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Carlo nods as his features tense.

“She thought of you in her final moments,” Gabriella whispers.

He nods again, then I watch as she walks away and gets into the SUV with Vito.

I take another minute to thank the other heads for coming before I climb into the SUV, and Emilio steers us away from the cemetery.

Time to make Stefano scream.

Chapter 43

Damiano

Arriving at the warehouse, I get out of the SUV and head to the side entrance.

“Carlo, go torture Stefano,” I say. “Just don’t kill him yet.”

He nods, and I stop by the room where Mrs. di Bella is being held.

“Are you going in?” Emilio asks.

“Yes. Go keep an eye on Carlo.”

When I’m alone, I think about everything Gabriella told me.

As ice flows through my veins, I open the door and step inside. I glance at Bobby, who’s been guarding her, and nod to the door.

After he leaves, my gaze settles on Mrs. di Bella, who’s tied to a chair.

“Comfortable?” I ask.

Her breaths explode over her lips, her skin pale with sorrow. Fear darkens her eyes as she stares at me.

“Gabriella told me what you did to her,” I murmur, my tone dark with anger. “What you allowed to be done to her.”

“It’s all lies,” she cries.

I dart forward, and grabbing hold of her neck, I force her and the chair backward until she slams into the concrete floor.

I pull out my gun from behind my back and press the barrel against her quivering lips.

“Open,” I order.

She tries to shake her head.

“Open your fucking mouth,” I shout.

Her lips part, and I shove the barrel so deep she gags.

“My wife…my fucking queen doesn’t lie. It’s one of the things I love about her,” I hiss. “I saw how you treated her.”

She tries to shake her head again, muttering something unintelligible around the barrel.

I look Mrs. di Bella dead in the eye and let every ounce of power radiate from me as I say, “You fucking hurt her for twenty-three years, but thank you for letting me be the first to say the words ‘I love you’ to her.”

Mrs. di Bella’s whole body trembles as she gives me a pleading look.

I hold her terrified gaze and pull the trigger. With my hand around her throat, I feel how her life instantly leaves her body, and I fucking savor the moment.