Chapter 185 – The Truth That Buried Him

Chapter 185 – The Truth That Buried Him

Lila POV
“Get down!”
Marco’s voice tore through the air just as the first gunshot echoed inside the mansion.
Everything happened too fast.
One second, I was standing in front of Dante, trying to process his words.
War.
Watching.
And the next—
Chaos.
Dante grabbed my arm hard and pulled me down just as another shot shattered the glass behind us.
I flinched, my ears ringing.
“What the hell is happening?!” I shouted.
“Stay down,” Dante said sharply.
Footsteps thundered across the hallway.
Guards.
More shouting.
More gunfire.
My heart slammed against my chest.
“This is what I was talking about,” Dante said, his voice low but urgent.
“What do you mean?!”
“They’re here.”
“Who?!”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he pulled me behind a wall, shielding me with his body as another round of shots rang out.
“Dante!”
His eyes met mine.
Dark.
Serious.
No lies.
“Listen to me carefully,” he said. “You don’t have time to argue with me right now.”
“I’m not—”
“Yes, you are,” he cut in. “And that will get you killed.”
My breath hitched.
“Then tell me what’s going on!”
Silence.
Just for a second.
Then—
“They’re part of a council.”
The word felt strange.
Unfamiliar.
“What council?”
“A hidden one,” he said. “They control everything behind the scenes.”
I frowned.
“What does that even mean?”
“It means the people we deal with… the enemies we know… they’re nothing compared to them.”
Another gunshot.
Closer this time.
I flinched again.
“They’ve been watching us for years,” Dante continued. “Watching the Romano family. Waiting.”
“For what?”
“For the right moment.”
My chest tightened.
“And that moment is now?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His grip on my arm tightened slightly.
“Because of Enzo.”
Everything inside me froze.
“What…?”
“He became a problem.”
“A problem?” I repeated. “For who?”
“For them.”
“Why would they care about Enzo?”
“Because he’s not like us.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“He doesn’t follow rules,” Dante said. “He doesn’t obey orders. He doesn’t fear consequences.”
“That doesn’t make him a target.”
“It does when people like them feel threatened.”
Another crash echoed from the front of the house.
Glass breaking.
Voices shouting.
My chest tightened again.
“So they wanted him dead?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“And you just… let that happen?”
Dante’s expression hardened.
“No.”
“Then what did you do?”
Silence.
Then—
“I made them believe he was dead.”
My breath caught.
“The accident…”
“It was staged.”
I stared at him.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
“You planned it?”
“Yes.”
“With who?”
“People I trust.”
“Does Enzo know?”
“Yes.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“So he agreed to this?”
“He didn’t have a choice.”
“He always has a choice.”
“Not this time.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
“And me?” I asked quietly. “What about me?”
Dante’s eyes softened for just a second.
“You were the reason.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“They didn’t just want Enzo,” he continued. “They wanted leverage.”
“Leverage…?”
“You.”
The word hit harder than anything else.
“No…”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
“Because you matter to him.”
“That’s not enough—”
“It is,” Dante cut in. “In our world, it’s more than enough.”
I shook my head.
“No, that doesn’t make sense.”
“It does.”
“No, it doesn’t,” I insisted. “They don’t even know me.”
“They know everything about you.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“What…?”
“They know where you live. Where you work. Who you talk to.”
“That’s impossible.”
“It’s not.”
My chest tightened.
“Then why am I still alive?”
Dante didn’t hesitate.
“Because they think Enzo is dead.”
Silence.
Complete.
Terrifying.
“If they find out he’s alive…” Dante continued.
My voice came out as a whisper.
“What happens?”
His eyes locked onto mine.
“You die.”
The words landed cold.
Sharp.
Final.
I couldn’t breathe for a second.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“You’re just trying to justify—”
“I’m trying to keep you alive.”
“I didn’t ask for this!”
“You didn’t have a choice!”
“Neither did he!”
Silence.
That one hit.
I saw it.
The slight shift in his expression.
The guilt.
So small.
But real.
“You took everything from me,” I said, my voice shaking now. “You took him away. You made me believe he was gone.”
“I saved him.”
“You buried him!”
“I kept him alive!”
“At what cost?!”
Silence.
Dante didn’t answer.
Because he knew.
“You let me break,” I continued. “You let me suffer. You let me mourn someone who was still breathing somewhere.”
“I had to.”
“No, you didn’t!”
“Yes, I did!”
Another gunshot echoed closer this time.
We both turned instinctively.
Marco’s voice shouted something from down the hall.
I couldn’t make out the words.
My heart pounded harder.
“This isn’t over,” Dante said quickly. “They won’t stop.”
“Why now?”
“Because something changed.”
“What?”
Dante hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
“Because they suspect.”
My stomach dropped.
“Suspect what?”
“That Enzo might still be alive.”
My hands went cold.
“No…”
“Yes.”
“That’s why they’re here?”
“Yes.”
“Because of him?”
“Because of you.”
Silence.
“They’re testing us,” Dante continued. “Pushing. Watching how we react.”
“And if they find out the truth?”
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
I already knew.
“They’ll kill him,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“And me.”
“Yes.”
The weight of it all pressed down on me.
Too much.
Too fast.
“And you think this was the only way?” I asked.
“It was.”
“You think lying to me was the only option?”
“Yes.”
“You think breaking me was necessary?”
Dante didn’t respond immediately.
Then—
“Yes.”
The word cut deeper than anything else.
I laughed.
Soft.
Empty.
“Of course.”
“Lila—”
“No,” I said, stepping back slightly. “Don’t.”
“This isn’t about feelings.”
“It is for me.”
“It can’t be.”
“Well, it is!”
Silence.
Heavy.
“You don’t get to decide how I feel about this,” I continued.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m trying to protect you.”
“By controlling everything?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not protection.”
“That’s survival.”
My chest tightened.
“I didn’t want this life,” I said quietly.
“I know.”
“Then why am I still here?”
“Because leaving won’t make you safe.”
Silence.
I swallowed hard.
“And Enzo?” I asked. “Where is he?”
Dante’s expression closed off again.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because the less you know, the safer you are.”
“I’m already in danger!”
“Not like this.”
“I spoke to him.”
Dante froze.
“You what?”
“He called me.”
“When?”
“Before I came here.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. Just my name.”
Dante ran a hand through his hair, tension visible now.
“That’s not good.”
“Why?”
“Because it means he broke protocol.”
“Protocol?”
“He wasn’t supposed to contact you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it puts you at risk.”
“I’m already at risk!”
“This makes it worse.”
Silence.
My heart pounded.
“So what now?” I asked.
Dante looked at me.
Serious.
Focused.
“We move you.”
“What?”
“You can’t stay here.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I do.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I’m not running again!”
“You’re not running. You’re surviving.”
“I’m done surviving!”
Silence.
Then—
A sudden loud noise.
Closer than before.
The door at the end of the hallway burst open.
Guards rushed in.
“Boss!” one of them shouted. “They’re inside!”
Everything went still.
For half a second.
Then Dante grabbed my hand.
“Stay behind me.”
“Dante—”
“No arguments.”
My heart pounded wildly.
Footsteps echoed.
Closer.
Closer.
And then—
A figure appeared at the end of the hall.
Tall.
Dressed in black.
Face hidden in shadow.
Holding a gun.
Time slowed.
My breath caught.
Something about the way he stood—
The way he held the weapon—
The way he moved—
It felt…
Familiar.
Too familiar.
“Don’t move,” the man said.
My heart stopped.
Because that voice—
It wasn’t just familiar.
It was impossible.
“Enzo…?”