The hospital room was quiet except for the steady beeping of monitors and the soft whoosh of the IV drip.
Leonardo DeLuca, the man feared as a ruthless king of the underworld, lay unconscious, pale from blood loss. Bandages wrapped his shoulder and chest, his usually sharp jaw now shadowed with exhaustion.
Isabella sat at his bedside, her hand clutching his tightly, refusing to let go.
Marco stood by the door, face grim. "Doctors say he'll live," he said softly, "but he needs weeks of recovery."
Isabella stroked Leonardo's knuckles, her voice breaking. "He almost died protecting me… protecting us."
Marco's eyes softened. "That's Leonardo. He'd burn down heaven before letting anyone take you."
Isabella swallowed hard, pressing her lips to Leonardo's hand. "Then we have to protect him now. No more ambushes, no more wars."
Marco hesitated before stepping closer. "There's something you need to know. The explosion that freed Matteo…" He lowered his voice. "It wasn't just Matteo's men. Someone inside the DeLuca family helped him escape."
Isabella's blood ran cold. "What? Who?"
Marco's jaw clenched. "I don't know yet. But Matteo couldn't have gotten that close without help from someone we trust."
Hours later, Leonardo stirred awake. Pain lanced through his body as he tried to sit up, but Isabella was instantly by his side.
"Don't move," she pleaded, tears welling.
He groaned, reaching for her face with his uninjured arm. "You're safe…" His voice was raspy but filled with relief. "That's all that matters."
She leaned down, kissing his lips softly. "I thought I lost you," she whispered.
Leonardo's dark eyes burned with quiet determination despite his weakness. "It'll take more than Matteo to kill me. But he's gone now… for good."
Marco stepped forward. "Boss, we need to talk."
Leonardo's gaze hardened. "About the traitor."
Marco nodded grimly. "Matteo had inside help. Someone tipped him off, provided escape routes, even access to Isabella's location."
Leonardo's fist clenched around the bedsheet. "Find them," he growled. "I don't care if they've worn my colors for twenty years—I'll skin them alive for betraying my queen."
Isabella placed a calming hand on his chest. "You just survived Matteo. Don't jump back into bloodshed."
Leonardo's jaw tightened. "Betrayal doesn't wait, bella. It festers."
Two days later, Leonardo insisted on leaving the hospital against medical advice. Isabella reluctantly supported him, her protective instincts warring with his unbreakable will.
Back at the mansion, the DeLuca council gathered—trusted capos, lieutenants, and allies. The room was thick with tension as Leonardo entered, his presence alone enough to silence every whisper.
He stood at the head of the long table, leaning slightly for balance but radiating lethal authority.
"Matteo's dead," Leonardo began, his voice cold as steel. "But betrayal lingers like a disease. Someone here sold me out."
The men shifted uneasily. Marco scanned their faces like a hawk.
Leonardo slammed his palm on the table. "Speak now, and I'll give you a clean death. Hide… and I'll peel this family apart until I find you."
Silence.
Then, from the shadows, a soft chuckle.
A man stepped forward—Domenico, one of Leonardo's oldest advisors. Bald, heavy-set, with eyes like dark oil.
"You always were dramatic, Leo," Domenico said smoothly. "But you don't see it, do you? Matteo wasn't wrong. You've lost sight of what it means to rule."
Leonardo's jaw flexed. "You," he said in a low growl.
Domenico smiled faintly. "Matteo offered a chance to restore true DeLuca dominance. No softness, no distractions. No… queen making you weak."
Isabella stiffened, instinctively moving closer to Leonardo.
Leonardo's fury simmered like a volcano. "You betrayed me… after everything."
Domenico shrugged. "You're not fit to lead. Matteo had vision. And when you killed him, you doomed this empire. The council agrees."
Gasps rippled through the room.
Marco's hand twitched near his gun. "Boss, say the word."
Leonardo raised a hand, stopping him, his gaze locked on Domenico.
"You think I've gone soft because I love my wife?" Leonardo's voice was a quiet thunder. "That's what makes me stronger. I fight harder because I have something worth dying for."
Domenico sneered. "Then die for it."
In a flash, he drew a gun.
But Leonardo was faster. Despite his injuries, he lunged, twisting Domenico's wrist until bones cracked, ripping the gun away and slamming him against the wall with feral strength.
"You wanted Matteo's vision?" Leonardo hissed in Domenico's ear. "Then join him in hell."
With a single shot, Domenico dropped lifeless to the floor.
The council sat frozen, terrified as Leonardo turned to face them, eyes burning with fire.
"Anyone else think I'm unfit to lead?" he demanded.
No one moved.
"Good," Leonardo said coldly. "Loyalty is earned through blood. Betray me, and you'll share Domenico's fate."
Later that night, Leonardo and Isabella sat in their private chambers, the weight of the day pressing on them.
"You're hurt," Isabella whispered, touching his shoulder gently.
He caught her hand, kissing her palm. "I've been hurt before. But losing you… that would kill me."
Isabella's heart twisted with love and fear. "Leo, this cycle of blood—it's never ending. What happens when our child is born into it?"
Leonardo's gaze softened as he placed a hand on her belly, feeling the faintest flutter of life beneath his palm.
"That's why I did this," he murmured. "So our child will never fear betrayal. Never fear losing their parents. I swear to you, Isabella… this ends with me."
She kissed him deeply, the vow sealing between them like fire and smoke.
But in the shadows outside their room, unseen eyes watched…
Someone else was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.