Page 108 of Bound in Obsession
“I didn’t want to leave him… but I ran. I climbed out the window and ran into the woods behind the motel. I kept looking back… I saw them shooting him. He was fighting them, trying to give me time. I heard him scream my name once… and then more shots. I ran until my legs gave out. One of Nico’s men found me hiding behind an old shed, and took me to the safe house. At first I thought he was one of Papa’s men, until he showed me his arms. He didn't have the tattoo.”
The made men in the Caruso family have an axe tattooed to their left arm. It's how they are identified.
Sienna buries her face in my shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.
“I should have stayed with him. It was me they wanted. If I had stayed, maybe they would have taken me and left him alone. He died because of me, Ellie. Because I was selfish. Because I ran away with him…”
“No,” I whisper fiercely, holding her tighter. “He chose to protect you. That was his decision, not yours. You honoring his last wish by surviving, that’s what he wanted.”
She cries harder, like the weight of the world is crushing her. I rock her gently, tears slipping down my own cheeks as I hold my broken little sister.
I don’t know how to fix this pain for her.
“It’s not your fault,” I whisper, my own voice thick with tears. “There was nothing you could have done to save Domenico. Those men… our father’s men… they were the ones who killed him. Not you.”
She shakes her head against my shoulder, crying harder. “All of this was in vain. I should have just stayed. If I had married Gallo like Papa wanted, Domenico would still be alive.”
Her words break something inside me. I feel the guilt like a knife twisting in my chest. When I agreed to switch places with her, I thought I was giving her a real chance at happiness.
I had no idea it would lead to this, to Domenico’s death, to my sister's chance at happiness being shattered.
Tears slip down my cheeks as I hold her. “Don’t say that. Please. You both deserved that chance.”
We stay like that for a long time, crying together, holding each other through the pain. Eventually, her sobs quiet into soft, exhausted sniffles. We lie on the bed in silence, staring into space, both of us drained.
After a while, Sienna breaks the silence.
“That man… that was Nico Lombardi, right? How come you’re with him and not with Gallo?” she asks quietly.
I let out a slow breath. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it gently.
“After you left with Domenico that day… Nico kidnapped me right outside the church. He thought I was you. He took me because he wanted to use me as leverage against Papa and Gallo.”
Sienna’s eyes widen. “He kidnapped you?”
I nod. “At first, yes. But things… changed.” I look down at our joined hands, unsure how much to tell her right now.
She stares at me for a long moment, processing everything. Then fresh tears fill her eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers. “You took my place so I could be happy… and you’re the one who got taken?—”
“No,” I say firmly, cupping her face so she has to look at me. “I’m safe here. Nico isn’t going to hurt me. And he’s helping us now. He’s the reason we were able to find you.”
She still looks guilty, but she nods weakly.
I squeeze her hands. “Nico hasn’t hurt me. He’s actually… protected me from Gallo. A lot has happened, and I have so much to tell you, but right now you’re exhausted. You’ve been through hell. How about you take a shower, get some rest, and we can talk properly tomorrow?”
Sienna hesitates, then asks in a small voice, “Did Nico really mean it when he said he would arrange something for Domenico? A proper farewell?”
I nod without hesitation. “If Nico says he’ll do it, he will. He doesn’t make empty promises.”
She looks at me strangely. “You know him like that now?”
I feel my cheeks warm a little. “Yes. I do.”
Sienna stares at me for a moment, but she’s too drained to push further. She simply nods and lets me pull her into another hug.
“I’m so happy you’re here,” I whisper, holding her tight. “I’m so happy you’re safe.”
