CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

MATTEO.

“One question, Mirabella: who are you really?”

Fuck!

Why does it always have to be me?

Why do I have to go through this level of pain and heartbreak again?

I spent the whole of last night baring my heart out to my wife, I opened myself up to her without knowing that she is twice as vile.

I regret it all.

The nights I laughed with her, the nights I made love to her, the nights I fucked her, letting her into my heart, confessing my feelings; I regret it all.

But why me?

Why did I have to go into her room when she wasn’t around?

Why did she choose today of all days to leave her confidential documents out in the open?

Why did I have to find out about my wife in this manner?

God help me!

My eyes well up with tears as I watch her frozen figure with nothing but a heavy heart. I want to be angry at her but I’m not, I want to hate her but I can’t. . .

She’s my undoing.

Why did I fall in love with her? What was I thinking forming a relationship with a Marcelo?

“Ma-Matteo. . .Matteo, please let me explain.” Her lips quiver uncontrollably as she stutters through her words.

Fuck!

Why Mirabella? Why?

Why have you ruined everything?

“I have no use for your explanation Mirabella, all I need from you is a sincere answer. Who are you?”

She gasps aloud at the hoarseness of my voice. “It’s me amore mio. It’s just me, Mirabella.”

I push myself up on my feet with a strained growl. “Call me that again and I’ll snap your neck in half!”

Heavy breaths.

Chills run down my spine at the grim feeling of the living room. The boys are mounting on one corner with their heads lowered to the ground, my mother and Julia on another, both of them staring at Mirabella in disbelief.

Everyone in this room is still trying to process all this intense information. Everyone is still trying to understand how our bright, naïve and cheerful Mirabella could be. . .

I can’t even get into the details.

I shake my head ‘no’ at her as a lone tear stains her cheek. “If you’ll not tell me who you really are Mirabella, then I have a few questions for you.” I almost whisper and she shakes her head in disagreement, mouthing ‘not here’ as another tear wets her cheek.

“Please Matteo. . . I’m sorry but we can’t talk about it like this. I promise to explain it all to you but you need to be calm. Please, I need you to stay calm.”

My nose flares. “Am I not calm enough?!” I scream. “What is it that you do that has made you the kind of money you have in your possession?” My first question slips out of my tongue and Mirabella stays silent, continuous whimpering escaping her throat.

“Listen to me Mirabella, don’t you ever forget who you knew me to be earlier on in this union. The fact that I fucked you a few times and cried in your arms changes absolutely nothing. It’s either you open your mouth and start talking or I’ll come over there and force every answer out of you.” I warn in a monotone and for a moment, fear flashes through her eyes, her throat bobbing when she swallows hard on nothing.

“I’m a lab scientist, Matteo. I have my own research laboratory where other scientists pay to work on their projects.”

I scoff. “Is that all you do in there? Is that what you do that has generated over a billion dollars in cash for you? Tell me Mirabella.”

Silence.

She continuously shakes her head at me, sob after sob wracking through her.

“Second question. Do you head an organized crime group called S.E.E.D?”

She throws her head back, her body vibrating from the long shuddered breath she lets out. “Yes.” It’s a whisper that passes through the air like a hushed murmur. Unable to hold my intense stare, she looks away.

Humorless laughter bubbles out of me, my tongue darting out, swiping across my dry bottom lip with one question playing at the back of my mind; whom did I marry?

“Third question. Did your organization raid Russia?”

“Please stop.” She sobs, her fingers digging into her scalp viscously. “Don’t do this Matteo, please.”

“Answer me!”

She covers her mouth in an attempt to hold in the loud sob threatening to break through her. “Yes. But it was for–” I cut her off.

“Didn’t ask for details. If you wanted me to know, then you should have talked to me about it before now.”

Deafening silence.

“Fourth question. Are you in possession of The Seed? Are you the scientist who processes it into torture drugs and supplies to the Yakuza?” This time, she nods her response without uttering a word.

I scoff. Who the hell did I marry? How has she maintained such level of deceit for this long?

“Fifth question,” I murmur, knowing that this question is coming from a place of jealousy. I should be angry at my wife but here I am seeking reassurance from her. “Did you bring your lover into this house to pose as a therapist?”

Her eyes widen in disbelief, her head relentlessly shaking in disagreement. “What? No. . .I’d never. Ares. . .he’s my best friend, my brother even. He heard what had happened and he wanted to see me, I didn’t even know he was here until I met him. I swear.”

Good.

If that wasn’t the case, I sure would’ve done very vile things to whatever his name is.

“Last question. Did you come into this family with the intention of getting rid of us just so your father can become the Don?”

Her mouth completely drops open but no words come out of it. She shakes her head with widened eyes.

It’s not true.

My legs move in long, angry strides until I’m toe to toe with her. I’m looking down at her but she wouldn’t look up at me. “Answer me.” I whisper as my breath picks up its pace.

Her head shakes, her hands clutching her shirt tightly.

“Answer me Mirabella.” My voice drops a few octaves lower, coming out thick, hoarse and husky.

“Matteo. . . I-I-I. . .”

“Answer me!” My palm delivers a force filled smack across her face and she hit the ground with a thud, a loud sob finally wrecking through her.

Her body quakes, “let me explain Matteo. Please.”

I become like a mad man possessed by a wicked entity. I don’t care that she’s bleeding from her mouth. I raise my feet off the ground, pushing my leg backwards and returning it forward with full force.

I kick her so hard on the stomach that she tumbles a few times but her voice doesn't waver as continues screaming her plea.

“Matteo please. . .don’t. Please Matteo.” I’m unyielding to her plea. I kick her hard again and she yelps aloud as she continues begging me.

I go to kick her again but a strong arm grips my shoulder, a familiar voice murmuring into my ear, “be angry all you want but stop hitting her.” I look over my shoulder and thankfully, it’s Alessio.

His reasoning makes sense.

I take a calming breath as I watch Mirabella groan in pain whilst Pablo, Dean and Maxwell help her off the ground.

Did I kick her face?

Christ!

“You asked me before what I’d do to you if you betrayed me and I said that I’d get rid of you,” I let out a shuddering breath. “You’ve now betrayed me but I don’t have it in me to get rid of you Mirabella. Lucky you, right? You really must be so proud of yourself for ruining and wrecking the remaining part of me I thought was whole!”

I throw my head back in laughter. “Get out of my house! Now!”

“No…no! I’m not leaving you Matteo! Please don’t send me away!” She screams as she gets on her knees, crawling to me and grasping my ankles. “Please Matteo, I’m sorry. I fucked up and I know it but let me make it right. Please!”

I shake my ankles off her grip, taking two steps away from her. “I might not want to put a bullet in you at this moment Mirabella, but don’t push me. Do not push me. Get up and get the hell out of my house and be sure not to return.”

“No.” She affirms, “your father’s last wish was that I stayed with you no matter what and I’ll not leave like this. If we’ll ever part ways, then it has to be on good terms.”

“Don’t you ever speak of my father! You came into this house with the sole purpose of wiping us out and now you want to try and act like you care? Fuck you Mirabella! You know what?” My breath is erratic. “I don’t even hate you. Funny right? But it’s the truth. I don’t hate you but you’re the reason I hate myself now more than ever. I hate myself for sharing a part of my life with you, I hate myself for crying my tears for and with a wicked woman of your nature. You’re evil, Mirabella. So fucking evil.”

She looks up at me for the first time since this whole altercation began. “Don’t say things you’ll end up regretting Matteo. Things are not the way they seem but only if you could calm down and give me a listening ear. Only if you read further into those files, you’d have seen that it’s not the way you see it. I can never hurt you Matteo. . .I would never hurt the man I–”

“Don’t fucking say it! Shut the fuck up and get out!” I pull her up by her collar, attempting to smack her across her face when Pablo comes between us.

He glares at me and turns his back to me, facing Mirabella and begins walking her backwards. “You should leave sorella. Matteo is not himself at the moment and I’m afraid of what he’d do to you if you stayed a minute longer.” I hear him whisper to her but she remains adamant.

I’m not myself?

What does that mean?

Why’s she proving to be stubborn?

“Leave Bella!” He yells in her face but she screams, “no!” Right back at him.

When they’re further away from me, Pablo cradles her face in his palms, causing my heart to shatter. He begins murmuring a few unheard words to her whilst she continues bobbing her head in understanding.

My nose flare when he places a kiss on her temple, pulling her into a hug. “Pablo! What the fuck do you think you’re doing consorting with the enemy? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

There’s a change in my voice, a change that has everyone in the room high on alert. They know me too well to know that things crash and burn whenever my voice morphed into such devilish frequency.

Pablo steps aside, his back turned to Mirabella as he stares at me knowingly. “Mirabella, you should leave.” He says in warning but Mirabella is a stranger to this side of me hence, her refusal.

“You have until the count of five Mirabella. If you don’t leave here with both your legs, you’d be leaving in a body bag. One!”

I put my hand behind me, pulling out my gun from my waistband and removing it from safety. “Two!”

“Please Matteo.”

“Three!”

Don’t be so stubborn.

“Matteo you don’t have to! Mirabella, leave!” Pablo screams at both of us.

“Four!”

“Messi non lo fa!” Alessio screams, addressing me by my middle name.

I mentally count the number five and completely lose control of my nerves. I try taking my index finger off the trigger but instead, I press down on it.

The gun goes off.

Another click and the gun goes off again.

I feel as though I’m drowning. I’m tackled to the ground and everything begins moving in slow motion. Mirabella is covered in blood and on the ground.

Tears roll down my face.

I can see Mirabella’s mouth as it hangs open whilst she applies chest compressions on Pablo.

The gun gets taken off my hand by whomever has me pinned to the ground and I blink again as I begin crawling. “Pablo. . .” I gasp continuously. “Brother. . .”

I did not just. . .

He’s not. . .

He cannot be. . .

“Pablo! Fratilleno! Dio mio! Please don’t do this!” Mirabella continues to apply chest compressions desperately as she sobs.

“Fuck! Matteo! What did you do?!” Maxwell screams but I can only manage a blink as my eyes redden.

Alessio rams his fist into the wall continuously.

Dean is shaking uncontrollably as he kneels beside Pablo with his eyes void as he stares at Mirabella, somehow hoping that Pablo will awake after she’s done with the chest compressions.

A sob breaks out of me as I hold onto Pablo with my head resting on his abdomen. “I’m sorry. . . I lost control.”

Pablo is my brother.

My friend.

My challenge.

My advisor.

My muscle.

My everything.

How could I do this? What was I thinking? Why did it have to be him? We promised to be together forever but why did his forever come before mine?

He’s always believed that I’d be the death of him and now. . .

Christ!

I watch through my blurred vision as Pablo gets strapped to a stretcher and carried away.

There’s continuous whimpering ringing in my ears. Mirabella is kneeling by the side, Pablo’s blood soaking her up as she sobs.

The boys all have tears in their eyes as they stare at me with nothing but resentment.

“My brother. . .my brother. Matteo what did you do? Pablo. . .” Mirabella continues vibrating through her sobs.

My guards all stand with stoic expressions. They all must think me a monster for what I’d just done.

I glare at Mirabella who’s kneeling tiredly with her bloodied palms placed on both her thighs as quiet sobs slip her lips. “You did this,” a whooshed whisper escapes my lips.

“I know. I’m so so sorry.” She chokes as she puts herself in a chokehold.

“You did this!” I scream again, charging at her with full raging force but I’m tackled to the ground once again by Alessio.

“Stop this already Matteo! Pablo is already. . .” His body quakes against mine and he sniffles. “Stop it already. And you Mirabella, you need to leave. Give him space until he’s ready to listen to your reasoning. Please.”

“Please don’t make me leave. I want to be here. . .please.”

“How much lower can you go? You forced yourself into this family, planned our downfall, watched as I suffered everyday whilst I blamed myself for what had happened to you but it was all you. Everything you did was to ruin me. You even hired those dirty criminals to fuck you mercilessly just so your goals are achieved.”

A loud gasp escapes her throat and she gags a few times, her arms clutching her abdomen protectively. Her face contorts in displeasure.

Fuck!

Why did I say that?

It was the heat of the moment.

I was desperately looking for words that would force her away from me and those were the only ones I could come up with.

Why does she have to be so stubborn!

I open my mouth to apologize but a hard smack sweeps across my face. Twice. “How dare you? How could you? God, Matteo. . . how could you?” She whispers. “Yes, I’m wrong! I know I’m wrong but the only crime I committed was keeping all this away from you! I lost something too! I lost someone too! My mother was killed and I watched it all! I’ve dedicated my life to punishing her killers and I didn’t know how to tell you! It’s not always about you Matteo but how would you know when you’re this selfish!”

Her shoulders shake repeatedly. “How dare you insinuate that I hired people to sexually assault me? What sane human would do that? How could I do that to myself and my unborn baby? How dare you think so little of me. . .”

Her head shakes haphazardly. “Fine then, I’ll leave but rest assured, you’ll wake up tomorrow and regret how you’ve handled this matter. Just be sure not to launch an attack on my father.” I glare at her in disbelief.

She scoffs. “I don’t care about the fucker, I just know that he’ll win this fight if you jump into it without a great plan. He dedicated his whole life to perfecting his plan and you’ve had like what? Less than an hour? Make wise decisions Matteo.”

Her back is turned to me immediately.

She walks over to my mother and sister, hugging them despite their hesitation before stumbling out of the house.

I run upstairs into the room that has its window facing the front yard of the estate in my desperation to watch my wife leave.

Did I make the right choice?

Did I mess this up?

Should I have listened?

Why did she lie?

Mirabella sits at the waiting bench for long minutes before a customized matte black Rolls Royce Ghost pulls up. Her so-called best friend alights from the car, followed by another young lady.

They both crouch down in front of my wife as her body quakes. A few minutes pass and they finally are able to get her up but her whole body freezes the moment she moves her feet.

The man—her best friend—begins patting her back whilst the lady vigorously rubs the heel of her palm against the back of Mirabella’s palm.

She takes another step.

Another.

Another.

Her legs give out on her and her whole body goes limp, crashing to the ground.

I want to run out and help but my body remains unmoving, my teary eyes moving rapidly as I watch the chaos unfold.

He picks her up, placing her in the backseat of the car. The car roars to life before speeding off with my wife in it.

She’s gone.

Just like that, I’ve lost the love of my life.