Page 37

37

GINEVRA

I ’ve never imagined how I would die.

Death is something I don’t really like to think about. It’s inevitable at the end of the day. So why spend all your life thinking about something that’s bound to happen?

But now that I’m standing directly in the face of death, the fear I assume everyone feels in this moment is nowhere to be found. Instead, clawing at my chest is pain, digging its fangs into the numbness that has enveloped me.

The cold barrel of the gun is hard and unforgiving, pressing directly against the side of my head. The metallic chill seeps into my skin, and all I can do is stand there frozen. Every nerve in my body is screaming, but my mind seems calm. Terror skirts around my heart, waiting for the right opening. My body trembles uncontrollably from the harsh cold biting my skin.

Everything crumbles when my eyes meet Dario’s again.

He’s been pushed back to his knees. He keeps fighting to stand, but the men keep dragging him down. His face—god, his face—is bloodied and swollen. And like Rinaldo said, unrecognizable.

But I recognize him. My Dario. His emerald green eyes are wild, locked on me, and I can see him fighting to breathe. He’s trying so hard to stay conscious, to protect me, but he can’t even stand. They’ve beaten him so badly, he can barely move.

Helpless. We are both helpless and hopeless.

The tears fall fast, no longer controllable, pouring from me in waves of desperation. The hot liquid streams down my face, mixing with the grime that coats my skin. The gun digs deeper, forcing my head to tilt slightly, my wet cheek brushing against the metal.

A loud sob breaks from my lips unbidden. This is the end. It feels so final now. Rinaldo’s hand tightens around the gun, and his laugh—sharp, cruel—echoes in my ears.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” He sneers, nudging the gun harder into my skull. I wince from the pain but ignore his taunts. I don’t care about that anymore.

This is the moment I die, right here in this godforsaken junkyard, and I’ll never get to hold Dario again. I’ll never get to say all the things I should’ve said.

My mind is racing. All I can do is wish, hope, and beg for more time. But unfortunately, that time has run out for me. For us.

“I’m sorry,” I’m choking on my sobs. My voice is so weak it’s barely audible, but Dario hears me. I know he does. He always hears me, even when I say nothing. “I’m so sorry, Dario.”

From the distance, I watch his face tighten. “Ginny, don’t...” He tries to move, but they slam him back down. He’s helpless. For the first time, Dario is utterly powerless, and I can see the pain tearing through him as he struggles against the men holding him.

To protect me, a woman who is only moments away from dying.

“I love you,” I choke out, the words slipping past my lips like a desperate cry. The confession hangs between us, like a final truth I had been too afraid to admit until now. Dario’s face crumples, the disbelief and anguish fighting through the pain in his eyes.

This is it. The admission of what I should have said a hundred times before.

“I love you,” I say again, louder this time. “I should have told you sooner. I...I thought we had time. I thought...”

“No.” Dario shakes his head, his voice breaking as he calls out to me. “Ginny...don’t talk like that.” His words are slurred, thick with emotion. I can see the tears in his eyes, blending with the blood streaking down his face. “You’ll get many more chances to say it to me. This won’t be your parting word.”

But how can he even believe that? I’m not coming back from this. I feel the weight of death closing in, and it’s so heavy, so suffocating. I close my eyes for a moment, just trying to steady myself, to calm the frantic pounding of my heart.

I hear Rinaldo’s breath behind me, hot and vile against my neck, and I want to scream. But I don’t. I won’t waste the limited time I have left on him.

“Well, well,” Rinaldo mocks. “How touching. Ginny, confessing her love at the last moment. Are we watching a movie or something?”

The pressure of the gun shifts slightly as he steps closer. He laughs, a low, sickening sound that makes my skin crawl. “Go on,” he says, voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Keep telling him how much you love him. Maybe it’ll make his miserable life easier after I’m done with you.”

“That’s if he doesn’t move on with someone else the moment she dies,” Rafe buts in from where he stands nearby. A few of their men join in the laughter. They’re enjoying this. Watching me break. Watching Dario fight to save me.

The mixed sounds of their laughter feel like sharp nails scratching against my skin. More tears pour down my cheeks as I keep my focus on Dario, who hasn’t stopped struggling, desperate to reach me.

My heart clenches as my mind drifts to Lorenzo.

God, Lorenzo.

He’ll be devastated. He’ll be all alone.

I won’t get to see him again. I won’t get to hug him, to tell him that I’m proud of him. My heart aches, the pain sharp as I picture his face. “Dario...take care of Lorenzo,” I murmur, my voice trembling. “Make sure he’s okay. Tell him I forgive him, and I love him so much.”

And Rosa. The poor woman would be broken. She’s lost a son in the past, and she’s taken Dario as her son and me as a daughter she never had. The news of my death will break her.

Dario’s face is twisted with grief. His mouth opens, but no words come out—just a broken, choked sound that shatters what’s left of my heart.

The life I’ve lived, the moments I’ve spent with Dario, are all flashing before me—every argument, every kiss, every single moment we spent wanting each other even though we hated each other—the exact moment I realized I’d fallen in love with him. It’s right before my eyes, rolling in my mind like the credits of my favorite movie.

I never imagined we would end like this.

My chest tightens as I think about our unborn baby—the life we created. The child I’ll never get to hold, never get to see grow. My heart breaks all over again. I press my lips together, refusing to let the sobs overtake me.

Rinaldo shifts behind me, letting out a long sigh, almost bored. “Well,” he mutters, “I think that’s enough. Time to wrap this up.”

I take a deep breath, my whole body trembling as I force myself to speak. “Just pull the fucking trigger, Rinaldo,” I say, my voice firmer than I thought it would be. “Kill me now.”

He chuckles harshly. “It’ll be my pleasure, Sweet Pea.”

I squeeze my eyes shut and ball my hands into fists, bracing for the impact. I hear the gun cock, the cold, metallic click that seals my fate.

And then Dario’s voice breaks through, raw and desperate. “This isn’t fucking goodbye, Ginny!”

Then the chaos ensures.

Something clatters to the ground. There’s a sudden hissing sound, and I hear someone yell. My eyes fly open just as thick, white smoke explodes around us, swallowing everything in an instant.

“What the fuck?” I hear Rinaldo growl just as the world around us explodes into a blinding, choking haze of white.

Everything is chaos. Men shout and stumble, blinded by the smoke. There’s shouting, cursing, and confusion all around me. I can’t see anything, and I can’t hear anything but the pounding of my own heart.

Rinaldo and Rafe’s voices overlap each other, barking commands and curses. Just then, I feel Rinaldo’s grip on my arm loosen. I don’t think. I wrench myself free, falling to the ground in a heap. Pain shoots through my body as my knees hit the dirt. But I don’t care. I’m coughing, choking on the smoke as I crawl blindly away from Rinaldo, away from death.

“Dario!” I scream, my voice hoarse and desperate. He must be looking for me. My tied hands scrape against the rough ground as I grunt, using my legs to push my body forward.

I can’t see him. I can’t see anyone, but I hear the shouts and the panic of men stumbling around in the smoke. My body aches, every muscle burning as I struggle to get on my feet. Desperation fuels me as I get on my knees in an attempt to steady my body. I plant one foot forward before propelling the rest of my body to stand up.

Hope blossoms in my chest as I begin to move. I can be with Dario again. We can survive this. But first, I have to find him, and we have to get out of here.

“Not so fast,” I hear Rinaldo growl somewhere behind me.

His rough hand grabs my ankle, yanking me back to the ground. I scream as sand and dirt fly into my open mouth. Panic surges through me as I kick out wildly...

And then—BANG.