Luca held the door open for me like a gentleman.
"Careful," he said quietly, guiding me into the back seat.
My legs were shaking so badly I almost missed the seat completely. I didn't even thank him. I just folded into myself as the car started moving, my breath coming out wrong, too fast, too shallow.
I couldn't stop shaking.
My hands were sticky. Warm. When I looked down, my stomach twisted.
Blood.
Not all of it was mine. I didn't even know whose it was anymore.
My wedding dress—my dress—was ruined. White turned brown and red, the hem torn, the lace ripped like it had been dragged through hell. I pressed my palms into the fabric like maybe I could wipe everything away if I tried hard enough.
What did I expect?
A mafia wedding.
What was I supposed to expect?
Flowers and smiles?
My throat burned. I swallowed hard and leaned my head back against the seat, staring at the dark ceiling of the car as it moved through the night.
Gunshots were still ringing in my ears.
Antonio's voice.
Dante's face.
The gun at my head.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I was alive. Somehow. That should have meant something.
"Luca," I said, my voice barely there. "How… how long until we get to the safe house?"
No answer.
I waited a second. Then another.
The road hummed beneath us. Streetlights flashed past the window like nothing had happened. Like I hadn't almost died twenty minutes ago.
"Luca?" I tried again. My stomach rolled. I felt sick. "I— I need to get out of this dress. I feel… disgusting."
Still nothing.
My chest tightened.
I leaned forward slightly. "Luca?"
That was when I saw his eyes.
Not turning around. Just catching mine in the rearview mirror.
Something was wrong.
The car slowed.
My heart slammed against my ribs. "Why are we slowing down?"
He didn't answer.
The car turned. Sharply. Off the main road. The streetlights disappeared. The city faded behind us like it had never existed.
"Luca," I whispered. My fingers dug into the seat. "Where are we going?"
He pulled the car to a stop.
The engine went quiet.
My breathing was the loudest thing inside the car.
He finally spoke.
"This is gonna hurt," he said calmly.
My blood went cold.
"What?" I breathed.
The door flew open.
Hands grabbed me.
I screamed.
Something heavy slammed into my head and the world exploded into white pain.
I woke up with a loud gasp, choking, my body jerking violently as freezing water soaked me. I screamed before I even knew why, my throat tearing as I sucked in air.
I couldn't move.
My arms were tied behind me. My wrists burned. My shoulders screamed in pain. My wedding dress clung to me, heavy and soaked, dragging me down.
My vision swam.
There was one light.
Just one.
A naked bulb swinging slowly above me, making the room tilt and blur. The place smelled like oil and rust and damp concrete.
I could tell it was a warehouse.
My teeth were chattering so hard they hurt.
Someone laughed softly. I squinted my eyes to see Luca sat in front of me.
Relaxed.
One leg crossed over the other, cigarette between his fingers. He leaned back in a chair like this was a casual meeting, not a nightmare.
He exhaled smoke into my face.
I coughed, gagging, as tears spilled down my cheeks.
"Where am I ?" I croaked. My throat felt raw. "Why…why did you bring me here?"
He tilted his head, studying me like I was something broken he'd found on the ground.
"You really didn't see it coming?" he asked.
My head throbbed. "Dante trusted you to take me to the safe house…what are you doing?"
Luca smiled.
"That was his mistake," he said lightly. "Trust."
My chest tightened painfully. "He'll kill you."
Luca laughed again. Louder this time.
"Dante isn't coming."
The words felt like a punch.
I shook my head weakly. "He will. He'll find me."
"You think so?" Luca leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "You disappeared under my watch. Looks messy. Looks like you ran away…betrayed him?"
My stomach dropped.
"No," I whispered. "I didn't—"
"But how would he know that?" Luca interrupted. "You're his new wife. Barely knows you. Barely trusts you. And suddenly you vanish…like you've always wanted"
He smiled slowly. "Perfect timing."
My breath hitched. Panic crawled up my spine.
"He won't believe you," I said, even as doubt clawed into me.
Luca stood and walked closer.
"You know what men like Dante believe?" he said softly. "What benefits them."
He crouched in front of me, bringing his face level with mine.
"You're just a tool ," he continued. "Nothing more. A contract. A possession. You mean nothing."
My heart felt like it was splitting in half.
"You won't get away with this," I whispered.
Luca's expression hardened. "You shouldn't have been chosen."
My brows furrowed. "What?"
"You," he snapped. "You walked in and suddenly you're protected. Suddenly you matter. Men like me? We bleed for years and get nothing."
He grabbed my chin hard, forcing my face up. I cried out.
"You didn't earn that ring," he hissed. "You just spread your legs and became valuable."
Tears streamed down my face.
"I didn't want this," I sobbed. "I didn't want any of this!"
"That's the funny part," Luca said coldly.
He let go of my chin and sat down. A dark look crossing his hideous face.
"You think Antonio and Dante were enemies," Luca said casually.
My breath hitched.
"What?" I whispered.
"They weren't," he continued, as if explaining something obvious. "They were partners. It kept everyone alive. It kept things balanced."
My chest tightened painfully at Antonio's name.
"Antonio raised me," Luca said, his voice lower now. "Before he handed me over to Dante. That was the plan… Always."
I stared at him, my mind scrambling to keep up.
"Then you came," he said, eyes hardening as he looked at me. "And Dante changed."
I shook my head frantically. "I didn't— I never—"
"He stopped…thinking" Luca cut in sharply. "Choosing feelings over logic."
He leaned closer, his face inches from mine now.
"And Greg and Antonio died."
The words landed like a physical blow.
"That's not my fault," I whispered, tears spilling despite my effort to hold them back. "I never asked for any of this."
"No," Luca agreed quietly. "You didn't ask."
He straightened, pacing slowly in front of me now.
"But you are the reason he killed them. Dante never killed people who were beneficial. He is a smart man " he continued. "But you..,you are a weakness. Everything that went wrong started with you!"
My body shook violently, fear and cold and disbelief tangling together until I couldn't tell them apart.
"I was meant to die today," I said suddenly, the realization hitting me all at once.
He stopped.
Turned.
And smiled.
"Yes," he said simply. "At the wedding. Damn it! Antonio should have finished you off!"
My stomach dropped.
"But Antonio ruined that by dying first," Luca went on. "So now, there's no reason for you to live"
He crouched in front of me again, his eyes level with mine.
"You don't belong in this world," he said calmly. "You make Dante weak. And weakness gets everyone killed."
He reached out suddenly, grabbing my throat.
I screamed, terror exploding through me as his fingers tightened. My feet kicked uselessly against the concrete, chains rattling loudly. Spots danced in my vision as I clawed at his wrist, my nails scraping against skin.
It was useless.
"Stop— Luca— please—"
His grip tightened.
"Antonio is gone," he murmured close to my ear. "You killed him! You killed Greg. It's all your fault!"
My lungs burned.
"Please," I begged. "Please don't—"
I choked, my vision blurring instantly. My feet kicked uselessly as he lifted me slightly off the chair.
"This is where you disappear," he said calmly.
Air…I need air.
Black crept into the edges of my vision.
Is this how I die?
The warehouse doors burst open and instant chaos filled the room.
The sound of fists cracking and gunshots filled the air.
Luca cursed and tightened his grip not caring about the ruckus.
"Die! Just die!"
Spots danced in front of my eyes.
Please…I don't want to die.
Suddenly a body slammed into him and his hands loosened.
I collapsed to the floor, gasping, clawing at my throat, sucking in air like it was my first breath ever.
I heard a gunshot so close it made my ears ring.
Then another.
I couldn't even scream. My body had gone limp. I could barely move as I gasped for air on the floor.
Heavy footsteps approached.
I couldn't look up but I knew…
Dante.
Strong arms lifted me off the cold floor, pulling me into his chest. My face pressed into his suit, into warmth, into safety I didn't know I'd been begging for.
"It's okay…You're safe now," he said hoarsely.
I broke.
A sob tore out of me, ugly and broken and uncontrollable as I clutched his jacket like it was the only thing keeping me on this earth.
I was alive yet I knew I wasn't safe.
There was no safety in the Mafia world.
I knew one of these days…I was really going to die.
Nothing inside me felt the same anymore.
"W-Where are you taking me?"
He glanced down at me, blood on his jaw, grey eyes still burning from the fight.
"Somewhere no one can touch you."
His voice dropped.
"Our honeymoon."