Aurora’s POV
I sank onto the bed, as my eyes took notice of the black marbled tiles that had blood and shards of glasses spluttered on it.
If he lost so much blood as this, I doubted if Antonio would ever make it alive. Even though I was happy that she’d taken the bull by the horn and tried to end the misery that she had faced since she married him, I wasn’t sure that Matteo would take things lightly with her.
“How did it happen? Tell me everything, and where is your husband right now?”
She sighed and palmed her forehead. “He’s at a private hospital that belongs to our family doctor presently. He knows the Capo so I might be summoned any time soon,”
I checked my phone for Matteo’s message.
Get out of there. That woman is a murderer.
I gasped at his message and covered my palmed my lips.
“Antonio is dead. Matteo just sent me a message,” I informed her.
She laughed hysterically and shrugged without remorse, then sank onto floor and rested at the edge of the bed. “It’s good that he is dead. That man was the worse thing that has ever happened to me, I’m happy that he won’t get to inflict pain on my daughter and I anymore,”
I wasn’t scared of her, if not for anything, I respected her bravery. I couldn’t imagine being tied down to someone who treated me worse than trash. It just wasn’t possible.
“That’s really bad, what are you going to do?” I asked her and she shrugged again.
“I won’t run away, if that is what you’re thinking. I’d face whatever punishment the Capo metes out on me with gladness, because I ended his sadistic life myself.”
“Was it that bad?” I probed further, trying to get her to tell me everything. I wanted to help her but it wasn’t possible if she decided to be secretive.
“It wasn’t bad, Aurora, it was hell. I never wanted to be married to him you know. As a teenager, I had dreams, and the most persistent one was becoming a globally celebrated artist. But that dream was cut short the day my father handed me over to Antonio. He was psychopathic from the jump and he even tried to rape me on our engagement party.”
I clenched my fist and felt like punching him on the face even though he was dead.
She noticed my anger and chuckled drily. “You don’t need to be angry, he’s dead now, remember?”
“Didn’t you tell your parents about it?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know anything about our world. Over here, the man’s words is respected and believed more than the woman’s. I told my mother but she shunned me and told me that the alliance with his family couldn’t end because we owed his family a huge amount of money and the only way they could forget about it was if I got married to their son. No one wanted to marry him because of his sadist nature and since my father foolishly fell into their trap, I became Antonio’s prey.”
I scoffed in anger. That was the last thing I wanted to be to anyone. A prey.
“Then you got married and things never changed?”
She shook her head. “No, things only got worse and maybe he would have killed me until you walked up to me last night and showed me a way out of this misery. You didn’t ask me to kill him, but you made me believe that I could turn things around for myself.”
I moved closer to her and placed her head on my shoulder.
“This morning, after he woke up from an alcohol induced sleep, he began to question me about my conversation with you yesterday. I repeated the exact words I said to him last night but he wasn’t buying it. He got up and headed for the flower vase and told me that he would hit me with it if I didn’t tell him the truth.”
“Did you agree?” I cut in.
“I didn’t, I told him that I would die first. My statement triggered his anger and he punched me severally, then threw a glass flower vase that decorated my vanity table at me. I dodged and it shattered to the ground but some of the pieces flew to various directions, some of them gave him little cuts. He was distracted and tried to check his wounds, then I picked the glass shard and lurched at him when he tried to hit me again. I didn’t aim, but all I saw was blood when I pulled it out the shard.” She explained as her voice turned croaky.
“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll help you out of this,” I assured her and began to think of ways I could fulfil my promise to her.
An idea dropped in my mind. “Do you know if Antonio has been into any shady deal that is against the Outfit recently? Something that can stir up Matteo’s anger and cause him to die?”
She slanted a glance at me and looked away. I understood her look, I wasn’t a part of the Outfit yet so it would be hard to part with their secret even though Matteo had brought me to the party as his plus one.
“Sincerely, I wouldn’t know if he did anything shady. He doesn’t tell me anything about the Outfit, he sees me as a stupid woman that should tend to his needs and take care of our daughter.”
“What about Sofia? Where is she?”
“She’s out with her friends, I guess. I don’t want her to meet me this way and see all of these or it would disturb her for a long time and give her nightmares.” She replied and sniffed.
Footsteps sounded from the hallway and the door which was shut pushed open with Matteo glaring at Giselle. He averted his gaze from her and scanned me from head to toe ensuring that I wasn’t in danger.
I tried to be formal since he hadn’t announced me as his fiance. It wasn’t like I’d ever become one.
“Are you alright?” He asked softly as he walked closer to me and scanned me again, while holding my hands.
“I’m fine, Sir. She didn’t do anything to me.” I replied, my heart beating fast at his genuine care for me. I darted my eyes at her then the men who had come into the room.
They all wore stoic expressions, their faces really hard to read.
I swallowed, my heart thudding faster at the thought of what he’d do to Giselle.
“Take her away. An eye for an eye, she’ll have to pay with her life for her husband’s murder.” He ordered with an authoritative voice.