Betrothed To The Ruthless Mafia

Rosana sat on the cold floor, barely able to move. She felt numb and her limbs were heavy. When the cold air hit her lungs, it felt like she was breathing in knives. A sense of dread and hopelessness filled her. She was never going to survive this, she was going to die.

Her fingers and toes were the first to become frozen. She couldn’t tell how long she had been stuck in there but she knew it was a very long time. Long enough for her heartbeat to slow down.

There were three other people in the room but two had been frozen to death. She knew this because they weren’t trembling and didn’t move either. They just remained on the floor, curled up like a fetus.

Over the past four hours, Rosana had gone from crying and shivering to her skin becoming very cold. It began to burn, and slowly she could feel her blood starting to freeze. Her lips turned blue and her whole face felt like they poured lava over it, and then stabbed it with a thousand knives.

“Goodness!” Munika shrieked once the door was opened and the cold air hit her skin. “Is she dead?!?”

Without waiting for her order, Alfonso rushed into the room and carefully carried Rosana in his arms. She had gotten heavy and her eyes were shut. That was a very bad sign, he noted as he carried her out of the room.

Munika followed behind him as he hurriedly took her inside her room. Viola had already turned on the heater in the room after learning about what Rosana was going through. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

“You may go. We will take it from here” Munika informed after Alfonso placed her on the bed. He bowed and got out of the room afterward, leaving the two ladies in charge.

“Hope she learns a lesson from this. She should be thankful my son didn’t squeeze the life out of her”

Viola could sense the hatred in her voice. She didn’t try to look up at her or utter a word, she just stood like a statue and stared at Rosana. She silently prayed she recovered from whatever she had gotten into.

“And you… Inform me when she is awake. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I will”

Munika looked around and hissed. She should’ve stayed there a little longer, she thought as walked out of the room. Maybe then, she would’ve been frozen to death.

Carmencita rushed into the room after she had gotten the news of what happened to Rosana. She brought heat packs and hot water bottles to keep her warm. With Viola’s help, she was able to carefully pack them around her torso, into armpits and the groin to focus warming on the central area.

{TWO DAYS LATER}

“Fortunately for her, her body temperature did not drop to 32 degree Celsius.” Doctor Amarillo reported after the check-up. “At that temperature, it wouldn’t have been a good sign because then, her brain and nerve endings must’ve lost the ability to transmit signals. She would’ve passed out and died eventually”

“But she is well and okay. All she needs is proper care and attention. I will still be around in case of any emergency”

Munika thanked the Doctor as he packed up his tools and left the room, leaving her with Viola and Rosana. The latter had woken up the previous day but was now feeling a little bit better.

“Drink your soup before it gets cold, hmm?” Munika smiled and Rosana nodded in return. She started drinking her soup slowly until it was finished. “Clear the plates!”

Viola bowed in response and started clearing the dishes. When she was done, she walked out of the room, leaving the duo.

“How do you feel?”

“Not so good”

“Oh, dear, it happens. But you will be fine. Like the Doctor said, you need to rest and stay hydrated.”

Rosana stared up at the ceiling, remembering how it felt in the freezing room. She was trembling, she could barely move, and she couldn’t breathe. It was cold everywhere… Really really cold and she thought she was going to die. She had been drowned in the feeling of complete and utter hopelessness.

“Are those tears?” Munika asked and stepped closer. She sighed and sat beside her on the bed. “Be thankful he did not kill you.”

“But he will, eventually”

Munika sensed her fear and her insides warmed. “And that’s why I asked you to run away. Far away from him”

“How will I? He will catch me before I even try to take a step”

Munika thought about it and nodded. Rosana was right but at the same time, she still couldn’t trust her. What if this was one of her schemes to bring Sergio down and destroy him?

“He will not if I help you”

Rosana turned her head to the side and stared at her. “Help me? You… You want to help me?”

Munika stood up and walked over to the window with her hands crossed behind her. Of course, she wouldn’t help her if it wasn’t to her advantage. She needed this lady out of her son’s life once and for all.

“You and I both know the kind of man Sergio is. If you do not know, I know him too well because he is my son and you are no match for him. You are not suitable for him. His soul is too dark for you”

She turned to look at her. “If you stay, he will destroy you. He will break you into a thousand pieces and I doubt you will survive that. But if you run…” She paused and walked over to the bed.

“You will live. All you have to do is disappear and never return”

Tears rolled down Rosana’s cheeks as she listened to her. This is the moment she had been praying for. She had been praying for a guardian angel and surprisingly, it came in the form of the devil’s mother. Who could’ve ever imagined?

She always thought that Munika hated her so much. She always thought that she didn’t trust her. “Yes… Yes. I will disappear and never return. Please help me…”

“Shush… It is okay.” Munika hushed and held her hands in hers. Rosana could feel she was trying to give her something. “All you need to do is make him a cup of coffee before he travels to Mexico tomorrow.”

“A… A cup of what?”

“Shush… Listen” Munika whispered and continued. “You have to plead for his forgiveness and by doing so, you make him a cup of coffee. Then you add this powder, all of it”

She slipped the tiny wrap into Rosana’s hand and smiled. Her plan was working. After the next day, she will no longer be in Sergio’s life or hers.

“What if… What if he suspects?”

“He would not, unless you make it obvious. A little flirting to coax him will do”

Rosana thought about it and shook her head. She will never be able to carry out such a task. Already, she was so afraid of him and wouldn’t want to go anywhere near him. She long accepted her fate when she had been locked inside the freezing room. This was now her life. She was stuck with him and couldn’t escape no matter what.

“I… I cannot. He will kill me…” She shook her head and tried to return the tiny wrap but Munika wouldn’t take it back.

“If you remain here, he will. But once you disappear… He will never. Think about your loved ones, your family… Think about the world out there. Are you giving up on it already?”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

She would give up on everything but not her Allen. If and only if she escaped, she would find him and tell him everything. She could only imagine the way he’d feel when he learns that everything had been forced. The marriage and their breakup.

He’d hug and kiss her. She’d be in his arms once again. As he suggested, they could go to the police or they could run away together and hide forever. Thinking about all of that brought her profound happiness. If this goes right, she could be with Allen again. She would escape this monster.

“How does he like his coffee?” Rosana finally asked, determined to carry out the task.