Page 38 of Doll Face

“No, child, no reason to be sorry. It’s I who am sorry that this happened to you. The Romanelli’s are nothing but villainous scum.”

Macy had nothing to say to that because she completely agreed.

“Dr. Monroe bound your broken ribs. So, if it’s a struggle to breathe, it’s because the binding is preventing those ribs from moving too much. If it gets to be too much, let him know.”

Macy nodded her understanding.

“The most damage has been to your face,” she continued. “Broken nose, fractured cheekbone, lacerations to the face, neck, and chest. Painful, but nothing you can’t heal from.”

Macy wasn’t too sure of that. She felt raw. Felt like giving up, as if Matteo had punched a hole in her chest and ripped out her heart. Why fight getting better? She didn’t know if she would be able to heal. To forget Matteo Romanelli and just go on living. The man had tried to get her killed, all because he had grown tired of her, and he hadn’t even had the decency to do it himself. What if he found out she lived? Would he hunt her down? Finish the job he’d set forth?

“I’d like to tell you a story,” Orianna said. For a moment Macy had forgotten the older woman was with her. “A long time ago, my husband did dealings with the Romanelli’s, and because he was savvy with money, his good investments made us the richest family in Italy.”

Macy stared at the tiled ceiling, listening.

“We tried for years to have a baby, and then one day, I found out I was pregnant. Nine months later we had our little girl, whom we named Violetta. She was a happy baby. Bringing joy and sunshine to our world.”

This wasn’t going to have a happy ending, Macy thought.

“When she turned twenty-one, Pietro Romanelli came to my husband to negotiate a marriage contract. My husband declined, and not just because there was a significant age difference. We believed Violetta could choose her own path. Fall in love with the man she wanted, not the man who could be an asset to our bank account. We didn’t need it.”

Orianna took a deep breath.

“Violetta went to England for university, and during one winter break, she brought home a man for us to meet. He was a good man. He made our Violetta happy. We gave our blessing, and they married in a small ceremony in England. Unbeknownst to us, Pietro had been angerly stewing for years from our rejection. And then…” She cleared her throat. “Then he arranged to have an accident to befall our son-in-law, but he miscalculated and our precious Violetta died along with her husband.”

She fell silent, locked into a grief Macy couldn’t see, but only imagine. Losing a child had to be the worst hell on Earth, even more so than being in Pietro’s basement.

“My husband never got over losing our daughter, and a heart attack took him from me. It was then I vowed to bring down the House of Romanelli. He destroyed mine, so I vowed to destroy his. It wasn’t hard to find others, like Gunner and Caelian who were victims of Pietro’s greed. Together we formed this alleanza. As I said earlier, Gunner is my eyes and ears to Pietro’s movements, but I have others in place. All who want to bring down that heartless monster.”

The pain in Orianna’s voice brought tears to Macy’s eyes.

“So, that brings me to now,” she said. “To you. It would be in your best interest to become a ghost, and if a ghost you must be, I might have a solution.”

Macy cocked her head, waiting.

“I’ve been thinking about the soul of my dead daughter,” Orianna continued. “I’ve been on a path to avenge her, and I’m wondering if she sent you to me. I can’t help but think it’s serendipitous, in order to finally end the man who has brought so much suffering to the world. The Cosa Nostra will always be there, but Pietro Romanelli is a poison that must be eradicated.”

“How can I help you do that?”

Orianna sighed. “Rumor has it that Pietro has been casting about for a wife for Matteo.”

That made Macy flinch. Was that why Matteo wanted her gone?

“I thought up a plan for the long game. It will require a lot from you, so if that is—”

“I’m in,” Macy said firmly.

A brief smile touched Orianna’s lips. “You should hear my proposal first.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Macy licked her dry lips. “My life as Macy Moore is over. That woman died in that basement.”

Orianna tilted her head. “What would you say about becoming someone new?”

Now, she was confused. “Who would I become?”

“My granddaughter.”

“Violetta had a baby?”

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