Accueil / Mafia / The Mafia Virgin Captive / Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 31 - Chapitre 40

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31

ROSALINA P.O.VThe lights from the line of cars crawled up the hill like a glowing snake. The sound of their engines filled the night, a deep rumble that shook the stone under my bare feet."Sean!" I screamed, my voice cracking as I ran down the stairs of the balcony and into the main courtyard. "Sean, look at me! Where is Christopher?"Sean didn't look at me. He couldn't. His eyes were glued to the iron gates. He wiped a smear of thick blood from his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a dark streak across his pale skin. "Get back inside, Rosalina. Sofia, take her!"Sofia was already behind me. Her hands were cold as they grabbed my upper arms, trying to pull me backward toward the heavy wooden front doors. "Rosalina, please. Listen to Sean. It is not safe out here.""No!" I fought against her grip, my eyes fixed on the first car that breached the gate. It wasn't one of Christopher's sleek gray vehicles. It was a heavy, armored black SUV with a small silver flag on the hood.

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ROSALINA P.O.VMoretti’s men were moving through the garden, their flashlights cutting through the dark like white knives. Sofia and I had been pushed back onto the stone steps of the porch, two guards standing in front of us with their arms crossed.Sean was still at the center of the yard, his gun lowered but his hand steady on the grip. "Your men have three minutes to get off this property, Moretti. The Romano family doesn't allow uninvited guests past the iron.""The Romano family is currently missing its head, boy," Moretti said, not looking up from his watch. "Two more minutes, and we take the keys."My chest felt tight, the air inside the courtyard too thick to breathe. I looked down at my hands. I was still holding the tiny white rose Christopher had left on my nightstand that morning. The petals were bruised from how hard I was squeezing them.He promised, I kept telling myself. He isn't dead.Suddenly, Nero’s stable at the back of the property went loud. The horses inside we

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ROSALINA P.O.VSean and another guard had carried Christopher up the stairs. He was completely dead weight. He hadn’t spoken a single word since we left the gravel courtyard. His eyes were closed tightly, and his breath came in short, painful gasps."Press down here," Sean ordered, his hands shaking as he used scissors to cut Christopher’s gray suit jacket away. "Rosalina, put your weight on his shoulder. Keep the pressure steady."I did exactly what he said. I leaned forward, my palms slick with his blood. I could feel the intense heat radiating from his skin.Sofia rushed into the room carrying a large silver medical kit. She didn't waste time looking at the mess. She went straight to Christopher's side, her fingers wiping a streak of red away from his closed eye."The cut on his forehead is deep, but the bleeding is slowing down," Sofia reported. "But his shoulder... Sean, it looks broken.""It’s dislocated," Sean grunted, tying a clean cloth around his own injured arm. "The impact

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**ROSALINA P.O.V**By the afternoon, the heavy tension inside the Villa had completely melted away. The guards were still alert at the gates, but the house itself was peaceful. The smell of medical alcohol was gone, replaced by the scent of fresh lemons and olive oil coming from the kitchen.Christopher was finally asleep again, resting deeply under the influence of Sofia’s herbs. Since I couldn't do much to help him while he slept, I decided to go down to the kitchen to help Sofia prepare dinner.When I walked in, Sofia was busy kneading fresh dough on the marble counter. She looked up, her tired eyes softening into a warm smile when she saw me."Ah, Rosalina. You look like you finally got an hour of rest," Sofia said, wiping her flour-covered hands on her apron. "Sit down. You need to eat something real, not just drink the tea I keep forcing on you.""I'm not hungry yet, Sofia," I said, sitting on one of the high wooden stools. "But I can help you chop the vegetables. It will keep m

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ROSALINA P.O.V I sat by the window, trying to focus on a page. But the words just blurred together.Every few minutes, my eyes would wander back to the desk where the two broken pieces of the wooden horse sat. Christopher had left them there, a quiet reminder of the night the mountain almost swallowed him whole.The door to the library creaked open, breaking the silence.I expected to see Sofia with another tray of herbal tea, or perhaps Sean coming to give a security update. Instead, Christopher walked in. He had discarded the formal sling, replacing it with a dark silk wrap that pinned his left arm securely against his chest under a loose-fitting black linen shirt. His face was still a map of healing bruises—the cut on his brow was a dark, jagged scab—but the deadly, cold look in his eyes had been completely replaced by a quiet, exhausting calm."You shouldn't be out of bed," I said, setting the book face down on the small side table. "Sofia said you need at least another day of ab

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ROSALINA P.O.VI walked into the library carrying the bowl of hot broth Sofia made. Christopher was sitting on the sofa, staring out the window at the dark trees. His left arm was still bound to his chest in the dark silk wrap."Sofia made this for you," I said, setting the tray on the table. "You need to eat."Christopher looked up at me. His blue eye was calm now. "I can eat with one hand, Rosalina. Sit down."I sat next to him and handed him the spoon. He took it with his right hand and ate the broth slowly. We didn't talk for a few minutes. The silence wasn't uncomfortable; it was just quiet.When he finished, he set the bowl down and looked at my light blue sundress. "You are dressed up for a quiet evening inside.""I just wanted to wear something nice," I said, looking down at my lap. "I've been in the house for days."Christopher nodded. He reached into his drawer, pulled out his wallet, and looked at me. "Sean said the road to Florence is clear. The Council is gone. Let's leav

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ROSALINA P.O.VThe bedroom doors shut behind us. Christopher walked to the middle of the room and dropped his black silk wrap on the floor. He turned around and looked at me."You are very quiet tonight," Christopher said."I am thinking about what you said at the restaurant," I whispered, walking closer to him. "You said I have a choice now.""You do," Christopher said. "The door is right behind you, Rosalina. If you want to go to the other room and sleep alone, no one will stop you.""I don't want to go to the other room," I said.I stopped right in front of him. I reached out and unbuttoned the top button of his black shirt."You remember what I told you before, right?" I asked. "A long time ago, when I first came to this house.""I remember everything you tell me," Christopher said."I told you that I have never been with a man," I whispered. "I am a virgin, Christopher. You still know that, right?""I know," Christopher said softly. He put his right hand on my cheek. "I have know

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ROSALINA P.O.VThe sun was very bright when I opened my eyes. The light came through the large windows of the master bedroom and made the white sheets look warm. I shifted my body slowly. I felt a little bit sore, but it was a good feeling. It reminded me of everything that happened last night under the candlelight.I turned my head to the side. Christopher was already awake. He was sitting up against the wooden headboard of the bed. His left arm was still resting against his chest, but he looked completely relaxed. His blue eye was fixed directly on my face. He had been watching me sleep."Good morning," I said. My voice sounded a little bit rough because I just woke up."Good morning, little bird," Christopher said softly. He leaned down toward me and pressed a warm kiss against my forehead. "How do you feel today?""I feel good," I said. I pulled the heavy white blanket up to my chin because I suddenly felt a little shy. "I feel very happy, Christopher.""You look happy," he said.

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**ROSALINA P.O.V**The kitchen felt much colder the moment Christopher walked out the door. The bright morning sun was still coming through the window, but the happy, warm feeling we had just a minute ago was completely gone."Eat your fruit, Rosalina," Sofia said gently, pushing the plate closer to me. "Don't let the men's business spoil your morning.""How can I eat, Sofia?" I asked, looking at the door. "He almost died two nights ago. His body is covered in bruises, and now there is another urgent message from Rome. Is this how it always is? Does the trouble ever actually stop?"Sofia sat down in the chair Christopher had just left. She looked at me with her wise, tired eyes. "In this house, the trouble only stops if you are strong enough to push it away. Christopher is the strongest Don this family has ever had, child. His father used to scream and break things when a problem came. Christopher does not scream. He just fixes it.""But it takes so much out of him," I said, my voice

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ROSALINA P.O.VThe next six days were completely quiet. Christopher kept his promise to me. He did not get into a car, and he did not leave the mountain. He spent his time resting his injured shoulder and his cracked ribs. Every morning, we ate breakfast together in the kitchen with Sofia, and every afternoon, we sat in the warm library.I was happy. It felt like we were just a normal couple living in a big house. We did not talk about Rome, and we did not talk about the man locked up in the city warehouse. We just enjoyed the quiet.On the seventh morning, I woke up early. The sun was just starting to come up over the hills. I turned around in the bed, expecting to see Christopher sitting against the headboard like he usually did.But the side of the bed was empty. The white sheets were cold.My heart gave a sudden, hard thud against my ribs. I sat up quickly, pulling the blanket around my chest."Christopher?" I called out into the quiet bedroom.No one answered. The black silk wrap

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