My murderous intent must have shown on my face, because Alberto smirked and then glanced at Ayla, his look lecherous. “I will be waiting, love.”
I felt Phoenix’s hand on my arm, making me realize that I had reached for my gun. I was vibrating with the need to end the bastard’s life. Slowly and painfully.
That day would come. Not now. But soon.
I watched the cars drive away before finally taking the courage to turn toward Ayla. I saw her bend forward, and she started to dry heave, hyperventilating right there in the driveway. Her small body was shaking violently, her sobs making my heart clench tightly.
I wanted to take her in my arms, hold her safely, and tell her everything was going to be okay. But I stopped myself.
I knew I would lash out and hurt her. And the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her…even though she was the reason for my pain right now.
So I walked away. From her.
I did it to protect her.
I had been shot before. Multiple times. But Ayla’s betrayal was more painful than bullets piercing through my body.
She called out after me, my name on her lips. She begged me to listen, but I was numb. Too numb to care. To numb to understand her lies, her betrayal. I trusted her, but she didn’t give me anything in return.
After giving her myself and opening my heart to her, she still lied.
But even through the tides of anger, I understood why.
I hated the Abandonatos.
And she was one of them. The daughter of the man who killed my mother and sister.
“Fuck!” I swore, punching the wall next to the door. She must have been scared. So damn scared. No wonder she never told any of us.
What about those who are innocent? Will they perish too? Just because they were doomed to be an Italian—an Abandonato?
Ayla’s question rang through my ears, and I pulled at my hair in frustration, my fingers digging into my scalp. She wanted to tell me. So many times, she wanted to say it, but my hatred for the Abandonatos always stopped her.
I still remembered my words clearly, as if they were said the day before.
There is no fucking innocence in that family. They are all the spawn of the devil. They are tainted with my mother’s and sister’s blood.
How could I have expected Ayla to tell me the truth when those were the words I fed her?
You said you’d kill anyone in your path. But what about the innocent?
When realization dawned on me, I felt sick. She was talking about herself. She was the innocent.
I was running away from home when I found you and hid in your car. That’s how we met. I’m not a spy, Alessio. I’m just someone running away from her nightmare, desperately seeking peace.
Everything she said came rushing back to me until my thoughts went wild. And that was when I lost control.
With a roar, I reached for the coffee table and flipped it over, sending it crashing into the wall. Hundreds of glass shards flew everywhere.
My hands clenched into fists, and I punched the wall again, harder than before. My skin over my knuckles tore, but that wasn’t enough.
I was panting, fighting for breath, fighting against the monster that wanted to be unleashed.
The sudden rush was of realization made my head spin. My lungs constricted. “Fuck!” I bellowed.
The man I hated, the man I vowed to kill…my enemy, he was the one who had hurt my Angel. He was the one who caused her pain. The reason for her nightmares.
Alberto. He had ruined my Ayla.
My blood roared with the urge to kill him. To end his life. To end Ayla’s nightmare.
Turning around, I saw Artur, Viktor, and Phoenix standing there. Their faces were impassive as they stared back at me, waiting for me to give them orders.
But something else caught my attention. Someone was missing. My heart accelerated in panic as I glanced around the room almost furiously.
“Where’s Ayla?” I growled, my knuckles aching as I tightened my fists.
Viktor’s eyebrows raised in question, and he looked behind him. “She was right behind me,” he grumbled, his face twisting with slight panic.
“You left her alone!”
I threw my fist, and it connected with his face. A crack resonated around the room, but I didn’t care. “I left her with you. You were supposed to bring her inside.”
I trusted Viktor to get her inside, to keep her safe while I tried to get myself under control.
“I thought she would follow. She’s probably outside. Calm the fuck down,” Viktor said, holding his bleeding mouth.
Artur came to stand beside me. “I’ll get her, Boss.”
I nodded, pulling away from Viktor. “Bring her inside,” I ordered. Artur nodded and left without a glance. The need to protect her, shield her away from any suffering, was overwhelming. Alberto wasn’t getting anywhere near her.