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Isaak’s voice is sharp, his voice as cold as ice as he continues.
“Your father is the reason why my daughter is no longer with us.” He spits, the words thick with anger and resentment. He turns to look at Papa, and I see his expression turn ten times more furious. “You took my daughter from us, and you helped murder her mother too!”
Papa’s growl rumbles from deep in his chest.
Every word that leaves his mouth drips with pure venom.
“Your wife is responsible for this all! None of this would have happened if she did not order the first hit!”
He snarls out, his fists clenched at his sides, his body shaking with rage.
Both men stand face-to-face, the room vibrating with their anger. Neither one of them moves yet, but the air crackles with the promise of violence. It’s as if everything in this room can shatter at any second now.
Each beat of my heart reminds me that I’m trapped in the middle of something I still don’t fully understand.
Alessandro, who has been silent for a while now, releases a deep sigh. I watch him looking up at the ceiling, a look of exhaustion crossing his face, as though he’s praying for this all to end. It’s as if the chaos around us is all too much for him now, and he’s just waiting for it to pass.
When he speaks, I hear the words, but they don’t make much sense.
I can’t understand anything.
My legs feel like they’re about to give out beneath me.
All the anger, and the hatred in this room, has become too thick, making it difficult to breathe.
Whatever Alessandro is saying makes Isaak’s face contort, his eyes flashing with hot rage. His body stiffens, and his jaw tightens. For a second, I’m sure he’s about to throw a punch.
The air is electric, charged with all the years of hurt, anger, and revenge.
But before anything can happen, everything around me turns black.
I don’t feel myself falling.
I don’t feel anything at all.
The last thing I hear is the awful shouting around me, but it’s fading fast.
And then, nothing.
Chapter Seventeen
Francesco
My son’s sudden shout alerts me that something is wrong.
When I turn, I spot Dario moving closer to Chiara, his arms outstretched as he catches her before she can hit the ground. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her body closer to his, shouting out her name.
I move immediately.
Her body is limp as I reach my family’s side, and her eyes are closed.
The world seems to slow around me as I stare down at my daughter’s unconscious body.
Her face is pale, her eyes are closed, and her lips are parted slightly as she takes shallow breaths.
There is absolutely nothing else in the world that scares me more thanthis.
The weight in my chest, the panic, it suffocates me.