Forty Nine.

His cock brushes the side of my cheek as a sickening sound of a skull-cracking fills the air.

I fall on my ass, and his large body falls on top of me.

Crushing me.

I scream,  trying my best to push his limp body off me and slowly start hyperventilating as I become paralyzed with fear that he is going to crush me to death.

[Treasure?] "Tesoro," A raspy voice calls out to me as a loud clanking sound of a shovel hits the ground.

Ace!

"A..Ace," I cry out, "Is that you?"

[Yes] "Si, it's me. You have to be quiet or they will know I escaped." His voice sounds strained and full of tormented pain.

Jacobs body gradually rolls off to the side of me and the whole time Ace is pushing him, I can hear him groaning like he is finding the last ounce of strength to push Jacob off me.

I roll over to my side, coughing and I glance back over my shoulder to look at Ace.

"Thank-" The words fall from my lips.

Aces face has been painted like a canvas with splattered colours of blue, black, purple and yellow marring his once-perfect complexion.

He looks like he's been to hell and back a few times too many. I gulp, feeling my body turn hot with anger, bitterness and irritation towards Trent and Castello for doing this to him.

Feelings that have no right to invade my body as I look at the man who stood back and allowed Trent to use my body to fulfil his sick fantasies.

He collapses to the ground, I scramble towards him, my eyes frantically checking every inch of his body.

"What happened to you?" I enquire as I raise the hem of his shirt and gasp. He has lacerations across his torso that appear to be infected and have dried blood on the top of them. His body is too hot to touch, he has a fever, and seeing him in this state breaks my heart.

I lay his head on my legs, moving his hair out of his face that is coated in sweat. He inhales with shallow breaths, raising his hand to touch my face.

"Forgive me, tesoro." [treasure] His voice is hoarse as he swallows thickly. "I should have treated you better with respect and taken you away from this life." His face contorts with pain. "I was a selfish fool to think that you could still love a man like me after everything I put you through. I know Sandro isn't mine, I've known from the start, but I wanted to change." His voice cracks, "I wanted to prove to you that I am worthy of your love and to be the father of your child. Mi dispiace amore Mio." [I'm sorry my love.]

"Sandro," I cry out, his words striking a chord in my thrumming heart. "Please tell me he's alive." I stare into his eyes, holding my breath as I anxiously wait for him to answer me.

[Yes.] "Si, he is alive. The bratva left their princess behind and she is taking care of him. For a fifteen-year-old, she knows how to handle herself and care for Sandro. I believe your son is in good hands with her." He coughs, struggling to fill his lungs with air.

I carefully roll him over to his side, "What happened to you?" I ask him again.

"I refused to abide by their rules. Once I found out what they were up to, I tried to escape with Sandro. I made it back to the Bombays before I was apprehended and dragged back here. They tortured me, leaving me for dead in the shed. I heard your voice, I thought I was dreaming until I realised I wasn't when Jacob pulled his pants down." He starts to sob, his body shakes in my embrace and tears roll down my cheeks. Every word he has spoken has been heavily coated in pain, regret and turmoil. His apology is genuine and that's all I need to forgive him.

I can never forget, but, I can forgive him for acknowledging his sins and wrongdoing.

"Shh," I comfort him. "It's okay, Ace. I forgive you." I say in a soothing tone.

A dark shadow casts over us, I look up and Castello is standing over us with a gun pointed directly at Ace's head.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Mila. You have caused us some unnecessary distress and for that, you will pay." He mutters, cocking his gun. "And you," he sneers, glaring at Ace. "Are a treacherous piece of shit." He snaps, pulling the trigger.

A loud crackling sound disperses through the air, blood splatters across my face and I let out a gut-wrenching scream filled with terror and grief.

I look down at Ace, a bullet wound is visible between his eyes and crimson red blood flows from the piercing hole, down his lifeless face.

"You killed him!" I scream, crushing the man I once believed I loved wholeheartedly against my chest. "You fucking monster!" I rock back and forth.

"He deserved it." Castello sighs loudly. "How can you mourn the death of a man who mistreated you?" He says with confusion as he tucks his gun into the back of his pants. "Up!" He says in a clipped tone.

I look up at him, meeting his eyes that I once adored when I thought he was on my side. "Why, so you can murder me too?" I sniffle, wiping my face with the heels of my hands.

"I thought you would jump at the invitation seeing you haven't seen little Sandro for how long now?" He snickers with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"If you're going to kill me, do it now. No point in prolonging the inevitable."

Alive or dead.

I know they will all end up dying at the hands of the Peker family, my sons family and that is why I am not afraid to die. Sandro will be united with his father who will take care of him.

Castello pulls out his gun, points it at my head. "Any last words then, Mila?" He asks, running the tip of his tongue across his top teeth.

'Where do I even begin?' I internally ask myself while I stare into the barrel of his gun.