Undressed By The Mafia God novel Chapter 181

Chapter 181: I Can’t See You Anymore

Ricardo hesitated, and in that hesitation, she already knew. "Val... I can’t see you anymore."

Stunned didn’t even begin to cover it.

They had been good. No—perfect. They had built a small, quiet bubble together. In that bubble, he had been hers.

"Are you seeing someone else?" she asked.

Ricardo’s head snapped up. "No. I swear, Val, no. It’s not that."

"Then what is it?" she demanded. "You’re ending what we have... for work?"

He stepped closer, his expression pained. "I can’t put you through that. I can barely make time to see you as it is. It’s not fair to you."

She admired the excuse. It sounded noble, considerate even selfless.

And yet, it was also complete bullshit.

"Oh my God..." she whispered, shaking her head slowly. "This is not happening."

But it was.

"I’m truly sorry, Val," Ricardo said. "I am. I am. I... I will always love you."

"You may go," she said simply.

Ricardo blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift. "Val, let me at least drop you off at home."

"I can handle myself just fine without you, Ricardo," she replied. "You may go."

Ricardo ran a hand through his hair the moment he stepped out of the parlour. He wasn’t lying. He would always love her. But love was useless when you were owned. And he was owned by Bianca.

Every time he thought he had found a way out, she pulled him back in harder.

Ricardo clenched his jaw, his hand falling uselessly to his side.

.Behind him, inside the parlour, Valentina turned her back the moment the door closed. Her vision blurred, tears stinging.

She swallowed hard.

This shouldn’t hurt.

It shouldn’t.

They hadn’t known each other long enough for this to matter. And yet...

It did.

God, it did.

She wiped at her cheeks quickly. "Get a grip," she muttered under her breath.

Valentina straightened, lifting her chin slightly, forcing her breathing to even out. She refused—refused—to let this be the thing that broke her.

*****

Nonnina moved through the new space—directing, arranging, adjusting.

Everything had to be perfect for her. For the girl who had already suffered too much.

Veronica’s jaw dropped slightly as her gaze swept across the room.

"What the hell...?" she breathed.

Luca smirked faintly, watching her reaction with satisfaction.

"Luca..." she started, pushing herself up slowly with the walking stick. "Am I supposed to live here by myself?"

"I will be here most times," he said. Then, after a beat, he added, "If you want me to. It’s time," Luca continued, softer now, "I gave you back your freedom... your choices."

"Oh, thank you. This is lovely!" she said. She moved toward Nonnina, and wrapped her arms around the older woman in a warm embrace. "Everything is perfect, Nonni."

Nonnina melted instantly, her hands coming up to cradle Veronica’s face. "Of course it is," she murmured

Veronica pulled back, a playful glint returning to her eyes as she turned toward Luca. "Do I get Nonni too?" she asked, smirking.

"What? No!" Luca shot back immediately, his brows lifting in mock offense. "Absolutely not. She’s mine."

Veronica raised a brow. "Selfish."

Luca scoffed, crossing his arms loosely. "We can share her," he amended.

"Everyone wants me..." Nonnina chimed in. "Zuccherino, come on. Lunch is here. I know you are tired of the hospital meals."

Veronica groaned dramatically, leaning slightly on her walking stick. "Ugh... you have no idea. It tastes like sawdust."

Nonnina laughed, guiding her gently toward the dining area, fussing over her.

Luca hung back. He stood in the doorway, arms loose at his sides, observing them. There was something unsettling about how easily Veronica slipped into spaces—how naturally she drew people in, how effortlessly she softened edges that had long since hardened.

For a fleeting second, he imagined Veronica with his mother.

"Luca?"

He blinked, refocusing as Veronica turned toward him.

"Have you heard from Valentina yet?" she asked.

"Yeah. Marco says she’s down with the flu."

"Poor baby," she murmured. "I’ll have to stop by and see her later."

"What? You cannot go anywhere until you can at least move without the stick—or until your physical therapist clears you."

She frowned, clearly unimpressed. "I’ll be fine. It’s just a short visit."

"No," he said, firmer this time. "It’s not happening."

Veronica stilled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You just told me I had choices."

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