Page 90 of Dark Mafia Bride

I feel the words hit me like a slap, and that’s it. I’ve had enough.

“Leave my house,” Ettore says, his voice low and cold, but I barely hear him. The world around me spins, consumed by the suffocating weight of their words.

“W-what?” I hear the man stutter as the others around the table shoot me accusing glares.

I swallow hard, trying to keep myself composed. I’m trying to play my role as Ettore’s wife, but my heart is racing, and my hands are shaking. But then the man speaks again, and it all unravels.

“You know,” he chuckles darkly, “I’ve been wondering what happened to the brave Ettore I knew. You’ve let this cheap thrill slip into your house, into your bed...”

My breath catches in my throat, and before I can stop myself, I spring up from my seat.

“What, did she trap you with a baby?”

I don’t hear Ettore’s response, or anything that follows, as my feet move before I even think. I run. Away from the venomous words. Away from their hatred. Away from the truth I know is eating me alive.

30

ETTORE

As soon as the words leave Emilio’s mouth, I lose it. I’m on him in an instant, my hands grabbing his collar with a fury I can barely control. I don’t care that everyone in the room is watching. My vision goes red.

“How dare you?” I hiss, my grip tightening as I yank him off the floor. “How dare you speak to my wife like that?”

He tries to say something, but it’s just a gurgle, his words swallowed by the pressure around his throat. I can hear people scrambling behind me, Zia Camilla pleading for me to let him go, but I don’t care. All I see is the broken expression on Mirabella’s face as she ran out of the room.

“If you don’t want to kill him, I suggest you let him go now.” Nonna’s voice cuts through the chaos, low and commanding. “He’s seconds away from passing out.”

I glance down at her. For the first time, I don’t see hatred in her eyes—just a calm, controlled warning.

Emilio squirms in my grip, choking and sputtering a mix of curses and half-formed words. With a forceful shove, I send him stumbling backward, his body slamming against the longmahogany dinner table. Plates, silverware, and food scatter everywhere as he crashes to the floor with a sickening thud.

“Get the fuck out,” I growl, my voice eerily calm as I point toward the door. “All of you! Out of my house. Out of my life. I don’t ever want to see your face again.”

I turn to walk away, but Zia Camilla steps in front of me, blocking my path. Her face is twisted into a scowl, but I see the flicker of fear in her eyes as she steps closer.

“Ettore,” she calls softly, reaching for me.

Before she can touch me, I grab her wrist and shove her aside, the rage still bubbling beneath the surface. My hand trembles with anger, but just as I’m about to turn on her, Mirabella’s face flashes in my mind.

I can’t let her sit in that pain alone. She needs me more than anyone right now.

Ignoring the murmurs and shocked looks behind me, I leave them all standing there and go after Mirabella. It doesn’t take long to find her since she’s in our bedroom, her back to me as she stares out the window.

“Mirabella,” I say softly, closing the door behind me. She doesn’t turn around, but I can see the tension in her stiff shoulders.

I want to walk over to where she is, take her in my arms, and comfort her, but I can’t do that right now. Not when it’s my fault all this happened in the first place.

“I’m sorry. What they said...everything they said.” I grit my teeth as another wave of anger washes over me. “They hurt you, and they had no right.”

She doesn’t respond. She just keeps her gaze on something outside the window. I run my hands through my hair searching for the right words.

“I know it hasn’t been easy. The comments my family makes, the fact that you have to share the same roof with them...this wasn’t part of our agreement.”

I hear her exhale sharply, but she still doesn’t turn to look at me.

“What do you want, Mirabella? Say the word and I’ll do it,” I grit my teeth. “I know you told me you don’t want me to send them away, and the only reason they’re still here is because you asked. But if you want to change your mind...”

She shakes her head, and my heart sinks even further. How selfless and kind could she be?

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