Alle Kapitel von CALAVERA: The Mafia’s Caged Bride : Kapitel 111 – Kapitel 120

THE DAY BEFORE~ANYA POV~ "No, no, no. The bride enters from the LEFT, not the right."The wedding planner is a thin, harsh woman named Señora Marquez. She's been barking orders at the staff all morning, transforming the estate's greenhouse into a cathedral of white roses and crystal.I stand at the entrance, practicing my walk for the third time."Slower!" she snaps. "You're a bride, not a soldier marching to war."'That's exactly what I am,' I think.César watches from the altar, arms crossed. He's wearing simple clothes...linen pants and a white shirt.....but he still gives out authority."Again," he calls out. "And smile this time, Anya. You look like you're attending your own funeral."Because I am.I walk down the aisle again. Slower. I force my lips into something resembling a smile. When I reach him, he takes my hands—careful of the bandages that still cover both wrists."Better," he murmurs. "But I want to see joy. Can you manage that tomorrow?""Yes," I lie."Good." He kiss

THE CEREMONY ~ANYA POV~ The greenhouse has been transformed into a cathedral of white roses.They're everywhere—climbing the glass walls, cascading from the ceiling, covering every surface. The scent is overwhelming, suffocating. It smells like a funeral.Two hundred faces turn to watch me enter.I don't know any of them. Politicians in expensive suits. Business associates with cold eyes. Women dripping in diamonds. The elite of César's world.Not one friendly face. Not one person who would help me.I scan desperately for any sign of my family—maybe César lied, maybe Diego is here, maybe my father—But no. The front row is occupied by César's family. His father, Don Maximiliano, was watching me with calculating eyes. His mother, Lucrecia, dabbing at her eyes with a lace handkerchief like this is a real wedding.His sister Isidora was sitting pretty in a cream satin dress, she give me a friendly smile i did not give back knowing they are all crazy. And there, near the back—Giuliett

~CESAR~We find the car twelve minutes later.Abandoned in an alley behind the Iglesia de Santa María. The engine was still warm. Driver's door hanging open.The wedding dress is shredded in the passenger seat.....torn to pieces like she was shedding a skin."She was here," Iñigo says, shining a flashlight into the interior. "Recently. The seat is still warm."I step into the alley. It's narrow, dark. Trash bins. Graffiti on the walls. This is where my wife chose to run to. A filthy alley in a nothing town."Search the area," I command. "She's on foot. She can't have gone far.""Patrón...." Iñigo points.A blanket, crumpled on the ground near the church wall. And next to it—A burner phone, smashed to pieces."She called someone," I say quietly."Want me to pull the records?""No need." I crouch down, picking up a piece of the shattered phone. "She called her family. Probably warned them to run."I stand, looking up at the church steeple silhouetted against the night sky."Spread out,"

THE RETURN~ANYA POV~We leave the villa at dawn.I am dressed in clothes that appeared overnight—a simple sundress, sandals. My bandages have been changed. Fresh and white.César helps me into the SUV. His hand is gentle on my elbow.He's been different since the bleeding. Quieter. More careful.I don't trust it.We drive in silence. The villa disappears behind us—I still don't know where it was. Somewhere in the countryside, green hills and olive groves.After an hour, I recognize landmarks. We're heading back to Marbella. Back to the estate."What happened to Giulietta?" I ask suddenly.César doesn't look at me. "I told you. She's dead.""How?""Does it matter?""She helped me. I want to know how you killed her."He's quiet for a long moment. Then: "I didn't."I turn to stare at him. "You said.....""I lied." He glances at me. "She's alive. Banished from Spain. Her family's alliance with mine is severed. She's lost everything—her position, her future, her name.""Why did you tell m

THE COLLAPSE~ANYA POV~He's not moving.César. The monster. My husband. He's face-down in the gravel, blood spreading beneath him like a dark halo.For a second.....just one second......I think: What if I killed him?What if that shard hit something vital? What if he bleeds out right here in the staff parking lot while I stand here watching?The thought should thrill me. It doesn't. It terrifies me. Because if he dies, his family will hunt me forever. His father. Iñigo. The entire Navarro empire.They will find me. They will kill me slowly.And the baby—I look down at my stomach. Still flat. But there's a life in there. His life. Mine. If César dies, does the baby die too? Will they cut it out of me? Raise it as theirs?My hand moves to my stomach instinctively. Protective.No.I can't think about that. I need to RUN. I look at César one more time. His breathing is shallow but there. He's alive, for now.I turn away, and I run.I sprint across the staff parking lot, stone cutting int