Carmen’s hands shook with rage, her entire body tense as she stared at Marco.
“Who are they, Marco?” she demanded. “How the hell are you tied to them?”
Marco didn’t answer.
Didn’t even move.
His expression was stone-cold, his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful.
Carmen stepped closer, her voice rising.
“What did you do, Marco?” she pressed, her tone sharp, laced with betrayal.
Marco finally exhaled, running a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling just slightly.
Luca watched silently, arms crossed, but even he looked tense.
Marco met Carmen’s gaze, his own dark, unreadable.
“I never told you,” he admitted, his voice low, rough. “Because I thought it didn’t matter anymore. I thought it was over.”
Carmen’s stomach tightened.
“What didn’t matter?” she whispered.
Marco hesitated, his mind flashing back to a time he had buried deep inside.
A time before Matteo.
Before her.
Before everything collapsed.
“Years ago,” he started, “I was involved in an operation. One that should have changed everything.”
Carmen’s breath hitched.
Marco’s voice turned hollow.
“It was with Rafael.”
Silence.
Carmen staggered back, like she had been punched in the gut.
“Rafael Moretti?” she whispered, stunned.
“Yes.”
Marco’s jaw tensed as he continued.
“It wasn’t just the two of us,” he said. “We were working for something bigger. A group that controlled everything from the shadows. They funded weapons, controlled territories, owned people. Rafael was deep in it. I was too.”
Carmen’s mind spun.
This was more than just some enemy from Marco’s past.
This was something far worse.
“You worked for them?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Marco nodded slowly.
“For a time.”
Luca’s expression darkened, but he remained silent, letting Marco speak.
“But Rafael?” Marco continued, “He wanted more. He wanted to rise through their ranks, control it all.”
He let out a bitter laugh.
“I didn’t. I wanted out.”
Carmen folded her arms, trying to keep herself from shaking.
“So what happened?”
Marco’s eyes darkened further.
“I made a choice,” he admitted. “I turned on him.”
Carmen’s breath caught.
“What do you mean?”
Marco’s fingers curled into a tight fist.
“I took everything he was working for and burned it to the ground,” he said, his voice cold, ruthless.
He exhaled sharply.
“I gave the organization an ultimatum. Either they let me walk away, or I destroy every last one of them.”
Carmen’s pulse pounded in her ears.
“And they just let you go?”
Marco’s expression turned haunted.
“No,” he admitted. “I thought I got rid of them. I thought when Rafael died, they died with him.”
Carmen let out a shaky breath.
“But they didn’t.”
Marco shook his head.
“No,” he said. “They’ve just been waiting. Biding their time. And now, they want payback.”
Carmen felt sick.
Her hands curled into tight fists.
“And Ella?” she asked. “Where does she fit into all this?”
Marco hesitated.
Then—he finally said it.
“She’s not just Rafael’s mother.”
Carmen froze.
Marco’s eyes were sharp, but his voice was heavy.
“She’s the head of the organization.”
The words hung in the air, thick and suffocating.
Carmen staggered back again, shaking her head.
“No,” she whispered, her throat tightening.
Marco exhaled sharply.
“She’s the one pulling the strings. She’s the reason Matteo was taken. She’s the reason for all of this.”
Carmen’s stomach twisted violently.
This wasn’t just some revenge mission for Ella.
This was something bigger.
And Matteo?
Matteo was the key.
“She’s using him as leverage,” Luca muttered, finally speaking.
Carmen turned back to Marco, her eyes burning with anger, with desperation, with something raw.
“Then you need to fix this.”
Marco met her gaze, but before he could respond, she took a step closer.
“You brought this into our lives,” she snapped, her voice shaking with rage. “You thought you could walk away, but now our son is paying the price.”