Luca’s Inferno by Karima Sa’ad Usman

Chapter 31

31 Burning Flames Luca. I thought I was living in hell until Emma left. I had never experienced so much pain in my life. I could not think straight anymore. I closed myself off from everyone. Barely saw my friends and couldn’t stand company. I was a mess. Maybe I should have held on and damned the consequences. The pain I felt was worse than losing a loved one; there was a void in my heart that could never be filled up. I was dead from the inside out. My parents and Catalina had left my house because of my hostility. Usually, Emma was always there to calm me down, but she wasn’t anymore, and everything around me was falling apart. I knew I was slowly becoming a monster, but there was nothing I could do. A huge part kept telling me that what I did was for the best. It had been a month, and there had been several attacks on my life. All of which I sustained minor injuries and survived. The attacks let me know I did the right thing by letting Emma go. Hopefully, she would find someone worthy of her and move on. Castelo had advised me to put someone to watch over her, but I didn’t want to. No one would go after her knowing I dumped her. It was simple logic. I must not value her to have abandoned her the way I did, so there was no point for my enemies to go after her because they would not be hurting me in the process. Aldo was seeing Heather, and I had warned him never to talk to me about whatever Heather told him about Emma. I knew how I was living was unhealthy for my heart and soul, but I would die just to ensure she was alright. I knew her family’s business was moving well. They were still under my protection, so Marcelo and the small mob bosses of Celio would not extort them. I knew her brothers would care for her. After all, she had made everything possible. Her clothes were still in my closet. I would often sit there just to surround myself with her scent. I knew it would fade with time, but I was willing to take all I could. It hurt me that she did not go with the things I bought or the money I gave her. The woman was too stubborn for her own good. She was perfect for me, and I had let her go.

I saw my pain as punishment for the lives I had to take so that I could restore peace and place myself as the boss to maintain the peace. I had killed husbands and rendered some children orphans. I had wiped

out families and broken homes. I had brought sorrow into people’s homes and taken their joy without question or remorse. This was my punishment. A soul ripping pain that could never be healed. My parents did not talk about Teressa again; somehow, they had started liking Emma for me. I do not know how that happened because before we left for the resort, my mother hated the girl, but I guess she could see that my heart was already taken. Teressa had started visiting too often in the name of work, and I had warned her to only call, but she was stubborn. I knew she was trying to seduce me, but I was numb. Even if I was asleep, she wouldn’t achieve anything, and I knew it frustrated her, which I believed served her right. I looked at the clock; it was almost time for my meeting. I hated visiting people’s houses, but this was one of those days. I rarely left my house and never looked forward to stepping out. I did not go to parties anymore because I wouldn’t have Emma in my arms to get me through the event. It was a heart- wrenching experience. I got off my bed and dragged my feet to get dressed for the meeting. While I wore my shirt, images of Emma flooded my mind, and my eyes welled up with tears. Tears I would never let the world see. My room felt like a dungeon without her, and I was doing time. I remained indoors because I dared not break into public. Often I would hear a voice like hers or get a scent of Lavender and Honey and break down inside, hence why I flared up and excused myself. I wasn’t allowed to show weakness; it was our culture, and it was killing me. I got ready for the meeting, got into my car and headed out the gate. I saw a commotion at my entrance. My men were holding a man down, and I wanted to know who it was. “Please, I need to see Alpha Alessandro,” he said. I knew who it was immediately. Only Emma and her family referred to me as Alpha instead of Don. Had something happened to her? I exited the car and went to see what was going on. They had pinned him down and bound his hand with a silver cuff; I was angry and reprimanded them for it. They were still my in-laws regardless and deserved some respect. I was yet to annul the marriage, and I did not think I ever would. “Let him be,” I ordered my men, and they released him. It was Tevin, Emma’s eldest brother. He stood up and bowed his head with respect. The man respected me greatly; even though I hurt his sister, he still respected me. I did not deserve it. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“What is the issue, Tevin?” I asked him, and he looked at my men. “It is okay; you can tell me whatever here. They are trustworthy.” I assured him. I was in a hurry and could not return to the house. He hesitated but soon spoke. “Please, Alpha. My sister isn’t faring well at all. She locked herself up in her room for days when she came home. I had to break down the door. She talks to herself; she hardly eats. She is a mess. You are not helping her like this. Emma wants to be with you. She doesn’t care about the danger; none of us do at this point. She would rather die by your side than live a long, painful life. Please. I do not know how you feel about her, but you showed her a huge amount of love and affection for her to be the way she is. If there is room for her in your heart anywhere, please take her back. I can’t bear seeing my sister suffering like this. Please, Alpha,” he said, and it was clear he was desperate. It must have taken a lot for him to come here and plead for his sister’s sake. What he said broke my heart completely, but I rather she was alive and heartbroken than dead. Hearts always heal, but no one can raise the dead. I dimmed my eyes and looked at him expressionlessly. “The contract has been terminated, and now it is over. Why is she being so clingy? I said I wanted a clean break. I really do not have time for this. Tell your sister to move on with her life and don’t come here again.” I said, and I watched the colour drain from his face. He was in disbelief. My tone and utterances annoyed him, but he was careful because of who I was. I hated being the arsehole, but I knew that was what I was in his eyes. “Omegas aren’t just for submission and pleasure, Alpha. It is easy to use us and discard us as trash. But we are people like you. We have hearts and souls, and we feel. Every time someone hurts us, there is damage to our hearts and soul. I hope you can live with the fact of knowing you have damaged her, Alpha. Thank you for the help and hospitality. I am sorry for the disturbance, and I will respect your wishes and never come to your house again,” he said, and just then, Teressa drove in, alighted from her car and walked up to me. Tevin looked at her and summed it up in his mind. I wanted to reprimand her, but she had done nothing wrong. But in Kevin’s eyes, I had moved on. “Four weeks, and you replaced her. I see now; Goodbye,” he said and walked back to his car. I was too broken in those moments to go for my meeting. He was surely going to tell Emma that I had

moved on, and I knew exactly how she would feel. I did not bother walking back into the car. I walked back towards the house, ignoring everyone present. What I had said to Tevin was unfair. I saw his respect and adoration for me drain from his eyes, I understood his pain. If anyone hurts Catalina, I will do worse. I returned to my room and sat deep in thoughts. How was I going to survive living like this? If Roberto was alive, I would have willingly handed him the position and retired with Emma. Even though there was no getting out, I would have found a way. What was I going to do now? I could not even set a goal because I did not know where to start. Deigo Gallo was still at large. The other people attacking me and trying to kill me were still unknown. The Romanos were wiped out two weeks ago, and all the families had a huge mistrust. Castelo and Aldo were the only people I trusted, and they trusted me in return. I could not drag Emma into this life. Yes, my house was presumed impenetrable, but they could use a bomb or other means. I can’t keep Emma couped up somewhere. She deserved to be free. She deserved to move about freely without a care in the world. Being by my side would rob her of that. I knew it. This was really hell for me. The tattoo on my back was a joke, just like Emma had said that day while getting into the tub with her. She asked me to come in and cool the fire so we could ignite a different type of flame. We had ignited a new flame, and this one burned painfully.