Page 132 of Broken Mafia Bride

The island no longer feels like sun-warmed stone and olive trees.

It’s all shadows now. A lie carved into paradise.

And that house—Casa Bianca—doesn’t look like a home.

It looks like a tomb.

As I reach for the doorknob of the front door, lightning flashes and a boom of thunder follows, matching the loud thud from inside and shaking the entire house to its foundation.

The sound isn’t just thunder—it’s an omen. A warning.

Or maybe it’s war drums.

41

GIULIA

“That song…” Val croaks.

A crack of thunder explodes through the room, loud enough to shake the windows.

She pulls the gun away from the back of my neck. “I know that song,” she whispers. “Why do I know that song?”

Tears flood my eyes and spill down my cheeks. They’re tears of relief, heartbreak, and pain all at once. I can’t believe it. My sister—who I thought I lost over twenty years ago—has been alive this entire time. All that grief, all that crippling loneliness, it was all for nothing.

Our monster of a grandfather ripped us apart, stole her memories, and kept her leashed like some obedient puppet. I feel sick just thinking about it, and rage rises fast, hot, and violent. How dare he ruin so many lives just to feed his twisted ego?

Did he think we’d thank him? Did he think we’d see him as some savior? Lucio deserves to rot in the deepest part of hell for all eternity.

I meet her eyes through the blur of tears. “Because it was our mother’s favorite song,” I say softly. “It’s the last good memory of the four of us before everything crashed to pieces.”

His gaze meets mine, dark and seething. “You’re no messiah, Lucio,” I spit. “You’re a fucking psychopath. You killed your own daughter. You brainwashed your granddaughter. It’s over. Just tell me where my daughter is.”

Val’s voice trembles. “Is that true?” she asks him. “Tell me she’s lying.”

Lightning flashes beyond the tall window behind him, and for a second, it casts a shadow of him over the room. I take a wary step back as the shadow briefly encompasses the room, feeling eerily like he has us surrounded.

“We need to get out of here,” I whisper, turning toward Val. Something moves in the shadows behind her. My eyes go wide. “Val?—”

A hand lashes out from the dark. Pain explodes at the top of my skull. The last thing I see is Val lunging for me—arms outstretched—and then the world drops into darkness.

I come to with a gasp,shooting upright. I decide that the move was a mistake when my head starts spinning and pounding a second later. I cup my head in my hands with a groan, waiting for the urge to throw up to pass.

Eventually, I blink my eyes open, momentarily confused.

And then the memories come crashing back. I rise to my feet shakily, grasping at the walls to keep myself upright. The slight movement already causes sweat to bead on my brow, my stomach churning with nausea. What did that bastard do to mewhile I was unconscious? And most importantly, where the fuck am I?

My eyes fly around the room, trying to make sense of where I am. I cock my head, hoping to hear something that will give me a hint. But there’s nothing. This place is like a vacuum, with strange, uneven walls and?—

My thoughts come to a screeching halt.

Uneven walls…

I press my palms against the walls, testing my grip. Maybe this could work. I turn around slowly, eyeing the rest of the room. There’s barely anything in here, just the twin bed in the corner with the thin mattress and a battered-looking couch.

The only sources of light in the room are a naked bulb swinging overhead and a tiny window high up in the room. Above the heavy-looking metal door in the room is an air vent that’s not doing anything to keep the room cool. The air is stiff and stale, and my clothes are damp with sweat.

I move over to the door and press my ear to it.