Heart of the Mafia's Captive

Chapter 2:The Unseen Trap

Lila’s POV

The lace curtains let the morning light produce gentle floor patterns. This was the type of day that should have been peaceful with birds tweeting outside and the promise of warmth in the air. But a weight dragging down my chest was all I could feel as I softly, deliberately brushed my hair in front of the mirror in my bedroom.

The evening before hovered over me like a storm cloud. I had agreed to wed Luca De Luca, a man I hardly knew whose reputation made even the toughest people shudder. For my mother, for my family, and still, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that I had just walked into a trap without a way out.

A soft tap on the door broke off my thoughts. Turning to discover Rosa nervously waiting in the doorway, "Lila, your father wants to see you in the study," she said gently, her eyes seeking any sign of my management.

I nodded, set down the brush. " I'll be there right now.

Rosa hesitated, as though she wanted to say something more, but then she just gave me a small, sad smile and closed the door behind her. Deeply breathing, I sought to settle the nerves churning in my stomach all morning. Delaying the unavoidable offered no advantages.

I felt as though I was approaching my own death as my footsteps reverberating in the long, lonely hallways moved toward the study. The house felt cold and unusual, like a place I no longer belonged in. It was humming laughter and warmth. The speed with which things could change and the way one decision could irrevocably flip your life around seemed strange.

Arriving at the university, I stopped outside the door to gather the confidence to see my father. Once my rock protector, the man who had always been there, felt alien. I can still vividly recall his desperation the evening before, the way he had begged his eyes directed at me. That was the appearance that let me say yes and that made me give up my independence to save our family.

I knocked softly, and from within his voice screamed out. Method of arrival.

The study was just barely illuminated, the heavy curtains closed against the morning sun. My father lowered his shoulders and focused his attention on the paperwork before his desk. He looked up as I entered, and momentarily I saw the man I knew, a strong, confident man who had always seemed to be invincible. That man was gone, though, replaced by someone sad over years of stress and the weight of his own decisions.

"Lila," he answered, his voice laden with feeling. Please have a seat.

As asked, I prevented shaking by folding my hands on my lap. Papa, you wanted to see me?

He nodded then ran his thinning hair between his hands. "We should discuss several things; things I should have mentioned earlier."

My heart skipped a beat. In what sense?

My dad groaned and looked down at his desk's papers. "The situation is worse than what you know about. The debts go beyond only financial ones. Lila, I have some dangerous opponents here. Rivals who would not think twice to destroy us should I fail to pay them off.

I started to shiver from the back, competitors? You are specifically referring to what?

"Luca De Luca is not only a business person," my father remarked, his voice virtually loud above a whisper. "He leads the strongest criminal gang in the city. He controls all the money, electricity, life itself. Right now he is also writing about our fate.

I turned to stare at him; the jigsaw's components started to click together slowly. "You made the deal with him because of this," I said hollowly. "You raised my hand in marriage to save us from... from them."

With guilty appearing eyes, my father nodded. Lila, I was helpless. Should I have refused his needs, we would have lost everything. Your mother is due the best medical treatment; without Luca's help, we cannot afford it. Those men would have seen us; the bills would have buried us.

I felt sick when I realized the complete degree of the risk we were running under. Not only to protect our wealth, but my father had negotiated a deal to save our lives. And I turned into the negotiation chip.

As he apologized, Lila heard his voice break. "I never wanted this for you. Desperate, yet, Luca was the only one able to help us.

The room seemed to close in on me, apprehension filled the air. My father's words weighed down on me and I could not breathe. I had not understood the true cost, even though I had thought I was giving something for my family. This marriage about survival transcends mere debt pay-off or house saving. Not only a husband-to- be, Luca De Luca was the man grasping our lives in his hands.

"What is happening here now?" I asked with a shaking voice.

Sad eyes fastened on me by my father "We are getting ready for the marriage right now. Luca would tend to the plans. Everything will be done quickly. Once you are married, your debts will be settled and your mother will get the necessary therapy.

I thought I was drowning in a sea of emotions: fear, anger, deceit, and a profound, almost intolerable gloom. The path of events in my life was not this one. For me, dreams and future plans did not call for me marrying off to a man like Luca. But those dreams felt like far-off memories now, displaced by a brutal reality I could not escape.

"I'm sorry, Lila," my father murmured, his voice full of sympathy. I wish there was still another road.

Not sure if I could talk, I nodded. In what sense could I say? I pardon him. That is what I took to mean. The truth was, I wasn't sure how I felt. Although another side of me knew my father was right, part of me wanted to yell, to object to the unfairness of life. There was no choice for us. Our one way out was this.

At last, my voice was almost audible, "I'll do what I have to," I said.

My father reached across the desk and grabbed my hand with a strong yet shaky grip. Lila, you have strength far beyond what you know. You will live through this. We will make it through this.

I wanted to believe him even if, deep down, I knew nothing would ever be the same. My known life was gone; suddenly a new one of danger and uncertainty ruled. And right in the middle of it all was the man I would shortly be calling my husband.

The ensuing days were a frenzy of preparation and whispered conversations held behind closed doors. My father visited Luca several times to finish the details of the marriage arrangement, while I tried to grab on to the last shreds of normalcy. Spending as much time as I could with my mother, whose condition was worsening daily, She was too frail to ask about the sudden rush toward a wedding, and I lacked the heart to tell her the truth. How would I? She needed hope, not more worry.

But every time I turned to look at her, regret scorched in me. It seemed like a betrayal even though I was trying to save her life. I was losing my own future and happiness for her health. And the sacrifice tasted bad even if I loved her.

One evening as I sat by her bedside clutching her delicate hand in mine, she looked at me with those soft, worn-out eyes and smiled. Her voice almost audible, she said softly, "You're going to be a beautiful bride, Lila."

Tears filled my eyes even as I forced myself to grin back. "Thanks, Mom."

Her fingers were icy against my cheek, she reached up and gently stroked them. "Promise me something, Lila," she urged quietly. "Promise me, you will find happiness wherever."

The tears were gushing, and I nodded, not able to speak. How could I promise her something I wasn't sure I could produce? Contentment seemed to be a far-off fantasy from another life. Still, I would act to her advantage. I would pretend everything would be fine.

The wedding day came earlier than I had expected. The event was set in a modest private chapel outside the city. There were no guests or fuss; only a simple commitment exchange closing the agreement linking our families together. Luca had paid nothing for the preparations, but the lavish decorations and elegant clothes did not help me to calm the storm inside me.

Standing before the mirror, I could hardly see the woman staring back at me while wearing white lace and pearls. She looked like a bride but felt neither like one. Restricted by invisible bonds to a fate she had not chosen, she felt like a prisoner.

Rosa stood behind me, adjusting my veil slightly. Lila said softly, "You really look beautiful".

I nodded, unable to turn away from my mirror. "Thanks Rosa."

She hesitated momentarily then rested a hand on my shoulder. You are behaving to your family here.