Page 64 of Wicked Knight 2

“Enough, Maxim.” Papa ambled toward us. “You had your chance to make her pay and you didn’t. Now she’s gone. You need to let it be.”

“What?” I squinted at him. “She’s my wife.”

“So what do you suggest we do? Face the Society? With a hundred men when they have thousands?” He reached for the nape of my neck. “Let her go. We have work to do here.”

“That’s it?” I freed myself from his grip. “You bring her here, and now you’re giving up?”

“By now she’s with her family. And you’re with yours. It’s done. Hmm?” He patted my shoulder then returned to the library.

I glared at the closed door. Papa couldn’t help me with this. No one could. But Donata had another thing coming if she thought she could leave me. She belonged with me. This marriage was far from over. I didn’t give a fuck if Papa and Ivan were content with letting Donata go.

Numb, I trudged down the hallway and into my suite. The space felt eerily empty and quiet without her energy filling every lonely corner of the room.

“Why did you leave? I would’ve given you the world.” I sat the edge of the bed. “Donata. Donata.”

Bracing my elbows on my thighs, I dropped my head into my hands. What I needed to do now was come up with a plan to get her back. I rose to my feet and paced the length of the room. How the hell was I going to enter Italian territory without them knowing? Maybe Papa was right. Going in with a hundred men wasn’t the answer. But if I went there alone, I was sure I could get to her.

“Fuck.” I grabbed the vase filled with flowers that Donata had left on the bedside table and hurled it against the wall. “You lied to me.” I clenched my jaw, picked up the book sitting next to the lamp and threw that too.

It fell on a puddle of water and rose petals. Next to it, an envelope peeked out from underneath the wet cover. I rushed to pick it up because, somehow, I knew Donata had left me a letter. With my heart drumming out of control, I ripped it open and removed a hand-written note and a torn page from a book.

Dear Maxim,

Please don’t hate me. I know it doesn’t look like it right now, but I’m doing this for the both of us. My love for you has no limits. I promise, one day soon, I will come back for you. Wait for me.

I love you with all my heart.

Donata

P.S. If you want answers, find Luca Gallo.

I turned the page, desperate to read more. But that was all she’d written. She hadn’t said goodbye. Did she intend to come back to me? The rage that’d clawed at my insides since I found out she was gone, slowly began to dissolve. I re-read her words twice more, then stared at the ripped page from my book and then at Luca’s name.

Was this supposed to be a clue? I picked up the book and flipped through it until I found the spot where the page fit. Right next to it, Donata had scribbled an address in the Upper West Side. Could it be? Was this Luca’s home? Why would she send me there?

“Is that why you left?” I ran a hand through my hair. “You want me to remember.”

“Luca, please. You have to remember us. You are Luca. My Luca. The only man I’ve ever loved.”Her words echoed in my head.

Did I want answers bad enough to find this Luca Gallo? Papa had warned me to let the past be. It was easier to live with amnesia if I didn’t try to remember, but Donata had given me a breadcrumb to follow. I couldn’t ignore my past anymore. I had to know. I had to know if Donata was telling the truth.

I strode to the door. A voice in the back of my head screamed at me not to go. Once I pulled back the curtain, there would be no going back. My life with the Brotherhood would be over. Damnit, Donata. I took the page with the address and stuffed it in the back pocket of my jeans.

You left to force my hand. You knew that would be the only way to make me see the truth.

I shut the door behind me and rushed down the steps. By now, Papa had called off the search. The men had returned and gathered in the courtyard. When they saw me leave the house, their laughter died down. I surveyed their faces. Suddenly, nothing about them felt familiar. For the first time since I arrived a year ago, the sense of belonging wasn’t there.

Jesus, was Ivan right? Was Donata messing with my head?

“Are you going out?” Ivan joined me. “I’ll come with you.”

“No.” I waved my hand in dismal. “I need to be alone.”

“You’re headed back to town.” The pity in his eyes was like a punch to my gut. “Papa said—”

“I know what he said.” I puffed out a breath. “I need to clear my head.”

Before Ivan invited himself again, I made my way to the SUV. Luckily, Tore had left the keys in the ignition. I hopped in and drove off. When I reached the entrance, my body tensed as I waited for the guards to open the gate. No idea why, for a split second, I thought they would refuse to let me leave.

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