All Chapters of The Priest Is A Mafia Don: Punish Me Father!: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

60 Chapters

21: "I'm asking if you've broken your vows."

Damien POVI stood at the altar during morning mass trying to focus on the words I'd said hundreds of times before but all I could think about was the countdown ticking in my head, four days left to figure out who was threatening us before everything I'd built came crashing down. The congregation watched me with their usual reverence, Mrs. Romano in her regular pew with her kind eyes, Father Marco beside me radiating concern I couldn't quite interpret, parishioners who trusted me to guide them spiritually while I was drowning in deception.The irony wasn't lost on me that I was standing here preaching about truth and faith while hiding the biggest lie of my life, while counting down days until someone exposed me as a fraud. Part of me wondered if this was divine punishment for breaking my vows, for letting myself fall in love when I'd promised to dedicate my life to something higher, for choosing human connection over spiritual devotion.After mass Father Marco caught my arm as I was

22: "You made me feel human again."

Lilith POV Sophia called back just after lunch with information that made my blood run cold and suddenly everything made terrible, perfect sense. "Okay, so I did some digging like you asked," she said, her voice tight with barely contained anger. "Tyler's been spending a lot of money lately, designer clothes and expensive dinners, new car. But here's the thing, he hasn't gotten any of those modeling deals he was bragging about after the video leaked." "So where's the money coming from?" I sat on my bed, tension coiling in my stomach. "That's what I wanted to know." I could hear papers rustling in the background. "So I asked Marcus to ask around since he knows people Tyler hangs out with, and apparently Tyler's been doing freelance work for some political research firm." "What kind of work?" But I already knew, could feel the answer settling like lead in my chest. "Opposition research." Sophia's

23: "My reputation was already destroyed."

Lilith POV I met Damien at the church instead of the park because we didn't have time for caution anymore, didn't have time to worry about who might see us together when a story was running in less than twenty four hours that would expose everything anyway. He was waiting in his office with Father Marco when I arrived, both of them looking grim. "Marco knows about the reporter," Damien said as soon as I closed the door. "I told him everything." Father Marco gestured for me to sit but I was too agitated to stay still, too wound up with adrenaline and fear to do anything except pace. "The reporter called you too?" "Twenty minutes ago." Damien's jaw was tight. "Asked the same questions, said he had photographs and documents about my past. When I asked where he got the information he said an anonymous source provided everything." "Tyler." I stopped pacing long enough to look at both

24: "Tell me about your past."

Lilith POVThe reporter arrived at Father Marco's office at exactly ten in the morning, a man in his forties with kind eyes and a recording device he set carefully on the desk between us. David Chen introduced himself properly this time, shaking hands with both Damien and me before settling into his chair with a notebook open in front of him."I want to thank you both for agreeing to this interview," he said, his voice professional but not unkind. "I know this can't be easy.""It's not." Damien's hand found mine under the table, his fingers lacing through my own. "But we'd rather tell the truth ourselves than let others tell a distorted version.""Understood." David clicked his recorder on. "Let's start with you, Father Cross. Or should I call you something else now?""Damien is fine." His voice was steady despite the tension I could feel radiating through his grip. "I'm not sure I've earned the title of Father given what you're about to hear.""Tell me about your past." David's pen w

25: I'll pick you up and we'll face this together."

Lilith POVThe week that followed felt like existing in suspended animation, each day stretching impossibly long while we waited for David Chen to arrange the meeting with his sister. Damien spent most of his time in prayer or with Father Marco, preparing himself for a confrontation that might end with him in handcuffs, while I tried to figure out what I'd do if he went to prison and I was left alone in Italy with nothing but memories of what we'd had.Aunt Isabella noticed the change in both of us, the way Damien looked haunted when he came to the house to see me, the way I couldn't eat or sleep or do anything except count down hours until everything would be decided by a grieving mother who had every right to want Damien destroyed."You love him very much," she said on the fourth day, finding me sitting in the kitchen staring at cold coffee I hadn't touched."Yes." I didn't see the point in denying it anymore. "And I'm terrified that in three days I'm going to lose him to consequenc

26: "What if seeing me makes it worse for her?"

Lilith POVDamien picked me up at exactly one o'clock, his hands trembling slightly as he opened the car door and I saw the letter to Marcus's mother folded carefully in his shirt pocket. The drive to the address David had sent took thirty minutes through winding roads that led away from Bellmare into the countryside, neither of us speaking because words felt too heavy for what we were about to face.The house was small and neat with a garden out front that looked carefully tended, flowers blooming in organized rows that spoke of someone who needed order in their life after chaos had destroyed everything. Damien parked on the street and we sat there for a long moment, both staring at the front door while my heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my throat."I can't do this," he said quietly, his knuckles white on the steering wheel."Yes you can." I took his hand. "You can because you have to, because she deserves to see your face and hear your voice and know that you've been carr

27: "I don't ask for your forgiveness,"

Lilith POVThe morning after meeting Sarah Chen, Damien stood before the congregation at Sunday mass and told them everything. I watched from the back pew as he removed his collar mid-sermon, his hands steady despite the tremor in his voice when he confessed to being a murderer who'd hidden behind holy vows for three years.The silence that followed was deafening, shock rippling through the chapel as people processed what they'd just heard. Mrs. Romano covered her mouth with both hands while others simply stared, their faith in him crumbling visibly as the man they'd trusted revealed himself to be something else entirely."I don't ask for your forgiveness," Damien said, his voice carrying through the stunned quiet. "I don't deserve it and I won't insult you by pretending three years of service erases what I did. But I owe you the truth and I owe it to the family of the boy I killed to stop hiding behind this collar."He set the white band on the altar like an offering and walked out

28: "That's exactly what I need to learn."

Lilith POVWe spent that night in Damien's room under the eaves, neither of us able to sleep while the bullet rosary sat on his desk like a promise of violence to come. Every sound outside made us both tense, waiting for footsteps or gunshots or whatever method Don Salvatore Moretti would choose to remind his son that betrayal had consequences."Tell me about your family," I said finally, breaking the heavy silence. "If I'm going to be in danger from them I should at least know what I'm facing."Damien was quiet for so long I thought he wouldn't answer, his arm tightening around me where we lay tangled together. "My father is a monster who believes love is weakness and compassion is disease. He built his empire on fear and violence and he expects his sons to rule the same way.""Sons plural." I turned to look at him in the dim light. "You have brothers?""One. Matteo." Something dark flickered across his face. "He's younger by six years, charismatic where I was brutal, charming where

29: "Then we make sure they don't catch anyone to torture."

Lilith POVFather Marco led us through a hidden door behind the altar that I'd walked past dozens of times without noticing, down stone steps worn smooth by centuries of feet seeking sanctuary or hiding from enemies. The air grew colder with each step, damp and heavy with the smell of earth and age, until we reached a vast space lit only by Marco's flashlight beam cutting through absolute darkness."The catacombs were built in the fifteenth century," Marco said, his voice echoing off stone walls. "Originally for burials but later expanded by resistance fighters during the war. There are supplies down here, canned food and water, blankets. Enough for several days if you need it.""Several days won't be enough." Damien's hand stayed tight around mine as we followed the light deeper into the tunnels. "My father won't give up after a few days. He'll station men around the church, watch every exit, wait us out.""Then we use the tunnels to move through town." Marco stopped at an intersecti

30: "This is where we learn to fight back or where we die trying."

Lilith POVThe tunnel to the library stretched longer than Marco had indicated, twisting through darkness that pressed in from all sides until I lost track of time and direction. Damien kept one hand on my lower back, guiding me forward while his other hand held a flashlight that barely cut through the thick black surrounding us."How much further?" My voice echoed off stone walls."Should be close." He stopped at an intersection, studying marks carved into the rock. "These symbols were used during the resistance to mark safe routes. This one indicates we're near an exit."We followed the marked path until we reached a ladder leading up to a wooden trapdoor that looked ancient and barely stable. Damien climbed first, testing each rung before putting his full weight on it, then pushed the door open with his shoulder when the latch stuck from years of disuse.I followed him up into a dusty basement filled with old books stacked in columns that reached the ceiling, the smell of paper and

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