Page 39 of Darkest Sin

“EVERYBODY OUT!” I roar, not wanting a single one of the assholes behind me to witness my wife in such a vulnerable state.

Chiara flinches at my tone, and on cue, the bathroom empties out, leaving just the two of us again. “You faced an enemy today, Chiara. While they may have taken you down, your strength will shine in the way you rise and hold your chin up high. You bear the name DeLorenzo and the weight that comes with it. You’re my wife, and we do not fail. You will get back up, Angel. I will train you and see to it that nobody ever touches you again. You hear me? I will find who has done this to you, and when I do, you will spill their blood.”

She presses her hand against the tiles in an attempt to push herself up, but she’s too weak, and as she collapses, I catch her in my arms and scoop her into my chest. “It’s going to be okay, Angel,” I murmur as her tears quickly begin soaking the front of my suit jacket.

After standing with her still cradled to my chest, I make my way out of the bathroom. Sergiu pushes the door open from the opposite side, helping me with my exit. “What do you need?” he asks, his gaze lingering on the blood trickling down the side of Chiara’s face.

“Call the doctor. I want him at my place in no less than fifteen minutes. She’ll need a full examination. I need to know if anything is broken,” I tell him. “Then I want every senior member in my formal dining room within the hour. One of your wives is responsible for this, and I’m going to find out who.”

His eyes widen. “The wives?” he questions, his gaze shooting toward Chiara. “Is that what she said? She’s been here two minutes, and you’re going to allow her to make accusations like that? Don’t you see what she’s doing to this family? She is going to be your downfall, cousin. Open your eyes.”

I clench my jaw, and if my arms weren’t full with my wife, I would have already had the bastard against the wall. I’ve already warned him about disrespecting Chiara, and sooner or later, I’m going to break. “She said no such thing. I am the one making the accusation, cousin,” I spit the word back at him like the insult that it is. “Chiara is refusing to talk. However, in the time she was in this bathroom, only five women walked in and came out, and four of those women were the wives of my most senior members, all of whom have been glaring at my wife since the moment she walked in here on my arm. So, please, tell me what I am supposed to assume.”

Sergiu doesn’t respond, and I watch as the color drains from his face, coming to the conclusion that I’ve already made—someone will die for this, and when they do, unrest is bound to follow.

A civil war is on the horizon, and he has a choice to make. Will he value his loyalty, or will I be signing his death certificate?

I don’t bother to wait for his response, knowing that he will see to it that everything gets done. Instead, I focus my attention on Chiara while ignoring the gasps that come from around the room. The main doors open for me as my security team automatically falls in around us, scanning our surroundings for a threat. Within two minutes, I have Chiara in the back of my SUV with her head resting in my lap and her hand clutched in mine.

Blood soaks into her gold hair, and I have to assume that’s where the majority of the blood is coming from. As my driver flies through the streets, I do what I can to get control of the bleeding. Now in the safety of my car, Chiara’s tears begin to dry as my head of security sits up front, scrambling through the center console before handing me a few painkillers and a bottle of water.

“I need you to take these, Angel,” I tell her. “They won’t knock you out, but it’ll help with the pain.”

She nods and reluctantly allows me to pull her up. She opens her mouth, and I place the pill on her tongue before lifting the water to help her drink. She takes a small sip and cringes with the pain of her split lip.

Satisfied that she’ll be able to relax, I pull her back into me, holding her in my arms the whole way home. We pull up just as the doctor storms down the driveway, and by the time I’m carrying Chiara through the door, he’s right there on my heels getting a rundown by my head of security.

I barrel through the door, ignoring Krista’s horrified gasp as she takes in my bleeding wife in my arms. I take her straight up to her room with both the doctor and Krista following behind me. Krista races ahead to open the door, and the moment I have Chiara back on her feet, I start tearing off the fragile material of her gown, desperate to see the damage beneath.

Krista gets to work releasing all the pins from Chiara’s hair, and the second her long blonde hair is freed, Krista hurries off into Chiara’s closet, scrambling around for some underwear. I help her dress into a soft tank and a pair of sleep shorts before lifting her into bed.

The doctor immediately steps in and starts looking over her injuries when Krista steps up to the head of Chiara’s bed to wipe the blood from her face.

All I can do is watch as the doctor stitches her up, and with every drop of blood that runs from her body, the blazing anger within me intensifies.

How could I let this happen?

I saw the way the wives watched her, saw the disdain and ugliness within their horrid stares, and yet I foolishly believed they wouldn’t touch her, especially when I was so close. I will find out what happened in that bathroom if it’s the last thing I do, and when I do, justice will be served.

It takes nearly forty minutes for the doctor to finish up with her, and by the time he’s done, I step into Krista’s side and take the damp washcloth from her. “Thank you,” I tell her. “I’ll take it from here.”

“Of course,” she says, bowing her head. “Is there anything you need? I’m assuming there will be a meeting about this?”

“There will be, but nothing is required of you. You may retire for the night. However, tomorrow I’d like you to watch over Chiara. Make sure she is comfortable and tended to.”

“Sure thing,” she says before offering me a sad smile.

Krista leaves, and I step around Chiara’s bed, watching as she tracks my every movement. I take the seat beside her bed that the doctor just vacated and continue cleaning the blood stains off her body. We remain in silence for a heavy moment, unanswered questions lingering in the air between us, heavy emotions, confusion, and tension thickening with every passing second.

“The senior members of my family are due to arrive any moment,” I tell her, breaking the silence and giving us a reprieve from the tension within the room. “I saw their wives enter the bathroom, Angel. I know one of them, or all of them, are responsible for this. Time for games is over. I need to know which one of them put their hands on you.”

Fear flashes in her eyes, and she looks away from me, a heavy sob tearing from the back of her throat. “What are you going to do when you find out?”

“That has not yet been decided.”

“But she will be hurt in some way, right?”

“Yes,” I say, already knowing where she’s going with this. “An eye for an eye, Chiara. That is how we handle betrayal in this world. I am the head of this family, and as my wife, your protection is my top priority. Having another member of my family put their hands on you is a despicable betrayal of loyalty, and I have no choice but to see them punished.”

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