware of the many eyes on me.Afterall, I’m not supposed to be here.If the Sisters saw me now, dressed in this skimpy outfit, mixing with the worst sinners this world has to offer, they'd probably faint.Goodness knows, they nearly had a collective heart attack when they found me talking to Dom alone in the garden. “You are tainting your own soul”, the sisters shouted, horrified. Dom apologised profusely, almost clumsily, as he stuttered the words out. He swore to them that we had done nothing inappropriate - he respected me too much to do anything that would harm me or my reputation. Oh, how he blushed. I’d never seen any other man as genuine and kind as him. And there will be no other. The people surrounding Rafael have their eyes on us. Our every move is being scrutinised, every word they speak is calculated. The low hum of voices is the only sound filli

Madeleine“Betsy!” I scream as I run from the apartment, my voice echoing down the hallway.The sunlight outside is blinding, but I barely notice. My heart pounds like a drum, and my breath comes in sharp, shallow bursts as I dash out into the shared courtyard, frantically scanning the dilapidated lawn and rusty play area.She’s not here!My mind spins. How could I let this happen? I should have been home two hours ago, in time to get Betsy up and ready for school.Where did she go? What if someone took her?“Betsy!” I call again, my voice cracking.A flicker of movement catches my eye. I spin around and relief floods through me. Clarissa, my neighbour, is walking toward me, holding Betsy’s hand.Betsy skips along at her side, her tiny yellow backpack bouncing with each step. My daughter did what she does every day. She got up, she dressed herself for school, and then she waited for me.Her eyes are bloodshot from all the crying, her little face swollen, and I can see faint bruises on

RafaelI grip Madeleine’s chin, turning her face in every direction, tallying her injuries. She winces lightly and tries to pull away, but I clamp down harder, forcing her to go in my direction, not hers.She is in terrible shape. Her face is black and blue, blood drips from her nose and split lip. A split lip, bruised cheek, bleeding nose, a ring of bruises around her neck. Their handiwork stands out like fresh tattoos on her porcelain skin. She reaches up and grabs my wrist, her eyes pleading with me to let her go. I pay no attention to her. She’s mine, and she will do as I command.She’s broken. Her whole life has been shattered in less than twenty-four hours. She trusted the people around her to be as good as she is. A fatal mistake in this world. There is no honour among thieves.Anger coils in my chest like a living, breathing snake. They dared to touch my Sister Francis. Marred her perfect skin. Destroyed her innocent soul.They are dead men walking. I will strike when the

MadeleineBetsy clings to me as we step out of the police station, her small fingers tightening around my dress like a vice. She is too young to understand this world. She doesn’t know that men like Andoletti don’t grant mercy. They take. They destroy.But there was kindness in him when he cleaned Betsy’s face. He was strict, but not cruel. And unlike me, he never lost his temper.Still… I have to keep her safe. Protect her innocence at all costs. I don’t think Rafael would harm her, not like that, but she doesn’t belong in his world, and I can’t let her get too comfortable in it.Enzo opens the backdoor to a black SUV with tinted windows. This is only for a few days, I tell myself as I load Betsy into the backseat. Just until I can find another job. Then I will take Betsy and we’ll leave, like I promised.I’ve managed to keep her safe for three years. Managed to hide the ugliness of the world I dwelled in. I can keep doing it. I don’t need Rafael. If he’s going to pay my debts, Bets

MadeleineI wake at the break of dawn, suppressing a cry as my body calls out in pain. Despite the sinfully soft, comfortable mattress, everything hurts. From my head to my toes. It feels as if I went through a meat grinder and lived to tell the tale.Betsy!I have to find her. We must leave. The sooner, the better. I don’t know where we’ll go or what we’ll do yet, but I’ll figure it out. I always do.I slowly and carefully roll to the edge of the bed and swing my legs over. The bed is so high, that my feet dangle halfway to the floor, and the thought of jumping down terrifies me. But I desperately need to pee, and I have to find Betsy. The sun is rising, and if she can’t find me by the time she wakes up, she’ll go mad. Rafael was patient with her yesterday, but he’ll get sick of her meltdowns - everyone does in the end.‘You can do this Madeleine,’ I say to myself and jump down, groaning as pain rockets up my legs and spine.I inhale sharply and hold on to the bed to steady myself b