Page 20 of Forget-Me-Nots

Thank God Gabriele was thoughtful, so I already had few pieces of clothes and pads here. It was probably easy for him to supply them since his sister was staying here sometimes, but still, it was good. Everything was more than I had for the last eight years.

After I got dressed and brushed my hair with my hands, I made my way downstairs. My door was not locked since Gabriele was at home. I felt like that was still a little too much risk. I could have found something sharp up here while he was downstairs. It was unnecessary trust, but I knew I was not going to break it.

Deep down, I knew even if he put a gun in my room, I would not try to kill myself again. I still wanted to die, but I also wanted to keep my promise to Gabriele. I wouldn’t have feel bad after I was dead, obviously, but the thought of tricking him like that didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to stick to the plan. I trusted he was going to do the same.

I wanted to see him ruin Aleksei. I wanted to spend my last days simple. I wanted to smile when the time came for him to kill me. It was a beautiful plan. I could wait a little longer to get free. I wanted to leave the earth the right way.

When I stepped into the kitchen, I found Gabriele sitting on the stool. Chinese food splayed over the island. I jumped on the stool next to his, smiling. “Looks delicious.”

Gabriele smiled a small smile. He looked so much more handsome when he smiled, but I doubted he smiled much in his daily life. I felt special because I got to see it.

I was curious about what he did and what he was going to do to Aleksei. Still, I knew I had no right to ask. I was a captive. I was here to give information, not to get it. Maybe because I believed that so much, I was startled when he said, “I made a plan.”

I stuffed my mouth with food because apparently, I was trying to make up for all the years Aleksei kept me on a strict diet. “You did?” I asked even before my mouth was empty.

He nodded and turned his eyes to the food. Eating was giving us time to prepare our words, but it was also making me crazy because I was just too curious. Unfortunately, Gabriele took an awfully long time to chew before speaking again. “I am going to stir the pot more. Taking you was a good start, but I need them to fall into even more chaos. I have to take some serious actions for that.”

“What are you going to do first?” I was too excited to know. I wanted them to hurt.

Gabriele still didn’t look at me. He was busy with his food. “It is a little risky, but I know it is going to make them fight among each other. It is going to give me an opening to further my plan. That’s why I decided to start with a kill. Also, your words had an impact on my choice.”

The last sentence made my heart go wild. I abandoned my food, and my eyes bored into Gabriele. “What is it?”

This time he looked at me. His brown eyes looked just like the way I first saw him. Like he wanted to give instead of take. “I will kill Ivan Borisyuk.”

The chopsticks fell to the table. My eyes were wide, and my mouth was slightly open. I could never even dream of this. Ivan Borisyuk’s death was so sweet. Unbelievably sweet. Every part of his body that touched me without my will deserved to be under the ground.

For a second, I remembered everything he did to me. I remembered how he smiled when I screamed and how he told me I was beautiful when I cried. I remembered the pain and the enjoyment on his face. He was always the one that made me feel worse. He hurt me physically, but he also hurt me more mentally. After he was done with me, I always felt like a big nothing. He took away my humanity from me.

A tear slid down to my cheek, and Gabriele immediately swooped it away with his thumb. “Don’t cry,” he said, and his voice came out so broke. I never heard that broken tone from anyone but myself in years.

I smiled at him. It was not a forced smile. The idea of Ivan dying was making me smile. “Are you really going to kill him?” I asked. I wanted to— I needed to make sure.

Gabriele nodded and looked at me like I was not his captive but something so much more valuable. “I am,” he whispered like it was a secret. Like it was only meant for my ears.

That made me stupid, but I couldn’t hold the question in. His gaze was just too intense for me to be able to think clearly. So, I asked, “For me?”

His expression softened even more, and he cupped my cheeks in a way that made me feel safe. “Yes. For you.”

I couldn’t help it. My eyes were glossy, and my heart was racing. I jumped off the stool and wrapped my arms around Gabriele, pulling him to his feet as well. I held him close. Maybe too close.

His body went rigid for a second, but then he so gently put his hands on my waist. His touch was soft, hesitant. So, I tightened mine. “You will kill him for me,” I murmured against his golden locks.

I felt him smile. “It also makes sense. He is the Consigliere. They will fight for his place. Also, it is less risky than killing the others. They have strong families. Ivan only has his friends.” He explained. He was trying to break the moment. Make this less emotional.

No way. I buried my face into his neck. God, his smell was terrific too. “But it is also for me.” It was not a question. It was a fact.

His hands flexed on my waist. “You said he was the worst,” he whispered. “I wanted to kill him.”

And he was going to.

For me.

For me.

I couldn’t help it. I kissed his golden hair, whispering, “Thank you.”

Gabriele’s body hardened again, but I didn’t care. I kept kissing him. His hair, his jaw, his neck. I kissed every part of skin I could find. With every kiss, I whispered, “Thank you,” again and again. I wanted to thank him a million times. I wanted him to know I was grateful. I wanted to pay him back for everything he did for me.

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