The Mafia's Pet: Pawn Of The Ruthless ( A Dark Romance)

Chapter 50: The death plaque

The night air was cool and thick with the scent of damp earth as Evangelina moved stealthily through the corridors of the estate. Her heart pounded in her chest as she neared the dungeon, the heavy stone walls seeming to close in on her with each step. She had snuck out of her quarters after everyone had gone to bed, unable to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The maid, the one who had been arrested after the failed attempt to kidnap her, had been on her mind constantly.

She needed answers.

The narrow, winding stairwell leading to the dungeon was dimly lit by flickering torches. Shadows danced along the walls, making the place feel even more ominous. Evangelina's steps were quiet, careful, her breath shallow as she moved closer to the cold, iron-barred door at the bottom of the stairs. The dungeon guard, having been bribed earlier that day, simply nodded at her, pushing the door open without a word.

Evangelina slipped inside and felt the weight of the dungeon settle over her like a shroud. The maid was huddled in the corner of her cell, her body small and frail beneath the dim torchlight. Evangelina's heart twisted at the sight. This woman—once strong and kind, bustling about the estate with warmth—was now reduced to a trembling figure, haunted by secrets that had dragged her down into this pit.

"María," Evangelina whispered softly, kneeling beside the iron bars of the cell.

The maid looked up, her eyes hollow, but when they met Evangelina's, something like recognition flickered in them. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was heavy, filled with the unsaid.

"You shouldn't have come here," María said finally, her voice weak and raspy, as if it had cost her something just to speak. "It's dangerous for you. For both of us."

"I had to," Evangelina replied, her voice thick with emotion. "I need to know the truth."

María's face contorted with pain, but not for herself—it was for Evangelina. "The truth?" She gave a bitter laugh, though there was no humor in it. "The truth will destroy you, girl. It will destroy us all."

"I don't care about me," Evangelina said, pressing herself closer to the bars. "I care about you. You're innocent, María. I know you are. Please, you have to tell me what happened. Why were you part of this? Who made you do it?"

Tears welled in María's eyes, and she looked away, her hands clenching tightly in her lap. "You don't understand," she whispered, her voice trembling. "They made me do it. They threatened my family, Evangelina. My son... he's only two years old. My mother, she's old and frail. They told me if I didn't go through with the plan, they would kill them both. I had no choice. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't do everything I could to protect them?"

Evangelina's throat tightened, her chest aching with a wave of sympathy. She reached through the bars, her hand trembling, and took María's cold, shaking hand in hers. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice cracking. "I had no idea."

María squeezed her hand tightly, desperation etched into her pale features. "They promised me they would take my family somewhere safe, but I don't know if they kept their word. And if anyone finds out that I told you this, if word gets out that I've... snitched... they'll kill them. I can't risk that, Evangelina. I can't."

Tears blurred Evangelina's vision as she gripped María's hand harder. "You can come with me," she urged. "We can run away together. I'll protect you, I swear it. We'll find your family and keep them safe. Please, María, we can't just leave you here."

María shook her head, her expression pained. "You don't understand," she whispered. "If I go with you, if I even try to see my family, it will put a target on their backs. They're safer if I stay away. I can't do that to them. I won't."

Evangelina felt a lump rise in her throat, her heart breaking for the woman in front of her. She wanted to scream, to fight, to do something—anything—to help María. But the fear in María's eyes, the raw terror that had been seared into her soul, made it clear that there was no easy way out of this.

"Who are they?" Evangelina whispered, her voice barely audible. "Who's behind all of this? Why do they want me?"

María's lips trembled, and she shook her head again, tears streaming down her face. "I can't," she choked. "If I tell you... they'll kill my family. I can't risk it, Evangelina. I'm sorry."

Evangelina's heart sank, her hands trembling. She had come here for answers, but all she had found was more pain. More fear. María's suffering was palpable, and it weighed on her like a stone. She didn't know what to do, how to fix this. She was powerless, trapped in the same web of secrets and lies that had ensnared María.

"I'm so sorry," María whispered, her voice breaking. "You're such a sweet girl, Evangelina. You didn't deserve any of this. And one day... one day you'll be free. I know you will."

Before Evangelina could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor, sending a bolt of fear through her. The dungeon door creaked open, and the guard's voice rang out, sharp and cold.

"Time's up," he barked.

Evangelina's heart raced, panic flooding her veins. She squeezed María's hand one last time. "I'll come back for you tomorrow," she whispered urgently. "We'll find a way, I promise."

María just shook her head, a sad, resigned smile on her lips. "Be careful," she said softly, her voice filled with a sorrow that cut deep into Evangelina's heart.

Evangelina pulled away, her mind racing, her heart heavy. She didn't want to leave María in this place, but she had no choice. As the guard led her back up the stairs, she felt a knot of dread tightening in her stomach. Something wasn't right. Something terrible was going to happen.

The next morning, Evangelina awoke to whispers that spread through the estate like wildfire. The maid was dead.

The words hit her like a blow, knocking the air from her lungs. María was dead. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Her hands shook as she pulled on her clothes and rushed out of her room, her heart pounding in her chest. She stumbled into the hallway, where the other maids were huddled together, avoiding her gaze, their faces pale and tense.

"She... she was found dead this morning," one of them whispered, her eyes darting to Evangelina before quickly looking away. "In her cell."

Evangelina's heart shattered. She felt as though the ground beneath her had given way, sending her tumbling into a void of grief and despair. She had promised María she would come back for her, that she would help her escape. But now it was too late. María was gone, and with her, any hope of uncovering the truth.

The other maids, once kind and warm toward Evangelina, now avoided her like the plague. They wouldn't meet her eyes, wouldn't speak to her. It was as if María's death had erected a wall between them, one that Evangelina could never hope to scale.

She was alone. Completely, utterly alone.

That night, as she lay in bed, silent tears streaming down her face, Evangelina vowed that she wouldn't let María's death be in vain. She didn't know how, but she would find the people responsible for this. She would uncover the truth, even if it meant risking her own life. She owed that to María.

And perhaps, in some way, to herself.