Undercover Vows

Three

Matteo

The echo of my father's voice lingered in my ears as the internal battle within me continued.

Kill her. The order had been given and I was expected to obey, to get justice for the mafia.

Elena knelt on the cold marble floor, blood smeared on her cheeks—not here but from the chaos earlier. Her chest rose and fell, inadvertently uneven breaths and her hands clenched into fists. At the moment, her life was at stake and she was fighting for it with every ounce of bravery she managed to muster.

My eyes scanned the room observing the unspeakable tension that held in the air, from person to person.

Finally, I met Elena's gaze—wide, unwavering, unyielding. She wasn't in the least begging for mercy, but there was something so subtle in her eyes that pleaded with me nonetheless.

Damn it!

I hated that I saw truth in them. I hated the wary look on her face. Moreso, I hated that I knew she didn't do it.

But in my world, the truth didn't matter. Only loyalty, obedience and justice prevailed.

Why did I care anyway? Why did it bother me so much?

It didn't. I thought, just enough to convince myself.

I turned back to my father, straightening to my full height and clearing my parched throat. “No.”

The room tensed even more. The word had barely escaped my lips when I felt the weight of a dozen eyes locking on to me.

Don Salvatore's expression immediately went blue. Challenging him was simply challenging death. And then it dawned on me, I had just challenged my death.

However, I knew that I certainly wasn’t about to stand there and watch Elena go in for a crime she didn't commit.

“She's under my protection now.”, I said, my unwavering voice cutting through the tension. “You want her dead? Yeah, you’d have to go through me first cause you can't do anything to her without my permission now.”

As Elena's eyes latched into mine, I saw her expression change from fear to extreme confusion.

Her confusion was justified alright, until it melted into something else. Something deeper. Worry.

But for what? Her life? Her future? Or…me?

Then something shifted within me. I clenched my jaw, pulse hammering in my ears. Maybe she didn't trust me. Maybe she thought this was some kind of game.

The thought was ridiculous yet it tormented me in terribly unwanted ways. A flicker of something else I didn't quite recognize, something that resembled insecurity, stirred deep in my gut. It was quick, vanishing almost as quickly as it came.

And at that moment, Elena didn't say a word. She didn't have to. But instinctively, she walked to stand just a few inches beside me.

Meanwhile, Don Salvatore studied the scenario with an unreadable expression.

After a painfully long pause, he exhaled sharply, shaking his head with an expression torn between frustration and amusement. A mix of both I'd say. I couldn't decipher for sure.

“You want to vouch for this woman?”

“Fine, but a mere word is not enough.” he shrugged.

I already knew where this conversation was going, so I beat him to it. “I’ll marry her.”

Gasps rippled through the room. At this point, I was sure that everyone in the room had stopped breathing, including me, for about a split second. Even Elena had stiffened beside me. She searched my face, looking for any signs that I was bluffing, trying to buy her time maybe.

But all she found was hard-core certainty.

I'll marry her? Why did I say those words?

I never acted on impulse and even when I did, it was always for a logical reason. Surely,this was the most illogical thing I'd ever done throughout my entire existence.

But why? I thought to myself. What was happening to me?

However, I felt a rising possessiveness within me. One thing’s for sure, I was certain about my decision to marry Elena,I just couldn't figure out why.

“She’s mine now,” I found myself saying, my voice as sound as steel. “No one touches her. No one questions her. She answers to me alone.”

Don Salvatore wore a cruel smirk.“Is that so?”

Bile rose up my throat in anger as the words rolled off my father's tongue.

As if Elena had finally found her voice at last, she said in exhilaration, “Matteo, you can’t be serious—”

I shot her a sharp look, cutting her off and immediately, she fell silent. “I don’t repeat myself.”

I was prepared for the worst. I knew my father was about to challenge me, call my bluff, or push me to prove just how far I was willing to go for this woman.

Don Salvatore glanced at me shortly.Then, he stared in Elena's direction, where he let his gaze linger for a little bit, as he pondered in deep thoughts.

I tried to read his thoughts but his expression didn't give even the slightest bit away.

In an attempt to disrupt his train of thought, I let out a sly cough. Slowly, he broke his stare off Elena and then, it was back on me.

Then he nods once and says,” Prove it.”

With a subtle smile and a wave of dismissal, he added, “It’s settled. Let’s see how well you can handle the woman you just tied yourself to.”

I grabbed Elena’s wrist repulsively, dragging her closer to myself. She tensed, but I didn’t loosen my grip. “You’re mine now,” I murmured, just enough for her to hear me. “Act like it.”

Her body was rigid: as in so stiff, I couldn't help but laugh at her reluctance and defiance. But her eyes were blazing on fire, she wanted to fight me on this one but she knew the alternative was worse.

I had just spared her life. But at what cost?

Elena's heart hammered in her chest and as my eyes locked in with hers, I could see the sea of emotions flooding her mind. To the extent I could define—confusion, pain, worry, anger and despair. And then, the realizatio

n hit her like a rock crashing down.

There was no way out. This was her new reality.