CHAPTER NINE – Ghosts of the Past
669 Words
As always the study was dark, lit only by the fire burning in the corner. Leonardo stood by the window, arms crossed, jaw clenched. Outside, the sky was fading into dusk, casting long shadows over the Gold estate.
He hadn’t meant to yell at her like that.
Elena.
Her name echoed in his mind, soft and innocent like the girl herself. She looked terrified when he raised his voice. She had flinched—like he was a monster.
And maybe he was.
He sighed, passing his hands through his hair. He looks away from the window and sat in his leather chair, leaning forward, elbows on his knees. He stared into the fire to close for some, allowing its warmth reach him as his mind drifted back.
Years ago...
The same estate. The same room. But the air was lighter, filled with laughter and stolen kisses.
Isabella.
Her smile used to light up every corner. Her laughter had been the only thing that made the silence in his heart bearable. She had promised him forever.
Until she didn’t.
He still remembered that night. The way she looked at him—cold, distant. The letter she left behind, full of sweet lies and final words. And the truth he had uncovered later—that she had sold his secrets to his enemies. That she had betrayed him not only as a lover but as a partner in the Mafia world.
He had almost died because of her.
And she had vanished.
Leonardo rubbed his forehead. He didn’t hate her anymore. But he hadn’t healed either. Seeing Elena in that room—the one Isabella had claimed as her own—had triggered his anger and opened a wound he thought had closed.
He stood and poured himself a drink, sipping slowly as a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
Marco entered first, followed by Enzo, Luca, and Paolo. They were his most trusted men. Brothers, even. They didn’t sit—just stood in their usual way, silent but alert.
“You yelled at her,” Marco said softly.
Leonardo looked up sharply. “You heard?”
Marco gave a small nod. “She’s quiet, but she didn’t hide her tears when she walked past me. What happened?”
Leonardo didn’t speak at first. Then he let out a slow breath. “She went into the forbidden room.”
Luca let out a low whistle. “That one? No one’s entered it in years.”
“She didn’t know,” Paolo said. “You never told her anything.”
“I shouldn’t have to,” Leonardo muttered.
“She’s not a threat, Leo,” Enzo added. “She’s your wife.”
“I know I didn't chose this, it was a means to an end.”
The words came even before he could stop them. Silence fell across the room. Even the fire seemed to pause.
“But you married her,” Marco said calmly. “And she’s under your protection now. She didn’t deserve your anger.”
Leonardo drank the rest of his whiskey in one gulp. He knew they were right. But something inside him—something sharp and buried—couldn’t fully let go of the past.
He rose and walked to the window again, watching the shadows stretch further. “ it's just that she reminds me too much of what I lost,” he said quietly. “But she didn’t betray me. I know that. Still… I saw her in that room, holding that locket, and something inside me broke.”
Luca crossed his arms. “Maybe it’s time to stop punishing everyone for what Isabella did.”
Leonardo didn’t reply. He watched the sky turn darker, the estate slowly lighting up.
He had married Elena to end a war.
He hadn’t expected her to matter.
But she did now—more than he wanted to admit.
And the more she mattered, the more afraid he became of hurting her... or being hurt again.
- Writer
