A mere millisecond before I pulled the trigger a second time, I was shoved harshly, but the gun went off with the bullet travelling upwards through the roof instead of its intended target, my skull. My breath left me in a whoosh as I landed forcefully on the cold marble floor and my vision completely shorted out before stars danced in my eyes. Winded, I gasped as something large and heavy fell onto my body, pushing me down. And when I regained focus, I immediately wished I hadn’t because what I saw in front of me was the gloriously enraged face of Ettore Scala. He gripped my forearm, lifted it effortlessly, then slammed my hand against the ground, and I watched in terror as the gun skidded across the marble, stopping under a pew.

My heart raced when I came to understand the reality of the situation.

Ettore Scala was still alive. Regrettably, I was too.

Plans foiled, I searched for my sister amongst the chaos but there were too many people skittering around for me to land eyes on her. My gaze swept the scene. Our bridal party was in disarray. My bridesmaids were huddled together, scared senseless, while one of the groomsmen held my Zio Como up by his shirt, yelling into his face so hard that spittle sprayed my terrified uncle. My stomach ached and my breathing slowed when I realized that the Scala family outnumbered my own by ten. But, amongst the clamor and noise, one sound was out of place.

Crying.

I followed the sound of whimpering sobs until I found its source. And my heart stopped dead.

Two little boys and a young girl struggled violently against the family members that held them back, keeping them safe. From me. And the way they were looking at me…

The acid in my stomach boiled and bubbled as guilt wracked me, hard. I thought I was going to be sick from it. Yes. There was blood on my hands, but I wasn’t a monster.

My ears rang. What they were calling out faded in and out of my hearing. But in a moment of clarity, I saw the girl reach for us and cry out a petrified sounding, “Papa!”

What?

I blinked in confusion and continued to do so, even after Ettore Scala turned his head towards the children and calmly stated, “I’m fine.” Then he looked to the boys and repeated, “It’s alright, boys. Daddy’s okay.”

What? Did they just… He wasn’t… No. They weren’t…

It hit me with the force of a brick to the temple.

Oh no.

No.

No, no, no. Shit.

This was bad. Where was Vincenza?

My body wriggled in an attempt to get away from this man, but his head snapped towards me, his grip tightened on my wrist and I flinched in pain, knowing he was fully justified in the level of force he was using.