31. Marcello

Marcello

A s I slowly awaken, my eyes flutter open to the blinding brightness of a hospital room. My head throbs and my body is heavy with exhaustion.

Where am I?

Slowly turning my head, I take in my surroundings. The sterile white walls and beeping machines confirm my suspicion—I'm in a hospital. A sharp pain shoots through my thigh, causing me to wince and notice the IV drip attached to my arm.

"Officer, there seems to be a misunderstanding. He didn't mean to harm himself. The mirror shattered and he accidentally got injured," I hear Sisi's voice arguing with someone outside my room. Still groggy, I struggle to sit up, the pain in my leg intensifying.

Peering down at my thigh, I see a clean white bandage covering a wound. It takes me a moment to remember how it got there.

She left.

Watching her walk away had sent me spiraling into a dark mindset. All I could think about was making the pain stop. I never intended to commit suicide, but in that moment, all I wanted was peace—even if it meant inflicting physical pain on myself.

Surrounded by broken shards of glass, I acted impulsively—grabbing a large piece and plunging it into my thigh. Closing my eyes and leaning back against the wall, I relished in the agony, letting it consume me and block out everything else—including her horrified expression.

I remained there among the shards for what felt like hours, each stab of pain bringing me closer to the numbness I craved. Eventually, I pulled out the glass and waited for the cold air to make the sting even more potent.

With a deep breath, I wake up to my reality. Catalina is gone. Claudia is gone.

"Marcello?" Assisi calls my name, noticing I'm awake.

"I'm fine," I croak, my throat dry.

"What happened?" Her brows are drawn together in a frown as she looks at my leg. I don't answer. What can I tell her? How despicable I am? She probably suspects anyway.

A nurse stops by to check on the IV, and she mentions how lucky I'd been that my sister had called the ambulance on time because I'd lost a lot of blood. Eyes blank, I stare into nothingness, an empty void forming inside my chest.

I'm alive—again. And she's gone—again.

The nurse keeps talking, but I register nothing. It's only when she reaches for my wound, probably to redress it, that I snap out of it.

My body recoils at the touch of the nurse, my voice echoing through the room as I yell for her to stop. Sisi quickly steps in, apologizing before directing her attention back to me.

"Mr. Lastra, I need to check your wound," the nurse insists, but I can only shake my head, disoriented and desperate for an escape. My eyes scan the room for a way out, my heart pounding with fear and urgency.

With my one good hand, I pull the IV from my arm, feeling a sharp sting as I jump out of bed. Gasps fill the air as I rush towards the exit, ignoring all attempts to stop me. Shouts and cries follow me as I stumble and push through anyone in my way.

I vaguely register someone calling for security, and then I see Vlad's face.

He raises an eyebrow at me with a hint of disappointment before shaking his head. My legs give out beneath me and I fall to my knees, feeling blood trickling down my thigh. Vlad's gaze flickers momentarily, but he holds up a hand in a firm stop gesture.

"Please kill me," I rasp out, overwhelmed by agonizing emotions clawing at my chest.

"Now, Marcello, what did I tell you before?" Vlad's voice is calm and collected as he kneels in front of me. He glances over my shoulder and nods.

Despite my pleas for death and escape from this Tartarian torment of my own making, I cannot help but feel a tinge of guilt and regret. With every fiber of my being, I knew that marrying her would lead to this moment—her betrayal and hatred towards me once she found out. But in a moment of selfishness and desire for something just for myself, I had chosen to ignore the consequences. And now here it is—the reckoning; and like a coward, I am unable to bear the inferno that I myself ignited.

"If you ever die, it won't be by my hand." He snaps his fingers in front of me, trying to get my attention. I frown at him, my comprehension lagging.

"Pl..." I'm about to say when someone sticks a needle in my neck. The effect is almost immediate, as my limbs become light.

I'm still conscious though as hands grab at my body.

"How come you're here?" Sisi asks.

"Let's just say I heard through the grapevine that someone was in trouble," Vlad remarks.

Their voices become a mere echo as I finally lose consciousness.

A WEEK LATER

"Nice to see you all chipper," Vlad slides into the seat next to me. "Did you rent out this whole church, or what?" he says as he scans the empty rows.

"Hello to you too, traitor," I reply tensely, closing my fist over the rosary I was holding.

I'd barely gotten myself out of the hospital and managed to dissuade the doctors from committing me. Instead, I'd agreed to have weekly therapy sessions. No matter how much I'd tried to tell them, they hadn't believed that it wasn't a suicide attempt.

Just yesterday I'd had my first appointment, and it had gone as well as it could, all things considered. I'd merely scratched the surface in what I'd told the therapist. At the end of the session, the doctor had point-blank asked me if I even wanted help, because my deflection wasn't helping anyone. On my way out, I'd told her that if I was any more truthful, then I'd have to kill her.

She'd laughed.

I wasn't joking. Not really. I'd had several therapists over the years and just when I opened up a little more, they had to report me to the authorities. Good thing I wasn't too trusting to begin with, and I'd been able to take control of the situation before it came to blows.

But now I am to be monitored by close family, Assisi being the one tasked with making sure I don't harm myself further.

Funny, because if I'd been just a little more selfish, I would have taken the plunge. But I know what awaits my sisters should that happen. Or Lina... There's still someone out there gunning for me, and by extension anyone who means something to me. Even if she continues to hate me for the rest of her life, I'll still protect her.

The incident with the glass had been... well, a slight lapse in judgment. I'd just wanted the high I know I can get every time pain floods my senses. For the first time, I might have taken it too far.

"You should thank me instead of whining," Vlad says, raising his legs and propping his feet on the row of benches in front of him.

"Stop it! It's a church," I grit. Even if no one's inside, it's disrespectful.

"Don't get your feathers ruffled, Marcello. I didn't come here to commit sacrilege, or God forbid, sin ." He shudders visibly as he utters the word God, and I roll my eyes at him.

"So why did you come?"

"Your sister's worried about you. She says you don't come out of your office for days on end."

"I won't kill myself, don't worry." I purse my lips. "Since when do you talk to my sister?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"Since she's the only adult in that house," he fires back, and I hold back a retort.

"Well, as you see, I'm doing fine."

"There's another reason I stepped inside this..." His mouth curls up in disgust. "dump." He motions to the church. I raise an eyebrow at him, but he continues. "Hastings has been working on our copycat's case. He's been going over every single crime scene again."

"And?" Seeing how thorough this Chimera has been so far, I doubt Adrian found anything.

"He found something," Vlad says and I whip my head around to look at him.

"What?"

"A partial fingerprint. It's not much but..."

"How partial are we talking about?"

"We might get a match if we have something to compare it to. Which is why I'm here. I need you to make a list of everyone you suspect."

"What if it's intentional? Throw us off?" It's not that I don't trust Adrian's work, since I've worked for years with the man and I know how thorough he is. But this copycat killer... everything is intentional.

"Might be," Vlad shrugs. "Still worth a look."

"There aren't that many people that could have done that. I would say there are a few in the famiglia who would be capable of doing it. But motive? That's what throws me off." I sigh. It's not as if I hadn't wracked my brains thinking who could have been, my uncle and his cronies being at the top of the list. But why?

"What have you heard from Enzo's side?" I ask after a pause. Enzo still hadn't realized his office had been bugged, and that Vlad is privy to all the confidential information coming out of there. I still don't know why he did that, but now I'm grateful for it.

"Enzo antagonized you further. She thinks you were behind everything so you could comfort her afterwards. On the bright side, the young one's missing you."

"Claudia?" Her name comes out as a whisper. I don't even deserve to utter her name.

"She's quite taken with you, isn't she?" he remarks, almost ironically.

I've conditioned myself not to think about her. How could I when I've failed both her and her mother?

When Catalina had confirmed her age, I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. That incident had resulted in a life—a lovely little girl that looked exactly like Lina but had my personality. While getting to know her, I'd noticed her logical mind and the way she approached problems, not unlike me. For the first time, the evidence of what I'd done was staring me in the face. And for the first time, I didn't find it in myself to regret it, because that meant regretting the beautiful girl I'd come to love so much. That makes me even more of a hypocrite, doesn't it?

"She'll hate me too," I add quietly, knowing I can never claim her as my daughter.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Vlad stands up, straightening his suit. As he pulls on his sleeves, I catch a glimpse of his tattoos. I've always wondered why his entire body is covered in ink.

"You've never told me what those mean." I point at the designs, trying to change the subject. It's already too painful as it is.

"And I won't." He smirks at me. "Wouldn't want the mystery to go away." He shrugs and turns to leave.

I stay a while longer, lost in prayers. By the time I get home, it's already dark outside.

Amelia is the first to greet me.

"Signor Lastra, someone is here for you." She motions to the drawing room, and I give her a small nod. I don't even get to step foot inside the drawing room before Enzo comes blazing at me and punches me straight in the face.

"What..." I momentarily lose my balance. But it's enough for him to pin me to the floor and continue pummeling away.

"Where the fuck is she, Lastra? Where did you hide her?" He keeps yelling, and I still.

What is he talking about?

My hand shoots out, and I stop his incoming fist. I push back and, using my entire strength, I shove him off me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, spitting blood. He'd done some damage, all right.

"Catalina. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm saying. Where did you hide her? I know she must be here somewhere." He then yells, "Lina? Where are you? I'm here to take you home!"

"Catalina isn't here. Obviously," I add drily, going to the table and taking a napkin. I dab at my mouth, noting he split my lip. I move my mandible a little, pleased the teeth don't feel loose.

"Where is she?" He turns towards me, his face full of worry.

"You should know, since she went to your home."

"She's not there. Claudia is still at home, but there's no sign of Lina."

I'm suddenly alert. Catalina would never leave Claudia alone.

"What are you talking about? Where could she be?" My pulse starts racing.

"Don't you dare act innocent, Lastra. You're the only one who could have taken her, you sick bastard. Didn't you do enough already? Didn't you hurt her enough? Just let her go."

"Look, Enzo," I put my hand up. "Catalina is not here. I swear. But if she's missing..."

"You actually want me to believe that? When you were so obsessed with her, you fucking raped her and then married her with no remorse? What kind of sick fuck does that?" He spits out, and I take it. Because he's not wrong.

"What is he talking about?" Assisi decides to grace us with her presence at that precise moment.

"Oh, Assisi. Did you know that your brother here is Claudia's father? Not only did he rape and torture Lina, but he left her to face the consequences by herself."

Sisi's face falls, and she looks at me in horror.

"Is that true?" Her voice is almost a whisper. I turn my head, shame filling me.

"Lord! It is true," she exclaims, her hand going to her mouth.

"And now Lina's missing. And your brother should know exactly where she is," Enzo adds smugly.

"I don't. I swear I have no idea where she is." I pause, immediately realizing that if she's not with Enzo...

"No..." I whisper. "No, it can't be..."

"What?" Enzo asks abrasively.

"Chimera." The words are out of my mouth.

But if she's missing... Lord, please let nothing happen to her.

"You mean you ?" Enzo laughs derisively.

Then I remember what Vlad said, that they think I was behind everything.

"No, damn it. Not me. Look, I don't profess to be innocent. I know what I did to Lina, and it's not something I'll ever forgive myself for. But this Chimera isn't me. Someone's been impersonating Chimera to torment me."

"Convenient, isn't it?" He snorts.

"I swear I had nothing to do with it. I love Lina too. I wouldn't be able to hurt her."

"Right, you already did."

"Damn it! Listen, Enzo, if Lina is missing, then we need to focus on that."

"Lina can't be here," Assisi finally intervenes, giving me a look that conveys just how disappointed she is in me. "I've been watching Marcello closely for the past week. He had an incident." She pauses. "He's under supervision so he won't take his life."

Enzo's eyes widen, and he turns to me, opening his mouth to say something. But he doesn't.

"You're sure it isn't him?" he eventually asks Assisi.

"Positive." She takes a deep breath. "We need to find her, Enzo." Her tone has a slight desperation to it, and then she looks at me. "Marcello. Please."

"I'll give you my word, Agosti. I'll find her. Even if it's the last thing I do," I say solemnly.

"You'd better. Because if anything happens to Lina..." He shakes his head. "I'll kill you."

"And I'll let you." Because how could I live with myself thinking I'd failed her again?

I've been pacing my study for the last hour like a madman. After Enzo had left, I'd submitted a comprehensive list of people for Adrian to test. It's still going to take time... Time we may not have, damn it. The fingerprint technician has to go through each print and manually match it to the one on record.

Fucking hell!

I don't even want to consider that something might have happened to Lina. According to Enzo, the entire video feed at his home had been off when Lina had gone missing. I'd suggested an inside job, because really, who else would have had access to his house? But Enzo had refused to believe someone from his circle would have sold his sister out.

I feel close to a mental breakdown. Who could have done this?

"Signor," Amelia knocks on my door and comes inside.

"Someone left this for you." I nod absentmindedly and prompt her to leave the package on the desk.

After she's gone, I'm still lost in thought, my mind playing tricks on me and showing me all possible scenarios, all of them ending with Lina dead.

No!

I need to focus. I can't allow myself to go down the rabbit hole.

Dear God, why? Why her?

My prayers are ineffective, not that they've ever been.

I shake my head and turn my attention to the package. I grab it, noting it's very light. Curious, I take a knife and cut through the cardboard. Inside, there's only a letter and a piece of material. I frown.

I carefully open the envelope to find a picture and a small note. I turn the picture around and I gasp.

Lina!

Her back is bare, her scars on view. The gown she'd been wearing is pooling at her waist. The same gown I'm now holding in my hand. My fingers clench around the material, despair threatening to overwhelm me.

With clumsy movements, I pry the note open.

PLENTY OF ROOM FOR ANOTHER LETTER.

I close my eyes briefly, grief threatening to spill over.

What have I done? What have I brought upon her?

I scrunch the piece of paper in my hand, flinging it at the wall.

"Wait for me, Lina," I whisper, even though there's no genuine conviction behind my words.

Pocketing the photo, I head directly to my room, to my inner sanctuary. I lock the door behind me and I kneel in front of the altar. I turn my eyes towards the centerpiece, the statue of Mary, and I supplicate her.

"Please, I'm begging you. Let her be alright. I'll do anything. I'll stay away from her for the rest of my days. Just let her be alright." I keep on repeating the same prayer, hoping someone will hear me.

Lina, my beautiful Lina... a most innocent soul.

It's all my fault.

I'm almost tempted to grab the handle of the whip, craving the medicinal bite of pain. But as I'm battling those thoughts, my phone beeps. It's Adrian.

"Yes?"

"We have a match. You did great by ranking them."

"Who is it?" I rasp out.

"Your first choice..."