The Savage Bride

Truths and Farewells

I sat on the edge of the bed, my head leaning back against the cool wood of the headboard. The room felt suffocating like the air was too thick to breathe. Every thought in my mind was sharp, cutting through me with each replay of the last few days. I didn’t know how I was supposed to keep going, keep breathing, when everything felt so out of control.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts, making my heart skip in my chest.

“Come in,” I said, my voice raw, barely above a whisper.

The door creaked open slowly, and a woman stepped inside. She was calm, collected, and kind-looking, but there was something in her eyes that made me wary. She smiled softly as she looked at me.

“Hello,” she greeted gently. “I’m Miley. Rafael’s eldest brother’s wife. I came to check on you.”

I stared at her, still too stunned to speak. Her words felt distant, like they were coming from someone else. My eyes flickered to the tray of food a maid had just placed on the table beside me, but I wasn’t hungry. Not for food. Not for anything.

Miley followed my gaze and nodded as if she understood. “Rafael asked me to see how you were before he left. He said you must be hungry.”

I scoffed bitterly, my eyes narrowing. “I’m not hungry.”

Miley didn’t flinch. She sat down beside me on the bed, her movements graceful, like she was in no hurry to do anything. Her presence was quiet but firm.

“I know you don’t feel like eating,” she said, her voice soft but steady.

“But you have to. For your own sake.”

I felt my throat tighten, and the words slipped out before I could stop them.

“I don’t even want to live.”

Miley let out a quiet sigh. I could see she wasn’t unsympathetic, but her gaze was steady, not filled with pity. She was… different.

“And what would happen if you died?” she asked, her tone oddly calm.

“What would that solve? Your death would mean nothing.” She paused for a moment, letting her words sink in.

“Clear your mind, Azalea. Think about what you truly want to do. If, after that, your mind still tells you to die… well, you can die anytime.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I wasn’t sure whether it was anger, frustration, or something else, but it stirred something deep inside me. It was too blunt, too raw, but it also felt like a reality check. I didn’t know how to process it, but something in me shifted.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, I pushed the blanket aside and stood up, my legs shaky beneath me. I made my way to the small table and sat down, avoiding Miley’s gaze.

I picked up a piece of grilled bread and took a small, mechanical bite. It tasted like nothing—just a bland, tasteless texture. But it was something.

“Good girl,” Miley murmured, a soft smile curving her lips.

I swallowed the bite and glanced up, the weight of everything still heavy on my chest. “Do you… do you know who my dad really was?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. “I mean… his past?”

The question had been gnawing at me ever since last night. Something about Rafael’s words didn’t sit right with me. There was more to my dad’s story than I knew, and I needed to understand.

Miley’s eyes softened, her expression thoughtful. She leaned back in her chair and sighed before speaking.

“The Moretti family and the De Luca family have been enemies for a long time,” she began, her voice steady, like she was recounting an old story.

“I don’t know exactly how it started, but both families were powerful—dangerous names in the underworld. Then one day, your father, the last surviving son of the Moretti family, disappeared. He ran away. Left it all behind and never looked back.”

My stomach dropped as her words sank in. My father—the man I had always known as kind and protective—was part of that world?

Miley continued, her gaze distant, as though she was remembering something from the past.

“Before he left, your father was deep in that world,” she said, her voice low. “He was involved in the kind of businesses that thrive on violence and bloodshed. But after the murders of his father and brother, something changed. It scared him enough to walk away from everything—the family, the legacy, everything.”

I felt like the floor had dropped out from under me. The man I had known, the father who had always been there for me, was someone I didn’t recognize in the least.

Miley’s expression softened when she saw my shock. “Rafael never forgot your father,” she said gently. “And when he made Maximilian come back, it wasn’t just about settling old scores. When Rafael saw you, Azalea… you captured his heart. He fell for you instantly. That’s why he asked Carlos to arrange your marriage.”

I stared at her, my mind reeling. Rafael, with all his power and obsession, had fallen for me because of who I was. Because I reminded him of my father? My thoughts were spinning, trying to make sense of it all, but I couldn’t.

I felt trapped. In a web of lies, betrayal, and dark histories I hadn’t known existed. And now… now I had no idea how to get out.