Ayla
I awoke to the sound of continuous knocking. It vibrated through my ears and I groaned.
Pushing the comforter away from my face, I looked up, but quickly closed my eyes against the bright sunlight streaming into my room.
The day before was blurred and everything felt surreal. Blinking again, I stared at the door in confusion. Why was I in my room? Wasn’t I in the basement?
But then my eyes widened when the rest of my memories came crashing back. Alessio had let me go and apologized for his behavior. He had bandaged my wrists and brought me food.
Letting my head fall back on the pillow, I let out a loud sigh. It must have been a dream. A beautiful dream. When I heard the rapping against the door again, I called out without thinking, “Come in.” But as soon as the words left my mouth, I tensed.
Oh God. What if it’s Alessio?
Quickly sitting up, I brought the covers up to my chin and stared at the door nervously. I saw the knob turning and then the door slowly opened.
I trembled slightly in fear, but when Maddie poked her head in, my muscles relaxed and I sagged against the pillows in relief.
Maddie was Lena’s daughter. She was a few years older than me, but we instantly connected. Apart from Lena, Maddie was someone I had begun to trust.
“Ayla,” she whispered, walking into my room and closing the door behind her. She ran to me and sat down on my bed, her expression filled with worry.
“Oh my God, we were so worried!” she exclaimed, taking my hand in hers. When she saw the bandages, a shocked gasp escaped her lips.
“Oh, Ayla,” Maddie whispered. She bit her lips and her eyebrows furrowed.
“It’s okay. I’m okay,” I mumbled, withdrawing my hand, not wanting any more attention drawn to it.
“Ayla, it’s not okay. How could he do that to you? When we heard you were brought to the basement, I think my mom almost had a heart attack!” She rose to her feet, putting her hands on her hips.
My chest ached at the thought of Lena being worried, and I looked down sadly. “He thought I was a traitor,” I whispered as tears started building in my eyes. I sniffled, blinking the tears away.
Instead, I began to weep, but stopped myself, swiping away the tears.
“I know,” Maddie replied, sitting back on the bed again.
“But I’m not!” Looking back up, I stared into her eyes with conviction and hoped that she believed me. But Maddie just smiled.
“We know, Ayla. It’s clear as day you aren’t. But Alessio is stubborn. If he suspects that you are a spy, he isn’t going to let you go.”
I nodded, turning my head to the side a little, looking at Maddie in confusion. “But he did let me go. And he apologized for treating me badly. So, I don’t understand.”
I saw her eyes widen in shock and then she smiled again. Placing her palm over my hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze. “Alessio is very unpredictable. But if he apologized, which he never does, and he let you go, then he probably really meant it. So, don’t worry too much. You are safe now.”
Her voice was soft, and I found myself relaxing, any doubts quickly evaporating.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Maddie nodded and gave me a small smile. “Yes. I’m sure. Trust me, babe, Alessio never apologizes. I mean, it’s weird that he did. That should pretty much erase all your doubts.”
“He did look very remorseful.”
Laughing, Maddie shook her head. “Then, there you go. You have your answer.”
My heart did a flip and I felt my lips twitching into a small smile. With Maddie’s reassurance, I felt light and my shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you,” I whispered, turning my palm over to hold her hand.
“It’s okay. By the way, Mom is very worried about you. Alessio told her that you won’t be working today. She sent me to check up on you,” Maddie explained.
Pushing the comforter away, I struggled out of bed and stood up. “I want to see her.”
I couldn’t bear the thought of Lena being worried about me.
In a short time, she had become a second mother to me. I never had anyone hold me when I cried. Most importantly, no one had ever been worried about me.
But Lena had been, and all I wanted to do was hug her. I needed her comforting touch and soft smiles. I felt like a child desperate for her mother.
“Okay,” Maddie said, her voice snapping back into the present. I looked back to see her standing up and fixing her black dress.
“I’ll see you downstairs.” She gave me a quick hug and then walked out of my bedroom, closing the door behind her.
I changed into my black dress. After brushing my teeth, and fixing my hair in a tight ponytail, I went downstairs. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, Lena gasped.
“Oh, my Lord. My sweet child. I was so worried!” She crushed my body to hers, holding me tight.
“Lena, I can’t breathe,” I managed to say. She instantly loosened her hold and took a step back.
“Let me look at you.” Before I could say anything, Lena grasped my face in her hands and turned it left and then right, checking for bruises. When she didn’t find any, she took a step back and inspected me from head to toe.
“Lena, I’m okay,” I mumbled, the lump in my throat growing tighter. I thought my words would calm her, but when she saw my bandaged wrists, her eyes grew stormy.
“Stubborn man,” she hissed. “I told him you were innocent. Took him long enough to realize his mistake.” Her lips pulled down in a sad frown.
Taking a step closer, I wrapped her in my arms and gave her a hug. I took in a deep breath, her jasmine perfume filling my nose and instantly soothing me.
“As long as he believes that I’m not a traitor, then I don’t have any problem,” I said. Lena was silent, so I added with a reassuring tone, “I’m okay. Really.” After a few seconds, she finally nodded and turned around.
“Sit down. Maddie and I are almost done with lunch,” she said, pointing at the stools by the bar. As I settled myself in a stool, Maddie brought me a plate of toast, eggs, and potatoes.
“Thank you,” I said, then ate in silence as I watched Maddie and Lena working in the kitchen.
I was slowly sipping my juice when Maddie spoke, and her words made my breath catch in my throat.
“Mom, why do the Ivanshovs and Abandonatos hate each other so much? I mean, I know it runs deeper than just two mob groups fighting. But I never asked why.”
I almost choked on my juice.
Coughing, I placed the glass on the counter and brought a shaky hand to my mouth. Maddie and Lena turned toward me, looking concerned. I just brushed them off with a flick on my wrist, letting them know I was okay.
Actually, I wasn’t okay. I could barely breathe.
“Oh dear, it’s a long story,” Lena said, sighing.
Straightening my shoulders, I instantly perked up. I knew our families hated each other with a fierce passion, but I didn’t know why. A few times, I had heard Alberto talking about the Ivanshovs and how they would wipe out the Abandonato if they ever had a chance.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I was wondering about that too.” When Lena gave me a strange look, I quickly made an excuse. “I mean, when Alessio thought that I was a spy for the Abandonatos, he was really furious. So, I was wondering why.”
“He does truly hate them.” Wiping her hand on her apron, she walked toward the bar and sat down on a stool. Maddie and I sat on either side of her.
“Maddie, you were still a baby. So, you won’t remember anything. There was a big fight between the two families. I mean, they were always enemies, but after that night…” Lena paused and shook her head sadly. “Alfredo invaded the estate. Lyov, Alessio’s father, wasn’t home.” A tear escaped Lena’s eye. “It was a whole bloody mess. So many men died that night. And poor Maria, Alessio’s mother. She was killed. Alfredo killed her and then left a note on her body. It said, ‘Let that be a lesson for you.’ She was pregnant.” Lena broke off and started crying, her sobs filling the room.
My eyes widened and it felt like my heart would burst any moment. My stomach twisted so painfully that I thought I would puke. My body tingled. I felt as if I was being stuffed into a small box. Numbness swam through me.
Everything muted around me and the only words that kept ringing through my ears were, Alfredo killed Alessio’s mother. My father had killed Alessio’s pregnant mother.
It felt as if I had sunk deep underwater, and I suffocated as I tried desperately to take air into my lungs, but they burned with the pressure.
Placing my trembling hands over my thighs, I squeezed them hard, forcing myself to stay still and listen to the rest.
“She was five months pregnant. Lyov and Maria were so happy. They were having a girl. But everything ended that night. And poor Alessio,” Lena continued with a hoarse voice, her words breaking my heart. “Alessio saw everything. He was hiding under the bed. Poor boy, he was only seven and saw his mother being murdered before his eyes. Nothing was the same afterwards. Darkness filled the house. Maria, our light, she was gone. She was our queen. It broke everyone’s hearts. Eventually we all learned how to move on again. But Lyov and Alessio were never the same again.”
My cheeks were wet with my silent tears. My heart constricted in pain and my chest swelled with the grief that consumed me.
How could my father be so heartless?
My mind fogged up and I felt my lips quivering as I tried not to cry out loud. It was too much. Too much pain filled my chest.
I was truly the enemy.
I will never survive if they find out the truth.
“Alessio didn’t talk for three years,” Lena said. “Didn’t show any emotions, and Lyov, he totally shut down. When Alessio finally spoke again, his first words were, ‘I will avenge my mother.’ Since then, that has been his goal. He vowed to kill every Abandonato. To make them all pay.” She choked through the tears and buried her face in her hands, her chest heaving almost painfully with the force of her cries. “Maddie, your father died then, too. He died while trying to protect Maria. I didn’t just lose my best friend, I also lost my husband that day.”
The kitchen was silent for a few minutes, only our sniffles and cries filling the room. I closed my eyes and brought a hand to my mouth as I wept, my body trembling. Goosebumps rose on my skin and my breath hitched.
“I hope Alessio makes them all pay,” Lena said, bringing her head up as she wiped at her tears. “They all deserve to die, every last one of them.”
Her words were a slap to my face, and I froze for a moment, holding my breath. I let it out in a whoosh and stood from the stool. I brought my hand to my stomach, rubbing it gently, trying to get rid of the sick feeling. Lena and Maddie watched me, probably thinking I was crazy.
I felt crazy, and I’d begun to lose my mind.
Breathe, Ayla, breathe.
My chest felt tight, painfully tight. Clenching my fists tight, I gasped for air as I entered a full-blown panic attack.
My eyes were wide in terror as I stumbled back a few steps.
“Ayla?” Lena asked, her voice filled with concern as she stood up. My body felt cold.
Outside. Air. Breathe. Now.
I pressed my hand hard against my burning chest and quickly swiveled around, running out of the kitchen. But before I could make my escape, I hit a rock hard chest.
Bouncing back, I stumbled as a strong hand grasped my arm, pulling me straight up again. My vision blurred with dizziness and I felt my head rolling back slightly.
My head snapped up, and I met cold bluish-steel eyes. Only one person had these beautiful captivating eyes. Alessio.
As I stared into his eyes, Lena’s words rang in my ears, causing me to whimper in fear and pain.
He vowed to kill every Abandonato.
And I was an Abandonato.