Jade's POV

I paced the length of the room that Jane, who introduced herself as the head maid, brought me into.

She said it was the bedroom Luca prepared for me, for us.

I was not admiring the soft lilac curtains, or the soft silk bedsheets that called out to me. None of them mattered.

I couldn't sit still, couldn't stand still, couldn't lay down.

I have slapped Luca.

I have slapped the Mafia Boss in front of everyone he commanded.

I expected him to slap me back, to make me feel pain, to show me this is real.

I wanted him to drag me by the hair upstairs, choke my neck and lock me up. The same way Bernard would act.

So that I will have a reason to weep my eyes out. So that I will ease my self-loathing and have a reason to blame him.

He just walked to one of the cars, got in and drove off. Without a word to me. No orders to his men.

When I turned to look at them, I could see the fury on their faces. I could feel the anger they held back; they wanted to get even.

But no one moved a muscle. No one coughed or sputtered. They were ordered to respect me. And from that moment, they had to obey.

At that moment, I could feel the amount of power Luca's words alone held.

I wished I could turn back the hands of time.

The clock struck past midnight. No sign of Luca.

My heartbeat increased, my chest tight, my palms sweaty. Where the hell could he be?

What was he planning?

Would he come and kill me?

I really wanted him to do so, and end my misery.

Was he waiting for me to fall asleep, so he can capture me and torture me?

Where is he, by the way?

I paced around, my body heavy from exhaustion, my limps stiff, my eyelids almost closing. But I couldn't afford to sleep now.

*****

Bright light filtered through the windows, causing me to stir.

I heard someone throw back the curtains, and I sat up, looking around, my eyes sharp.

“Good afternoon, Mistress," Jane greeted.

“Is it afternoon already?" I asked in surprise. Did I sleep that long?

“It is two o'clock in the afternoon, Mistress. I didn't see you come down for breakfast, so I came to check on you. If you don't mind, can I untie the laces of your dress? Your bath is drawn and waiting," Jane said softly.

I looked down in shock. I had fallen asleep in my wedding dress! No wonder I felt choked.

I soaked myself in the jacuzzi, the warm water easing the numbness of my bones. I washed my hair and body till I felt squeaky clean everywhere.

After rinsing, I walked through the connecting door into a dressing room the size of a boutique.

Clothes of all kinds of styles and colours hung on hangers, all my size. Body care products filled the built-in cupboards of the dressing mirror.

Expensive jewellery, real diamonds, filled out shelves.

There was an inbuilt cellar with the best wines from Greece and Italy.

This room had everything to make a lifestyle influencer feel jealous. And it was all mine.

Luca really prepared for me.

On a normal day, I would swoon. Right now, I felt like numb.

I picked out a black maxi dress that mirrored the way I felt.

Jane was still waiting when I came into the bedroom.

“Have you seen my phone, Ma'am?" I asked, looking around.

“You didn't come with your phone yesterday, mistress," Jane replied. “And please, call me Jane, not Ma'am."

“Please call me Jade, not Mistress," I said.

Realization dawned on me that Ruby held my phone and my clutch purse yesterday.

In the chaos that went down, I didn't remember to get my phone from her.

Shit!

I had no way of contacting anyone again. What the hell was I thinking?

“Lunch is waiting, Mistress– ugh, Jade,” Jane stammered.

"I am not hungry,” I replied, my head aching.

"You didn't eat yesterday night and this morning,” Jane pointed out. "I know you are starving.”

She sounded so much like Mum.

Afraid of being scolded, I followed her out.

A display of different dishes enough to feed dirty people was laid out on the long dining table.

Jane held out a seat for me.

"Please feel free to eat anything. It's all yours," she said.

“I can't," I muttered.

“Why?" Jane asked, her voice laced with concern. “You don't like the food?"

“I have never eaten alone in my life," I said, my eyes misty. “I always eat with my family."

Jane watched me, her eyes soft, her hands on my shoulder.

“Then I will eat with you," she said, and took a seat beside me.

"Thank you."

“Did Luca come home yesterday?" I asked, twirling pasta on my fork.

"He didn't,” Jane replied, her eyes on her plate.

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"Do you know where he is?”

"No one knows where he is,” Jane replied.

The cutlery felt like lead in my hands.

“Has he stayed away like this before?" I pressed on.

“No, unless he is out of the city for business. He always comes home."

Christ. Had he fallen off a cliff?

“Do you think he is alive?" I whispered.

Jane let out a surprised chuckle, and sipped her cocktail.

"Luca De Santo doesn't die. It will take a lot to bring him down,” she said.

“Do you think he will come back home?"

“Of course," Jane nodded. “It is his house. He will come back eventually."

"Do you think he is angry?”

Jane stared at me, expressionless. "The Don doesn't show emotions. No one can tell if he's happy or angry. So I don't know. But the last person that attempted what you did begged for death.”

The pasta in my mouth felt like paper.

The last person begged to die.

And it was an attempt, not an actual slap.

My chest rose and fell with the gravity of my actions.

I have slapped him. Hard. For goodness sake, his head whipped to the side from the force of the contact. It was real.

I have bruised his ego. I have humiliated him.

Bile rose from my throat.

I have dug my own grave. Luca would show me no mercy.

I suddenly lost my appetite.

Luca would kill me.

I stood up, and the world spun around.

I could hear Jane screaming my name as my body kissed the marble floor.