Turning Point||Book 2

45: Xenia.

He had intentionally killed her, which was the main reason for my hatred towards him. However, with the new development, that hatred would soon dissipate, as he wouldn't be around to provoke it anymore.

He, too, was now dead.

I had heard the gunshots from the kitchen where I sat near the bloodstained floor. It totaled three before Romano came back into the kitchen and holstered his gun.

He didn't much like the sight or smell of blood, and neither did Ottavio, as I had discovered months ago on the night Romano was shot in paradise. He had his vices, he had his fears, but blood was the last thing I would have guessed, considering he could kill without a second thought.

While I washed my hands in the sink, he had gone to his room, avoiding the blood. By the time I joined him there to take a shower, he had left me alone. Now that I was done, he had taken the bloodied clothes and discarded them, smoking a cigarette. And I presumed this one wasn't solely to take the edge off; it was to take the the smell off too.

As I said, Ponzio had intentionally killed Renata. You might wonder how I came to this conclusion. Allow me to recount the events from when Umfredo brought me into the house following Romano's cold directive.

Upon my arrival, I stumbled upon the two of them embroiled in a heated argument, contrary to Max's false claim that Renata was attempting to flee. That was simply concocted to protect Ponzio.

From the intensity of their exchange, it was clear to everyone that Ponzio had been having a sexual affair with Renata, and she was already grappling with guilt for her infidelity. Then, in a fit of rage at her rejection, Ponzio callously revealed that Renata's husband was already deceased, absolving her of any guilt as an adulteress in his eyes.

Ponzio's expectations had surely veered far from reality. Renata's reaction to the news didn't sit well with him. He had realized she would likely escalate the situation to the point where Romano would discover his actions. In a desperate attempt to silence her, he had shoved her down the stairs.

I witnessed the sickening sound of her skull cracking upon impact, and Ponzio caught my gaze as he turned and found me blocking his path. That's why he refrained from joining the others in their efforts to revive her, knowing that her severe injuries were beyond repair. I was sourly reminded of how Joanna had ended up in a vegetative state.

Ponzio made the grim decision to remain in the yard, seeking solace in prayer to the Virgin as he awaited Romano's verdict. Perhaps he held onto a glimmer of hope that his boss would show mercy. Ironically, it was the first time I felt a sense of pride in the scars left by the bullets fired from Romano's gun.

As the day progressed, I found myself with more reasons to mourn beyond Renata's lifeless body being ruthlessly laid to rest in the garden while her son slept upstairs.

Romano returned my phone to me—or rather, he handed me a phone. While mine was a simple black device, this one gleamed in gold, undoubtedly more luxurious but distinctly not mine.

Before I could even inquire about the whereabouts of my actual phone, he preemptively answered, "Broken, along with your SIM. I got you a new one, and April won't be a contact. Never."

"Fuck," I exclaimed, though I had hoped to keep my frustration silent. "Why?" It was a vague question, leaving room for multiple interpretations. The real question lingering in my mind was why he was being so callous and indifferent.

"Caleb is April's boyfriend, Xenia. I'll break the details down for you in case you're selecting what to grasp." He settled into his desk chair and rocked back and forth while glaring at me. "Any information you share with her goes straight to him. And I trust, after what you heard from him today, that I don't need to explain that you're not exactly his good old friend."