The church is quiet. There’s no one else hear – not even a priest. And then suddenly, a loud commotion makes me turn to the large doors.
Two men drag my mother inside the church and throw her onto the floor. Her eyes land on me right away. “Emma!” The fear in her voice is palpable. I wince. Seeing my mother like this– on her knees, panic in her eyes – fills me with shame. Shame because I don’t want to help her. After how she treated me, I don’t love her.
And yet, she’s still my mother and knowing she’s going to be hurt makes me conflicted.
Matteo stands over her. “You hid Alessandro’s daughter away from him. That wasn’t very nice.”
“She’s my daughter,” Mother growls. “Not his. I had every right.”
“You had no right!” he shouts, grabbing the back of her hair. She cries out when he yanks on it. “She belonged to her father.”
“She belongs to me.”
“I belong to no one,” I announce but neither Matteo nor my mother are listening.
“You need to be punished, Valentina.” Matteo lets her hair go and nods at one of his men. They push my mother to her stomach and begin kicking her. The sight of it makes me wince. She would kick me so many times until I had bruises all over my ribs. All over my body. Until I couldn’t breathe. She deserves this.
But it’s still hard to watch because despite it all, my mother is still my mother. I both hate her and love her.
Matteo holds his hand up to stop his men and kneels down before Valentina. “How does that feel?”
“Fuck you,” she hisses. My mother never cussed. Said it was sinful. She really is a hypocrite.
“I’ve heard that many times. Now, Valentina, I have the perfect punishment for you.” Matteo walks over to me and makes me stand. He brings me over to my mother and places a gun in my hands. “Shoot her.”
I jerk back. “What?”
“Shoot her. She hid you away forever. It’s the perfect punishment. Death by her own daughter.”
“Emma, please,” Mother sobs. Her face is bloody. Her body is bent. “Emma. Please!”
“I can’t kill her,” I whisper. With Alessandro it was different. He was still a stranger to me. He wanted me dead. He was going to hurt me if Leo hadn’t saved me from him.
But my mother, despite her abuse, always wanted to protect me. She wanted to control me. I know that. But there was still some love there. Some kindness.
“You have to kill her. She needs to be punished for what she did. So kill her, Emma.”
“What about what I want?” I ask.
Matteo huffs. “It doesn’t matter what you want. You’re mine now and I am telling you to kill your mother.”
“I am married to Leo.”
“That won’t last long. Not once he’s dead. And then you’ll be free to marry me. So kill your mother. Prove your loyalty.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. I am tired of this. I will not be controlled. I will not kill her.”
I point the gun at Matteo instead but his men instantly have their guns on me. One of them presses his gun to my temple.
“I would be careful, Emma,” Matteo says. “You will not kill me.”
“I thought you wanted me. You can’t have me if I’m dead.”
“No. But then no one else can have you. So it’s still a win in my book.”
“I thought you wanted peace. Doing all of this is going to bring war to your doorstep.”
Matteo crosses his arms, looking smug. “I did want peace. Gabriel was going to give you to me until he went back on his word. I am not a man who appreciates that. So fuck peace. For now. Emma, you are not getting out of this. Kill your mother.”
