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She does the math problems for a while until Martha appears in the bedroom with her lunch. Elena’s face brightens with joy at seeing her, and she gets up, moving toward her. I gave Martha explicit instructions when it came to bringing Elena her lunch.
Don’t speak to her, and don’t offer her any type of help or you’ll pay with your life.
It appears Martha is listening until I see her lean forward, and her lips move slowly. It’s subtle, and I almost miss it, but Elena looking down at Martha’s extended hand does it for me, and I see her pass the small scrap of something into Elena’s hand.
Red hot anger rips through me, and I growl, squeezing my phone in my hand. Nothing is as horrible as a traitor. I find a spare suit in the closet and dress quickly, my hands shaking with pent up rage as I leave the bedroom and head for the kitchen.
Martha has been a long-time employee and one of my father’s favorites. Killing her is going to hurt, but there is no way around it. If she has betrayed me, then she cannot live.
As soon as I enter the kitchen, Martha looks up from the pot she is stirring and faces me.
“Mr. Moretti.” She looks at the ground as she speaks like most of the staff in this house do.
“Cut the shit, Martha.” I crowd her, forcing her back against the counter. My hand is on my gun, waiting for me to draw it. “What did you give Elena when you dropped her lunch off?”
Her lips tremble, and she wrings her hands in her apron before looking up at me. Fear fills her eyes, she knows what’s to come.
“It was just a note, sir,” she says, and my teeth grind together, my jaw clenching and aching. Her piece of shit father found a way inside and infiltrated my home.
Curling my lip, I circle my hand around Martha’s throat and squeeze. “From who?” I ask, even though I already know. I merely want her to confess it out loud.
“Her father,” she whispers, her weathered face contouring with shame. “Just a note from her father.”
“You know what your betrayal means?” I squeeze her feeble throat a little harder.
She nods. “Yes, sir. It means death.”11ElenaI stare at the crumpled-up paper in my hand, reading it for the hundredth time, and still, I’m not sure if it’s real or not. And if it is real, what am I going to make of it?Elena,
I will come for you, sweetheart.
Be strong, DadThe note is handwritten, the lettering tells me that it is indeed my father who wrote this note. The question is, why? Is he really coming for me? Do I even want him to come after he sold me like an object? I’ve had days to think about how cruel he was in letting me go, giving me away like I was nothing.
My life here is worse than the one spent at my father’s place, but honestly, not by much. I had a few more things to do at home, but not many. According to Julian, I will have more freedom at some point, so being here seems like the better option.
Julian expects things from me, things I’m not sure I can give him, but what are my other choices? If I somehow manage to get back home, I will either be alone for the rest of my life, or my father will marry me off to someone else. Are there any men in my father’s world that will treat me differently? I doubt it. Every man is a hardened mafia man with hate and rage burning through his veins.
So, which one is the lesser evil?
Folding the paper until it’s only a tiny piece of scrap. I walk into the closet and shove it into the bottom of my underwear drawer, hoping that whichever path my future will lead, I will one day be free.The rest of the day, I busy myself with math. Julian doesn’t come and get me for dinner today. Instead, a different maid brings me food to the room. I wonder why he isn’t here yet, but I try not to think about that. Instead, I bury my face within the pages of the textbook.
Julian was surprised by my choice, but there was really no question for me what book to take. If I had chosen a romance novel, I would have read it within a few hours. After that, I would have been back to square one with nothing to do.
I don’t know if I will get a chance to pick a second book, so I had to make this one count. This book will keep me occupied for a long time.
I have only one issue. Even with me writing as small as I can, the paper is about to run out. I’ve already used the front and back. Without paper, I can’t solve these equations, and I don’t want to write in the book.
