To Love in Full

Chapter 10: Nefarious

Nefarious (adj.) Wicked, villainous, despicable.

Arabella's P.O.V.

Alexander's words filled me with disgust, hatred, and uncertainty. I looked around the room and stared at the men that were part of the mafia; my family could not possibly be like them; they were never like them; I am not like them. How is it possible that I am related to people who have lost their humanity?

The blood coursing through my veins is what keeps me alive; it identifies who I am by holding every detail of my genetic information, but alas, it is what connects me to the mafia world. The Aetos blood runs through me; it is blood that I share with criminals, murderers, and extortionists.

"That is not possible..." Nicolo said as he stopped in his tracks and stared at my helpless body.

"...Cairo never had any children," he said as he turned around to look at Alexander who was heaving heavily as he tried to remain calm.

"Think again," Alexander said while he shook his head, causing droplets of water to fall before him.

I watched as Nicolo furrowed his eyebrows while he stared at the ground, the gears were turning in his head as he suddenly looked at me and turned his gaze to Alexander, then back at me again.

"Ovviamente, tutto ha un senso ora," Nicolo breathed out under his breath as he started to make his way towards the wall behind me (Of course, it all makes sense now).

As Nicolo began to loosen the rope on the pulley, the bottoms of my feet made contact with the stool but my knees started to give out and shake beneath me. Before I could fall, Manny rushed to my side and caught me as he set me down gently on the cold hard ground. I laid my head against the stool, staring blankly at Alexander, as Manny began to cut the rope behind my hands.

"Dante, portalo nel mio ufficio," Nicolo said to the guard as he began to leave the room with Leone (Bring him to my office).

"Are you alright, Arabella?" Manny asked as he lifted the rope from around my neck.

I remained quiet as no thoughts came to my mind. The sound of Manny's voice and footsteps dragging out of the room did not register with me; in my mind it was silent. I looked at Manny, with tears that blurred my vision, as he stared back at me with concerned eyes. I could not trust him; earlier he had told me that Nicolo would not kill me, but the events from earlier repeated itself in my mind. He walked towards me with no hesitance when Alexander refused to answer him; he was going to kill me; he wanted to kill me.

I could not trust Alexander, as he had lied to me from the very beginning; the moment we met. I was starting to think that the way Nicolo trusted people was more ideal than my approach. It hurts to lose the trust you have for someone; I feel betrayed and deceived; I felt like a fool. What was the purpose? Why would you lie to me? I asked myself as I thought about Alexander.

"Arabella?" Manny asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"I am not okay, Manny," I said as my voice broke and tears flowed down my face.

"Why would he lie to me about something like this?" I asked helplessly as I looked at Manny, knowing that he did not have the answers I was looking for.

Manny suddenly sat down on the floor beside me and embraced me warmly. My tears stained his shirt as my head rested against his chest; his hand began to trace small circles on my back to try and calm me down.

"When he is done with Nico, you can talk to him," Manny whispered to me.

I shook my head against his chest. I had nothing to say to Alexander; I wasn't even sure what I would say. Confront him? Question him? Seeing Alexander with tears streaming down his face made my heart ache for him, but how could I feel sympathy for a man who lost my trust, a man that refused to answer a question while he watched as I struggled against a rope around my neck.