217

217
Matteo’s POV
Alaric’s mansion was quieter than I expecred. It wasn’t crawling with guards and there wasn’t any sound of gunshots. That was basically what I expexted. That the house would be crawling with guards who were holding big guns and would scare me away once they see me.
I was thoroughly disappointed with the peaceful and quiet environment that I was staring at. I walked to the front door and was about to knock when Emilia opened it, and the sight of her stopped me cold. She looked… different. Tired, worn, like someone who’d fought a battle they hadn’t been prepared for. But then there was something else. A subtle glow I couldn’t understand.
“Matteo,” she said, her voice soft but warm.
“Hey,” I said, stepping in and pulling her into a hug. I held her for longer than I meant to, not letting her pull away until I was sure she was really there, in one piece.
“You okay?” I asked, stepping back to look at her.
She gave me a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m better now. Come in.”
The living room was cozy, but my focus was on her so I didn’t ogle the house like I would have done in a normal situation. She motioned for me to sit, and I sank into the couch, watching her as she perched on the edge of the armchair. She seemed nervous.
“I’m glad you came,” she said. “There’s… a lot to explain.”
“Yeah,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended. “I’d been trying to reach you for weeks, Em. Do you know how worried I was?”
She flinched, and I immediately felt like an ass.
“I know,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to shut you out, Matteo. It’s just-everything happened so fast, and I didn’t know how to deal with it.”
“Then start from the beginning,” I said, leaning forward. “I need to know what’s going on, Emilia. All of it. Not that halft truth, half lies bullshit story you fed me on the phone.”
She hesitated, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “It started with Alaric,” she began.
My stomach tightened at the mention of his name. I didn’t like him. Hell, I didn’t even know him that much, but what I did know was enough. A mafia don? No way was he good news.
“We were… are seeing each other,” she said, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I know you know what I mean, so don’t ask me to explain myself further because I won’t.”
“Seeing each other,” I repeated flatly.
She nodded, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. “We went on a date. Just a quiet night out, nothing extravagant. But on the way back, we were ambushed.”
The word hit me like a punch. “Ambushed? By who?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But they knew who we were. They were waiting for us. They shot Alaric.”
I stiffened. “And you?”
“They took me,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “While Alaric was bleeding out in the street, they dragged me away.”
I clenched my fists, anger rising in me like a wave. “Why didn’t I know about this? Why didn’t you call me the moment you got out?”
“Matteo, I couldn’t,” she said, her tone pleading. “It wasn’t that simple.”
“Then make it simple,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “What happened after they took you?”
She took a deep breath, her hands gripping the edge of the chair. “They brought me to a warehouse. But then their boss, alonso, came and took me to his house.”
“Alonso?” I frowned. The name sounded vaguely familiar.
“He’s…” She paused, her lips pressing together like she was bracing herself. “He claims to be my father, Matteo.”
For a moment, I just stared at her. “What?”
“He says I’m his daughter,” she said quietly. “That my real name is Alessandra. That I was kidnapped from him and my mother was killed while she was trying to protect me or something like that.”
“Who is he?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around this.
“A mafia don,” she said, her voice heavy with resignation.
The words hung in the air between us, sharp and cutting.
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make sense. Mom and dad wouldn’t-they wouldn’t hide something like that. They wouldn’t keep something like that from us.”
“Wouldn’t they?” Emilia asked, her tone bitter. “You know how they are, Matteo. Always so good at pretending everything’s fine, keeping secrets to protect us.”
I didn’t have an answer for that.
“Anyway,” she continued, “Alonso kept me there. He wanted me to embrace this identity, to become Alessandra. But I couldn’t… I wouldn’t. I ran away.”
“How?”
She hesitated, then said, “I just did.”
“And you came straight here?” I demanded. The guilt in my eyes told me enough. “Why am I not surprised?” I muttered.
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Don’t start, Matteo.”
“I’m just saying,” I said, leaning back against the couch. “It’s convenient, isn’t it? That this guy-this mafia don you’re so involved with-just happens to not have guards around the day you were kidnapped.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she snapped.
“Wasn’t it?” I shot back.
She glared at me, but she didn’t respond right away. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter, more measured. “I know you don’t trust him, Matteo. And I don’t blame you. But you don’t know him like I do.”
“Emilia, he’s a criminal,” I said bluntly. “A dangerous one. You can’t just-”
“I love him,” she interrupted, her voice cutting through mine.
The words stopped me cold.
“What?”
“I love him,” she said again, softer this time. “And he loves me. He’s not perfect, Matteo, but he’s been there for me in ways no one else ever has.”
I stared at her, trying to process what she’d just said. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said finally.
Her jaw tightened. “I’m not.”
“Emilia, this is insane,” I said, standing up and pacing the room. “You can’t-he’s-he’s Alaric, for God’s sake! You know what he does, don’t you? What he’s capable of?”
“Of course I do,” she said, standing as well. “But that doesn’t change how I feel.”
I turned to face her, anger and disbelief swirling inside me. “Do you even hear yourself right now? You’re defending a man who lives in a world of violence and crime. Do you really think that’s the kind of life you want?”
“It’s not about what I want,” she said, her voice steady. “It’s about who I want to be with. And I want to be with him.”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to calm myself down. “You’re making a mistake, Emilia. A huge one.”
She crossed her arms, her expression defiant. “Maybe I am. But it’s my mistake to make.”
I stared at her, searching for something-anything-that would make her see reason. But all I saw was steel determination in her eyes.
“And there’s one more thing,” she said, her voice softer now.
“What?” I asked warily.
“He proposed,” she said, her gaze steady. “And I said yes.”
I froze, the words sinking in like a stone in water.
“You said yes?”
She nodded.
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.”
“Matteo-”
“No,” I said, cutting her off. “You don’t get to just drop this on me and expect me to be okay with it. You’re my sister, Emilia. I love you. But this? This is… I can’t support this.”
Her face fell, but she didn’t argue.
“I’ll always have your back,” I said, my voice quieter now. “But I can’t pretend to be happy about this. Not with him.”
She nodded slowly, and for the first time since I’d arrived, she looked… unsure.
“I just hope you know what you’re doing,” I said finally.
“So do I,” she whispered.