Dangerous Heart . The Mafia Boss's Love .

Chapter 33

Sienna

The harsh light floods the room, making me wince as I squeeze my eyes shut again. They're swollen and raw from all the crying yesterday. That slap from my mother didn't help either—I still can't wrap my head around it. Did she really slap me? Was that even my mother? She felt like a complete stranger. The way she spoke to me—it was so cold, so distant. Where was the sweet, funny, caring woman I grew up with? The one who'd comfort me and make me laugh? Now, she's bitter and condescending, as if all her warmth had drained away. I can't believe how much she's changed. The ache in my jaw lingers, my throat feels like it's shredded, and my tongue is dry and cracked like sandpaper. I feel completely broken.

"Good morning, gattina," his husky voice resonates from behind me. His muscular, tattooed arm softly encircles my waist, drawing me nearer to his firm chest. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," I reply, my voice barely a whisper.

"Are you sure?" he asks, gently turning me to face him. His deep green eyes soften as he brushes a stray strand of hair away from my face. "We should get you something to eat, and then I want to hear what happened yesterday."

I shake my head, instantly regretting it as a dull ache pulses behind my temples. The mere thought of food makes my stomach twist in protest. I can barely piece together the events of yesterday—aside from the slap. And the memory of me calling Luca from that bar, asking him to come get me. I'd already had a few drinks before I got there. Maybe it was nerves about meeting my mother and her fiancé, or maybe I just wanted to piss her off. I couldn't help gulping down the wine, and the more she told me to slow down, the more determined I became to defy her. I could see the disapproval written all over her face, but I kept drinking—just to annoy her.

We'd gotten into a heated argument after I defended my dad. She had the nerve to tear him down right in front of me—the man who had loved her unconditionally, worshipped her, and never once spoke ill of her, not even after she cheated on him when they lost Jason. She had the audacity to claim that her new fiancé "understood" her grief in a way my father never could.

Like my dad wasn't shattered, too? Like he hadn't spent every waking moment trying to hold it together for her, for me. She really believed he was fine after losing Jason? No, he was breaking, he was just trying to keep us all from falling apart. And what did she do? She left him. For a man ten years younger, if not more. And now she expects me to sit there and smile, and be happy for her?

Fuck that....

I got so angry, I lost it. When I tried to leave, she grabbed my arm, calling me a disgrace.

I lashed out, I yelled at her to take a good look at herself. That she wasn't the mother I once knew, that Jason would be turning in his grave if he saw the person she'd become.

And that's when she slapped me. Hard. My ears rang from the impact, and my cheek burned like fire. Her fiancé rushed over, pulling her away from me, scolding her for hitting me. He even tried to apologise on her behalf. But I wasn't staying to listen. I fled from the restaurant, barely holding it together. That's when I ended up at the bar. I don't even remember what I ordered, just that I drank straight from the bottle, needing something, anything, to numb the chaos inside me.

Then somehow, I managed to call Luca.

"Sienna," Luca's voice pulls me from the wreckage of my thoughts.

"Maybe later," I croak, my voice rough and broken. The sound of it makes me wince as pain slices through my throat like razor blades. What the hell? Why is my throat so sore?

He leans in, kissing my forehead gently. "Shit, Sienna, you're burning up," he says, sitting up to grab his phone from the nightstand. I can't hear who he's calling, but he urgently tells them to get here quickly.