The Mafia Lord's Broken Bride

Chapter Four

SERENA

My eye lids fluttered as I tried to take in my environment. I quickly noticed that it was nothing like the Carter mansion. I jolted up out of panic, trying to get the whip of my environment.

Then it dawned on me. I wasn't in the Carter's mansion anymore. I was able to process everything and that was when I realized where I was. This was my old room. My old room back at my parents house.

What was I doing here? How did you end up here?

I tried getting up but winced in pain, clutching my stomach. They were bandaged up and then old memories welled up. I couldn't fight back the tears that swelled in my eyes.

I can't believe that Ethan had done such a thing to me. He had left me to die and he didn't even look back one bit. If not for my parents, then I would've been left to die.

I smiled at the thought. It meant that my parents still cared about me despite everything and them saving me meant that they'd forgiven me. I knew forgiveness was hard to get in the mafia world, but that didn't change the fact that I was still family.

The sound of the door creaked and I looked up to see someone. It was my mom. I couldn't contain the tears that flowed freely down my cheeks, unable to contain the joy in me.

“Mom,” my voice croaked. “Mom,” I whispered again.

Something changed in the air once she approached me. I realized that she didn't have that affectionate look on her face like I had been expecting, rather a very dull and blank one.

“You're finally awake,” she said, her tone sharp. “Come downstairs. You've already wasted enough time.”

She walked out of the room before I could ask questions, while I stared at the empty space that she stood in before. Her statement echoed in my head.

What did she mean by I've wasted enough time? She was probably still mad at me for running away two years ago.

I threw the blanket off me and managed to walk out of the room without any support. My wounds were still healing b which made it hard for me to move freely.

Once I arrived at the living room, I met my parents who had a stern expression on their faces and that's when reality ate me hard.

This wasn't any type of family reunion.

My father sat in his usual chair, the one that looked like a throne more than a seat. His hair had more gray than I remembered, and his eyes—cold as ever—snapped straight to me the second I stepped inside.

My mother stood beside him, her expression unreadable..

I swallowed hard. “Dad… I—”

“Don’t call me that,” he cut in sharply, his voice echoing through the room. “You lost the right to call me that the day you turned your back on this family.”

The words hit deep, but I didn’t move. I didn’t cry either. I’d done enough of that. I just stood there, clutching the edge of the chair beside me to stop myself from falling apart.

“I didn’t betray you,” I said quietly. “I just wanted a normal life. Away from all this blood and violence. I wanted peace.”

He let out a harsh laugh, leaning forward. “Peace?” he repeated. “You think peace exists for people like us? You think you can walk away from the Moretti name and live happily ever after?” He slammed his hand on the table, making me flinch. “You embarrassed this family, Serena. You put us all at risk. Do you know what happened after you ran away?”

I shook my head slowly, my lips trembling.

“Our enemies saw your disappearance as weakness. The Vescari clan thought they could step on us. They raided our shipments, killed our men, and destroyed half of what we built.”

He stood up now, his anger filling the room. “Your little act of rebellion cost me years of loyalty. Years of power.” He pointed a finger at me. “You almost destroyed everything.”

I felt my heart twist painfully, but I couldn’t back down. “I didn’t ask to be born into this life!” I snapped, my voice breaking. “I didn’t ask to live surrounded by guns and blood. I just wanted to breathe for once. Is that so wrong?”

“Enough!” His voice boomed so loud that it silenced me instantly. He walked closer, his face inches from mine. I could smell the faint scent of his cologne.

“You want to talk about wrong?” He sneered. “You left your family to rot while you played house with a man who used you. That’s what’s wrong.”

I froze. The reminder of Ethan stung worse than a knife wound.

“I heard what he did,” my father said, his tone dropping lower. “It’s almost funny, really. You wanted freedom, but look how it ended. The world isn’t kind to fools, Serena.”

My lips trembled, but I said nothing. I didn’t have to. He already made his point.

He turned away from me, motioning for someone to enter. A man in a black suit came in and handed him a file. My father opened it, signed a document, and looked back at me.

“Since you ruined our image, I’ll fix it,” he said. “You’re going to marry Damian Vescari.”

I blinked. “What?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “It’s a peace marriage. The Vescari clan and ours have been enemies for decades. With me sick and your brothers fighting among themselves, we need an alliance. This will end the feud and secure our power again.”

My stomach dropped. “You can’t be serious,” I whispered.

“Oh, I’m very serious,” he replied coldly. “The wedding is already being arranged. Consider it your way of making up for the mess you caused.”

“I won’t do it,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I’m not marrying anyone. Not again. I won’t be used like that.”

His eyes darkened. “You wanted freedom,” he said slowly. “Now you’ll pay its price.”

The room went silent after. My mom still hadn’t said a word. She just looked at me with something that almost looked like pity—but not quite.

I took a step back, my body trembling. My father didn’t care if I begged or cried. He never did. This wasn’t a request—it was an order.

But this time, I wasn’t the same naive girl who ran away once. I’d been broken, betrayed, and left for dead. And I was done playing the victim.

As I stared at his cold eyes, something inside me hardened.

Fine. He wanted to sell me off again? Let him.

But this time, I’d make sure I wasn’t the one on the losing end.

“If I’m being sold again,” I whispered to myself, my voice steady for the first time, “I’ll make sure I’m the one holding the knife this time.”