I couldn’t find my voice. I knew all of that! I knew everything Gio and his organization did. I had accepted it all, but why was I nervous about what this man might say? I felt like he knew so much about Gio, things Gio didn’t tell me.
“Your father didn’t kill your mother. Your father didn’t have the capability to kill your mother. And no, honey, Aunt Astrid didn’t die of an illness.” His mischievous eyes quickly turned dark. I gasped when I heard that. “She was murdered.”
Nicolas stood up and paced back and forth. I wanted to know what was behind the mask covering half his face. If you looked at the skin that wasn’t concealed by the mask, it looked like it had been burned.
“You should remember that, shouldn’t you? You were there when your mother was killed, Millie. You witnessed how brutally they murdered your mother.”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I was struggling to process everything. I tried to recall the day he was referring to, but every time I did, I felt a sharp pain in my head. Could it be…
“Astrid Pearce was killed when you were just a kid, Millie. It was just the two of you at home because your father was abroad on a business trip. How could he have been the one to kill her if he wasn’t even at home during those hours?” He stopped pacing and faced me. I was still in shock, trying to remember everything. “Your mother was shot in front of you several times. They almost killed you too, but they didn’t. You passed out after that. Authorities said you didn’t remember anything that happened to your mother. When the news reached your father, he decided to change the story of your mother’s death and make it seem like she died of an illness.”
I struggled to swallow because it felt like everything he was saying matched some of the details of what happened back then. Besides not being able to remember anything before my mother’s death, I recalled my father telling me that my mother was ill and had died from it. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t remember any specific details about my mother’s illness.
“B-But who would do this to my Mom? You’re lying. You are taking advantage of the things I can’t remember! You’re just saying this to…”
“For what?”
I fell silent, realizing I didn’t know where his words were leading. What would he gain from this? I had no idea.
“If you’re thinking I’m lying about everything I’ve told you, why don’t you ask your mother’s killer yourself?” Nicolas suddenly suggested.
I wanted to ask who he meant, but I also didn’t want to show any sign that I might believe him.
“Actually, you don’t need to look for him because you live in the same house, sleep side by side, and oh, you even have his surname!” Nicolas laughed as he pointed at me. “Jokes on you, huh? Marrying the man who killed your mother in front of you.”
“W-What do you mean?” My eyes widened, and my lips trembled. No, that can’t be! He couldn’t be telling me that the one who killed my mother was…
“Yes, Millie. The man who killed your mother was none other than your husband, Gioseffo Locatelli.”
~*~
“You are lying,” I wished I could scream at him and make it clear that I didn’t believe him; I felt weak.
Impossible, isn’t it? Why would Gio want to harm my mother? We don’t even know each other! Nicolas chuckled and leaned closer.
“I won’t force you to believe me, Millie. As I said, you can always ask your husband if I’m telling the truth.” He patted my shoulder and smiled, as if trying to reassure me. “I’m on your side, Millie. I’m not the enemy here. If you have an adversary, it’s your husband. Think about it, why did he marry you? What does he need from you? Perhaps revenge? Maybe he spared you back then because he knew he could use you now.” He straightened up and looked at me seriously. “That man doesn’t know how to love, Millie. Do you really think you can change that? I don’t think so. He’s just trying to make you believe he loves you so he can manipulate you. Why don’t you ask him directly? It’s still up to you whether you believe me or not. Just remember, I’m not your enemy. I care about you because Aunt Astrid is close to our family.”
A man approached him, probably one of his men. “The car is ready.”
Nicolas nodded and turned to me. “We’re taking you back to your husband. The decision is yours on what to do next. I’ve told you what I needed to, Millie. I don’t want what happened to your mother to happen to you at the hands of Gio Locatelli.”
They blindfolded me, presumably to keep me from knowing their hideout’s location. I could only feel that I was now inside a car, which had started moving. My mind was in turmoil.
I couldn’t think clearly. I needed to talk to Gio as soon as possible. I needed to find out if what Nicolas told me was true. I wasn’t even sure if that was his real name.
From my recollection, my mother died when I was 9 or 10 years old. Gio is about three to four years older than me. That means Gio was around 12 to 13 years old during that time. Could he really have killed someone at such a young age?
“Ma’am, we’re here now.” They removed the blindfold.
I saw that we were near our subdivision. “We can only take you this far.”
They quickly got back in the car and left. I looked at the car’s plate, but it had no license plate.
I walked to the subdivision’s entrance. When the security guards spotted me, one of them called my husband.
Gio?
Was he here? I thought he was abroad?
Someone picked me up after informing the house that I was here. I got into the car and it drove me back home. There were Gio’s men at the house, some police, and various people who I assumed Gio had ordered to find me. Everyone stared at me when they saw me. Gio quickly approached me. I hadn’t noticed that Gio’s two cousins, Valerio and Arcel, were also here. They must have assisted in the search.
“Millie…” Gio paused in front of me. I could see the concern in his eyes, but due to the many onlookers, he couldn’t express it openly. I could read him; he still couldn’t show his emotions, especially with so many eyes on us.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
I was immediately surrounded by authorities who said they needed to take a statement from me.
“Sorry, can we do this another day? I can’t recall much.”