Page 78 of Brutal Vows

The door explodes inward.

A dark figure stands in the threshold, the scent of blood and gunpowder curling through the air. Lachlan stiffens.

And despite the agony wracking my body, I smile.

Vitali found me.

Relief crashes over me the moment I see my husband. He’s covered in blood, his fury palpable, and I swear it’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.

“Fucking kill him,” I grit out, forcing what little strength I have left to push myself up. “I need a shower.”

Vitali’s gaze sweeps over me, and the pain in his eyes nearly shatters me. But at the same time, it mends something inside me—that small, nagging doubt that he doesn’t truly want me.

He does.

“Please,” I whisper, catching the battle raging in his expression. He wants to drag this out, to make Lachlan suffer. To savor his screams.

“I just want to go home.”

Vitali’s jaw flexes, his hesitation brief before he nods sharply. Lachlan, pale and desperate, fumbles for his weapon, but Vitali is faster. And he has a hailstorm of rage fueling him.

He raises his gun, a roar tearing from his throat as he pulls the trigger again and again. The first bullet slams into Lachlan’s gut, making him stagger back, his hands flying to the wound. The next shots tear through him, his body jerking with every impact until he collapses onto the stone floor, lifeless.

Vitali doesn’t spare him another glance. He stows his weapon and crosses the room in a heartbeat, falling to his knees beside me. The anguish in his eyes wrecks me, and I dissolve into quiet sobs.

“Antonia?” I choke out.

“She’s alive,amore mio,” he murmurs, his touch impossibly gentle as he skims his hands over my battered body, cataloging every injury. “It’ll be a long road for her, but she’ll be okay.”

Something inside me eases at his words. Antonia’s actions weren’t fueled by hate but by the manipulation of her mother and Salvatore. It doesn’t erase the pain, but knowing she isn’t lost to him makes my chest ache with bittersweet relief. And I know, despite everything, Vitali is grateful his sister is still breathing.

“Let’s get you out of here. We have a doctor waiting.”

He moves to lift me, but shame grips me like a vice. My fingers clutch his forearm, my face burning.

“I… I pissed myself.” My voice is barely a whisper, my lower jaw trembling.

Vitali stills, his entire body going taut before he growls, “Should’ve kept him alive.”

His touch is heartbreakingly tender as he cups the lessbruised side of my face. “I’m so sorry, Gia. I never should’ve let you out of my sight.”

Despite everything, I manage a small smile, careful not to split my lip further. “This isn’t your fault,vita mia.” Calling himmy lifefeels right. Feels safe.

His answering smile is soft, raw. “I’m so fucking proud of you.”

He slips off his suit jacket, threading my arms through the sleeves before wrapping it tightly around me. When he lifts me into his arms, I bury my face against his chest, inhaling the familiar scent of him beneath the blood and gunpowder.

As we step out of the room, all eyes turn to us. Adrian and Kenzo flinch when they take in my appearance.

“They’re all dead,” Adrian assures me.

I force myself to look. Bodies litter the warehouse floor, the stench of blood thick in the air. And then my gaze lands on her.

Savia.

Shock zips through me, my head snapping up to meet Vitali’s eyes. He shrugs, his face unreadable.

“She wasn’t the woman who raised me,” he says, voice devoid of emotion. “That woman died a long time ago.”

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