There's No Afterlife for Love

While I was recovering alone after the surgery, my phone buzzed.

It was a message from Valentina. She had sent me a photo.

In the picture, Salvatore was personally feeding her a spoonful of stew. "Salvatore said he's really worried about you. But I can't have him leave me so you'll have to take care of your wound yourself."

I felt nothing despite staring at their intimacy.

After deleting the message, I called Luca.

"Luca, it's me."

"Alessia, everything's set," he replied in a calm voice. "I'll pick Nicola up at 9:00 am the day after tomorrow. We'll meet up and then board the ferry."

"Okay."

His confirmation lifted the last weight in my chest.

Over the past seven years, I had taken knives and bullets for Salvatore. I had even nearly died in an explosion while saving him.

I didn't regret it. If I had to do it again, I would.

With the seven-year contract about to expire, I could finally breathe the air of freedom.

Just after I hung up, another call came in. It was Salvatore.

I hesitated for a moment, but still answered.

"Alessia! Where the hell are you? Why haven't you gotten back here yet?"

When I got hurt back then, he would at least pretend to care about me. Now, he didn't even bother pretending and just barked orders.

"With you gone, who's going to prepare Valentina's dinner? Who's going to handle the famiglia's files? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused me?" he said matter-of-factly.

I hung up on him. The world instantly fell silent.

That peace lasted less than ten minutes.

Salvatore sent a video. It showed Nicola lying unconscious as a doctor slowly approached him with a syringe filled with an unknown liquid.

My heart clenched instantly.

"You've got some nerve hanging up on me! I'm giving you half an hour to get back here right now. If you don't, you'll regret it."

Nicola was my only weakness.

I forced myself to suppress the turmoil in my chest and told myself to endure it all just one last time. Soon, Nicola and I would be able to leave him.

Dragging my injured body, I returned home.

The front door was locked from the inside. I rang the doorbell, but no one came to open it.

I could faintly hear Valentina and Salvatore laughing inside the house.

"Do you think she's shivering outside right now?" Valentina asked. "Maybe we should let her in."

"Let her stay out there. It'll teach her a lesson."

"You're evil. I love it! Honestly, I'd really like to see if she'd freeze to death if we left her outside all night."

Salvatore sounded intrigued. "That's a great idea. Spread the word. Anyone who sheltered Alessia tonight is going against me."

Salvatore ruled the mafia with absolute authority. A single sentence from him could decide one's faith.

If he wanted me punished, no one in the area would dare help me.