Roselle’s POV
“Eva, I thought you said you would keep the fact that I took the poison a secret from everyone?” I questioned the moment I returned to my room.
After Silas Belladonna had left, I had used the opportunity to excuse myself as well.
I needed answers, and there was one thing that had been bothering me ever since our conversation.
Eva stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind her.
“Yes, I did,” she replied.
I waited until she was standing only a few feet away from me before continuing.
“Then why did he seem to be expecting to find a dead woman?”
She stared at me strangely, as though she hadn’t expected me to ask such a question.
“It is a rule among the mafia families,” she finally explained.
“If your family or clan is conquered, everyone in that family becomes the property of the victor.”
She paused, seemingly choosing her next words carefully.
“Mr. Silas said it himself. He never expected you to still be alive because all the wives of defeated Dons usually commit suicide after their husbands are killed.”
My brows furrowed.
“Usually?”
“Yes.” Eva nodded.
“And honestly, I can’t blame them.” She let out a small breath before continuing.
“Unlike us workers, who would simply be transferred and made to work for the new clan, the wives are married off to the victor. And in most cases, they aren’t treated well. There have even been rumors of several cases of violence and rape against these women.”
My stomach twisted at her words.
Eva quickly continued, as though she didn’t want me to misunderstand.
“I didn’t tell Silas anything, and I’m not a spy, if that’s what you’re insinuating. He only said those things because he expected you to be dead, just like the wives of the three other families he conquered before this one. They all killed themselves before he even arrived.”
She fell silent.
Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place.
I finally understood why Silas had looked so surprised when he saw me.
He hadn’t come expecting to meet the wife of the former Don.
He had come expecting to find a corpse.
A small wave of relief washed over me when I realized Eva had kept her promise.
I had indirectly accused her of betraying me when she had done nothing but help me since I woke up in this strange world.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
“I just wanted to make sure.” I felt guilty for hurting her feelings, but I quickly stopped myself.
I hadn’t been the one who chose to take the poison.
I hadn’t been the one who tried to kill myself.
So why should I feel guilty for wanting to know whether I had been betrayed?
“I understand,” she said.
Although she accepted my apology, I could still see the slight hurt in her eyes.
“Would you be needing anything else?” she asked.
“If only you knew how much,” I thought.
What I really needed was an explanation for how my life had gone from ordinary to this complicated mess in what felt like the blink of an eye.
“I just need to figure out what he wants from me,” I replied.
“Since I’m going to his house tomorrow.”
Eva nodded.
“I think he probably just wants to discuss how the family will be handled going forward. A transfer document has already been sent to all the workers. Most of us haven’t signed it yet, but we will.” She hesitated before continuing.
“Although, I can’t say for certain whether you’ll be treated properly or not.”
I looked at her.
“He hasn’t been married before, and all the women from the families he conquered in the past ended their lives before he could take them as wives. So I really can’t say what he’ll do with you.”
My heart sank.
“But considering the fact that he came here himself and you weren’t dragged away or locked up in a cell or anything like that…” She shrugged slightly.
“I guess he’s planning to marry you instead.”
Marry me.
The words echoed inside my head.
I stared at Eva, unable to form a response.
I had known that my situation was bad.
I had known that being the wife of a defeated Don came with consequences.
I walked over to the sofa in my room and sat down slowly, my thoughts racing.
Marriage.
I was going to be married.
And the worst part?
I didn’t have the power to change any of it.
Even if I wanted to run away, where would I go?
I barely understood this world.
I didn’t know the territory, the people, the rules, or even who I could trust.
For the first time, I understood why the previous Roselle had chosen death.
She had seen her future and decided that death was better than living it.
I understood her choice.
I respected it.
But I wouldn’t be making the same one.
Whatever awaited me, I was determined to face it.
My heart raced at the thought of being married off to a man I barely knew.
Everything was happening too suddenly, too quickly.
I hadn’t even had enough time to understand my new life before someone had already decided what my future would look like.
I clenched my hands together.
I couldn’t change what had already happened.
But perhaps I could still change what happened next.
Knock.
Knock.
The sound abruptly interrupted my thoughts.
“Mrs. Roselle, please, may we come in?” A man’s voice came from the other side of the door.
I froze.
Who was it?
And what did they want from me now?