“Elettra weds Don Theron”

I wish I'll wake up from this horrible dream but this was no dream.

It was my reality—one that I never saw coming.

I can't fight it, I can't stop it, I am trapped by the conditions my father was forced into.

The daughter of a respected policeman gets married to a Mafia lord. What can be more embarrassing?

As expected, the news of my shameful marriage spread across Italy like wildfire. Earning my father a suspension from office and my brothers a probation in their respective stations.

I want to go back in time and correct my mistakes, but it's too late. My family is not only disappointed in me, they're also getting punished for my stupid actions.

Quite the opposite of how I wanted things to go.

Thankfully, Theron's threat to fuck me remains a threat as he didn't lay a finger on me after the wedding.

That would make me hate myself even more if he had done that.

My phone rings, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I stare at the caller's ID, my heart sinking. It's the fourth time he's calling me and I don't know whether or not to pick it.

I want to talk to him but I feel so ashamed.

But just before my phone stops ringing, I lift it to my ear.

“Elettra, you have finished me.” He says, his voice pitching with a quiver.

My breath fastens as the pulse on the side of my neck throbs harder, “I know…I'm sorry.” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Why did you ditch me for a criminal?” He asks and I move closer to the window, hoping the air would calm the tension within me.

Is it really ditching? Since I was forced into this?

I badly want to tell him the truth but my tongue is tied–no one else is supposed to know why I got married to Theron or else he'll wipe us out.

“You won't speak? What happened to fighting crimes together? I stuck to the plan, what changed?” He questions further and at this point, my eyes moisten.

I try to fight back the tears but as my breath grows hotter, it becomes difficult to control.

“I love you Elettra, we were supposed to get married. Why did you do this to me?” his voice reverberates through the phone.

At this point, I drop the phone on the bed in fear that I might just blurt out the truth.

Jason and I have been childhood friends for years, and we grew into lovers. His father is in the army, my father is in the police and we were making plans to further our education in our respective family careers.

Jason joined the army but my father stopped me from joining the police.

“The fight for justice lies better in the hands of a man,” he had said while burning the police academy form.

I'm pulling on my hair really hard as I cry my heart out, my body shudders as my temperature increases but I'm nowhere near stopping.

My temple throbs softly with faint pain but that's only because I'm flooding my mind with memories of me and Jason.

Somewhere in between my break down, my heart starts burning. My jaws harden as the picture of the devil who put me into this mess comes to mind.

I want revenge.

It doesn't matter if I'm his wife or not, I will still ruin him.

At least for my family's shame and for separating me from my lover.

“Madam,” I hear a familiar voice call out to me.

I swipe my hands over my face before turning around with a small smile.

“Don wants me to show you around your new home,” Nico declares, his black eyes squinting as if he is assessing my red face.

The words “new home” makes me sick to my stomach, I don't feel like I belong here–maybe because I actually don't.

I'm nothing like this bloody Mafia family.

Nico steps to the side, gesturing for me to step out.

I reluctantly start walking, my eyes scanning the area. I actually haven't gotten the chance to take a good look at the house and now that I am, everything looks fucking Italian.

Theron seems to be addicted to reds and blues because every part of the mansion is designed in those colors with some sprinkle of intricate gold designs. Except the floor, it's designed with black marble tiles.

Nico is busy pointing to some rooms, talking to himself because I am barely listening.

Some portraits of Theron hang from ceiling to floor and the stern look he gives in each photo makes me want to stab him.

“No one is permitted in there except the Don. Whoever goes in here without his permission never makes it out alive.” Nico points towards a black door at the end of the passageway.

Now, that interests me.

“For it to be off limits, it must be some sacred room. Right?” I ask, trying not to sound too interested.

Nico nods curtly, his lips turning up like he knows exactly what I'm thinking.

“Think of it as the Don's safe space where he goes to whenever–”

Nico's phone vibrated in his pockets, interrupting him mid sentence.

His brows pull together and I'm sure he's talking to that devil from the way his body stiffens.

In a few seconds, Nico ends the call, sprinting down the stairs like an excited kid.

And that leaves me to this “secret room” or whatever Nico calls it.

Sure, he warned me about going in there but he can't stop me because with a few strides, I'm already inside.

My pulse quickens at the thought that Theron will kill me if he finds me here but taking this risk is not only thrilling but promising.

There is a high chance of me finding solid evidence against Theron. And that will help my family redeem their image.

The air conditioner in the room must be at its peak as my nose is hurting from just breathing.

I can't see anything in this darkness. I move my hands over the cold, rough walls behind me and I finally find the switch for the light.

But I almost feel like screaming when my eyes land on the figure standing in the center of the room.