Chapter 17: Maria's Revelation
I was cocooned in luxurious satin sheets adorned with the malevolent Russo crest, my wrists raw from the relentless grip of cold, unyielding iron. The only sound breaking the silence of the vast chamber was my fluttering heart, a trapped bird yearning for the sky.
Glancing at the antique clock perched ominously on the mahogany dresser, I noted the stillness of dawn-they had left hours ago. Vincent, Joey, Antonio, and their cohort of fiends on a mission tinged with blood and vengeance. I shuddered, trying to banish the horrific imagery that crept into my thoughts like an insidious fog.
"Sam?" Maria's voice was like a soft breeze, quelling the tempest in my mind. She appeared in the doorway, her matronly figure silhouetted by the dim light of the hall.
"Oh, Maria," my voice cracked. I curled tighter under the blankets, fearing that even her comforting presence couldn't quell the terror that clung to my spirit. "I've tried," I whispered. "I tried to leave."
Maria approached, her compassionate gaze laying bare all the suffering etched upon my face. "Querida, I know. You've endured more than anyone should. But there is hope."
Hope? Such a distant concept, it seemed unreal. "What-what do you mean?" I stammered, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"Vincent..." she began, hesitating as if the name itself summoned shadows. "There are things about him you don't know. Dark things."
I frowned, my brow knitting together. "Darker than his crimes, his murders? What could possibly be worse?"
Maria exhaled slowly, folding her hands in her lap as she settled into the plush chair beside the bed. "His heart, Samantha. Vincent has not always been this monster. Once, he was different, a man with dreams and desires, not unlike anyone else."
I snorted, bitterness seeping in. "I find that hard to believe."
"Ambrogio," she murmured the name like a sacred incantation.
"Ambrogio?" I echoed, puzzled. "Who's that?"
Maria leaned forward, her eyes harbouring a storm of emotions. "Ambrogio Russo, Vincent's younger brother. They were inseparable... until one night, when a terrible tragedy shattered their world. Vincent has never been the same since losing him."
My curiosity spiked, a thirst for knowledge that, perhaps, could be my salvation. "What happened to Ambrogio?"
"He was killed," Maria said. "Betrayed by someone within the family. Ever since, Vincent has been consumed by paranoia and vengeance. He believes the world took his brother from him, and now he clings to things... to people, like you, Samantha. Too afraid to let go, lest he lose them as well."
The pieces were coming together, a bleak puzzle revealing a portrait of the man who had inflicted so much terror upon me. "And you're telling me this because...?"
"Because Vincent keeps a room locked away, a place untouched since Ambrogio's death. He keeps it as a shrine to his brother. And inside..." Maria looked around to ensure no prying ears lingered, "inside, there's a way out. A passage that leads to the old wine cellar and from there to the gardens."
My pulse quickened, hope reigniting within me. "Why are you helping me? You know what he'll do if he finds out."
Maria stood up, her gaze resolute. "Because no one should live like this. Not you, not me, not even Vincent." She offered me a small, rueful smile. "And, perhaps because I wish to see at least one bird free itself from this gilded cage."
A plan began to take form in the recesses of my mind. "How am I supposed to find this room? How will I even get there?"
With a glance over her shoulder, Maria walked to the bedside and produced a small brass key from her apron pocket, pressing it into my hand with urgency. "This will unlock your chains. As for finding the room"-she glanced around once more, lowering her voice-"it's decorated with lilac, Ambrogio's favorite. You'll know it by the sound of the music box that never stops playing."
"Lilac... music box..." I repeated, etching every detail into my memory.
Maria nodded, her eyes damp with unshed tears. "Be brave, querida. Be swift."
As she tucked the blankets around me one last time, I grasped her hand and held it tightly. "Thank you, Maria. You're risking everything for me."
Her smile was bittersweet. "I have lived a long life, Samantha. It's time for you to live yours."
And just like that, she left, leaving a trail of courage in her wake. My heart beat with ferocity, the key clutched in my trembling hands a talisman against the darkness.
Ambrogio's sanctuary, my potential escape. Vincent's obsession could be his undoing.
As I braced myself, unlocking the shackle with shaking hands, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I inhaled the sweet fragrance of possibility. Freedom beckoned beyond these walls, and I was ready to chase it with every ounce of resilience left in my weary soul.
