Page 152 of The Silence Lies

We lapse into silence for a moment. I wonder if Sera is contemplating whether she will still help me after all of this is done or if she is questioning whether she’ll even get out of this.

“Who?” she eventually asks, and the relief I feel from that one word is incomparable.

I sigh, smiling weakly into the dark. “Gab—“

The door to the room swings open, a loud crash sounding as the door hits the wall and cuts me off. A morbid chill follows Luciano as he steps in, the overhead lights filling the space and highlighting his sadistic smile.

“Here’s my two love birds,” he smirks, approaching Sera first. He pinches her face between his thumb and fingers, making her lips pout so he can kiss them. “I’ve missed you, baby.”

Sera scowls at him, but that’s as much fight as she has left in her. She won’t give him the satisfaction of her disgust or despair, she’s long since stopped begging him. Her strength must come from a deeper place because she’s resolute in her reactions to him now and she won’t give him the one thing he wants; her title.

Luciano turns to me, tilting his head to assess me with a sick grin. “I have good news for you.”

I narrow my eyes on him. I’ve quickly learned what I should have months ago; that Luciano is not to be trusted. He never intended to let me out of this easily. He was never going to reunite me with my daughter. I was destined for this pain until the end, and I was the tool to make Sera suffer.

“Oh come on, Gio. Look a little more grateful. Today is your release day!”

I shake my head weakly. “Let Bianchi go,” I croak.

Luciano leans in, cupping his ear. “What was that?”

“Let… Bianchi… Go.”

He lets out a sigh, stepping back and glancing between us both. Serafina is still relatively unharmed, which means she can get out of this. She knows Luciano has my daughter and despite what happened between us, I hope she can find it in her to save my little girl.

“Oh Gio,” he tuts before whistling over his shoulder.

The oppressive sound of multiple footsteps sound before the clanking of chains. In a matter of seconds, my whole body collapses onto the floor. Luciano comes into my vision, so does the gun in his hand, shining under the harsh artificial lights.

“I used to look at her like you do, back when she was a little virgin with so much innocence. It was so fucking delicious to mold her to me. It was euphoric to know her screams and whimpers were—“

I growl out, his words fueling whatever energy I have left in my body to lunge forward. But he’s too quick for me. I fall forward, slumped in a bloody heap of agony as Luciano points his gun at my head.

“That was fucking stupid, Gio.”

“Please,” I whisper through heavy breaths. “She doesn’t deserve any of this.”

Luciano presses the cold barrel to my temple, preventing me from looking at Sera. The sharpness of the metal mixed with the cold damp concrete beneath my cheek is a morbid welcome, soothing the heat coursing through my aching body.

“You don’t know what she deserves. She’s fucked up everything! It should have been my family leading, not her, and now she needs to go.”

“Don’t kill her,” I beg. I can’t lose Sera as well. I’d happily leave this world, but Sera has to be safe.

“Oh I’m not going to kill her,” Luciano answers flatly. He looks past me to share a silent conversation with his men. Then, without notice, I’m hoisted upwards. One arm is still attached to the chains, leaving me half reliant on my numb legs to keep me up. “You are.”

My eyes widen, but Luciano grips my hand, forcing the gun into it. This is the inevitable; the reason Luciano won’t kill Sera. The questions that will be asked will come back to him, but if I do it… “No!”

He grabs my arm, pointing the gun at Sera. “This will all be over, if you just pull the trigger. You can see your daughter again, once a bullet goes through Bianchi’s head.”

I shake my head, silently pleading with Sera while avoiding looking at the trail of dried crusted blood between her beautiful tits. All she has to do is revoke her title. It’d be that easy for her to get out of this unscathed. She can fight her way out of here, all she has to do is say the words. But her brown eyes are just as defiant as she is, her body stiffening as she prepares to welcome death.

“Do it,” she says firmly, nodding at me. “Because he’s not getting my title.”

My hand shakes as Luciano squeezes my fist around the gun. “See? She doesn’t care about you, or your daughter,” he snarls. “She doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”

Though his words piss me off, it’s not for the reason he wants them to. Because I know that’s all this woman feels. She cares deeply about everyone, even those who don’t deserve her compassion. Sera is the most caring person I know. She would burn the world to save the people she loves. She makes promises to those who don’t deserve them in order to avoid chaos. She’s willing to fight until the bitter end, because she knows it means that if I do this, I get my daughter back.

I slump against the chains, feeling them cut into my wrist. But I don’t care about the pain, or the bruises, or the blood. Nothing can compare to the pain I’ll feel if Sera dies at my hand. My head drops and the defeat lacing my words is so heavy, I have to close my eyes. “I can’t.”

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