“Why are you apologizing?!” I broke free from his grip and stepped back. I saw the pain in his eyes when he noticed my retreat. “You don’t need to apologize, Gio. Because you didn’t kill Mama, did you? It’s not you!”
I continued to defend this. I continued to tell myself that Gio had nothing to do with it. That they were all wrong! That my feelings and hunch about what Nicolas told me were wrong! I’d rather have Gio prove me wrong, to show that I was wrong to almost believe what others said about him.
Gio lowered his head. I sobbed at his actions. He took a deep breath before looking at me again after a few moments.
“I don’t want to lie to you, Millie,” Gio confessed. My world seemed to change with his words. I completely lost my strength and slumped to the floor while being absent-minded.
Tears welled up in my eyes as they glistened with the tears that had gathered there while I looked at Gio, who had just confessed and confirmed that he was the one who killed my mother. My cheeks became moist with tears. If earlier I could convince myself that he had nothing to do with my mother’s death, now I couldn’t, because Gio himself had just admitted it.
“No, Gio! It can’t be true, can it? Why are you telling me that you’re the one who did it? It’s not true.” I was choked up by my own words. “Please… tell me it’s not true!”
Gio approached me, but something in me pushed him away. I kept hearing him say repeatedly, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think it was enough to ease the pain.”
I couldn’t accept it. What was his reason? Why did he do it?
“Astrid Belleza Pearce was behind my kidnapping when I was a child. She killed my grandma and the reason my grandpa died, too. I killed her for revenge.”
The Belleza surname rang a bell. She had mentioned it to me when she told me the story of her grandparents’ deaths.
“My mom’s last name wasn’t Belleza-”
“She used Belleza when she was young because it was required by the Belleza Family for their members to change their last names as a sign of loyalty. When your mom left that organization, she never used that name again and married your dad.”
“You’re not telling me that my mom was-”
“Yes, Millie. Your mother was a member of the same mafia organization that was trying to kidnap me and Gianna when we were kids. Your mother was the one who provided them with the strategy. She was the mastermind behind the Belleza family’s operations, and even after she left, her loyalty remained with them. She killed my grandparents, and that’s why I killed her too.”
My body trembled, and my heart raced. I didn’t know how to feel, but as I gradually absorbed all the information, I couldn’t help but feel anger welling up inside me.
Repeatedly, in my mind, I thought about how Gio, at such a young age, had been able to kill my mother, making me suffer because of what he did. I endured the hardships at the hands of my father, with no mother to protect me because he took her away from us.
“You killed my mother!” I struck him on the chest repeatedly. Despite my harsh treatment, Gio gently held my arm.
I pushed him away from me. I knew Gio was hurting too because I had pushed him twice. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, I could clearly see the pain and bitterness in his eyes.
“You’re the reason my life has been a living hell! You’re the reason I had to face life alone with my dad, without a mother to rely on. You took her away from me! You should have just locked her up or sought revenge in some other way. You shouldn’t have killed her! You shouldn’t have taken her from me, Gio!”
“She took our lives, Millie. Lives in exchange for lives.” Although Gio’s voice had grown louder, it was undeniable that he was in pain. He tried to approach me again, but for the second time, I pushed him away.
Suddenly, I remembered the dream. It was not clear to me, but slowly, I was beginning to piece together what had happened. The sound of a gunshot, the fall of a body, and the shattering of objects. I was standing in a dark room, witnessing it all and hearing the commotion. The man walking towards me… was that Gio?
I scrutinized Gio closely. Why couldn’t I help but think that the man in my dream could be him?
“Millie, please… I’m sorry-” All the emotions coursed through my body. My tears continued to flow. I understood that he had lost two important people in his life because of my mother, but what about me? He killed my mother! Was I supposed to just accept it because I loved him? Forget all the hardships I endured on my own because my mother was taken from me? Gio killed my mother!
“Why did you tell everyone that my father was the one who killed my mother? To cover up your own crimes?!” My voice grew stronger as I confronted Gio. I felt the anger surging within me. He deserved to be in jail!
“He hurt you, Millie. The punishment he would receive for abusing you wouldn’t be enough, so I used your mother’s case to shift the blame onto your father. So, he would face more serious charges.”
“And what do you think of yourself? Don’t you deserve to be behind bars?” Gio didn’t respond to my words. I knew it didn’t matter to him. Killing was a part of his life. He did it every day, and I knew my mother wasn’t the only one he had killed.
He’s part of a mafia organization! Gio is the boss of a crime syndicate! His hands aren’t clean, and he’s no saint! He’s not a good person. He’s not a softie man! This man… he’s dangerous, ruthless, and heartless.
I remembered what Nicolas had told me, that Gio might have other intentions for marrying me. I couldn’t help but think that maybe… he was only saying he loved me to manipulate me for his next plan.
That thought cut through me like a sharp knife. My heart was weary from the pain I was feeling now. “Millie…”
When I felt his hand on me, I slapped him without realizing it. Even I was surprised by what I had done. It wasn’t until later that I realized the sting of the slap I had delivered. I bit my lip, and tears welled up again. Without saying a word, I ran out of our room. Gio wasn’t following me right away, perhaps because he was taken aback by my slap.
“Ma’am…”
“Take me out to the car. I need to go home.” I knew they wouldn’t let me leave without Gio’s permission, so if they didn’t want me to leave alone, they would have to escort me.
“But, Ma’am…”
I noticed the look from one of Gio’s men behind me. I turned to see him, and even though my vision was blurry, I saw Gio standing there. Even from a distance, I could tell he was hurting and struggling with the situation we were in. Right now, I didn’t know if I could be with him after everything I had learned. I just married the man who killed my mother!