Alle Kapitel von The Don Played a Game With the Wrong Woman: Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

By the time I got back to the penthouse, the sun had already set completely.  I stood outside the door for a moment with my hand on the handle, trying to steady my breathing.Inside my purse, the transmitter felt like it was burning a hole through the leather.  I pushed the door open and stepped into the dim hallway.The living room was lit by a single floor lamp in the corner.  Vincenzo was sitting on the sofa with no television on and no phone in his hand.He was just sitting there in the quiet, waiting. When he heard me come in, he lifted his head slowly.His eyes found mine immediately. "You are home late," he said.My heart kicked hard against my ribs, but I forced myself to smile.  "The client meeting ran longer than I expected, I should have called."I set my purse down on the entryway table and bent to take off my heels.  "Have you eaten yet?" I asked, trying to sound normal."No," he said quietly. "I was waiting for you."  He stood and started walking toward me with slow,

I stood outside the office door and took a deep breath.  I turned and walked quickly back to the bedroom. My hands were shaking but my mind was clear.I knew I had to plant the listening device by any means possible.There was no turning back now, not when I had started.I grabbed a glass from the nightstand and carried it to the bathroom. Then I dropped it on the tile floor as hard as I could.The sound of breaking glass was sharp and loud. It echoed through the whole apartment like a gunshot.I screamed before the last piece hit the ground. The scream tore out of my throat and I did not have to fake the terror in it.I ran out of the bedroom toward the office. My bare feet slapped against the cold marble floors.When I reached the office door I grabbed the handle. It turned easily because I had already unlocked it earlier.I pushed the door open and it swung wide. For a second I just stood there staring into the dark room.Then I grabbed the heavy bookend from the hallway table to us

Three days after the cameras went up, I learned how to live like I was always being watched. I smiled more, talked less, and never looked directly at the black lenses in every corner.Luca had not sent any new messages since the recording. The hidden phone stayed buried in the closet and I only checked it in the bathroom at night.But Vincenzo had become a different problem entirely. He came home earlier every day and worked from his office instead of going out.He canceled dinners, postponed meetings, and worked from his office at home. Every time I moved between rooms, I felt his eyes following me through the screens.When I went to my gallery downtown, two of his men waited outside the entire time.  Vincenzo said it was for my safety but we both knew the truth.I did not complain or resist. Instead I played the role of the grateful wife who felt loved and safe.The more grateful I acted, the more relaxed Vincenzo became. He enjoyed having me exactly where he could see me every singl

After I sent the recording to Luca, he did not reply right away. I knew he needed time to figure out how to use what I had given him.And I needed to keep playing my role perfectly. The wife who believed every lie Vincenzo told her.That evening Vincenzo took me to the restaurant by the water like he had promised. We sat at a table overlooking the harbor and he ordered for both of us without asking.He kept putting food on my plate throughout the dinner."You need to eat more. You are getting too thin," he said gently.His voice was soft, like he was trying to erase the violence from earlier. Like feeding me pasta would make me forget watching him choke a woman.I ate slowly and said nothing. My mind was somewhere else entirely."You are still thinking about this afternoon," he said.I nodded and looked up at him carefully."That woman Valentina. What she said about an arrangement between families. Was that real?" I asked. My voice was quiet and uncertain, like I was afraid of the answ

I drove to the abandoned warehouse district near the docks where Luca had told me to meet him. The air smelled like salt and rust and old fish.I parked and sat there with the engine off staring at nothing. The sky was starting to turn gray with the first light of morning.A black car pulled up beside mine a few minutes later. Luca got out wearing dark jeans and a white shirt.In the pale early light, he looked clean and simple. For a second he reminded me of the quiet boy who used to leave cookies in my desk.I got out of my car and the wind immediately hit me hard.  "Before we do anything else, you need to ditch that car," Luca said.  "Vincenzo probably has it tracked and we cannot risk him finding you."My stomach dropped because I had not even thought of that.  "One of my men will drive it somewhere far from here and abandon it," he continued."That will buy you time before he realizes you are really gone," he finished.  I nodded and handed him the keys without arguing.Luca si