⚠️ TRIGGER WARNING AGAIN ⚠️
AND A 8000+WORDS CHAPTER
Flashback continued

Some of you asked me how the "mysterious" man let the box go through. I'm just gonna make it clear that Verona didn't write anything about that man in the letters which is why he let it pass. If you read the part before her death, you can figure it out.

Vote, comment, and share this story with your friends. ENJOY! ❤️

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(Verona's POV)

          My mind had been giving up on me and shutting down constantly in the last few days. If I wasn't wrong, it had been over a week. Astor hadn't touched me since he kidnapped me. I didn't understand why, but I was waiting for him to come in any minute and rape me again. However, he only came into the room to talk or update me on what was going on. From what he was telling me and videos he showed me, my funerale (funeral) had been held. I was dead for everyone that ever knew me. Even for the man I loved. If Leo had any inkling that I was alive, he'd come to rescue me, but the snake he had as a friend made sure everything was set up properly to make him believe I was gone. Astor had even bribed the doctors to declare someone else's dead body as mine. That fact that I was never escaping this demone (demon) tore me apart endlessly, and I didn't have the energy to even cry anymore.

A whimper left my mouth as I turned on the mattress and sat up to glance at my prison. It was a normal room with a comfortable bed, a bathroom, and a small TV mounted on the wall. It was to keep me sane, he had said. Other than that, it was dull and empty. White walls with no furniture or painting to embellish the room. The only blatantly odd feature was the metal door that kept me locked inside. Patetico (Pathetic)! He certainly couldn't have windows through which I could escape. I was trapped within the four suffocating walls of the room, wearing the clothes he provided, forced to eat healthy for the baby, and expected to be a good girl. Che palle!

The metal door to my prison slid open and in walked two men. One held a phone before my eyes while the other closed the door.

          "My moon!" Astor's repulsive face is shown on the screen through a video call. "Look where I am." He turned the camera, showing me my mamma in her house. The pain in my body disappeared as soon as I met her eyes through the device and sat up.

"Verona!" My mamma erupted in a cry of relief but was held back against a chair by Astor's men. "Sei vivo. Lo sapevo (You're alive. I knew it)!"

"Mamma." I couldn't help the tears of joy that claimed me, but at the same time, I feared for her life now. Astor was there for a reason and he would never let anyone live who knew I was still breathing. "What are you doing with her?"

Turning the camera back to his face, Astor let out an exaggerated sigh. "She was sticking her nose in places it didn't belong and asked too many questions about you. She believed you were still alive. Credits to maternal instincts, I suppose, but she's a problem now."

"Astor, don't you dare hurt her!" I threatened a man who had my entire life in his fists.

"She has already written her suicide note. All she has to do is kill herself now. I'm kind enough to allow you to say goodbye."

"Please, don't!" I begged, desperately trying to reach for the phone in the man's hand as if I could just reach through the screen and save my mamma from the claws of the mostro (monster), but the phone was pulled away from my grasp. On my knees with tears pouring down my cheeks like fiumi (rivers), I joined my hands together and begged for her safety. "I will do anything. I will be the good girl you want me to. Just let her go. She won't tell anyone. Per favore (Please)!"

"My moon, I can't risk that." Astor pouts his lips like a scoundrel, rotating the camera to make me look at my petrified mother once again. "It depends on her now, non è vero (isn't that right)?"

"Solo se prometti di non farle del male (Only if you promise not to hurt her)." A small container of pillole (pills) in her hands forced my heart to race faster. "My daughter will live."

"Mamma, ti prego non farlo (Mamma, please don't do this)!" I pleaded like a child, feeling my skin burn and heart inch up my throat with trepidation. "He will hurt me no matter what."

"I don't want to hurt you, you know that, my moon," Astor spoke, passing the phone over to someone else to hold while he stood over my mother with a bottle of water and snatched the container of pillole (pills) from her. "Sappi che non lo faccio per divertimento (Know that I don't do this for pleasure)."

"Bruciare all'inferno, demone (Burn in hell, demon)!" Mamma spat on Astor's face.

Feeling insulted, Astor popped off the lid instantly and shoved every last pillola (pill) from the container into her mouth like a bestia (beast), forcing it down her throat with the water as she struggled.

"No!" I was losing her before my very eyes and there was nothing I could do. No matter how much I begged like a dog and cried, he didn't stop until she lost the battle against him. Her body fell to the floor lifelessly, and with that, I felt something break in me. My heart shattered, my soul ripping without remorse.

***

The incubo (nightmare) of my mamma's death replayed in my head every time I slept. This time when I woke up, I wasn't in a bed but in the backseat of a car. My wrists were tied behind my back. My mouth was stuffed with some piece of cloth and taped shut. A rope around my ankles restricted my movements, but I managed to sit up and look out the windows at the flailing green leaves of the trees in a cimitero (cemetery), the same one where the mausoleo (mausoleum) for my brother was built.

I saw people at a distance in black suits and dresses. My weary eyes immediately spotted Leo who began walking away from the crowd alone. Tears of relief and hope dropped down my face. He looked solemn. I had never seen him so beaten down and sad. The closer he got, the more I noticed the pain, guilt, and regret in his features that he was holding inside. Worry aged him years in the matter of a few days.

"Leo!" I screamed as loud as the gag in my mouth would allow me and it wasn't enough to grab his attention as he leaned back against the hood of a car which was still at a bit of a distance from me. I saw him pull out a ring—my wedding ring—from his pocket and gaze at it longingly. He kissed it, his features morphing with pain as he did so.

I couldn't hear him, but as far as I could read his lips, he said, "Forgive me, Tesoro. I wish you were here."

Sono qui, amore mio (I am here, my love)!

          If I tried hard enough, he would come check and see that I was alive. I tried opening the doors, but they were locked. My hands were useless behind my back, so I started banging my head against the window just enough to make some noise for him to take notice, but he was too occupied staring at my ring and sulking in his guilt. I wish I could tell him it wasn't his fault. None of this was. Only if he could hear me...

Lifting my legs, I started kicking one of the windows. If it broke, he would definitely take notice of the commotion. I continued kicking and screaming for him, but the window felt as though it was built from bricks. However, it made enough sound for him to peer my way. When his eyes looked right at me, I felt a glimmer of hope ignite inside me.

"Leo!" I wept his name, but Astor, out of the blue, pulled him further away from me and out of my sight. I lost all hope just as easily as it came and felt my soul burn with despair, but I was determined. I continued hitting the window with my feet and yelling in hopes to get anyone to notice. This could've been my only chance and I was not letting it slip through my fingers. I tried and tried and tried, but my attempts were to no avail. Astor's men that patrolled outside the car couldn't care less. It was as if they were sure I could do nothing and maybe they were right.

Minutes later, Astor and his driver got into the car. Astor looked at me over his seat as the vehicle began moving, crushing my dream to go home under the tires. "I hope you enjoyed your mother's funeral."

"Fottiti (Go fuck yourself)!" I snarled.

"I can't understand you with that gag, my moon." He turned his attention to the front and sighed. "You almost got Leo, I'll give you that, but this car was made to minimize any sound coming from the inside. And praise the blacked out windows. He looked right at ya, didn't he? It's a shame he didn't know what he was looking at." Adjusting the rear-view mirror, he met my eyes and frowned to see tears streaming down my cheeks. "It's a shame he attended your mother's funeral, not yours." He busied himself by texting on his phone.

"Leo isn't the type to cry, so he'll find another way to get over you. As far as I know him, he'll be sticking his cock in every woman he sees," Astor shrugged, looking back at me once again. "I mean, I don't blame the lad. You're addicting and you're the only meal he's had for two years, so it'll take some time to fuck you out of his system. Eventually, he will. He'll find a new addiction; a new woman who will rule his heart. He'll love her harder because you were a test drive for the real thing. He'll know better this time."

          Tears swept down my cheeks like streams as I tried to control myself by squeezing my eyes shut, but doing so only forced me down a hole of misery.

          "All this could've been avoided if you'd just picked me. Don't worry, though. I will make you love me now. I'll treat ya like a queen, better than that bastard ever could."

***

I lost track of time a few weeks after my mamma's funeral. I was still a prisoner to the room. I could never leave it. It had started to haunt me slowly. My stomach had begun to grow with the fetus inside me, and I dreaded each day that passed. Astor wanted my child alive for a reason and I couldn't give him that.

          The diavolo (devil) walked in with a tray of breakfast and placed it on the bed next to me. "English breakfast today. I made it to perfection just for you."

          "You made it?" I scoffed at his pathetic efforts to appease me.

          "Of course! I want you and the baby to be healthy. I'm learning new things just for ya." He cut the egg into a small piece and held it to my mouth, but I looked away, refusing to eat. "My moon, please. We can't go through this every single day now. Forgive me already. I haven't even touched you."

          I laughed at the stupidity I was hearing. "You want me to forgive you for raping and kidnapping me? Hai ucciso mia madre (You killed my mother)! You will never earn my forgiveness for what you've done."

          "Your mother was a liability I couldn't afford. And the rape... well, I wouldn't call it rape. I love you." He tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away from his touch. Sighing, he drew the fork through the beans instead and looked down while doing so. "You just made me so angry. I didn't want to hurt you. I never want to. But when you say things like you did that day, I just lose it." His eyes elevated to meet mine once again. "I'm doing this to save you from Leo. He will ruin you. His enemies will eat you up alive."

"You already have."

"I have your best interests in mind. Your child's too. The kid won't survive in Leo's world."

"Why do you even care for my child?"

He paused, not meeting my eyes again. "Leo's child will be hunted. You and I both know that, my moon. I'm not as big of a monster as you make me out to be. I don't hurt children. I will just place the kid somewhere where he can't be hurt. No one would even know that the heir lives."

"Bugie (Lies)!" I spat. "Tell me the truth."

          His expression turned grim at my raised voice, his jaw clenching. "Sweetheart, I hate when you speak to me like that. You need to learn to keep your tongue under control or else you will force me to cut it off, and I don't want to do that."

          I was appalled with his act, his attempt at kindness. He was doing everything in his power to make me comfortable in his prison under his rules. Making food, having maids massage my body, bringing movies and books for me to enjoy, and even making sure I was taking all the medicines a pregnant woman would need, including bringing a doctor here to make sure the baby's development was healthy. He was hoping I would fall in love with him because of his act of redemption and willingly spread my legs, but he should've known better. A man like him could never earn my love nor my respect in any shape or form. He was delirante (delusional) to even think otherwise.

          I snatched the butter knife from his hold and immediately jumped off the bed. With enough force, I could stab myself and kill the fetus and, hopefully, myself. I couldn't allow my child to be born under this tyrant's rule. He would eat the child alive if he could and drill relentless trauma into his or her destiny. I couldn't bear to live like this anymore either. Like a bird in a cage, yearning to fly again or even see sunlight. Nor could I wait in fear for him to lose his mind and have his way with me, violently and mercilessly.

"I will die before I ever let you have this child," I declared, holding the knife above my head, ready to strike down any second.

Placing the tray aside on the bed, Astor stood up to his feet casually and waved his hand. "Go ahead."

Heart pounding and hands shaking, I dared to stare in the mostro's eyes as tears blurred my vision. My entire body was stiff yet quaking with fury. I was enraged and determined to end it all, not giving Astor the chance to get his way, but at that moment, I was left frozen. My face hurt with emotions as I screamed and helplessly dropped to the floor. In the end, I couldn't do it. I was a coward. This was my child, the creation of my and Leo's love whom I doomed for eternity with me.

          "My moon," Astor sighed. "Why do you insist on making yourself miserable? I'm laying the world at your bloody feet and you're kicking it away, why?"

          "Because I'm your prisoner!" I yelled at him with a hand over my aching chest and stomach. Even the air was cruel to not allow me to breathe properly and struggle for it. "Just let me and my bambino (baby) go. I promise I won't try to contact Leo. I'll raise the child in a place where he could never come."

          "But I want you with me!" he roared, walking in my direction and forcibly pulling me up to my feet. "I love you more than Leo ever could. I'm giving you everything and even looking after your spawn. What does he have that I don't? What did he do that I didn't?"

          His jealousy almost made me laugh through my tears and the pain he inflicted with his hold. The difference between Leo and Astor was clear. "Leo touched my soul, whereas you only touched my body."

          Astor's hold loosened, his eyes darting from side to side in search for something. "But you won't let me in. I'm mad for you!"

          "You don't even know what love is," I seethed. "It's selfless. Leo has that love for me. He would never do what you did to any woman. That's the difference between you two. You're obsessed like a mad man; a stubborn ragazzino (little boy) for whom I'm just a conquista (conquest)."

          In a fit of rage, he slapped me across my face and threw me to the floor, regretting it immediately. "Fuck! Why do you make me hurt you?"

          I tried to rub away the ache in my cheek and glared at him. "No matter how long it takes, Leo will know what you did, and he will have no mercy on you."

          Astor clenched his teeth and turned to leave, but stopped by the large metal door. "It's a boy. Thought you might want to know."

***

          By biting my lip, I tried to stifle my screams as another contraction clenched my insides. The water in the bathtub around me was mixed with the blood from the opening of my cervix. The pain was insopportabile (unbearable). It felt as though I was being ripped in half from my legs while my guts were being stabbed by knives.

          "Just one more push, dearie, and the baby will be out," Betha encouraged me once again. She was older than the other maids around, and I had grown attached to her over the months in this hell. She was kind and took care of me on Astor's orders, but we had grown a mother-daughter bond.

          With a deep breath, I gave it another push and began to scream due to the excruciating pain while Betha covered my mouth to keep it down to not allow anyone else to hear my cries. If they became aware of the situation at hand, they would inform Astor at once which I didn't want. Thankfully, my whimpers were overpowered by the sound of the televisione and the thundering clouds outside. With another push, the immense burden on my insides lifted as Betha reached into the water without wasting a second and picked up the baby. After wrapping him in a towel, she cut the umbilical cord and smiled.

          Tears and sweat entered my mouth as I looked up at the woman in a panic. "Why isn't he crying?"

          "Oh, dearie, you needn't worry now! Not all babies cry upon birth, and your lad is one of them. He's a tough one like his mother." She smiled down at the tiny bambino (baby) in her arms as she continued cleaning him. "He's breathing strong, bounding pulse." He let out a small cry which made Betha chuckle. "Here, hold him."

          The pain wasn't as intense as it was before, but it was still there as I tried to sit up a little in the tub and allowed Betha to lay my child on my chest. Suddenly, I felt my tears pour down relentlessly and consume me fully. An overwhelming sense of affection instantly attached me to him, and at that moment, I swore to never let Astor get his hands on my sweet boy, no matter the drastic steps I may have to take for his protection.

          "He's opening his eyes," Betha pointed out, leaning in closer to look at him. "Ah, they look like yours."

          I willed a smile to my lips, noticing the unique swirl of blue in his irises. "No, they're like his father's." I sobbed, knowing this was the first and last time I'd get to see mio figlio (my son). Gently, I hugged him closer to my chest and let my tears flow. "Angioletto mio (my little angel)." I smothered kisses all over his tiny, red face, feeling my entire heart and soul filling with joy yet shattering endlessly at the same time. More than ever, I wished I was back with Leo now who would've instantly fallen in love with our son as I did. I longed for the day when I would be back with my husband and our child as a complete family, but life was too cruel to have this innocent soul be born to a woman like me.

          "What will you name him?" Betha asked.

          Pulling away, I caressed his soft cheek with a shaky finger as my tear splattered on his face. "He's my little angel." I pressed a tender kiss to his forehead, trying to control the chaos twirling inside me which intended to break me, and I was breaking without a doubt. "Angelo Leonardo Bonferroni."

          "Angelo," Betha repeated with joy. "It's beautiful."

          "He's beautiful." My lips quivered, throat clogging with emotions before I quickly handed him over to Betha. Any longer and I wouldn't be able to tear him away from me. I was being crudele (cruel) by willingly giving him up, but I was a woman cursed with misfortune who couldn't let it befall her son. For all I knew, Astor could rip him in half right before my eyes. That man was sadistic and could never be trusted. From what I was told, he was out due to work so this was the perfect opportunity I couldn't let go of.

          "I'm trusting you with his safety. Take him and run before Astor comes back."

          "Are you ready?" She looked down at Angelo then glanced at me.

          "I'll never be ready, so go. Adesso (Now)!"

***

          The pillow I laid my head on was soaked with my tears of pain, both physical and mental. I just hoped Betha was out of reach and safe with Angelo.

The hair on my body rose when Astor slid the metal door and walked in. "How's my moon doing?" he asked, crossing his arms above his suited chest.

          I grunted, sitting up and leaning against the headboard, grimacing while doing so. I covered my body with the blanket to make it seem as though I was still carrying a child.

          "Well, I have a surprise for you." He reached outside the door and dragged someone in by the hair.

          "Betha." My heart lurched up to my throat when he threw the older woman to the floor, half-beaten and bruised. Without another thought, I jumped out of the bed to aid her, forgetting my own pain. "Mio Dio!"

          "Thought you could outsmart me?" Astor shook his head and violently forced the woman on her knees by her hair.

          "Please! Vi prego di avere pietà (I beg you to have mercy)!" I pleaded, sobbing to see Betha in a horrific state where she was barely aware of where she was. "It was me. Punish me, not her."

          "This will be your punishment."

          Yanking her head back, he pulled out a knife from his pocket and sliced her neck, spewing her blood on my face. As if my heart stopped beating, my entire body trembled in shock, mouth wide open and eyes watching Betha's body drop to the floor in a split second. My stomach churned and guts knotted when I tasted her blood on my tongue. All my hopes shattered with her death.

          "As for the lad, you will never get to see him. He's where he was always supposed to be, and you will regret crossing me, Verona."

***

          Astor had begun to rape me every single night he was around after he caught Betha escaping with Angelo. Bruises from his hold left marks on my arms, legs, back, and chest. I was his stress-reliever, il suo giocattolo preferito (his favorite toy). It had been months since the birth and I craved to see my Angelo or even know about him. Astor told me he was alive, but for all I knew, he could be lying. Each day that passed by, I grew closer to him. Not out of attraction for a mostro (monster) like him—never—but because of how helpless my entire situation rendered me. As far as I knew, he was falling into my trap slowly. He became a bit lenient, less aggressive in bed and didn't fuck me in the ass anymore. He kissed me more, spent more time in bed with me to admire my body, and even watched movies with me after. He didn't suspect anything. What would he expect from an innocente and helpless girl like me? According to him, I started to suffer from Stockholm syndrome. His growing vulnerability was my chance to strike.

          When he entered my room that night, he discarded his coat immediately and started to remove his shirt when I stopped him by grasping his fingers. "Ho fatto un sogno la notte scorsa (I had a dream last night)."

          His claw-like fingers pushed my hair back to get a better look at me. "About?"

          I wanted to spit on his face, but instead, I forced a smile and wrapped my arms around his neck. "That I woke up in your arms in the morning with the sun shining on our faces. We had breakfast like a real couple and then you made love to me right in the kitchen." I reached up and bit his lip. "I want that with you."

          "So do I."

          He kissed me harshly and I had to return his gesture with my hands reaching down his pants to convince him of my lies. He lifted me in his arms and carried me out of room for the very first time since mamma's funerale. I continued kissing his lips and neck while trying to take as much of my surroundings in. I was indeed locked in a special room in the seminterrato (basement). There were other rooms, but I was certain they were for storage.

Up the stairs and past another sliding metal door, we landed into a mansion I remembered from a party I attended with Leo. I was in Astor's house in Ireland. I didn't know much of this country which left me at a disadvantage. All the policemen were likely eating out of Astor's pocket too. The only person that could help me was Belle. I hoped his addiction for me would make him mindlessly do all this in her presence, but I doubted it. I could see no one around. We were all alone as far as I knew.

When he took me up another flight of stairs, he abruptly stopped at the top and placed me on my feet. A man stood in our path with arms crossed and annoyance latched onto his face.

"Who is she?" the man questioned. He seemed to be the same age as Astor or maybe even a little younger.

"It's none of your bloody business, is it now, brotha?" Astor yapped at the man and tried to push him aside.

"The Bonferronis will end our entire family if you hurt Belle in any way, especially with this," the man threatened. "She will know what you're doing when she returns from New York."

"Alicio, Belle already knows I shag other women and she wouldn't dare say a word to her brothers. Leverage is key."

Astor's brother looked at me then at the blue and purple bruises on my arms. I didn't dare say a word. Brother of a monster is a monster, so he could very well keep me locked in chains here if I told him who I was. Not many knew Leo was married apart from his family and his closest men and partners, but even fewer had seen me, so I wasn't surprised Astor's brother didn't know who I was. For instance, I didn't know what Astor's brother looked like until now.

"What have you been doing to her?"

"Fucking her. She just bruises like a bloody peach. Now, fuck off." Astor pulled me away from his brother and took me to his bedroom where he apologized for his brother's interference and began kissing me. Slowly, he stripped me naked of my clothes and laid me on his bed that I knew he shared with his wife.

Perdonami (Forgive me), Belle.

I was utterly repulsed by myself for letting this man have his way with me and putting on a pretentious smile for him, but I had to free myself from his claws and this was the only way. Instead of fucking me harshly this time, he took his time and kissed every inch of my body. I hated every second of it. Leo's lips were the only ones meant to kiss me, his teeth meant to bite me and mark his name on my body, and his hands meant to touch me in all the right ways, grope me with purpose and love, pleasure me with his tongue and fingers. But now it was the diavolo (devil) trying to love me and I had to stop myself from crying and begging for Leo.

I faked moans and groans of pleasure to humor him, making him believe that he was the only man who could make me feel so wild and alive. Crenito (Idiot)! Screaming his name and begging him for more seemed to send him over the edge which led him to fill me with this dirty seed.

"I'm so in love with you," he confessed, falling tirelessly beside me and pulling me to his chest. "Leo is busy letting whores pleasure him, but you're the only one for me."

"He never truly loved me," I lied right through me, hating myself for saying those words. I entertained Astor until he fell into a deep slumber then slipped out of his arms and slowly put on my clothes. In my pocket, I delved for my toothbrush, the end of which I had been shaping into a sharp edge. I tip-toed over to his side and held it over his head. I finally had him exactly where I needed him and my hands still shook. I dreamed of ways to make him pay and now I was granted the opportunity to do so.

Astor turned, pattering his eyes open a little. "What are ya doing?" From the limited moonlight cast on his face, I noticed his lids widen upon seeing the make-shift weapon in my hand, and in a panic, I brought the sharp edge down and quickly dragged it down his face, leaving a bloody path stretching from under his left eye down to his jawline. His yelp of pain rang loud in the eerie night as he jumped out of bed and tried to come for me, holding his bloody face. In the blanket of darkness in the room, I pushed the man aside and blindly searched his bedside drawer for a gun under the minimum light streaming in through the windows. As expected, I found a gun and haphazardly shot in his direction twice. His deafening scream was evident of the bullets hitting a tender spot which was enough to slow him down and hopefully kill him.

          His men would swarm the room any second and this was my only chance to escape. I rushed out of the door carefully, looking out for anyone in my path. Seeing that it was clear, I made a run for it, keeping the gun ready to shoot anyone in my sight. Mamma would be very disappointed in me. I was never a killer. I couldn't stomach hurting an animal either, but it had come down to survival now and the need to know where Angelo was. My son was all the mattered at this point.

          Even if I safely made it out of here and reached Leo to tell him everything, the people who were watching over Angelo would hurt him immediately because someone in the Bonferroni army was in cahoots with this mostro for informing him of my pregnancy in the first place, but I didn't know who and I couldn't risk it. Finding my son was a priority and then I could safely take him to his father. Leo was too powerful to be touched directly, so Angelo was the only leverage they had over me.

Jumping down the stairs, I hid around the corner as men rushed up and scoured the mansion for the threat. When I heard a footstep behind me, I whipped myself around in fright and pointed the gun at the person.

"Oi, lady. Easy!" Astor's brother kept his hands up in surrender and eyed the gun warily. "Put the glock down, will ya?"

"I don't want to hurt you. Just let me go."

The man studied me for a second and frowned. "You're the reason he wouldn't allow anyone in the basement." He let out a sigh and stepped back. "Listen, I don't know who you are or what ya did, nor do I care, but my brother has become a monster. You don't deserve..." Distastefully, his eyes glanced at the bruises on my arms once again. "All this. No woman does, so go."

I nodded. "Grazie (Thank you)! I will forever be grateful."

Astor's brother walked the other way, while I made my way toward the exit, hiding from the guards that were filling the mansion.

"Who are you?" I heard someone ask from behind me, and before I could give them a chance to capture me, I shot the person right in the heart just the way Leo had taught me. I never had to utilize the training he gave me until now, and it certainly came in handy.

Shouts and bellows of the guards echoed throughout, forcing me to run toward the vacant exit. Past the doors, the chilly air met me for the first time in forever. I almost had to contain my tears at the taste of libertà (freedom) on my skin and tongue. It had been well over a year since I felt fresh air. I wanted to bask in every second of it, but I had to cut my joy short in fear of getting caught, so I ran using the night as my cloak.

***

As the morning came around, I found myself in a small town, tired and starving. No one was on the road and every shop was closed except a tavern. Hugging the jacket I stole from someone's yard, I entered the quiet Irish establishment and was greeted by the only man behind the bar, cleaning the glassware.

"Come on in, lassie! What can I get you this fine morning?"

With a few tears streaming down my cheeks, I told him a sob story of how I was a tourist and my things were stolen, including all my money, and that I was lost and found myself in his town. He took pity on me and offered me water and food. I asked for his phone to make a call, but when I did get the opportunity, I was lost. I didn't know Leo's number or anyone else's. I couldn't remember it. Cazzo (Fuck)!

Helplessly, I cleaned myself in the bathroom and began thinking of what to do next. I couldn't find Angelo by myself. I needed someone who could keep everything confidential and help me get my son in a rational manner. If I went to Leo first, he would burn everyone and everything in his path out of anger, and the hope of finding Angelo would be lost too if he killed everyone who knew of my son's whereabouts, and that is if the enemies didn't kill Angelo first.

I washed my face and walked out of the bathroom to find multiple men waiting for me, one of them pulling a knife out of the tavern owner who helped me.

"Take her," one man ordered the others, sending my blood and adrenaline rushing in a panic. "Don't hurt her though."

Two of them came forth to grab me, but I immediately pulled out the gun I stole from Astor and shot them both down, including two more behind them before the bullets ran out. Angered by my kills, the men became more determined to take me. One rushed toward me, forcing me to retrieve my sharp toothbrush and slice the man's neck with a single fatal swipe before I jammed it into another man's eye, sending him to the floor.

As others came forth, I started to use my limbs as weapons. Kicking one in his sensitive manhood, I forcefully elbowed the other in his face then smashed a bottle over his head from bar, finally ending his life by stabbing the same broken bottle into his neck. The last bulky man who was giving the orders came and flung me over the bar counter like a rag. Some bottles of liquor shattered on impact with my body while the others fell on me and beside me from the display. The man jumped over the counter to drag me out of the place, but I started to crawl away from him whilst throwing other glass bottles of alcohol at him that he kept dodging or punching out of his way. I grabbed the long tube from the beer dispenser and spewed beer onto the man's face, blinding him long enough for me to kick him back onto the shards of glass which ended his life.

I groaned and grimaced as I stood up to look at the dead bodies around me, excluding the one man I stabbed in the eye. I decided to spare him. I didn't want more blood than necessary on my hands. Taking a phone for myself and robbing every dead man of his money, I rushed out of the tavern and immediately felt a punch that knocked the air out of my lungs and left me unconscious.

***

When I woke up, I found myself naked in a dark room on a cold floor. My head was throbbing with pain and I couldn't even lift it. The only light I had was the one that was flowing in from under the door that suddenly opened and blinded me with the brightness. Someone walked in. It was a man whose face I couldn't properly see.

"You really fooled me this time, my moon."

Tears instantly poured out of my eyes at the sound of Astor's voice. I was back in his captivity and I couldn't help but curse myself for it.

"Points for shooting my arm and stomach in the dark, but I'm not dying so soon."

When his face turned a little, I saw the big scar I engraved into his face. "You even look like a mostro now," I grumbled.

"And I will show you what this monster will do now."

A man walked into the room behind him and handed him a bat. I knew exactly what was coming and I accepted my fate. This time I knew I was never getting out.

With the wooden bat, Astor beat me black and blue ruthlessly and I couldn't even move or scream due to the loss of energy in my body. I took blow after blow and felt a couple of bones break along the way.

It continued on like that. He broke my bones and then mended them, over and over like an endless cycle. I couldn't fight back at all and grew numb with the drugs that were being injected into me every day. I was losing myself and my mind, I could feel it. Nothing but the memories of Leo and the broken fantasy of seeing my son got me through the constant dark days. I slept on the floor with nothing to keep me warm and released my waste in a corner that got cleaned out every week. I begged for death every second I was awake and wished I didn't wake up every time I fell asleep.

I had started to see Leo under the deceitful influence of the drugs, but it was just Astor who raped me until I bled. Parading me as his prized possession before his pathetic friends had become his primary entertainment. They all ravaged me like animals. I could feel multiple cocks in me at once. One in my pussy and the other in my ass, or two in each that had blood running down my thighs, but they enjoyed my pain. It empowered them and their masculinity.

          Sometimes, I'd be hung from the ceiling with leather straps while they scarred me with belts that were adorned in thorns which left me bleeding, hot wax that sizzled on my skin. Inanimate objects were forced deep inside me for their pleasure. A bottle once broke in my back entrance which forced Astor to get me a doctor. Thankfully, after that incident, the glass bottles were off the table. I had also become their personal ashtray, but all I could do was scream and cry in pain. I was dead inside and there was no one to help me. I had become a living ghost who was barely surviving on the limited food and water they gave me to endure the torture. The only time Astor showed me mercy was when he gave me a photograph of Angelo. There was a scar on his forehead that Astor gave him after my brief escape.

"Your wish has finally been granted," Astor declared one day as I did my usual thing, lying lifelessly against the cold wall. "Leo is finally coming after me because of a cunt."

I made a meek voice because that was all I could do. My limbs were numb, my mind spinning with the drugs.

"Arie Noelle is the name of the woman who stole your husband's heart and all his bloody senses with it," he spat with disdain as a desolate tear from my eye splattered on the floor. "He's waging a bloody war against me now!"

I wet my parched throat with my saliva and begin to mutter, "Is h-he..." It hurt to speak after all my screams of pain from this morning. "Happy?"

Astor bent down and harshly squeezed my jaw. "Happier than I had ever seen him with you."

I scoffed as he let go with a push. "Then y-you better run."

***

Astor kept coming to update me on the ongoing war between him and Leo. He told me of what his men did to Lina. She was only a child which left me in despair. Astor was far worse than the diavolo (devil) himself.

          It had been some time since I was visited by him. No one came to feed me or inject me either, so I was left alone with my deranged thoughts and hallucinations of Leo, my mamma, and brother. I was finally reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel happily. My misery was going to be over until the door finally opened and I was taken away by unknown men. The journey was something I couldn't remember, but when I did wake up with my senses partially intact, I found myself in Leo's presence. It had to be Astor, so I seized the opportunity of stabbing him, but it wasn't Astor. I was back in the arms of the man I lost my heart to. Over two years later, I had been reunited with my husband, but I knew he wasn't mine anymore.

***

(Arie's POV)

My tears soaked every page in my trembling hands, my heart in more pieces than it already was. I couldn't imagine the things written on these pages let alone knowing that Verona did suffer it all. Stains of old, dried tears on the pages were proof of the pain she poured out with each word she wrote.

I'm not telling you this to have you feel guilty for loving Leo. I'm happy that you gave him a love I lacked and took care of him during his low moments. When I came back I tried to love him better than I did before but I couldn't do so. I was utterly shattered inside. You had become his happiness which is why I wanted you two to reunite. Astor had broken me too much and crushed everything I was including my mind and body. I relived my torture every night but I couldn't end my misery knowing Leo would be more miserable with no one to support him like you.

My heart started to race with the trepidation of where this was going, and with everything in me, I was hoping I was wrong.

I became beyond weak for the title of the queen. You are the strength that should be leading alongside the king, not me. You even gave my Angelo (your Lucian) a loving home and a mother for which I will always be indebted to you. With this letter I hope you ready yourself for the monsters that will come your way. I trust you to take care of both Angelo and especially Leo. He will blame himself for my death...

"No," I sobbed, my chest bursting with pain the moment I read the dreadful word. Please, be a lie. Handling another loss felt like a cruel stab through my heart, and I didn't know I could take it.

He will blame himself for my death and will fall apart but I know I will be leaving him in your capable hands. I wish for him to truly be happy and that will always be with you. He would never leave me and I couldn't live any longer with the monsters that still lived in my head and tortured me every single day. Death is my only salvation.

No matter what happens I need you both to support each other because no one else will the same way and you both have suffered enough. Give each other another chance and be happy because life is too short and anything can happen in this world. I can speak for it for I would do anything to be in your position.

With this letter I leave you the key to your locket. I think I know what it is but you may need to open it yourself if you want to know. And the ring inside is my wedding ring that I wish for you to have. Please take care of Leo and my son. I bid you farewell with love from the bottom of my heart and I hope you honor my final wish.

With love,
Verona Bivertiti

———————————————————

There you have it! Verona is officially and I bet some of you are still gonna be dancing on the table over her death 😂

What did you guys think about the flashback?

You guys got to see a little different side of Verona here. The one that could fight and take down men. I hope you guys enjoyed that bit.

What did you guys think of Astor and his feelings for Verona?

And then there's Alicio... (I just don't know what to ask about him 😂) so any thoughts on him are welcome too.

Now you know why Verona kept the birth a secret even after returning. Who could that traitor still be? (The one who informed Astor about the pregnancy.)

Do you think Arie will open the locket?

What's inside the locket?

Will Arie honor Verona's dying wish?

What is gonna happen next?

Thoughts on Verona? How do you guys feel about her now? This is probably gonna be the last time I'm gonna ask about her.

Leo?

Or Arie?

Further comments and questions are always welcome ❤️

I passed my finals so hurray! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 Thank you for all the wishes from the previous chapters.

HIT ME WITH THE THEORIES!

INSTAGRAM: reetilicious

Much love ❤️
~Reet