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"Fuck you, Damon," I whisper to myself, my words swallowed by the churning water.
"I won't let you catch me. Not this time."
With a surge of adrenaline, I force my body to keep moving, swimming with all the strength I have left.
The river roars around me like a living thing, angry and wild, but I refuse to let it claim me.
I am Diana Giuseppe – stubborn, strong-willed, and determined to survive, no matter what it takes.
"Help me," I pray silently, not knowing who or what might be listening.
"Please, just help me get through this."
"Stay focused," I tell myself, even as my limbs start to numb from the cold. "Remember what's at stake."
As I fight against the rushing water, images of Anthony flash through my mind.
His dark eyes, full of secrets and pain; the way he'd held me, as if I were something precious, something worth protecting.
I can still feel the heat of his touch, the fierce passion that had ignited between us during our one stolen night together.
The river's fury seems to intensify, its roiling waters pulling me further and further from the man who wants me dead.
As the last traces of Damon vanish from sight, I let out a ragged breath, my body trembling with exhaustion and relief.
"Thank you," I whisper, sending a silent prayer of gratitude to whatever force had been watching over me.
"Thank you for giving me the strength to fight."
Now, I need to get out of this river and find safe shores.
Chapter 22
Anthony
MyheartdropswhenI notice the white envelope propped against the crisp white pillows on her bed.
The elegant penmanship spells out my name, "Anthony" in a way that sends a shiver down my spine.
I hesitate for a moment before picking it up, already fearing the contents.
"Anthony," the note begins, "I saw it. The torture chamber in the basement. I can't pretend I didn't. I thought I could handle being a part of this world, but I was wrong."
My chest tightens as I read her words, each one like a cold knife slicing through me.
I feel the weight of her fear and the gravity of her decision.
"Please understand, I do love you. Since this is the last time we will be speaking, I am taking a leap of faith to give you the truth. The night before our wedding, I made promised myself that I would never fall in love with you. At most, I might bring myself to tolerate you. But, the last few weeks together revealed how wrong I was for I did the unthinkable. I fell in love with you, started dreaming of a future even. But I need to do what's best for my future. I refuse to let my life be consumed by violence and darkness. I won't become just another casualty in the mafia's never-ending cycle of pain and the only way we can have a future together is if the you forget about the mafia. Even if that is a possibility, I know that they would never forget about you."
The note trembles in my hand, the ink blurring as my vision grows cloudy with unshed tears.
I want to be angry at her, to scream that she's overreacting or that she's abandoning me, but deep down, I know she's right.
Our love story was always doomed to end this way.
It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I can't help feeling responsible for her terror.
"Please don't come after me. I need time to figure things out, to find my own path away from all this. I hope one day you can forgive me and understand why I had to leave."
