Valentina.
“It’s now or never.”
I had no idea where my mother was residing, but Isabella definitely thought she was still in our old mansion because she drove us there in a secret car from her secret apartment garage.
There was so much I did not know about my sister.
Isabella had remained quiet beside me during the drive, the occasional clench of her jaw or a glance toward me was the only sign that she was equally tensed.
We weren’t taking an easy task.
Our mother, Gloria Russo, was no simple woman. She had always been the master manipulator, weaving stories and controlling our lives. Plus, I knew she was still mad because I never helped her with Giovanni and our father’s case.
But I hoped that beneath the icy exterior, there might be some plausible explanation for why she did what she did.
Something to help me see my mother as something more than a monster.
Isabella pulled the car to a stop in front of the Russo mansion, the massive iron gates opening slowly as we were waved inside. The air seemed to immediately thicken with tension, and the moment I stepped out of the car, I felt the weight of the place press down on my shoulders.
“Are you ready?” Isabella asked, her voice low but steady.
I couldn’t help but swallow hard, forcing myself to nod. “I have to be.”
We walked in silence through the wide halls of the mansion, our footsteps echoing off the marble floors. I had played on those floors.
The house was dark, save for a few dim lights casting shadows along the walls.
It had always felt cold to me, but now it almost seemed like I was in a frozen wasteland with no coat.
There was no one around. No servants like we used to have. We just walked to the one room our mother would be in at this time of the day.
Seated in a plush chair, her posture regal, and her sharp eyes watching us with a thinly veiled disdain.
Mom hadn’t changed much. Her dark hair was pulled back into a thick bun, makeup flawless, and gaze cold as ice. She barely spared a look at me as she gestured toward the two chairs opposite her.
“Sit.” Mom commanded, her voice smooth and authoritative.
I hesitated… just for a moment but enough to catch Isabella’s eyes before I sat down across my mother. Isabella remained standing though, her arms crossed, defiant and unyielding.
Always the rebel.
“You wanted to see me,” Mom said, her tone clipped. “Why?”
Maybe because you sold my sister.
“We have questions. We need answers.”
Mom’s lips curled into a slight sneer. “Answers? What could you possibly want from me now? Haven’t you gotten enough?” Her gaze flickered to Isabella. “Both of you.”
The bitterness in her voice was unmistakable, and something in me clenched tightly.
She was definitely still mad about that day with Giovanni. Filled with so much anger that whatever hope I had to have a civil conversation was rapidly diminishing.
“You owe us the truth,” I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady. “Why did you do it? Sell us out? Why did you let this happen to us?”
Mom raised a perfectly curved eyebrow, her expression now unreadable. “Let? Do you think I had a choice?”
“There’s always a choice,” Isabella expertly cut in, her voice sharper than glass. “You chose yourself over us. Power over your daughters.”
Mom’s grey eyes flickered with something.. regret, anger? It was hard to tell. But she didn’t respond right away. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs and folding her hands neatly in her thighs.
“You have no idea what I’ve sacrificed,” Her voice was laced with bitterness when she finally spoke up. “You think you’re the only ones who suffered? I did what I had to do to protect this family.”
“Protect us?” Isabella scoffed. “You threw me into the hand of an imposter. I had to be rescued by another one who was even worse.”
“I secured our future!” Mom snapped, the calm veneer cracking for the first time. Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at Isabella. “Do you think I enjoyed watching you get taken? Do you think I didn’t care when Valentina had to take your place. But what choice did I have? Your father was dead, his empire crumbling, and I thought… I thought I had a lead on who killed him…”
But you didn’t help.
I could practically hear the accusation in her voice.
Isabella let out a harsh laugh. “So you sold us to men who didn’t care about us? To find justice for a man as cruel as the others.”
Mom stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor as she rose to her full height. “You have no idea the pressure I was under! Your father.. he left us with nothing. Nothing! You were children, and I had no one. Securing your places in those families was the least I could do to keep you alive.”
“You didn’t know a thing about them.” My own voice trembled with rage. “You gave us out for your ambition, for your own greed.”
Mom’s face tightened, her eyes narrowing on me. “You don’t understand how this world works. It’s kill or be killed. If I hadn’t made that deal with Dante, you wouldn’t even be standing here today.”
“Dante was dead. You gave me to an inposter that did horrible, horrible things to me. I was dying.”
Mom turned her gaze to Isabella, her eyes hardening even more after what she heard. “You had always been stubborn, so I’m sure you deserved what you had gotten. And as for you…” Her voice dripped with disdain as she looked at me. “You were suppsoed to be the obedient one. The one who would help me the most. Instead, you’ve been nothing but a disappointment.”
I had never heard of a heart physically breaking.
But at that moment, I was so sure I could hear the snap of mine.
Destroyed.
I had always known my mom not to be the forgiving sort, but this…. hearing this was worse than what I’d expected.
Isabella stepped forward, her face expressionless. “You’re pathetic. You think you’ve secured anything? Look at where we are. Matteo and Luca are at war, and this family is falling apart. You sacrificed everything for nothing.”
Mom’s eyes flashed with anger, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she turned away from us, her back rigid as she looked out the window.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest despite everything it just went through. I had come here for answers, but all I got was more pain.
“Tell us the truth,” I didn’t know when the demand flew out of my lips, my voice shaking. “Was it just for power, dad, or is there something else?”
Mom was silent for a long moment, her gaze still fixed on the dark night outside. When she finally spoke, she sounded a thousand years older. Resigned.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. The damage is done. You’ve made your choices, and I’ve made mine. There’s nothing left to say.”
I stared at my mother, my chest tightening with a mix of anger and sadness.
I had hoped for something.. an explanation that made sense, but she was still the same cold, unfeeling woman she had always been.
“Fine,” I said, standing up. “If that’s how you want it. But don’t think we’re done here.”
Mom didn’t turn around, didn’t show that she acknowledged my words. She remained standing by the window, silent and unmoving.
“I hope you suffer.” Isabella gave me a small nod after she said that, and together, we turned and left the room.
As we stepped out into the night, I felt the weight of my Mom’s betrayal settle deeper.
We had come for answers, but now it was clear. We would have to find our own way forward.
As we got into the car, Isabella spoke softly, her voice hard and determined.
“She’ll never tell us anything. We need to make her.”
I nodded.
This wasn’t over. And I needed Matteo.