“Where, in fact, Gio is not at fault for the deaths of Marion’s parents. Sure, he was the one behind their financial ruin, but the one who killed Marion’s parents was none other than Nicolas Belleza.”
“B-But why would he do that? Aren’t they allies?” I asked Gianna.
“Yes, they do. They have a deal, but someone like Nicolas Belleza would find a way to stoke Marion’s anger towards my brother. Marion is furious at what Gio did to their company, but he became even more enraged when he believed that his parents died due to illness and all that had transpired. Even though, in reality, Marion’s parents were killed by the Belleza family.”
My lips quivered. At first, I had something to say, but with everything I had learned, I seemed to have forgotten what it was.
“If only Gio were the target, that would be fine with him, but no. I was involved, and that’s why the situation became chaotic. Even my foolish brother’s mind was in disarray because of your involvement. It’s Gio’s defense mechanism to push away the people he cares about when the situation becomes like this, to protect himself and his loved ones from his enemies and even from himself.”
I remembered everything Gio did from our early days of marriage up to the most recent events. He left me on the first night because he told me that someone wanted to kill me, he told those who took me to kill me so that he wouldn’t be seen as weak, and dragged into all their problems in life, and now, this annulment, because someone is trying to end my life again, and this time, I know the person.
“I’m not saying my brother is right, but, well, if I were in his shoes, I’d probably do worse than what he did,” Gianna said, her chilling smile returning. “Did I mention that my brother has no intention of marrying you, even though he has desired you since we were kids?”
My eyes widened at that revelation. I remembered seeing Gio a few times during my childhood, but it didn’t occur to me that he might have had feelings for me.
“Because this is the life he tried to avoid giving you, Millie. I tried to stop him several times, but he wouldn’t listen. He was so damn selfish for taking you away to what was supposed to be a peaceful life, and now look at your life, no matter how much you try to escape.”
“I’m not complaining,” I interjected amid her speech. “When I learned to love Gio, I also learned that this is the life I’ll have with him, and it’s okay with me. That’s why I adapted, right? That’s why I changed myself and became strong for him, just to fit into his world!”
“But this is not what Gio wants for you, Millie. You haven’t seen the worst of it. If your sister’s death was real and not part of Gio’s plan, do you think you could still say that? If someone close to you died, and you saw their death right before your eyes, do you think you could handle it? I don’t think so. And who do you think prevented all of that from happening? Gio.” She leaned back and crossed her legs. “Again, I’m not defending my brother here. In my eyes, he’s still foolish for choosing to marry you over standing by his words that he’d die alone.”
I fell silent, recalling the part about Sienna. When I learned that Sienna had died, I felt as though a significant part of me had vanished. I only felt alive again when I saw that she was still alive.
“You and Gio both have your flaws. You both have shortcomings. I don’t really care whether you reconcile or not; what I don’t want to see is our family falling apart along with your relationship. Because, honestly, if Gio neglects it because of you, we’ll all suffer.” She took a deep breath.
My hands clenched, but I remained silent. Her words pierced right through me. Gia talks to me straight, without hesitation, even if it hurts.
“Now that you’re out of the picture again, and Marion may think you’re dead or missing, they will change their strategies and plans. Even their target might change.” I said. Trying to convince Gianna.
“Gio, they’ll definitely focus on Gio, especially since my brother is not in his right mind due to your absence,”
I sighed. In that moment, I wanted to tell Gianna that I was going to show myself to Gio.
“But I’m not suggesting that you show yourself now. Your life will be in danger again. It’s better to use this opportunity to ensure your safety. I have a plan, but I need to think it over carefully. For now, just stay here until you recover.”
Gianna got up. She gazed at me for a moment before deciding to leave me alone again.
I remained in Gianna’s facility to continue my recovery. Sometimes Gia and I would talk, and she would update me on what was happening.
“Hi, Millie,” Kyrie greeted me as I crossed paths with her. I hadn’t seen her in a few days. “How are you?”
We exchanged pleasantries until we bumped into Gia and another woman while walking.
“Is she Gio’s wife?” the woman asked. Gianna didn’t respond, so Kyrie did.
“Yes, she is,” Kyrie replied to the woman.
“Oh, hi! I’m Carol. I’m Valerio’s sister and also Gio’s cousin. It’s quite a situation for us to meet like this. It reminds me of something. I also helped Kyrie and Carter back then. But being a good sister, I told Carter that Kyrie was perfect for him.” Carol then gave Gianna a meaningful look.
“The word ‘good’ and you don’t mix well, Carol. Don’t taint your name with kindness,” Gianna retorted coolly. She walked past us.
“Don’t mind her, Millie. That’s just how Gianna is, but she’s also concerned about you and Gio. Anyway, you can stay here as long as you want. Kyrie, you take care of her for now. Gia and I have something to discuss.”
Carol seemed nice. She appeared quite friendly.
“Don’t be fooled by Carol’s looks. She also likes to cause trouble among the cousins,” Kyrie chuckled. “But she’s actually nice once you get to know her. Just a bit of a troublemaker.”
I smiled at Kyrie, and we both walked. She showed me around their entire facility, and when I saw the training room, I told her that would be the first place I’d visit once I was feeling better.
“Does your dad know?” I couldn’t help but ask Gianna when we talked again.
“No,” she said. “No one in our family knows except for the two of us, Kyrie, and now Carol, with you here. Dad believes I’m in the country to help search for Marion since Gio doesn’t seem to care about anything else as long as he has eyes on you. I have a lead, but I’m not sure if Marion is hiding there. We need to infiltrate to find out.”