Exposed to the CEO Behind the Mafia Mask (by Silver Spoon) novel Chapter 471

Chapter 471: Chapter 67 Midnight Phone Call

Lila’s POV

I had barely arrived at Thorne Group’s legal offices and hadn’t even settled behind my desk when Jude materialized like a shadow, startling me half to death.

"Lila," he spoke in a voice so hollow it sent chills down my spine.

"Aaaaahhh!" I spun around to find him looking like he’d been through hell—dark circles shadowing his bloodshot eyes, his usually immaculate appearance completely disheveled. "Madonna mia, Jude! You scared the life out of me!"

"Sorry," he mumbled, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Didn’t mean to."

Concern immediately replaced my fright. "Hey," I said gently, lifting his chin with my finger. "What’s going on with you?"

"Can we get some espresso?" he asked, his voice small and fragile like a child’s.

"Of course." I guided him toward the break room, prepared us both a strong cup from the Italian machine, and waited for him to speak. "Tell me what’s happening."

"Nora is leaving," he blurted out, the words seeming to cause him physical pain.

"What do you mean ’leaving’?" I asked, trying to make sense of his statement.

Jude’s voice trembled. "She says the families are putting too much pressure on us. That she can’t handle being caught between our families anymore. She’s going back to her parents’ estate in Sicily."

A tear escaped down his cheek, and my heart broke watching him try to discreetly wipe it away.

"Wait—what? When did this happen?" I was completely blindsided. Their alliance had been one of the strongest in our circle.

"She doesn’t want anyone in the families to know the real reason," he continued, ignoring my question. "She hasn’t made her final decision yet and doesn’t want the capos calling her father, trying to convince her to honor the arrangement. She’ll return when—if—she decides what she wants."

By now, tears were flowing freely down his face.

"But people will notice she’s gone," I reasoned. "The families talk."

"She’s telling everyone her father is sick and needs care. It’s not entirely a lie—her father is quite ill," he explained, staring down at his untouched espresso.

"And you’re okay with this lie?" I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. "You’re actually agreeing to this ’time apart’ nonsense?"

"What choice do I have, Lila? She’s my wife. I love her. If she’s questioning whether she can live this life, what can I possibly do except give her what she’s asking for?" His helplessness was palpable.

"Is there any timeframe for this separation?" I asked, still struggling to process this absurdity.

"No. She didn’t specify, so I guess it’s... open-ended." His voice cracked on the last word.

"So you’re just supposed to wait here, playing the role of devoted husband and pretending everything’s normal while she’s in Sicily deciding your fate?" The unfairness of it all made my blood boil.

"Exactly. She’s submitting her resignation to Dominic today and catching a private flight tonight. When I get home, she’ll be gone." Jude looked so utterly broken that I had no idea how to comfort him.

"But what triggered this, Jude? This couldn’t have come out of nowhere."

"All she said was that she doesn’t know if she can love someone in a world where every decision is made by the families. That she’s suffocating under the weight of tradition and needs distance to think clearly about whether she wants this life. She promised to let me know once she reaches a decision." He sighed deeply as fresh tears tracked down his face.

"Jude, you should at least tell the guys the truth. You need your brothers right now." I truly believed someone with more experience in family politics might offer better advice than I could.

"Please, Lila. You’re my confessional, remember?" His pleading eyes made it impossible to refuse. "If word gets back to our don that his arrangement is failing..."

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