Page 89 of Dark Mafia Vows

A loud sob breaks from my lips unbidden. This is the end. It feels so final now. Rinaldo’s hand tightens around the gun, and his laugh—sharp, cruel—echoes in my ears.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” He sneers, nudging the gun harder into my skull. I wince from the pain but ignore his taunts. I don’t care about that anymore.

This is the moment I die, right here in this godforsaken junkyard, and I’ll never get to hold Dario again. I’ll never get to say all the things I should’ve said.

My mind is racing. All I can do is wish, hope, and beg for more time. But unfortunately, that time has run out for me. For us.

“I’m sorry,” I’m choking on my sobs. My voice is so weak it’s barely audible, but Dario hears me. I know he does. He always hears me, even when I say nothing. “I’m so sorry, Dario.”

From the distance, I watch his face tighten. “Ginny, don’t...” He tries to move, but they slam him back down. He’s helpless. For the first time, Dario is utterly powerless, and I can see the pain tearing through him as he struggles against the men holding him.

To protect me, a woman who is only moments away from dying.

“I love you,” I choke out, the words slipping past my lips like a desperate cry. The confession hangs between us, like a final truth I had been too afraid to admit until now. Dario’s face crumples, the disbelief and anguish fighting through the pain in his eyes.

This is it. The admission of what I should have said a hundred times before.

“I love you,” I say again, louder this time. “I should have told you sooner. I...I thought we had time. I thought...”

“No.” Dario shakes his head, his voice breaking as he calls out to me. “Ginny...don’t talk like that.” His words are slurred, thick with emotion. I can see the tears in his eyes, blending with the blood streaking down his face. “You’ll get many more chances to say it to me. This won’t be your parting word.”

But how can he even believe that? I’m not coming back from this. I feel the weight of death closing in, and it’s so heavy, so suffocating. I close my eyes for a moment, just trying to steady myself, to calm the frantic pounding of my heart.

I hear Rinaldo’s breath behind me, hot and vile against my neck, and I want to scream. But I don’t. I won’t waste the limited time I have left on him.

“Well, well,” Rinaldo mocks. “How touching. Ginny, confessing her love at the last moment. Are we watching a movie or something?”

The pressure of the gun shifts slightly as he steps closer. He laughs, a low, sickening sound that makes my skin crawl. “Go on,” he says, voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Keep telling him how much you love him. Maybe it’ll make his miserable life easier after I’m done with you.”

“That’s if he doesn’t move on with someone else the moment she dies,” Rafe buts in from where he stands nearby. A few of their men join in the laughter. They’re enjoying this. Watching me break. Watching Dario fight to save me.

The mixed sounds of their laughter feel like sharp nails scratching against my skin. More tears pour down my cheeks as I keep my focus on Dario, who hasn’t stopped struggling, desperate to reach me.

My heart clenches as my mind drifts to Lorenzo.

God, Lorenzo.

He’ll be devastated. He’ll be all alone.

I won’t get to see him again. I won’t get to hug him, to tell him that I’m proud of him. My heart aches, the pain sharp as I picture his face. “Dario...take care of Lorenzo,” I murmur, my voice trembling. “Make sure he’s okay. Tell him I forgive him, and I love him so much.”

And Rosa. The poor woman would be broken. She’s lost a son in the past, and she’s taken Dario as her son and me as a daughter she never had. The news of my death will break her.

Dario’s face is twisted with grief. His mouth opens, but no words come out—just a broken, choked sound that shatters what’s left of my heart.

The life I’ve lived, the moments I’ve spent with Dario, are all flashing before me—every argument, every kiss, every single moment we spent wanting each other even though we hated each other—the exact moment I realized I’d fallen in love with him. It’s right before my eyes, rolling in my mind like the credits of my favorite movie.

I never imagined we would end like this.

My chest tightens as I think about our unborn baby—the life we created. The child I’ll never get to hold, never get to see grow. My heart breaks all over again. I press my lips together, refusing to let the sobs overtake me.

Rinaldo shifts behind me, letting out a long sigh, almost bored. “Well,” he mutters, “I think that’s enough. Time to wrap this up.”

I take a deep breath, my whole body trembling as I force myself to speak. “Just pull the fucking trigger, Rinaldo,” I say, my voice firmer than I thought it would be. “Kill me now.”

He chuckles harshly. “It’ll be my pleasure, Sweet Pea.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and ball my hands into fists, bracing for the impact. I hear the gun cock, the cold, metallic click that seals my fate.

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