Page 65 of Deadly Vows

She finally turns to look at me with horror in her eyes. My irritation grows within me, but not for her, for me, as a foreign feeling swells up within me.

Guilt.

But I keep my expression blank.

“God, Luca. Why? What did he ever do to you? Be born to the wrong family? How long are you going to torture us for something our father did—” She trails off, realizing her mistake, but quickly abandons her fear as anger takes over.

“I thought you, of all people, would understand the pain of having a murdered parent. How could you consciously do that to him? He had nothing to do with any of this,” she whispers.

I release a deep breath, reaching for her.

“Elise—”

“Don’t! Don’t touch me!” She snaps, slapping my hand away. “You’re a fucking monster.”

Her gaze remains locked to mine as we glare at one another. I don’t have a response. She’s right about all of it. She shakes her head, quickly getting out of the car, slamming the door behind her as she storms into the house.

“Fuck!” I scream, hitting the steering wheel in frustration.

The weight in my chest feels unfamiliar to me, and it only angers me further. The fact that she can look at me as if I am the monster. I am the one who protected her from her father, I am the one who saved her brother, I am the one who continues to protect her from what remains out there to destroy her. Me. Not anyone else.

Yet she sees everything that I do for my family through the eyes of disgust. All of this—every last piece of this is because ofher father. He started this. And because of my weakness, I have willingly placed myself in the middle of it. But no more.

I’m going to end it.

I reach for my gun, pulling it out before making my way into the house. She should be dead now. She should have died in that warehouse with her father, just as my father warned me. Keeping her alive will only bring more trouble.

The house is silent as I walk past each room in search for her. I’ve never felt such a heavy weight in my chest before killing anyone. Never. But as I make my way up the steps, and a melody pours itself into the hallway, I hesitate.

I slowly approach the door to Elise’s practice room, pushing it open slightly. Her back is to me as she sways gently to the music she plays. I make sure my footsteps are slow as I quietly enter the room. Each step I take brings me closer and closer to sealing my wife’s fate. The fate her own father had ready for her the day her bastard brother was born.

And as I stand directly behind her, lifting my weapon to the back of her skull, she continues to play that lovely melody. She is so immersed that her eyes are closed.

I run my finger over the trigger. Just one pull, and it can be over. Both of our sufferings can end here. And we will no longer be pawns of those who came before us.

I squeeze the trigger.

Lightly.

My heart pounds in my ears, making it difficult to breathe. I can’t do it. I won’t.

I take a slow step back, determined not to disturb Elise, who is so immersed in her song that she is unaware of the danger lurking behind her, just as she has never been a day in her life.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Elise

Luca is avoiding me. I haven’t seen him since I left the car, and the sun has begun to set. It’s out of character for him, especially since we didn’t part on good terms. But I know everything going on behind the scenes has been leading up to this. There have been more deaths than Enzo’s mother, meaning the war between our families is possibly coming to a head. But I’ll never know that unless I can get Luca to talk to me. And I don’t know how possible that is after everything that’s been said.

I pull in a shuddering breath, dropping my head in my hands. I know why Luca took Enzo in and even protected him from the wrath of the Pasquinos. But I can’t fathom why he would kill the one parent Enzo had left in this world. And in such a brutal way. What does he expect from my brother now? Does he really think he can control him if he ever finds out the truth? At this point, even the great Luca Pasquino is playing with fire.

The front door opening pulls me from my thoughts, and I quickly move from the living room to see if Luca has finallyreturned. But it isn’t Luca. It’s Nicolai, and to my shock, Enzo trails hesitantly behind him. Enzo looks up at the sound of my footsteps, his eyes widening when he sees me.

“What’s going on?” I ask, looking at Nicolai.

“Luca said to bring him,” Nicolai says, watching me carefully. He shifts his attention to Luca’s office door, which is closed with the lights off, before looking back at me.

“Is he here? He isn’t answering his phone,” he says.

---