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Rumor has it, one entire fucking suite of Elio's mansion was renovated to ensure Elio never had to step foot inside a hospital. He didn't trust that he'd walk out again if he did.
It's the perfect place to stash a sick woman. And it's currently under heavy guard. I'm no mathematician, but one plus one usually equals two.
As soon as I'm out of the shower, I dress quickly, barely taking the time to dry off. I'm hesitant to tell Aurelia the news until we know for sure that her mother is there, but one way or another, we're getting her back, and Brio is going to die.
I stride out of the bedroom, eager to get to Rafe's and get this shitshow on the road so we can handle business.
The house is oddly quiet. Too quiet.
"Aurelia?" I call, stepping into the living room, expecting to see her on the sofa where I left her.
She isn't there.
"Aurelia?"
A sense of dread crawls up my spine when she doesn't answer.
"Little mouse?" I stalk into the kitchen, looking for her, but she isn't there either. I quickly check the office and every other bedroom in the house, the sense of dread growing with each passing minute.
Where is she?
"Aurelia!" I shout, stomping back into the living room. "This isn't funny, cara mia. When I find you, you're not going to like the consequences of hiding from me."
My gaze catches on something lying on the floor near the front door.
What the fuck?
I stalk that way, squatting to get a closer look. As soon as I do, my fucking heart stops.
It's her ring.
"Fuck," I hiss under my breath.
My gaze flicks to the door, and I notice for the first time that it's unlocked. It wasn't when I went to shower. I know this because I always lock it. Force of habit. When you have enemies, you lock the fucking door.
My heart slams against my ribcage as my fingers close around the ring.
She left me. Fucking hell. She left.
I don't even have to ask why. I can guess. She fucking heard me on the phone with Coda and thought the worst.
Do you want me to tell you that I regret marrying her or that I never should have done it?
As far as she's concerned, I just said everything she's been afraid of for days. But she's got it all wrong. I wasn't telling Coda how I really feel. He knows that. I know that.
But she doesn't.
Cazzo. I should have kept my goddamn mouth shut. I should have thought for two seconds about the possibility of her overhearing and getting the wrong idea. She's been through hell. Trust doesn't come easily for her, but she trusted me. And right now, she's running for her life, convinced she never meant a fucking thing to me.
Because I'm an asshole who doesn't think before he speaks. I ripped her heart out of her chest. And now mine is bleeding too. Because hers is. Because any pain she feels, I feel too. When she bleeds, I bleed. When she hurts, I hurt. That's how this works between us. That's how completely she has me.
Cristo, little mouse. I'm so fucking sorry.
She's out there alone, unprotected and defenseless because of me. If Brio gets his hands on her again—if he hurts her—because of me, I'll never forgive myself.
I close my fist around her ring and rise to my feet, fear for her beating at me. It threatens to consume my thoughts, but I fight it back, refusing to let it. I can't afford to panic right now. She can't afford for me to panic right now.
But I'm on the verge of raging out of control anyway. I feel it coiling like a fucking spring in my stomach. If anything happens to her, there won't be any stopping me. I'll destroy every fucking piece of the Cascella dynasty, and I'll leave Brio alive long enough to watch it crumble.
