Mariana’s actions slowly sank in. It was as if my mind went blank, and without thinking, I stepped on the gas pedal. I sped the car towards Mariana. When she noticed the vehicle, her eyes widened. She attempted to run away from us, but I accelerated even more. I hit Mariana with the car, and I saw her rolling over the hood.
I wasn’t satisfied with that. I reversed the car, and I felt the vehicle rise as if it hit an uneven road. I knew that’s how it would feel as the car passed over Mariana’s body.
After I finished, I stepped out of the car. Dario followed me, holding his gun. I glanced at Mariana lying on the road. Blood was oozing from her head, and I also noticed her head was slightly flattened from being run over.
My shoulders slumped, and Dario discreetly holstered his gun when he realized Mariana was lifeless.
My breathing quickened as I grasped the gravity of what I had done. Mariana’s eyes were still open even though she was lifeless. Her bones were shattered from my initial hit, and her body had been crushed when I ran her over a second time.
I stepped away, overwhelmed by her appearance. Dario handed me a tissue as he noticed my reaction.
In less than ten minutes since it happened, Gio arrived from various directions.
They immediately checked Mariana’s body until they were certain she was indeed deceased. I quickly composed myself before looking in Gio’s direction. I gave him a restrained smile as he glanced at me, but it seemed he wasn’t pleased that I was here.
Gio approached me, and as he did, my smile gradually faded. “What are you doing here?” There was an edge to his voice.
I suddenly regretted being here. Why was I here? I had wanted to make him happy. I wanted the two of us to talk, but instead of that happening now, it appeared unlikely.
I didn’t respond immediately to Gio. My mouth was agape, but no words escaped.
Gio turned to Dario. Dario stood upright when their eyes met.
“What is Millie doing here, Dario? Didn’t I give you instructions-”
I quickly intervened between them. Dario shouldn’t be scolded because it was my fault.
“I’m the one at fault here, Gio. I insisted on coming. Dario tried to stop me, but I didn’t listen, and I was stubborn. Don’t blame him; blame me.” I regretted what I said. He was already annoyed with me, and I had just made it worse. I thought… I could help.
“Do you realize the danger you put yourself in?”
“I’m safe! I’m okay. Besides, I wanted to help.” I hung my head. I wanted to plead with him, but I was afraid that if I approached him, he would push me away due to his irritation with me. I hadn’t even resolved our initial argument, and now it was like this. “I just wanted to help.”
Gio gritted his teeth and remained silent. One of his men approached him and spoke with him. They both stepped back slightly to have more privacy.
I stared blankly behind Gio. He was so close, yet so distant. It was as if we had just had our first major argument, and I wasn’t used to it.
“Dario,” Gio called to Dario.
I looked at him, hoping he’d also look at me, but he didn’t turn to me.
“Take Millie home.”
I wanted to protest. I wanted to tell him that I would go with him when he returned. That I would stay here while he was here, but I thought it might only irritate him further if I didn’t follow his orders.
I released a deep sigh before joining Dario. I couldn’t even bid farewell to Gio because he hadn’t acknowledged me yet.
I was silent during the ride as Dario was now driving. I sat in the back, gazing out of the window. The surroundings were dark, and there was nothing much to see, but I found some comfort in that.
“Ma’am, are you okay?”
I glanced in Dario’s direction. He was looking at me through the rearview mirror. I nodded but didn’t speak.
“Tissue,” he handed me a box of tissues. I hadn’t even realized that I was crying. I looked at it for a moment before accepting it.
“Thank you, Dario,” I said as I wiped the tears from my cheeks and eyes. My voice felt shaky, but I managed to thank Dario.
“It’s okay to make mistakes, Ma’am. No one is perfect. What’s important is you know when to be accountable for your mistakes. Whatever you and Sir had argued about, what matters is that you’re both willing to make things right.”
I gave a faint smile to Dario. Perhaps we all have our own ways of dealing with pain and problems. For me, it’s through tears because it’s the easiest and provides short-term relief. I’ve grown accustomed to finding comfort in crying. That’s why I’m here now, even though I know it’s not the right solution to my problems.
“Just don’t tell Gio that I cried, Dario. Please, keep this to yourself.”
Dario didn’t say anything, but the way he looked at me made me believe he understood.
We arrived home, and I felt lifeless as I walked to my room. In the middle of climbing the stairs, I felt weak and sat down on a step, remaining there for a while.
I hadn’t meant to dismiss Gio’s feelings, but I thought I might have been wrong in assuming his jealousy was shallow. I was insensitive. Now that I had put myself in his situation, maybe I’d react the same way. He told me he just needed time. We’d sort things out eventually, right? I needed to be patient with Gio. I’d wait for him because that’s what he always does. Perhaps it’s my turn to understand him.
After calming myself down, I walked back into our room. I changed and prepared for sleep.
I wanted to wait for Gio, but in the end, sleep overcame me.
The next morning, I immediately left the room, but Gio wasn’t there.
“Dario, do you know where Gio is?” I asked him.
Dario lowered his head before nodding. “Sir Gio left the country, Ma’am. It was urgent. Sir Grigory called him suddenly, and they need to go to Russia right now. He’s with Sir Arcel and Sir Valerio.”
I knew Grigory Sokolsky. I had read about him in the documents I studied before. He was Gio’s cousin and the current head of the Sokolsky family based in Russia.
My shoulders slumped at what I heard. It was disappointing that yet another day was passing without us resolving our differences.
“When is he coming back?” I adjusted my disposition. I couldn’t let others see that I was feeling down.
“He might be back on Saturday or Sunday, Ma’am.”
I recalled what day it was today. It was only Thursday. I had to wait for several more days. If I called him in Russia, would it help?