Page 113 of Capuleto

I would personally deal with both of them. I wanted them to die by my hands, to squeeze the life out of them and make them suffer as I had.

I didn’t sleep.

Ana María found me lying on one of the hammocks, with the bottle as empty as my chest. Seeing my state, she sent me to the shower before Adriano woke up.

Adriano... Thinking about him hurt.

Damn! He was Yuri’s son; I had adopted him thinking he was mine, and even that was taken from me. Now what? They must be laughing, seeing how much affection I had for him. What would I do with him?

I had so many things in my head that it was better to clear them out.

I got under the water and shattered my knuckles, venting my rage on the tiles.

Red blood swirled down the drain. And I felt a warmth on my cheeks that had nothing to do with the water pouring from the showerhead.

I broke, I shattered into a thousand splinters that couldn’t be pieced back together. The Korolevs had fractured me in every possible way, crushed my trust and my heart. They made sure to destroy me from the inside out and almost succeeded in taking away everything I cared about. Luckily, that “almost” would keep me standing and would ensure that I hit them where it hurt the most. I would make them pay for the harm they caused me, my men, and my family.

I rubbed my face, erasing all traces of pain.

One needs to turn to ash to fly over the enemy’s head and materialize when least expected.

When Ana María asked me that same day about what was going on with the lady, I told her not to get involved, that all she needed to know was that I was taking care of her from now on and that she was the enemy.

"The enemy? But what kind of liquor have you taken? That one they say has mushrooms?" she snorted.

"The less you know, the better, and not a word about this." I trusted her because she had taken care of us since we were kids.

"I don’t believe you. Your wife loves you."

"What she loves is my dead body. You have no fucking idea what she was doing in this house."

"Of course I do! Those things can’t be faked! Not for so long."

"She’s a great actress."

"Romeo..."

"Don’t insist! I know what I’m doing!" I exclaimed sharply. "And if you want to keep working in this house, you better stay out of my business." She raised her hands.

"You know what you’re doing, but you better not make that girl suffer. Women like her only come around once in a lifetime." I clenched my fists. "There’s no one blinder than the one who doesn’t want to see, and you’re going to lose everything."

She turned around and went back to her chores. Ana María could drive anyone crazy.

Two days later, we still had no news of Andrey. The Russian had vanished. My men assured me he hadn’t passed through the house. Either he had joined Yuri’s ranks or remained hidden in the shadows, and I didn’t know which worried me more.

I had Piero stationed outside my wife’s room. I had entrusted her custody to him, but by the third day without any sign of Nikita’s right-hand man, I grew impatient. I asked Piero to be the one to find the Russian since Aleksa was still recovering in the hospital. The worst had passed, but he was still in a delicate condition.

I was giving him instructions in the hall when a piercing scream from my room made me take the stairs two at a time. It was my wife, and I didn’t think; my pulse raced, and I drew my gun, ready to shoot whoever was making her scream like that.

"Boss..." Piero interrupted from the door, eyes focused inside.

Realizing there was no one else, just Nikita’s naked body, I flared up.

"Get out! Do what I asked and don’t waste time here. I’ll handle this," I shouted without giving him time to respond. I didn’t like my men seeing her naked. She was still my wife, no matter how much of a bitch she was.

I kicked the wooden door shut and looked at her. A film of sweat made her shine. Her reddened body trembled on the bed; she seemed genuine.

I walked to her, set the gun on the nightstand, and shook her.

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