All Chapters of CALAVERA: The Mafia’s Caged Bride : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

~ANYA POV~The clock in the room ticks softly, steadily, and cruelly.Each second drags like a warning, and I can't stop glancing at it. Nine P.M. comes at last, and for a long moment I sit there, listening to the sound of my own breathing. The air feels too heavy, like it's holding its breath with me. I know what I'm about to do will surely reach his ears, but that's exactly why I want to do it.I get up slowly, my legs a little shaky as I move toward the door. The handle feels cold under my palm. My heart beats hard and loud, almost like it wants to be caught. I wait one more hour, letting the clock crawl toward ten, because I want to defy him completely. I don't even know where this courage comes from maybe because he's not here to fill the air with his quiet danger, maybe because I'm tired of being scared.It's frustrating how the house feels strange without him, like a beast asleep but still breathing. His shadow lingers in every corner, even in the silence. I don't know if I m

~ANYA POV~"What do you mean she's gone?" I asked a maid, and her eyes darted around nervously."Where is Clara?" I turn to ask the other maid folding linens in the hallway.The maid looks up, startled, like she didn't expect me to speak to her. "Señorita Clara?" she asks. "Yes, Clara. The maid who was here cleaning last night."She blinks at me, her brow furrowing. "She... went on leave this morning, señora. She will be back soon.""Leave?" I echo, the word falling heavy on my tongue. "She left?""Yes," the maid nods, clutching the folded linens tighter against her chest. "Señorita Clara left before sunrise. Said she needed rest."That doesn't make sense. None of it does. How could she just leave like that? She said she was helping me. She said my parents were safe. She said freedom was close.I must look as confused as I feel, because the maid tilts her head and studies me for a few seconds. There's suspicion in her eyes, curiosity too. Everyone knows Clara and I don't get along. Ev

~Cesar's POV~I sit in the dimly lit room, thick clouds of cigar smoke curling around the vaulted ceiling, blending with the low murmur of men speaking in hurried whispers. The mahogany table stretches across the room, heavy and imposing, like the men seated around it. Their eyes flicker nervously at me, but I don't flinch. I never do. Each of them knows I am patient, calculating, and deadly. The kind of patience that waits for a knife to fall, even if it takes hours.I inhale slowly, savoring the harsh burn of the cigar. The smoke fills my lungs and burns my throat, but it is the clarity it brings I crave.I exhale a long plume of gray, watching the men tense with every twist of the smoke. My right hand taps the ash into the crystal tray. The ticking of the antique clock on the wall seems louder than normal tonight, echoing through the chamber like the heartbeat of the city itself.Madrid never sleeps. But tonight, even the city's pulse is distant, almost inconsequential.Iñigo sits

~ANYA POV~ I clutch the phone tightly to my chest and let my body fall to the cold tiled floor. My heart feels like it's being squeezed from the inside. The silence of the pool area presses down on me, heavy and cruel. Then the tears come hot, painful, endless.I cry until my throat burns and my chest aches. My sobs echo softly in the wide empty space. Every sound bounces back to me, reminding me that I am alone. Completely alone.Images of Emilio and Athena flash through my mind like cruel little ghosts. My brother's stubborn, smiling face. Athena's bright eyes when she was determined about something. Both of them were always so strong, so fearless and so foolish.Emilio never listened. He was always headfirst into trouble, never pausing to think about what could go wrong. I used to admire his bravery. Now I hate it. I hate that it's going to get him killed.And Athena... she was no better. Strong-willed, loud, never backing down. Together, they were the worst match. Two storms meet

~ANYA POV~The evening air is cool against my skin. The faint sound of the sprinklers whispers across the wide garden, leaving the air heavy with the scent of wet grass and flowers. I drag my fingers across the soft petals of a white rose, feeling the delicate coolness on my fingertips. For a moment, I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, hoping the scent will calm the storm in my chest.It doesn't.All I can think about is Emilio and Athena.Are they safe? I hope they leave Italy. Do they even know what kind of danger they're in because of me? A sharp pain tugs behind my eyes, I don't want anyone else to die because of me.I wrap my arms around myself and lower onto the stone bench beneath the olive tree.The marble feels cold through my thin dress, and I shiver. My phone lies beside me, dark and silent. I've called Emilio since lunch, but his number is still off. Every ring that doesn't connect feels like another stab to my chest.I tilt my head back, staring up at the dimming sky.