Chapter 60

Mia

I almost laughed as my eyes stung. My mind was a mess.

“I've been kidnapped twice, pistol-whipped, beaten, almost raped and drugged all in the span of a week since Albery came into my life, and while I know that he's not responsible for it, getting that close to the criminal underground isn't worth it."

I sighed and sat back.

"Once my mother is better, I think it’s best if we leave the city for good. Somewhere safe and far away, where we can start anew.”

Katie’s eyes widened, and she reached out to take my hand. “I’m so sorry all of this happened, and I understand where you're coming from... I’ll miss you, though.”

I squeezed her hand, feeling a mix of sadness and relief. “I’ll miss you too. But we’ll keep in touch, and who knows? Maybe we’ll find a way to meet up in the future.”

Katie’s face brightened slightly as she lifted her hand and showed me her engagement ring. “Speaking of new beginnings, I expect you at my wedding."

The ring sparkled, and I couldn’t help but smile despite the turmoil in my heart.

“You're going to be a wife, huh? Who would have thought?"

She laughed. "Not me for sure!"

"It’s beautiful, Katie. I’m really happy for you both. I wish you nothing but the best.”

Katie’s eyes shimmered with emotion. “Thank you, Mia. I really hope everything works out for you, too. Promize you'll come? It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

I nodded, feeling a mix of emotions. “I’ll be there. I promise. I may still have to serve out my residency so I won't be leaving too soon, you know?”

"That's great--"

"Where the fuck is she?" Someone screeched outside.

The commotion drew the attention of Albert's men, who immediately moved to intercept whoever was causing the disturbance. My curiosity got the better of me, and I stood up to see what was going on.

To my surprise, I found Sophia in the hallway, her face contorted in rage. She was shouting furiously, her voice echoing off the sterile hospital walls.

“You! This is all your fault! You think you can just walk away from all the trouble you've caused?” Sophia’s voice was a piercing shriek.

Katie turned to me, confusion written across her face. “Who is that?”

I sighed, my gaze returning to the scene outside. “Her name's Sophia. I’ll explain later.” I looked at Sasha and his partner who were a wall between me and Sophia. "Please make her leave before she wakes up my mom?"

"Of course, miss."

"Let me go! She can't get away with this! You know who my daddy is?" She snarled, fighting them. “You think you can just ruin us and get away with it? I'll kill you, you fat bitch!"

"Ruin?" I asked, curious.

She snarled. Her eyes glistening with tears. "It's all your fault Daddy's broke! You should have just died!"

I blinked. Broke? I snorted. Then, a laugh bubbled up from within me, surprising even myself. The situation was so absurd, so fittingly ironic, that I couldn’t hold it in. The thought of Lorenzo being broke was a small, sweet revenge after all the trouble he had caused.

Katie looked at me with a mixture of concern and curiosity. “Are you alright?”

I wiped a tear of laughter from my eye, trying to regain my composure. “Yeah, I’m okay. It’s just… it seems like things are finally turning around a bit. I didn’t expect this.”

Her eyes locked onto me, filled with venom.

“You think you can just ignore me?!” she spat, her voice dripping with resentment. “You think this is funny? You'll pay for this if it's the last thing I do!”

I met Sophia’s glare with a cold, steady gaze. “If you’re looking for someone to blame, look at your father. He’s the one who threatened a bratva underboss’s fiancée. Maybe if he had kept his nose clean, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Sophia’s face paled at the implication, her anger faltering as fear flickered in her eyes. “You… you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“If you don’t want to end up like him, I suggest you leave. Now,” I said firmly.

Sophia flinched and soon she was gone. Katie let out a low whistle.

“You may not like the mafia, but it’s in your blood,” Katie remarked, a mix of admiration and disbelief in her tone.

The thought made me feel ill. I wasn’t sure how to process it, the idea that the darkness I had tried so hard to distance myself from was so deeply entwined with who I was.

"Actually, Katie..."

I frowned, breaking off as I thought about telling Katie the truth, but a new figure appeared in the hallway and caught my eye.

A beautiful woman, dressed in exquisitely expensive clothing, walked toward us with an air of authority and grace. Her eyes locked onto me with a piercing gaze.

“Are you Mia?” she asked, her voice smooth and commanding.

I took a step back, taken aback by her presence and the sense of power she radiated. Katie looked at me, then back at the woman, clearly curious about who she was and why she was here.

Albert

My mind was a storm of anger with every passing street. Mikhail sat across from me silently. The driver was equally quiet. When we arrived at the townhouse Dimitri was staying in, I stormed inside, brushing past the guards and ignoring all semblance of respect.

I had no respect for Dimitri. I never had, and every moment in his presence would drag me closer to finally putting a bullet between his eyebrows. I didn’t waste a second; I headed straight for the office; my thoughts consumed by the mess Dimitri had made.

Dimitri was waiting there; the divorce paperwork Mia had signed laid out on the desk. His demeanor was calm, almost smug, but it did little to temper my fury. Before he could even utter a word, I grabbed the papers, barely glancing at them before signing my name with a swift, decisive stroke. The pen moved quickly, the sound of it scratching against the paper echoing in the tense silence.

Without a word, I handed the signed documents to Mikhail.

“Get this processed according to the prenuptial agreement.”

Mikhail nodded and flipped through the pages.

"How long will it take?"

“I could get it effective by tomorrow,” he said.

I nodded and turned to leave. Dimitri's called out, but I didn't turn back or pause.

"I'm not done--hey!"

I didn’t even glance back. I heard him coming up behind me. I felt his intent, felt his anger like an instinct I couldn't explain. It was just something I knew of him, a ruthlessness that resonated in me, that I'd always tried to hold back, but not now. I realized that my benevolence, my leniency, didn't serve me with him. It never had. I turned, noting the glint of the knife in his hand as he lifted it to try and stab me.

He was a coward even now.

“You don't ever turn your back--"

He broke off as I pulled out my gun and pressed the muzzle right between his eyes. He went still, caught off guard. His arm froze in midair. My arms were longer so there was no chance he could strike me. The sound of the safety clicking off was clear in the tense silence. His eyes widened just a bit, but he said nothing. Mikhail stood to the side, silent and impassive, his eyes flicking between us as the scene unfolded. He knew better than to intervene.

“I cannot tell you all the ways I’ve thought about killing you over the years,” I continued, keeping the gun steady. “How often, how grandiose, how violent, or all the reasons why, but I’ve always held back. Now, you’ve crossed a line that I can’t ignore or forgive."

I glared at him, pushing him to step back. My hand was steady. My heart was cold. I stared into the eyes that were just like mine, barely holding back the urge to shoot.

Had he hesitated to shoot my mother? I wanted to ask, but I knew that the answer would probably just piss me off more. I'd shoot him and everything that I had been working toward would crumble.

I took a deep breath as I forced him back over the threshold of the office. His eyes were clear, shocked and a bit proud. It made me sick.

“This is your only and last warning,” I said, my voice steady, barely concealing the rage beneath. "I won't hesitate next time."

Dimitri’s face twisted into a snarl, but he didn’t move. The tension crackled in the air as we stared at one another. I could see he was searching for some weakness, a hesitance in me. Then, he smiled. His shoulders relaxing as he stared back at me.

"Finally," he said. "I don't see her in you."