Chapter 145 LINK.
\~~~LUCIANO MORETTI.
I had just stepped out of the house, adjusting the cuff of my sleeve as I walked toward my car.
Viktor walked a few steps behind me, as usual silent and observant, watching everything without looking like he was watching anything at all.
There has been a little bit of a crack about that, by the way.
I’m yet to find out what has suddenly gotten him interested.
I was halfway to my car when the gate opened /!: car drove in.
I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. Gabriel had taken Raina to work earlier. I assumed he had returned after dropping her off and there was nothing unusual about that.
But then the back door of the SUV swung open, and she stepped out. Raina. My Raina, looking smaller than usual in her work blouse and skirt, her hair slightly disheveled from the wind.
My mouth formed a perfect O of surprise, frozen mid-step. What the hell was she doing here? She wasn't supposed to be back until evening. I caught Viktor's eye as he emerged from the house behind me, his brow furrowing in the same confusion. We exchanged a quick glance, wordless, but loaded with questions, before I started toward her, my pace quickening.
"Did something happen?" I asked, keeping my voice steady, but inside, a knot of worry tightened.
As I got closer, her face came into sharp focus, and my blood ran cold. Her eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks were flushed like she'd been slapped or worse. Streaks of what looked like dried tears marred her skin, and her lips trembled just slightly. Rage ignited in my chest, hot and immediate.
"What the hell happened to my wife?!" I snapped, whipping around to Gabriel, who was climbing out of the driver's seat, his face paling under my glare. He raised his hands defensively, like he knew he'd caught the brunt of my fury by association.
"Boss, I…" Gabriel started, but I cut him off with a sharp look, my fists clenching at my sides.
"I... I'm fine," Raina said softly, her hand dropping onto my arm. Her touch was light, but it anchored me, pulling my attention back to her. Her fingers were cool against my skin, and she gave a weak squeeze, as if to reassure me. But her voice wavered, and that 'fine' didn't fool me for a second.
"What happened?" I demanded softer now, turning fully to her. I cupped her face gently with one hand, my thumb brushing over her cheek, careful not to press too hard on the redness.
"L... Luciano." Her voice broke on my name, cracking like fragile glass, and fresh tears welled in her eyes. She looked up at me, those beautiful eyes swimming with pain, and it hit me like a punch to the gut.
Anger surged through me, a dark, boiling wave that made my vision narrow. Who the fuck had done this to her?
I wished I could force the words out of her mouth right now, rip the truth from whoever had hurt her and punish them.
Mutilate their body until they begged for mercy that wouldn't come. Or just end it quickly with a bullet between the eyes, clean and final.
"Shall we go inside?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, glancing toward the house like she needed the privacy of its walls.
"Sure, sure," I murmured, nodding. I wrapped an arm around her waist, guiding her gently but firmly, my body shielding hers from the world outside.
Viktor and Gabriel hung back, giving us space, though I could feel their eyes on us. We walked up the front steps together, her leaning into me just a little, and I pushed the door open with my free hand. The cool air of the foyer hit us, a stark contrast to the heat outside, but it did nothing to cool the fire in my veins.
We climbed the stairs in silence, my hand never leaving her. Each step felt heavier, the weight of her unspoken pain pressing down on me. When we reached our bedroom, I closed the door behind us with a soft click, turning the lock for good measure.
She burst into fresh tears, the dam breaking all over again, and threw herself into my arms. Her body shook against mine, sobs muffled into my shirt as she clung tight, fingers digging into my back.
I hugged her back just as fiercely, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other rubbing slow circles on her back.
"Shh, it's okay, baby," I whispered, though I had no idea what 'okay' even meant right now. I patted her back gently, trying to soothe her, and to draw out the storm raging inside her. My heart ached seeing her like this.
My wife, reduced to tears, was killing me.
"Please, can you talk to me already?" I whispered into her hair, my voice low and urgent. I needed to know, and to fix it whatever it was.
The crying went on for what felt like forever, her body heaving with each sob, until finally, she pulled away just enough to look up at me.
Her face was a mess, red and blotchy, veins standing out on her neck and forehead from the strain, eyes swollen like she'd been through hell. God, how much I hated seeing her this way. It twisted something deep in my chest, and it made me want to tear the world apart to make it right.
"I stopped by to see my mother," she started, wiping her nose with the back of her hand, her voice thick and congested.
My jaw tightened.
Right, her mother's mother.
"Did she touch you? Did she say demeaning words to you? What…"
"It was her who killed your mother!" The words exploded from her, raw and desperate, and then she burst into another round of tears, collapsing against me again.
I stood still, frozen in place, as the confession hung in the air like smoke.
Killed my mother? Her? Not just Arthur, but his wife too? Raina pulled back slightly, her hands gripping my shirt as she started explaining, words tumbling out between sobs.
She told me everything about how her mother had found out about the affair, tracked Elena down, and confronted her in a rage.
I listened, unmoving, my mind reeling. Twenty years of vengeance, of hunting shadows, and the truth was worse than I'd imagined. I'd always pinned it on Arthur, that spineless bastard who'd seduced my mother and left her to die.
My father had buried the case, called in favors to make it disappear, too tangled in his own guilt and politics to seek real justice. But this?
The wife, driven by jealousy, wielding the blade changed everything. Rage boiled anew, darker this time, laced with betrayal. I wanted to kill them both. I wanted to kill Arthur and his venomous wife.
Subject them to torments that would make them scream for days, and break them before the end came. I wanted to watch the light fade from their eyes as payback for my mother’s.
But then there was Raina.
My Raina, crumbling before me. Telling me this had to gut her, linking her blood to my pain. If I went after them, she'd have no one. No parents, no family left and the thought stopped me cold, tearing me in two.
It didn't end there.
As her story wound down, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, knees hitting the floor with a thud. She curled in on herself, crying harder, cursing through the tears. "Why me? Why did I have to be the link to them? To the people who killed her... your mother..." Her voice broke on every word, fists pounding lightly against the floor in frustration and grief.
I stood still for a while, staring down at her, my mind a whirlwind.
What the hell do you say to that?
Vengeance had been my north star for so long, fueling every decision, and every drop of blood spilled. But now, watching her shatter, it felt hollow and twisted.
She wasn't them. She was the light in my darkness, and the one good thing I'd fought to keep.
Finally, I pulled myself together, shaking off the paralysis. I bent down beside her, kneeling on the carpet, and gently lifted her chin with my index and middle fingers. Her skin was warm, tear-streaked, but her eyes met mine, vulnerable, and pleading.
"And why are you crying, sunshine?" I asked softly, my voice steady despite the storm inside.
"I am sorry. I am so sorry, Luciano. I am..." She choked on the words, fresh tears spilling.
"And why would you be?"
"My parents..."
"Killed my mother, not you," I said firmly, holding her gaze. "Why would you be sorry for that?"
"Oh, please," she shook her head, still crying, trying to pull away but not really wanting to.
I closed the space between us, drawing her gently into my embrace. She melted against me, her head tucking under my chin, and I held her close, one arm around her shoulders, the other stroking her hair.
"First, let's get you to stop crying," I said, patting her back in slow, rhythmic motions, like soothing a child, or a wounded bird.
"I can't. I feel... I feel so bad... I can't..."
"Shhhh, just focus on how to stop crying," I murmured, hugging her tighter, my eyes closing as I breathed in her scent.