บททั้งหมดของ CALAVERA: The Mafia’s Caged Bride : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

~THIRD PERSON POV~The first thing Anya noticed was the sound of movement. It was faint and distant, like someone sweeping the floor. Her body felt heavy, her eyelids glued together, and her throat burned like she hadn't spoken or swallowed water in ages. When she finally blinked her eyes open, the soft light of morning stung her vision.For a few seconds, she didn't know where she was. The ceiling above her was white and smooth, and the air smelled faintly of disinfectant mixed with the sweetness of perfume. She didn't need to think twice to know that she was in Cesar's room.Then it all came rushing back, César, the operating room, the pain, and then nothing.Her head throbbed as she shifted slightly on the bed, her muscles stiff and sore as though she hadn't moved in weeks. The blanket over her felt soft but heavy, trapping her in a warmth that was both comforting and strange.Across the room, a maid was tidying up, moving around briskly, picking up clothes, folding sheets, and mut

~ANYA POV~For the rest of the day, my mind was cloudy. I couldn't think straight. No matter how many times I tried to push the thought away, Iñigo's words kept coming back like an echo that refused to die."Are you willing to kill for it?"The question replayed in my head over and over again until it started to sound louder than my own thoughts.I tried distracting her. I decided to walk to the garden, hoping the quiet air would help. The sky was bright, and the flowers were blooming beautifully, but somehow it felt dull. Nothing could take my mind off what Iñigo had said.I sat on the stone bench in the middle of the garden, staring at the lilies swaying softly in the wind."Kill for it..." I muttered under my breath. "Kill who exactly?"My voice sounded strange in the open air.Was Iñigo talking about César?The thought made my heart drop.I shuddered, hugging my arms tightly around myself. The idea of killing César seemed almost impossible. He wasn't just strong, he was powerful,

~ANYA POV~The garage smelled like leather and oil and money. Lights hung low and bright.The Cars slept in a row like animals in a stable.Though I've been here twice, I don't think I'll ever get used to this place. Men like César had strange things. Cars were one of them. The way the engines shone made my chest tighten. I wanted to touch them. I wanted to call out the names of the ones I knew but I didn't.César walked to the wall where a row of keys hung. So many keys. Silver, black, heavy. He closed his eyes for a second, like choosing a scent in his head.He picked a key and he pressed the button.A car answered with a beep.A low, deep beep that felt proud. It was a Ferrari 812 Superfast. It growled like a beast. The engine was perfect and loud. The red paint looked like it had fire inside. I leaned forward, my hands on my knees, and just watched.He opened the door for me like a host in an old movie. "After you love," he said.I did not move like in a movie. I moved because my

~CESAR POV~The night is quiet. The city lights fade behind me as I drive through the long stretch of road that leads home.The car hums under my hands like a beast tamed only by me. My right hand rests on her thigh, warm, soft, fragile. My Little Siren is still unconscious, her head turned slightly to the side, her lips parted. She looks peaceful. Too peaceful for someone who just escaped death.I glance at her again.Her eyelashes flutter every now and then. She's dreaming I guessed. Maybe of me. Maybe of freedom. Either way, she's mine, and that's all that matters.The phone beside me rings. The name flashing on the screen is Iñigo. My second in command. I pick up the call."Talk," I say, my voice low, calm, dangerous."We found one of the cars, they were back-ups that were coming to kill you but the others disappeared. They were dressed like soldiers, but they weren't military," Iñigo says, his voice sharp and clipped. "We're checking the plates."My hand tightens around the steer

~ANYA POV~I don't answer the call.My thumb hovers over the green icon for a long time, shaking, my heart screaming for me to pick up. But then my mind flashes back to the blood, to the screams, to the faces of the people César killed the last time I tried to run.The way their eyes went blank. The way he had watched as they were mercilessly slaughtered, calm and unbothered.I can still smell the gunpowder. I can still see the red stains that wouldn't wash off my hands, and I can still feel the bottle digging into my feet.If I talk to my brother now, if he even hears my voice, he'll come for me.And César will kill him.He'll kill all of them. So I press the button and turn the phone off. Just like that.The screen goes black.My chest feels hollow, like something inside me broke all over again. But it's better this way. Emilio is headstrong, stubborn, and brave in all the wrong ways. He won't stop if he knows I'm alive. He'll keep searching, keep digging, until he finds me or until