Chapter 4: Bitter Revelations
POV: Beatrice
In a matter of seconds, the other man's thick hands were on my forearm, holding firmly, and dragged my body out towards the exit door.
"Let go of me!" I exclaimed before a bag was placed over my head, completely obscuring my vision, while I felt my hands being immobilized, leaving me no choice but to be placed in the back seat of the car.
A few hours later, as the car swayed, and I couldn't hear anything but the road ahead, I felt my body being placed in a chair and tied, mercilessly, despite my protests and pleas, my voice as tired as my body. It didn't take long for the silence to be filled with punches, the sharpening of a knife, followed by cries of pain, and Stefano's voice uttering unintelligible words in the distance. I couldn't speak, imagining each scene, the knot in his chest tightened even more, nausea combined with the pain in my increasingly marked limbs, remembered the night I found out my father was dead, three years ago, my chest filled with pain as if reliving that nightmare.
For the first time in a long time, panic finally engulfed me when I heard a gunshot. My eyes filled with tears, and one of them fell as someone removed the plastic from my face. Stefano was in front of me, his bare torso now covered in blood, revealing the tattoos that had been hidden under his shirt.
Stefano lowered his gaze to my bare leg, exposed because the dress had ridden up, while I couldn't look at him, examining the almost unrecognizable man who was being dragged. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to control the tears that threatened to fall.
"Look at me!" He spoke angrily.
"You're a monster," I said softly, almost whispering, refusing me to obey.
"Look at me!" He shouted, making me comply. "I rule this place, ragazza! You only spoke or move in my presence if I allow it. I decide whether you lived or died. I'm the Don, ragazza," he said, pointing the gun at me again, this time at my head, the same place he had just shot.
I struggled to breathe, my chest rose and fell, his words echoed in every part of my body. He stared intensely at me while cocking the pistol, ready to fire.
"Don't hurt me, Stefano," I pleaded, my voice trembling and faltering.
"Too late, Beatrice."
His fingers moved; Stefano was about to pull the trigger when the image of Davide filled my mind, his laughter, the sleepless nights caring for him, and most importantly, the question of who would take care of him when I was no longer there. Stefano had no right, Stefano couldn't do this, and I would do anything to save my son, even if it meant handing him over to one of the leaders of the most powerful mafia in the country. It was time to tell the truth.
"We had a child that night!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face after Stefano, in a swift motion, diverted the gun toward the wall, letting the bullet penetrate there. "You haven't right to end your own son's life either," I looked at my bare leg, still fearing for my life because of the man I now barely recognized.
Stefano clenched his teeth, eyes fixed on me, the gun trembling in his hand like someone firing for the first time.
"A child..." He repeated to himself, pacing back and forth in the room. "How did this happen, Beatrice?! Give me a damn good explanation, or I'll kill you for good!" He shouted, gripping the arm of the chair, anger still coursing through his veins.
My body was trembling almost as much as the gun Stefano had just moved, his fury toward me sending negative shivers, he had found my weak spot.
"The medicine you gave me failed. I had no idea where to find you, so I went back to Al Mare; you seemed influential there, so I begged for a meeting with you, and he agreed to try, but your father came instead, arrogantly tossing some dollars for me to keep quiet, as if I needed your dirty money." My eyes were no longer wet from tears, but filled with anger. "He told me never to contact you again, that a child born out of wedlock was bad for business, that he'd never let you shame the family name, and had me followed for months."
The ground seemed to disappear from under Stefano's feet. Anger mixed with overwhelming surprise, causing his veins to pop.
"Figlio di puttana!" He shouted in frustration, the words escaping as a roar. "Where is the boy?"
"Don't come near my son."
"He's my son too!"
"Davide don't deserve to grow up in the hands of a criminal; don't ruin his future." I spat the words out, trying to free myself from that chair.
"You have no choice!" Stefano shouted again, after pulling my face closer to his.
"Get me out of here, please." Beatrice did her best to shout, but her voice came out low and exhausted, too late for Stefano to have any compassion.
"I'll ask one last time, Beatrice, where is the boy?" The place, now illuminated only by Stefano's body, carried a chilling silence, along with the unpleasant odor that hung in the air. I felt my body weakened by lack of food and water, tears flowing incessantly again, pain and anger mixing; I didn't expect the night to end like this.
"He is in San Giorgio." I finally yielded, feeling the pressure Stefano exerted throughout the room, my voice trembling as I replied.
"With whom, Beatrice?" He asked impatiently.
"Chiara, Davide was with my best friend."
Stefano reached for the phone in my pocket; I tried to prevent him from accessing the device, only managing to make his hand return to my face until the device was free for him. His fingers typed with precision and speed to get Davide out of the house without alerting the neighbors and especially the police. All I was sure of at that moment was that I hated that man even more.
"Untie her and take her to the cell," he ordered, as two men emerged from the darkness. "You better not be lying to me, ragazza." He lifted my face before disappearing into the space.