But the guard said nothing; the metal doors slamming shut resonated with a loud bang.
I was too exhausted to cry.
Too exhausted to fight.
I squeezed my eyes shut and allowed the darkness to take over me.
“Dear friends and family,” the priest began, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Serafina Moretti.”
I sat, rigid, my heart heavy and eyes locked on my mother’s black coffin, adorned with vibrant red roses. The sweet fragrance of the flowers felt like a cruel reminder of her absence, and of Gigi’s. A dark cloud of numbness hovered over me as the priest continued the eulogy.
After the trailer incident, we hadn’t managed to find any leads as to the Puppet Master’s whereabouts. Frustration clawed at me, relentless and suffocating. Because time was running out, sleep had become a luxury I could no longer afford, and with every passing moment, I felt the beast inside me gaining control, tearing away the last shred of my humanity. The ache of not being able to hold my Angel was a slow cancer seeping through my body, threatening to consume me from the inside out.
Beside me, Emillia was trembling, her quiet sobs breaking my heart as she clutched Uncle Alessandro’s arm. On my other side sat Lo and Luca, their faces stricken with grief, while Matteo cradled Aurelio on his lap. Even little Aurelio’s hazel eyes were full of grief.
It felt wrong to hold the funeral without Mya, but we couldn’t postpone it any longer, especially with everything going on with the Puppet Master and Gigi missing. I wasn’t surprised when Mya firmly insisted that we proceed with the service in her absence.
My last memory of my mother was seared into my mind—including the sting of her slap as she rushed to the basement to save Gigi. She had always believed in Gigi and trusted in her. And now, because of my choices, my mother and Gigi were gone.
Despite how I felt, I hadn’t shed a single tear yet. It wasn’t that I didn’t miss my mother, because I did, with a depth that felt endless. But the tears refused to come. All that lingered within me was hatred and anger at myself, at the universe, and at everyone who had taken them from me.
“Let us carry her spirit with us, honoring her memory by living with the same love she shared,” the priest concluded.
As the music began to play softly, Lo, Luca, and I stood, ready to carry the casket down the aisle. But then the peaceful atmosphere shattered. Screeching tires and blaring horns pierced through the melody.
Uncles’s brow furrowed deeply, his eyes flickering toward the entrance. “What the hell is that?” he asked. The jarring noise of gunfire echoed outside, and the hairs on the back of my neck prickled.
Before anyone could react, the front doors of the funeral home burst open. A car crashed into the space, metal crumpling against metal with a sickening sound.
“Get down!” I shouted.
We hurled ourselves forward, and Matteo shoved Aurelio to the floor, shielding his small frame beneath his own body.
“Is everyone alright?” Luca shouted, his voice hoarse as he rose, coughing against the suffocating smoke.
“Uncle, get Emillia and Aurelio to safety. Now!” I barked.
“Don’t be a fucking hero,” he warned, the muscles in the jaw tensing.
“Go!” I insisted.
Emillia took Aurelio into her arms while my uncle ushered everyone away.
The group’s movements were frantic as they followed my uncle.
I turned, my eyes narrowing as Miguel and his men approached, their faces grim.
“What happened?” I spat out, pointing accusingly at the mangled wreckage blocking the front entrance.
“A surprise attack, boss,” Miguel answered, trying to catch his breath. “We tried to shoot the tires out, but it was too late.”
“Damn it!” I swore. “Let’s move.”
The smoke-filled air stung our lungs as we stormed our way down the path littered with debris, the distant wail of sirens indicating that someone had already contacted the police. The funeral home was in shambles, with broken glass and scattered flowers on the ground.
We kept our guns raised as we approached the entrance, and a figure emerged unsteadily.
“Don’t you fucking move!” I roared.
