All Chapters of Bound by blood and lies: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

"Che cazzo era quello?!" Luca yelled, his voice sounding like thunder in the silent house. I flinched, my heart stuttered as his furious gaze burned into me. "What the fuck was that, Eli?" I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but he wasn’t finished. He was already storming toward me, his fury a wildfire set loose. "Looking at Ricci like that—like a fucking whore starving for cock. Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" His voice echoed off the walls. I kept quiet. “Did you enjoy the show, slut?” he sneered. “Did you like staring at him while he had his dick down someone’s throat? Hm? Couldn’t take your eyes off him, could you?” I froze, my chest tightening painfully at his words. His words hit like whiplash. I flinched, trying to step back, but he was relentless, cornering me against the wall. “I—” “Shut

I barely registered my own feet moving as Matteo and I carried Eli’s lifeless body out of the basement. He felt weightless in my arms, his body unnervingly cold, his skin ashen, lips tinted blue. My heart was dying in my chest, squeezing tighter with every second that passed. Matteo’s grip on Eli was almost too tight, his knuckles were white as he supported Eli’s legs, his own face was filled with pure horror. “Luca, he’s barely breathing,” he choked out. “Fucking hell, what have we done?” I didn’t answer—I couldn’t. My mouth parted but no words came. My mind was filled with so much emotions like that of self-hatred, guilt, and fear. I had done this. My rage. My fucking insecurities. My need for control. I had locked him down there like an animal, left him alone in the dark. I thought I was proving a point. Instead, I had nearly killed him. We stormed into the living room, laying him on the couch. Matteo i

That evening, we took Eli to a quiet, upscale seafood restaurant. He didn’t protest. He never did. He moved like a puppet, letting us lead him through the doors, letting us pull out his chair, letting us control everything because he didn’t seem to care. I could tell that Luca didn't like the fact that he was outside. The restaurant was warm, filled with the scent of butter, garlic, and freshly grilled seafood. The low hum of conversation surrounded us, but it felt distant, like white noise, overshadowed by the tension that had been lingering between us for days. Eli sat across from me, staring at his plate with that same blank expression he’d worn since he woke up. It was driving me insane—this silence, this emptiness in his eyes. It was like looking at a ghost. A version of him existed, but Eli—the real Eli—was somewher

The world felt like it was slipping from my grasp, and I was powerless to stop it. I hated that, I haven't felt this feeling for a long time. It was a nightmare during the day that I couldn't wake up from. Eli was gone. Every muscle in my body was locked, my jaw aching from how hard I was clenching my teeth. I had been in life-or-death situations before. I had stared down a rival who pointed a gun between my eyes, unflinching, I buried men alive, walked away from explosions without flinching. But nothing, nothing had ever made me feel this level of pure, unhinged terror. Eli had vanished. And I had no fucking clue how or why. Matteo and I tore the restaurant apart, questioning every employee, reviewing every second of security footage, demanding answers that no one seemed to have. The cameras were useless—Eli had somehow slipped through the cracks like a goddamn ghost.

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. He opened my door and leaned against the body of the car. I looked between him and the black, tinted car blocking our path. I felt trapped and suffocated. My heart thundered in my eyes as I looked at Don Ricci who had such a calm aura that only a man who was in complete control could possess. He was watching me, his green eyes steady, assessing. There was no urgency in his movements, no aggression—just an unsettling, casual calm, as if kidnapping me off the street was no different than discussing the weather. “Now,” he finally said, voice as smooth as silk. “You have two options.” I forced myself to breathe, my muscles were pulled so tightly I thought I might snap. Ricci continued, his expression unreadable. “You come willingly, and no one gets hurt.”