Page 6 of Silent Night with Massimo

My heart belongs to Massimo. And I want him to know I would never do those things to him.

I didn't do what I was accused of.

And all these years all I have ever wanted is to prove to him that I am innocent.

I crave his love. I miss the warmth of his smile.

And if I can never feel his love again - then I crave for him to understand and believe me.

If nothing else - I want him to let go of the hatred he has toward me.

I want to look into his piercing blue eyes and see anything but the pain of my perceived betrayal.

The wind whistles louder and a cold blast of air hits mycheeks. Goosebumps shiver across my body. My skin burns and I pull the small blanket tighter around my body.

It's been almost two days since I've been locked in here.

I've had water from the small basin, and a few scraps of food that Adrian has tossed in here for me.

But I know I won't last long in this cold.

Standing up, I pace up and down the small space trying to get my blood flowing to warm my body up. It's a choice between burning energy I don't have or freezing to death.

If only there was something I could wedge into the gap between the window and the frame then I could block out some of this biting cold air.

I walk up to the window and trace my fingers over the crack.

Outside the window, just above me, I hear voices.

Pressing my face close to the glass I can make out little pieces of conversation.

"She's locked up in the cellar right now."

"You didn't kill her straight away?" Elio snaps in shock.

"No, that's for Massimo to decide. He is the Don."

"You give your brother too much power, Adrian," Elio says bitterly.

I've never liked Massimo's cousin. There was always something about Elio that seemed fake to me. Like he was covering up his real thoughts, hiding his annoyance behind a plastered-down smile.

Adrian and Elio have been best friends since the moment they were born. Being cousins, they spent most oftheir time together. But Adrian was always more genuine than Elio.

Adrian respects mafia law - whereas Elio questions and despises the fact that Massimo was put in charge. But Adrian supports his brother unquestionably.

Adrian sounds annoyed when he answers. "I give my brother the respect and power he deserves as Don of this family. I suggest you do the same thing." Then I hear his footsteps as he takes long strides, walking away from Elio.

"I'm sorry man - I didn't mean – for fuck's sake," Elio mutters.

They are best friends. But Adrian won't let anyone speak badly of his brother.

His loyalty to the family runs far too deep for even someone like Elio to mislead him.

Elio is still standing outside the window. I can see his feet.

The cold ground crunches beneath his boots as he paces up and down.

I wonder what he's doing.

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