Page 47 of Deadly Vows

Luca leans back in his seat, his eyes visibly darkening as he crosses his arms over his lap. “Have you?”

Silence passes between us, and I know I should sit down and take this conversation in a different direction. But I never do what I should. Not when it comes to Luca.

“He’s only a kid. You’re going to have him wipe out his own family?” I ask.

“A kid? He’s a year away from legally being an adult. When I found him, he was pick-pocketing in a club. He’s more than capable of following orders,” he says nonchalantly.

“To slaughter his own family? You’re going to rob him of his innocence for what? To get your sick and twisted revenge on my family?” I ask.

Now Luca stands, his gaze never wavering.

“My revenge? What about your revenge? Or would you rather just let it all pass without acknowledgment, right? You want to sweep everything that you came from under the rug and judge me from the fake pedestal your father created for you?” he snaps.

“That’s not—”

“I’m done having this conversation with you, Elise. I told you that if you wanted to fix what was broken, you needed to come to terms with all of this. But you’re still fighting me. How do you think your brother will live once everyone realizes who he is? He’ll be dead within hours. I’m giving him a chance to prove his loyalty,” he says.

“By forcing him into our fucked up world?” I ask.

“Yes. As your shitty father was going to do at your expense,” he says.

I don’t have a response for him. We both look at each other as silence passes between us until Luca finally breaks that silence.

“You know what? I’m sick of this. Why don’t you take your brother and return to your family? See how they welcome you. According to William, you had a big hand in ending your father’slife. I’m sure they’ll accept you with open arms,” he says, shoving past me.

My frustration boils to the surface as he leaves. He’s right. I need him if I want to protect my brother or even myself. I have nowhere to go. And if my family takes him in, placing him at the front as their leader, Luca will kill him, the same as he did with my father. I am once again at someone’s mercy, and I hate it. I have no voice. I never did. I am everyone’s pawn to play with, including Luca’s.

“You’re mine.”

The words trigger a rage in me that is so deep, so dark, and so defeated that my eyes frantically fly over the room for an escape, in any sense of the word. My breathing comes out in soft pants as a sense of euphoria washes over me. A decision that will give me release. And will make it so that I am never at anyone’s mercy again. So that I won’t have to hear or watch the massacre unfold.

I chuckle aloud.

It’s not as if I ever had an actual purpose anyway.

I silently cross the room to Luca’s desk, my eyes falling on the paperweight on the edge. My fingers are calm as I reach for it, and everything around me feels more vivid.

“Elise.” I hear my name, but I ignore it as I aim for the large mirror Luca keeps in the corner. The loud crash of glass fills the room that I’ve always hated. It’s almost poetic: My last moments will be in this room.

“Elise, what the hell—”

I pick up the sharpest shard from the pile, holding it firm. The pain of it slicing through my palm feels amazing. I am more in control than I have ever been. I release a soft chuckle as I turn to face Luca. Anger is evident in his features, and as he sees me with the shard in my hands, his eyes narrow.

“Really? So this is how it’s going to be? You’re going to threaten me now with that? Did you not learn your lesson last time—”

“This isn’t for you,” I say.

Luca’s eyes widen in shock as I run the shard over my wrist.

“Fuck!” he screams, crossing the room, but he’s too far away to stop me as I cut through my other wrist as well. I drop the shard, stumbling as the pain sends a wave of ice over me—thick waves of blood spill from my wrists, staining his floors. And I find myself hoping that he is never able to get it out. I pray that he has to remove the floor entirely so that my existence can be taken from this room.

I smile as I lower myself into the pile of glass lying on my back. The ceiling is vaulted and so high. Luca, being the extravagant man that he is, placed a beautiful chandelier in the center of it. It makes me feel at peace as I watch it, awaiting my death.

Luca suddenly appears in my line of vision, his panicked expression causing me irritation as he frantically tries to cover my wrists with a cloth. I quickly yank my arms from his grip, shoving him, but it does little to move him since I am weak at this point.

“Don’t touch me,” I whisper. “Just let me die.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

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