THE MAFIA'S LORDS FORGOTTEN WIFE

Chapter Two: Blood and Broken Promises

The mansion echoed with gunfire.

Bullets shattered the towering windows, sending shards of glass raining across the marble floor. Guests screamed and scattered in every direction, ducking behind pillars and overturned tables.

"Protect the bride!" Lorenzo barked, his commanding voice cutting through the chaos.

His men immediately formed a shield around Isabella, but the attackers were already inside the estate.

Masked men dressed in black stormed through the entrance, firing relentlessly.

"They're everywhere!" one guard shouted before collapsing to the floor with a bullet in his shoulder.

Lorenzo's expression darkened.

"This wasn't just an attack," he muttered. "Someone told them exactly where to find us."

His trusted right-hand man, Marco, handed him a gun.

"We have to get you both out of here, Boss."

Lorenzo loaded the weapon with practiced ease.

"No. My guests come first."

Marco hesitated but nodded.

The De Luca family had earned its reputation for never abandoning its own.

Lorenzo turned to Isabella, who stood trembling behind him, her once-beautiful wedding gown now stained with dust and blood from another guest who had fallen beside her.

"Stay close to me."

She nodded quickly.

"I won't leave you."

For the first time that night, Lorenzo gently cupped her face.

"Good."

It was only a single word.

But to Isabella, it meant everything.

Before either of them could move, an explosion rocked the west wing of the mansion.

The blast shook the entire estate.

The lights flickered before darkness swallowed the ballroom.

Panic spread instantly.

People screamed as smoke filled the air.

Lorenzo grabbed Isabella's hand tightly.

"This way!"

Using the emergency lights lining the hallway, he led her through the back corridors while his men exchanged gunfire with the invaders.

Every step echoed with fear.

Every breath tasted like smoke.

They had almost reached the underground garage when another explosion ripped through the building.

The force threw everyone off their feet.

Isabella cried out as she slammed into the wall.

"Lorenzo!"

"I'm here."

He pulled her up immediately, checking her for injuries.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"Good."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they hurried toward an armored SUV waiting below.

Marco opened the vehicle door.

"Boss, we have to move now!"

Just as Lorenzo pushed Isabella toward the SUV, a sniper hidden across the estate pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The bullet struck Lorenzo near the side of his head.

Time seemed to stop.

"Lorenzo!" Isabella screamed.

He staggered backward before collapsing onto the concrete floor.

Blood streamed down his temple.

The world around Isabella blurred.

She dropped beside him, cradling his head in her lap.

"Please... please wake up."

His gray eyes fluttered open for only a second.

He looked directly at her.

"I... Bella..."

Then his eyes closed.

"No!" she cried.

Marco rushed forward.

"We have to leave! More men are coming!"

"I'm not leaving him!"

"You'll both die if we stay."

More gunfire echoed through the garage.

The attackers had found them.

Marco called for reinforcements while several guards carried Lorenzo into the SUV.

Isabella climbed in beside him, refusing to let go of his hand.

Throughout the drive to a secret hospital, she whispered prayers through trembling lips.

"Please don't leave me."

"Please."

"I just became your wife."

Tears streamed down her face as she pressed a kiss against his bloodstained fingers.

Hours later...

Bright hospital lights reflected off polished floors.

Doctors rushed Lorenzo into emergency surgery.

The waiting room felt unbearably silent.

Marco paced nervously while other members of the De Luca family arrived one after another.

No one spoke.

No one dared imagine a future without Lorenzo De Luca.

Three agonizing hours passed before the lead surgeon finally emerged.

The exhaustion on his face said everything.

"The surgery was successful," he announced.

Relief swept through the room.

"But..."

Everyone froze.

"The bullet caused significant trauma to his brain. We managed to save his life, but we cannot predict the extent of the damage."

"What kind of damage?" Isabella asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor sighed.

"He may suffer memory loss."

Her heart stopped.

"What?"

"It could be temporary... or permanent. We won't know until he wakes."

Isabella felt her knees weaken.

She had almost lost her husband on the very night they were married.

Now she faced the terrifying possibility that, even if he survived, he might wake up without remembering the woman who had vowed to stand beside him for the rest of her life.

Outside the hospital window, dawn slowly broke over the city.

A new day had begun.

But for Isabella and Lorenzo, their greatest nightmare was only beginning.