Chapter 44

*Elio POV*

I drove in silence, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. The engine’s low rumble filled the void of my thoughts as I replayed the events of the past twenty-four hours in my mind, over and over. Moretti’s words echoed in my head, taunting me like the cruel bastard he was. He had taken Grace, tortured her, and dared to use her as bait, all to test my patience and my resolve. And worse, he reveled in the fact that she had believed I would come for her.

She had *trusted* me. Even after everything, after the lies and the games I played to push her away, Grace had held onto the belief that I would save her.

And I almost hadn’t.

The guilt gnawed at me, threatening to pull me under. I had wanted to kill Moretti on the spot—end his miserable life right then and there—but I knew I needed more than just revenge. I needed answers, a clear understanding of every move he had made against me and why. Only then could I ensure that when I finally ended him, there would be no loose ends left to tie up. No chance for another Moretti to rise in his place.

Matteo would get those answers. He was skilled, patient in a way that I wasn’t right now. I trusted him to extract every last detail from Moretti before the bastard’s life ended in the most excruciating way possible. But for now, I had to focus on Grace.

Grace.

The mere thought of her in pain, her body bruised and broken, made something primal stir deep inside me. I had seen her strength, her defiance, and her will to survive. But she had suffered because of me, because of this life she was never meant to be a part of.

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to fix that. Or if I even could.

As I approached the mansion, my phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen, recognizing Matteo’s number.

“Yeah?” I answered, pulling into the driveway.

“I’ve got him talking,” Matteo said, his voice rough from hours of interrogation. “He’s spilled most of it, but there’s more. He was working with someone else.”

I paused, my grip tightening on the phone. “Who?”

“We don’t know yet. But Moretti hinted at someone bigger, someone behind the scenes. I’ll get the name soon.”

“Good,” I muttered. “Keep going. I want every single name. Then end him.”

“You got it, boss.”

I ended the call and shoved the phone back into my pocket. Moretti wasn’t just some low-level thug; he was part of a bigger network, a web of people with influence and power. Finding out who had orchestrated this whole thing was crucial. But first, I needed to see Grace.

I pushed the door open and strode into the mansion. It was quiet, almost too quiet, but the tension in the air was palpable. Eleonor appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes widening slightly when she saw me.

“She’s resting,” she said softly, her voice filled with concern. “She’s in pain, but she’s strong. She’ll heal.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I wasn’t sure what I was going to say when I saw Grace, how I was going to explain everything that had happened or what was going on now. But I knew one thing for sure—I couldn’t keep her in the dark anymore.

I climbed the stairs two at a time and headed down the hallway toward Grace’s room. My footsteps felt heavy, each step echoing with the weight of what I had to face. When I reached her door, I hesitated for a brief moment before knocking softly.

“Come in,” her voice called, faint but steady.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Grace was sitting up in bed, propped up by pillows. Her face was bruised, her lip swollen, but even through the pain, there was a resilience in her eyes that took my breath away. She was a fighter—more than I had ever given her credit for.

“Elio,” she said, her voice breaking the silence between us.

I crossed the room and stood at the edge of her bed, unsure of how to begin. The sight of her like this—injured, vulnerable—made me want to tear the world apart to protect her. But I knew that wouldn’t erase the damage already done.

“Grace,” I murmured, my voice low. “I’m sorry.”

She looked up at me, her gaze softening. “You saved me. That’s all that matters.”

“No, it’s not.” I shook my head, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “You shouldn’t have been in that situation to begin with. I let you get hurt, Grace. I didn’t protect you.”

Her eyes searched mine for a moment, and then she sighed. “Elio, this isn’t your fault. I chose to be here. I chose to be a part of this life, knowing the risks.”

“But you didn’t choose this.” I gestured to her bruised body, the evidence of her suffering. “You didn’t choose to be tortured, to be used as bait.”

Her silence weighed heavy, but when she finally spoke, her voice was steady. “No, I didn’t. But I trusted you to come for me. And you did.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I had spent so long pushing her away, trying to convince myself that I was doing the right thing by keeping her at arm’s length. But Grace had always seen through that. She had trusted me when I wasn’t even sure I trusted myself.

“You shouldn’t have trusted me,” I said, my voice hoarse.

“Why not?” she asked, her eyes locking onto mine. “You’ve always done what needed to be done, Elio. Even if you thought you were protecting me by keeping me away, you were still watching over me. I knew you would come.”

I exhaled slowly, the weight of her words settling over me. “Grace… there’s so much more going on than you know. This isn’t over. Moretti was just the beginning.”

She frowned, wincing slightly as she shifted in bed. “What do you mean?”

“There’s someone else,” I explained, pacing the room as I spoke. “Moretti was working with someone higher up, someone pulling the strings. Matteo’s getting the name, but it’s clear this was all part of something bigger. And until we find out who, I can’t rest.”

Grace nodded slowly, absorbing my words. “So, what now?”

“Now,” I said, turning to face her, “I make sure you’re safe. No matter what. And I find the people responsible for this.”

She smiled weakly, her eyes filled with a quiet determination. “I’m not going anywhere, Elio. We’ll do this together.”

Her words were a balm to the guilt I had been carrying. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a sliver of hope. Grace was strong, stronger than I had ever realized. And together, we would find a way to end this.

No matter the cost.