Page 7 of Mafia Don's Secret Heir
I stare at her, my chest heaving, but I have no answer.
She brushes a tear from her cheek, her frail body seeming to shrink further. “Valentina, I’m begging you. Don’t fight him. Please. For me.”
The desperation in her voice is a knife to my chest. I can’t look at her anymore. Turning on my heel, I walk toward the door, gripping the handle tightly.
“I’ll think about it,” I manage, before hurtling out.
I walk aimlessly for a good minute, and then, I dial Sofia. My hands are shaking so badly I almost drop the phone, but I manage to hit the call button. The phone rings once, twice, three times before she picks up.
“Valentina?” Sofia’s voice is warm and familiar, and for a fleeting second, I feel a spark of relief.
“Sofia,” I say, my voice cracking. “I need to talk to you.”
“What’s wrong?” Her tone sharpens immediately.
“Everything.” The word falls out of me, heavy and raw. I pull my coat tighter around myself as I walk down the quiet street, the cold morning air biting at my skin. “It’s—it’s Luca Salvatore.”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end of the line. “Wait,” she says, her voice low, disbelieving. “Luca Salvatore?TheLuca Salvatore? What do you mean, Val? What’s going on?”
I stop at the corner, my breath clouding in the chilly air. “He came to my apartment last night,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “He wants me to marry him to erase my father’s debts. Half a million dollars, Sofia. I don’t know what to do.”
“Marry him?” Her voice rises, sharp and incredulous. “Valentina, are you insane? You can’t marry that man. He’s a monster.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snap, frustration boiling over. “But what choice do I have? He said if I refuse, he’ll come after my family. My mother.”
Sofia exhales shakily, and I can practically hear her pacing on the other end of the line. “Val, listen to me. You can’t do this. Men like him—they don’t give, they take. They destroy. If you marry him, you’ll never have a life of your own. You’ll be trapped.”
“I’m already trapped,” I say, my voice heavy with resignation.
She’s silent for a moment, and I use the time to keep walking, trying to block out everything happening in my life. The streets are starting to stir with life—shopkeepers unlocking doors, delivery trucks rumbling past—but the world feels far away, detached from the storm inside me.
“Val,” Sofia says finally, her voice softer now. “There has to be another way. We can figure this out. We’ll get the money somehow?—”
“No, we won’t,” I interrupt, stopping in my tracks. “Sofia, you don’t understand. He’s not asking. He’s telling me. And if I say no, he’ll destroy what little I have left.”
The line goes quiet again, and I can feel her struggling with what to say.
“I don’t want this,” I say, my voice breaking. “But I don’t have the luxury of saying no.”
“God, Val.” Her voice trembles, and I know she’s crying now. “This isn’t fair. None of this is fair.”
“I know,” I whisper.
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. Then Sofia sniffles and clears her throat. “Whatever happens, I’m here for you. Always.”
“Thank you.” The words are small, inadequate, but they’re all I can manage.
We hang up, and I stand there for a moment, staring at my phone. I want to throw it, to smash it against the pavement and pretend that’ll fix anything. Instead, I shove it into my pocket and head home.
Hours pass in a blur. I try to distract myself, cleaning the apartment, rearranging the few paintings I have on the walls, but nothing works. My mind is a hurricane of fear and anger and helplessness.
When my phone rings, my heart stops. The number is unknown, but I already know who it is. My fingers hover over the screen for a moment before I swipe to answer.
“Valentina.”
Luca’s voice is a velvet baritone, smooth and commanding. Even through the phone, it sends a shiver down my spine.
“Yes,” I manage, my throat dry.
