Page 5 of Mafia Heir's Broken Vows

I don't answer. I just watch her, cataloging every shift in her expression.

"You're keeping a secret. What is it? You shouldn't be here. We both know it."

"Don't pretend you care." I don't care. I shouldn't care—but I do.

Her words cut like shards of glass, but I brush them off.

"Marco's men aren't here for fun, or Valentine's. Why are they watching you? Don't say it's work—that is not work." He's not really the lovey-dovey type. If they are keeping tabs on her, she is in trouble.

She crosses her arms, lips pressing into a thin line. "That's none of your business." Everything is my business—especially her.

I take a slow step forward, crowding her space. "It is when it puts you in danger. And if you're not careful, you'll put others in danger too. You will always be my business, Serafina. Let's just get that straight."

Her eyes flash with anger, but there's something else—fear. Genuine fear. She's terrified, but of what? Him, or is it me?

Before I can push her further, the sharp clatter of footsteps on marble catches our attention. Both of us freeze. I grip her arm, pulling her into the nearest alcove, pressing her back against the cold stone wall. My body shields hers from sight as the footsteps get closer.

I hear voices—low, whispering.

"She was seen with D'Angelo. If she slips away, Marco will fucking kill us. How can she just vanish? We're not in a fucking children's book, even if this ridiculous castle makes it look like we are." They're looking for her, and they know she was with me—not a good thing for either of us.

Serafina stiffens against me. I lean in, my lips brushing against her ear. "Shhh."

Her breath is shallow, but she nods. My hand rests lightly at her waist, steadying her. We wait, the footsteps fading as the men disappear back down the hall.

Only when I'm sure they're gone do I pull back, though not by much. I'm not about to let her escape without an explanation.

"What the fuck was that about?" I murmur. "Tell me what the hell is going on."

For a moment, I see her walls crack—the fear bleeding through. But then they slam shut again.

"Stay out of it, Alessandro. You don't want to be involved in this." She tries to push me away.

I smirk coldly. "Too late for that. I'm involved."

Back in the Grand Ballroom,the waltz has shifted to something darker, slower. The room is colder now, with fewer bodies heating the place. I can sense Serafina's unease rippling through her polished facade. I watch her scanning the room, the tension radiating off her in waves. What is she looking for? Or who?

"Tell me why you left," she suddenly demands, voice like a dagger.

I blink, caught off-guard. "What?"

Her eyes flash with something fierce—anger, maybe pain.

"Years ago, you vanished. No word. No explanation. Just gone. Now you're back, out of fucking nowhere."

Pain sears through my chest, brief but sharp, like a blade slipping between my ribs. She has no idea what I've done to keep her safe—what I've sacrificed, what I've lost. But maybe it's better that way. If she knew the truth, she wouldn't look at me with anger. She'd look at me with fear.

"You wouldn't understand," I say, the words tasting like ash. They're a lie, and we both know it. But telling her the truth would only drag her deeper into this world, a place she doesn't belong. A place I never wanted her to be.

Her bitter laugh cuts through the din of the ballroom. It's colder than the air outside, colder than the blood I've spilled for people who don't deserve it.

"Try me," she says, daring me to break her.

I glance away, my jaw locking tight. "I was protecting you," I admit, though the words feel weak in my mouth. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. It was business—bloody, messy business.

"By abandoning me?" Her voice rises, her composure slipping. "You left me to pick up the pieces of my broken heart—to survive in a war you started." She pauses, her tone dropping lower, deadlier. "Youfuckingcoward."

My stomach churns, anger and regret warring inside me. Coward? Maybe she's right. Maybe I am. But I couldn't risk her becoming another casualty. Her brother already made that mistake.

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