CHAPTER4
1157 Words
Elena frowned. “About what?”
Lorenzo paused in the doorway. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes holding something dark, something unreadable.
“About the things your father never told you.”
Then, without another word, he was gone.
Elena stood frozen in place.
She had been so focused on escaping Lorenzo, on fighting against this marriage. But now, the truth was unraveling before her.
Her father had made a deal.
Someone was watching her.
And Lorenzo, her enemy, her husband was about to reveal something that could change everything.
But was she ready to hear it?
Elena lay awake in the dark, her mind racing. The house was quiet now, but the unease in her chest wouldn’t fade.
Then a faint sound.
A whisper.
She turned sharply toward the window.
And saw another note slipped beneath the glass.
Elena’s fingers trembled as she picked up the note.
The paper was cold against her skin, as if it had been left in the night air for hours. She slowly unfolded it, her breath catching as she read the words.
You don’t know the truth. But he does.
Her stomach twisted.
Whoever had left this was talking about Lorenzo.
Her mind spun. What is the truth? What was Lorenzo keeping from her?
Before she could think further, the bedroom door swung open again.
Lorenzo.
He stood in the doorway, his broad frame filling the space, his dark eyes flicking to the note in her hands.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
“Where did you get that?” His voice was low, dangerous.
Elena clenched the paper in her fist. “It was left at my window.”
Lorenzo’s expression darkened, and in one swift motion, he snatched the note from her hand. His jaw tightened as he read it, then he crushed the paper in his palm.
“I asked you a question.” Elena’s voice was sharper now. “What truth are you hiding from me?”
Lorenzo’s eyes locked onto hers, unreadable. “You don’t want to know.”
Elena took a step forward, her pulse pounding. “Yes, I do.”
Silence.
A storm brewed in his gaze, a hesitation she had never seen before. Then, after a long moment, he exhaled heavily.
“I was going to tell you tomorrow,” he muttered. “But you’re not going to stop until you hear it now, are you?”
“No.”
Lorenzo ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. Then, with a slow shake of his head, he pulled out the chair near her desk and sat down.
“Sit.” His voice left no room for argument.
Elena hesitated, but eventually, she moved toward the edge of the bed, sitting stiffly.
Lorenzo leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. His gaze was intense, locked onto hers.
“There was never supposed to be a marriage,” he said quietly.
Elena’s breath hitched. “What?”
Lorenzo’s expression didn’t change. “Your father didn’t offer you to me willingly. He had no intention of sacrificing his only daughter to the Cosa Nostra.”
Elena’s body tensed. “Then why?”
“Because he betrayed us.”
The words landed like a punch.
Elena shook her head. “No. That’s not true.”
Lorenzo’s eyes darkened. “Your father stole from us, Elena. From me.”
“No.” She felt sick. “You’re lying”
Lorenzo leaned closer, his voice low, controlled. “He took something that belonged to me. And the price for that betrayal was his life.”
Elena’s heart slammed against her ribs. “No he’s still alive”
“Because I let him live.” Lorenzo’s voice was sharp, cutting through the air. “I could’ve killed him that night. I should have. But I didn’t.”
Elena’s hands curled into fists. “Then why force me into this marriage?”
Lorenzo’s expression hardened. “Because keeping you was the only way to control him.”
A cold chill ran down her spine.
Her entire life, her father had been the most powerful man she knew. But now, for the first time, she saw the cracks in his control.
He hadn’t sacrificed her for Luca. He had sacrificed her for himself.
Elena felt her world tilt.
Everything she had believed… was a lie.
Lorenzo watched her carefully, as if waiting for her to react, to scream, to fight him.
But she didn’t.
Because deep down, she already knew.
She had seen the fear in her father’s eyes the night she was taken. Not fear for her but for himself.
Elena swallowed hard, forcing herself to meet Lorenzo’s gaze.
“What did he steal?” she whispered.
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened. “Something that could start a war.”
The air between them grew thick, suffocating.
A war.
Elena knew exactly what that meant.
Her father hadn’t just angered the Cosa Nostra; he had put all of them in danger.
And now, she was caught in the middle of it.
She should’ve been afraid.
But as she looked into Lorenzo’s eyes, something else settled deep in her chest.
Determination.
She wouldn’t let herself be a pawn.
Not anymore.
Before she could say another word, a sharp sound echoed through the house.
A single gunshot.
Then the shattering of glass.
Lorenzo moved fast, pulling Elena down just as another shot tore through the window.
“Stay down,” he ordered, his voice sharp.
But Elena barely heard him.
Because outside, in the darkness…
Someone was waiting for her.
The sound of gunfire still rang in Elena’s ears.
Her body was pressed against the floor, her breath coming in sharp gasps. The glass from the shattered window glistened in the moonlight, scattered around them like tiny daggers.
Lorenzo’s grip on her arm was firm, his body shielding hers.
“Stay down,” he ordered, his voice sharp and controlled.
Elena didn’t argue.
Another shot. This time, it struck the lamp in the corner, plunging the room into deeper darkness.
Lorenzo reached for the gun holstered at his waist, his movements precise and practiced. He wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t even rattled. He was calm, as if he had done this a thousand times before.
Elena, on the other hand, felt her heart hammering wildly against her ribs.
Someone was outside. Someone had come for her.
For them.
Lorenzo glanced at her. “Are you hurt?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Good. When I tell you to run, you do it. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.”
Elena stiffened. “What? No”
Lorenzo’s gaze darkened. “You don’t have a choice, Elena. If they’re here for you, I need you out of their reach.”
His voice sent a chill through her. This wasn’t just another power move. This wasn’t about control anymore.
This was real.
- Writer
