Page 19 of Vows Made in Silence

“They want blood, Giuliana. And they’re not waiting for permission.”

I glance at Sophia. She nods once, slow and grim.

“They’re not bluffing. This might be your only window to flip the script.”

Luca strides to the edge of the gallery, pulling a burner phone from behind a sculpture pedestal like he planted it hours ago.

Always three steps ahead.

He dials.

“Turk. Assemble the crew. Decatur warehouse. Forty-five minutes. Blackout recon. If they sneeze wrong, I want it on tape.”

A beat. Turk’s voice cuts in, dark and clipped.

“Understood.”

Luca hangs up.

Then he turns to me, eyes softer—but no less dangerous.

“You’re coming with me.”

“What?” My voice cracks.

He crosses the room like a storm, fury and purpose in every step.

“I thought you left because you didn’t love me,” he says. “So, I built something dark enough to bury the pain. But now I find out—you were the price for my crown.”

He stops inches from me. His chest rises, hard and fast.

“This isn’t just revenge, Giuliana. It’s penance.”

Sophia swallows. Even she can feel it now.

The fury. The grief.

The reckoning.

“I don’t need protection,” I whisper, leaning close.

“Our son does.”

Luca’s eyes flash.

“No. We need justice. And I’m going to get it.”

Outside, a car engine revs. Too close. Too loud.

Luca’s head snaps toward the door.

“It’s starting.”

He moves fast—gun in hand, steps silent.

“Lights off. Now.”

Sophia bolts to the switch. The gallery plunges into darkness.