Mary's eyes widened as she struggled to sit up on the bed, ignoring the sharp pain shooting through every part of her body.
"What…?" her voice came out hoarse and weak.
"You heard me," the man muttered coldly.
Her fingers trembled over her stomach.If I have lost my unborn child… then why am I still living?The question echoed painfully in her mind.
The man moved closer and sat at the edge of the bed."Being alive means there is still hope for you, Mary."
Her head snapped up instantly.How does he know my name?In fact… who is he?
***
Mary stood at the edge of a vast open field where members of the organization trained relentlessly.Some clashed swords with fierce intensity.Others aimed arrows with deadly precision.
A few handled loaded guns as if they were extensions of their own bodies.She watched them… yet her mind was miles away.It had been over a month since she arrived here.
A month of doing absolutely nothing.She had tried to end her life countless times.
But each time, the same man who had saved her kept stopping her.Eventually… she gave up.
Now she existed like a shadow,breathing, but not truly living.The man who saved her was a feared mafia lord in California.
A name whispered with dread,He dealt in hard drugs,Owned brothels scattered across the world.Controlled illegal businesses beyond imagination.Even the police feared him.
Some of them… were under his command.
Yet this terrifying man chose to save someone as broken as her,Someone without a future,Someone whose life had already been destroyed.
"Have you thought about what to do with your life?"The deep voice shattered her thoughts.
She jolted slightly and turned."Godfather…" she murmured, bowing faintly as the man came to stand beside her.
He was smoking, as always_Vito Chandler never went a day without a cigarette,Calm, Dangerous and Calculative.
"Do you plan to send me to one of your brothels so I can make money for you?" she asked flatly."At least then… I will be useful instead of wasting space here."
The girl who once wore a bright, warm smile now had nothing but cold emptiness on her face,She had become distant.
"No," Vito replied simply.
She looked at him, confused.
"Then what do you plan to do with me? I want to repay you… for saving my life."
"I want you to find yourself," he said quietly.
"And make peace with who you are."
"How?"
"What is your greatest wish now? What do you truly want?"
She fell silent,His question stirred something dark inside her.
"Mary," Vito continued, "you are more than what people see.
You are a strong young woman… trapped in a weak body and—"
"You want to know what I want?" she cut in,her eyes hardened."I want revenge,That's all I see,I want to destroy those who ruined my life."
A slow grin spread across Vito's face "Revenge?" he chuckled."You are too weak… and too narrow-minded for revenge."
"But you just said I'm strong—"
"Trapped in a weak body," he finished for her,He turned away."When you are ready to abandon that weakness…come to my suite."
Mary watched him leave, confusion and anger swirling within her.
Her gaze drifted back to the fighters training mercilessly under the blazing sun.
"Weak body…" she whispered.
How am I supposed to let go of it?