Page 32 of Shattered Choices

I hear the commotion of people as I raise my head, but my eyes are blurry, more from the bottle of liquor I drank than the hit I just received. I blink a few times before I can see a little clearer as I’m brought to my knees. My smile brightens as my eyes meet the person I’m kneeling in front of.

My angel, my Bella, my heart, is here. Her hair is a mess, and her robe is covering her short nightgown. Her face is clear of any makeup and she’s barefoot.

I hear the clicking of a gun from behind her and Pino shows up, pointing his weapon at me. My smile fades as my brain interprets what I see; he is only in his boxers.

My body shivers, thinking she’s moved on. I don’t even want to think of him sleeping in her bed.

Her brown eyes narrow. “You’re drunk.”

I laugh. “Guilty.”

She crosses her arms. “I told you to leave.”

I shake my head. “I couldn’t leave. I guess I was wrong.” I look her up and down, and then I look at Pino.

She lowers herself a little until her eyes meet mine. “Leave. This is your last warning.” She glances at Pino and walks away.

The man holding me raises me to my feet at Pino’s order. “Why are you so stubborn? Haven’t you had enough rejection?”

I laugh. “You don’t know shit about me. Do you think you’re all that important? That you hit the jackpot with your arrangementto marry Isabella? Well, guess again. She is still my wife.” I struggle, but I manage to lean forward into his face. “But know this, I was her first. It was my cock, my fingers, and my mouth that get her off. That explored her body. I’m the one who will live in her memories until she dies. You’re only getting my leftovers.”

He shakes his head and grins like an idiot before his fist finds my face. The stabbing pain hits me, and I see stars. I should have landed on something, but I don’t because his henchman is holding me. The second punch is in my gut, and all the air leaves my lungs. I don’t get to recover before a hand lands on my head and pulls at my hair, lifting it. The other side of my face meets the same destiny when his other fist hits me. He grabs me by my neck and his knee meets my gut over and over.

I don’t know when I lost consciousness, but when I wake up, my face is pulsing, and my body is shaking from the cold. I open my eyes, look around, and realize I’m in the basement of the villa. I try to move, but my hands are bound to the chair, behind my back.

I laugh darkly. Is this my end? Will she let them kill me so she can be free of me?

I try to free myself, but the binds on my hands and legs are too tight. These men know how to do their job.

My eyes land on the stained floor in the corner of the room; is this where they kill people?

“Don’t worry. That stain is old, and it’s from spilled wine, not blood.”

My eyes follow the old, raspy voice I know as Domenico Ruggeri’s. He is probably here to kill me, so his daughter can live a happy life with her new husband.

“Pino did a number on you, I see.” With his hand behind his back, he slowly walks toward me. “I would do a better job, but then again, I’m too old for that, and you deserve even more than you got.”

I inhale and lower my head. “I deserved that.”

He chuckles. “Have you learned the consequences of your choices? Was it worth it?”

My eyes meet his. “Of course I learned. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Ahh. I see.” He walks in slow steps around me. “What did you learn?”

My brows furrow, and I try to find an answer that will satisfy him, but I need to think.

“So? What is your answer?” he pushes.

“I don’t think that is any of your business. What I did and what I regret is on me.”

He chuckles. “Is that so? What you did hurt my daughter. How is that not my business?”

Maybe he is right, but I will not give him any ammunition against me.

“If you want to kill me, then do it. But this therapy session is not happening,” I say through gritted teeth.

He stops in front of me and narrows his eyes. “Oh, this is not therapy, don’t worry. And I don’t plan on killing you.”

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