I knew that given time, she would’ve asked me to take care of her child and husband when she was gone; that’s what I was aiming for. But then she hit me with the news that there was a chance she could be cured, and I saw it all drifting away again. I couldn’t go back to being the nobody I’d been, not after building those dreams in my head. I’d made a promise to my kid, one that I meant to keep.
It wasn’t that hard even, just a few more drops of the prescribed medication, so even if anyone looked, there wouldn’t be anything suspicious. No one would’ve suspected me of anything, but that bitch had to see more than she was supposed to. Now my life is being turned upside down. I know Felix, if there’s even a sliver of doubt, he’d never let me back in, not when it comes to his precious Adrienne.
We’d been man and wife longer than they had been, and still, he would never put me before her. I know, somewhere deep inside, I know that it’s over, but my mind refuses to give up. The thought of starting over again is tiring, but what can I do? I can’t just let it all end like this. I have to find a way; there must be a way to get out of this hole that Russo brat had dug for me.
* * *
GABRIEL
* * *
Moving people around like chess pieces shouldn’t be this easy, and yet it is. I almost wish I had more time to play, but Paris lingers on the horizon, and I have even bigger fish to fry. By now, Victoria should be settling into her new home, at least her home for the next little while, as long as is needed to keep her away from Gianna and give her a head start.
I have no doubt she’s smart enough to find her way back here somehow, but by the time she’s released, Gianna should be long gone from here and out of her reach. As for Becky, I have other plans for her. Ideally, she should be put away for life for the murder of Gianna’s mom, but to do that, we’d have to exhume Adrienne’s body, something I’m sure would haunt Gianna for the rest of her life. I can’t have that.
So, I’d come up with another plan. Something that would make all the players pay for their part in this farce, but I have to tread carefully. One wrong step, and it could all blow up in my face. If I was going to be here for her, I would’ve done things a little different, but because I’m not and because I don’t trust her father, I have to go to the extreme to protect her when I’m gone.
Right now, I’m playing with my food, giving them both a taste of their own medicine. For all the years of rear and isolation she felt, I’m giving them double. I don’t expect them to change; there’s no cure for a psychotic sociopath, no medicine they can take to make them better. If I thought there was, maybe then I’d go easy on them, give them a chance to redeem themselves.
But Victoria is a lost cause, and Becky is just too far gone with her greed to turn back to anything resembling human. I’m pretty sure if Gianna knew what I was up to, she’d feel pity for them even after all they’ve done, but I know they’d use that against her; that’s why I have to destroy them completely so that there’s no way back in.
Felix, well, his trials haven’t even begun. I hold him most responsible for what had been done to her, so it’s only fair that he pays a bigger price. I’m just waiting until she’s out of here, miles away, before I set the last stage in motion. Two more days, and then I’ll give him that final push.
DRACO
“What am I paying you four for again?”
“Sir?” Reel it in Draco; you can’t blame them for not being able to do what you yourself can’t. Yeah, but I’m at the end of my rope. I’ve been racing against the clock in the last couple of weeks, trying to get ahead of my son and failing miserably.
It’s not just the Sicily situation that has me on edge these days either, but my son seems to have gone rogue in a way that not even I expected. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that the only reason I know anything about his doings is because he’s allowing me to. What do I mean by that? The boy has straight-up run an Op singlehandedly from his bedroom where he knows I can easily see what he’s up to.
I’m not sure, but I think my guys are having way more fun working with him than they ever did with me. Of course, I’m the mook who’s trying to go legit while these fucks live for the dark side. I guess they were getting bored with my shit, and he’s lit a spark under their asses. It would be funny if it wasn’t true.