جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

If asking a simple question was "making a scene," then we had nothing left to say.I hung up, a bitter taste in my mouth.Tossing the phone onto the passenger seat, I parked the car by Lake Michigan. The screen lit up again. A pop-up notification from the city's biggest gossip site stabbed me in the eyes.The Heart of Sicily Finds Its Home? Chicago’s Underworld King and His Cinderella.The article featured a crystal-clear paparazzi photo.In a high-end restaurant, Silas was leaning in, gently lighting a slim cigarette for Carina. The flame illuminated the "Heart of Sicily" on her finger, its brilliance a poisoned dagger straight to my heart.So this was his "necessary gesture."I turned the car around. I didn't go back to the gilded cage of our penthouse. I went to my mother's house."Mom, I think I'm leaving Silas." I sat on her living room sofa, my face in my hands, my voice trembling. "I don't even know if I should keep this baby."My mother's hand, holding a cup of hot tea, froze m

Watching that, the pain became a dull, distant ache. The world went quiet, leaving only the frantic drumming of my own heart."Just a ring isn't enough," Carina's brother said, unimpressed. He pointed at me on the floor. "Silas, make it clear. Right now. I don't want some shameless woman like this bothering my sister in the future."Silas stood with his back to me, silent for a long moment.Then, he slowly turned and walked toward me.He stopped right in front of me, looking down. His grey eyes were devoid of any warmth."Alessia. Those promises I made... they were just youthful impulses. Now, your presence has become a burden to me."Every word was a serrated blade twisting in my heart."I'm tired of this endless drama. Leave yourself with the last shred of dignity and stop bothering me."The air in the hallway felt thin, suffocating.I sat on the floor, my limbs numb and cold.I knew he was putting on a show. Playing the part of the cold-blooded Don to appease Carina's family, to ser

"Stop." I screamed into the phone. Pure despair. I bit my lip hard. Sharp pain. The heavy taste of blood flooded my mouth. I swallowed it. It froze my insides. My voice came out raw, dead. Defeated. "I'll sign." Silas sent the NDA immediately. I looked at the bulletproof waiver clauses. Tears smashed onto the back of my hand. My fingers shook. I signed my father's proud name onto a paper meant to protect a murderer. I heard Silas exhale. Relief. "Good girl, Alessia. You always make the rational choice. Your father would be proud." He was back in control. The Boss on his throne, handing out crumbs. "You've been through a lot. Once the gun deal is done, I'll take you to Europe. Anywhere you want. To make it up to you." I stared at the pale ceiling. My voice was dead water. "Silas. We are done." A brief pause on the line. "The baby is dead." I closed my eyes, declaring it word by word. "This time, I really don't want you anymore." Dead silence spread. Finally, Silas spoke.

Silas swayed. Like someone shoved him hard from behind. He didn't answer. The silence was the answer. The door pushed open. My mother walked in with fresh clothes. Behind her were two of my father's most lethal guards. Her back was ramrod straight. She walked to the bed, glancing at Silas like he was a piece of cheap furniture. "Ma'am." Silas's voice was hoarse. A rare hint of awkwardness. A defeat he never showed in the underworld. "If I had known the truth about the crash... I never would have let Alessia face this alone." My mother gave him an icy glare, cutting him off. "I've seen how you treat her these past years. Even during the bloodiest gang wars in Chicago, I never let my daughter suffer like this." Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried the absolute weight of a Mafia widow. "Save your breath." She turned to the guards. "Escort the Don out." The two men in black, guns holstered, stepped up to Silas. Silas froze. His lips parted, but he said nothing. He turned and w

Carina froze. "A blood debt?" She let out a sharp, broken laugh. "Silas. You went with me to resize my ring. You set up my new house. You answered my midnight calls... You call that a blood debt?" Silas drained of color. He opened his mouth. Nothing came out. In that moment, he realized his own absurdity. He thought he was just settling an old tab. But to Carina? To the whole Outfit? It looked like true, deep love. He turned to me. His voice was like sandpaper. "Alessia. That... that was just for Outfit stability. I thought, as long as you were my bottom line, you wouldn't really hurt." I didn't say a word. "I never considered your feelings." He bowed his head. A whisper. "I'm sorry." An apology seven years too late. It landed light. Like a dead leaf. I hit the call button by the bed. My father's two men marched in. "Get them out." I was perfectly calm. The guards grabbed Silas, who was trying to speak, and hauled up Carina from the floor. Before the door shut, Silas's ic