Valentina.
“Are we there yet?” Isabella said, groaning with every step she took.
The sun was beginning to dip below the treeline, casting shadows over the rugged path as we liked through the dense forest.
I understood her torment. Each step felt heavier than the last, though I barely registered the strain in my legs. My attention was focused on Isabella, who trudged beside me, her face pale and her eyes hollow.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmured, reaching out to steady her as she stumbled over a root. “We’re almost there.”
Or I thought we were.
I had no idea where we were going to or when we intended to get there. But a little positivity never went the wrong well.
She nodded, though her eyes remained distant, her thoughts clearly miles away.
I wanted to say something more… something comforting… but words felt useless now.
The weight of what we’d lost, what Caterina had sacrificed, was still too raw.
Gosh.
She was more of a mother to me than my own mother had been for years.
She taught me so much…
I forced down the sob about to escape from my throat. This wasn’t the time, nor the place to cry. I would do that later.
As the shadows lengthened, I spotted the outline of a small cabinnup ahead, barely visible through the trees.
Finally.
That had to be it.
“Look, Bella,” I said, pointing. “That must be it.”
Isabella’s shoulders relaxed slightly as she followed my gaze. We picked up the pace, trudging the last few steps until we reached the wooden door.
Reed had been silent for so long that I almost jumped out of my skin when he pushed me a bit to the side so he could knock on the door, the sound echoing through the quiet forest.
Once.
Knocked again.
Twice.
The door creaked open on the third try, and a tall, wiry nab with sharp eyes and dark hair stood in the doorway. His grey eyes swept over us, cool and assessing.
“Valentina and Isabella?” He asked, his tone matter of fact. He acted like he couldn’t see the brute by my side.
And the brute, in turn, ignored him.
I nodded, clutching Isabella’s hand tighter. “Yes. And you are…?”
He stepped back, gesturing for us to enter. “Marco,” he said simply. “Caterina’s son.”
Oh no.
This wasn’t just some man who lived in the woods.
This was her son… her family.
His words hung in the air while I studied his face, searching for some sign of resemblance to Caterina. The eyes. The way they narrowed. The nose. The curve of the lips. He didn’t seem like someone who was actively searching for his mother within our group.
Oh, well.
Once we were inside, Marco shut the door behind us, turning to face us again.
“I’ll show you your rooms,” He said briskly, leading us down a narrow hallway. “It’s not much, but it’s safe.”
It was way better than my last living arrangements, so I couldn’t complain.
The cabin was small but sturdy, with bare walls and only the most basic furnishings. Marco led us to a tiny room at the end of the hall with two narrow beds pushed against opposite walls.
“Caterina used to stay here, but it’s yours now,” he said with a neutral tone like he was announcing the news. “He can stay with me in my room, but I’ll be in the main room if you need anything.”
Caterina.
He didn’t call her mom.
“Thank you,” I murmured, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and unease.
How would I break the news to him.
Reed placed a hand on Marco’s shoulder. “Come on, I need to tell you something.”
Marco snorted. “Don’t start, asshole.” He turned to me, then paused, reaching into his pocket. “Before she left… Caterina asked me to give you this.”
He held out a folded piece of paper, his expression still unreadable.
What was it?
“What is it?” I asked, taking the paper cautiously.
And why would she want to give me a note when she knew she was the one coming to rescue me.
“Just a note,” he said with a shrug. “She didn’t say much, just that you’d understand.”
I couldn’t argue with that. And Isabella was much too weak for me to waste my time asking more questions.
She needed to eat. We needed a bath. And we needed to sleep.
I gave him a curt nod, clutching the note tightly as he turned and walked away, Reed right behind him.
He didn’t bother to spare me another glance. Asshole.
I helped Isabella onto the edge of one of the beds, my heart sinking even further every time I saw her unfocused eyes.
Whatever that bastard had done to her, I would make sure I used his blood to wash my hands when I was done with him.
“We’re safe here, Bella.” I murmured, hoping she could feel the reassurance from my words and the comforting hand I rested on her shoulder. “We’ll figure the rest of this situation out. Together.”
Hopefully.
My sister nodded slowly, her eyes filling with fresh tears. “Do you… do you think Caterina’s death wasn’t in vain? Perhaps if we had left the town and country instead of meeting up with Mother, then things would have gone way differently.”
I wouldn’t have met Reed. I never would have been sold in that horrible, horrible place.
This horrible tattoo wouldn’t be on me.
And worse of all, Matteo wouldn’t have had to make the mistake of choosing being the Don over being with me.
I swallowed hard, fighting back the thick lump in my throat. “I have to believe that, Bella.”
She gave a shaky nod, wiping her eyes. I hugged her gently, feeling her lean into the embrace, her breathing finally evening out.
Food could wait. A scrub clean could wait.
What couldn’t wait was the peaceful sleep Isabella needed after all that.
Once she was resting, I turned my attention to the folded note Marco had given to me, still clutched tightly in my hand.
My fingers trembled as I unfolded it, bracing myself for whatever message Caterina had left behind.
But it wasn’t her.
The handwriting was unmistakable, every stroke and loop painfully familiar.
Two simple words stared back at me, written with Matteo’s hand.
“Trust me.”
Those damn words had been following me ever since I got married into the Nevarro family.
Trust. The easiest thing to break.
I stared at the words, my heart pounding as a mixture of fear and hope flooded through me.
Matteo hadn’t left me.