Dangerous Secrets: My Mafia Stepbrother

Emanuele’s brow furrowed tightly. He simply couldn’t accept it-couldn’t accept that he would become permanently disabled. Sure, as a member of the mafia, they operated on the edge of life and death. Every mission they undertook posed a mortal risk. They had long been prepared, resigned to the fact that they might lose their lives at any moment. Faced with the prospect of losing their lives, being disabled was actually a comparatively good outcome. Yet, despite all this, Emanuele still found it impossible to accept.

Especially when he suddenly thought of Isabella. What would she think if she found out about his disability? Would she despise him, seeing him as a cripple?

Emanuele lowered his head, focusing on his leg, while Karen’s argument with the doctor buzzed in his ears. The doctor was his man, undoubtedly skilled, but Emanuele still preferred to believe that the diagnosis was a mistake.

Karen was furious, calling Michael, “Brother, the doctor over here for Emanuele isn’t cutting it. Can you get our family doctor to come and check on Emanuele?”

Karen was furious. What a lousy doctor, claiming that Emanuele would be disabled for life. Damn it, Emanuele was such a brave and formidable person; she couldn’t even imagine what it would be like for him to be disabled for the rest of his life.

Hearing Karen’s words, Emanuele snapped to attention, seizing Karen’s phone and hanging it up. “Karen, I know the skill of my doctor. We don’t need you to specially bring your doctor here.” Emanuele knew that his doctor wouldn’t easily come to such a conclusion. By saying this, he acknowledged that his leg injury was indeed very serious.

No wonder, even after all this time, he still felt intense pain in his leg, a pain that seemed to penetrate to the bone. So, before the doctor had reached a conclusion, Emanuele could already guess the reason.

“But Emanuele, don’t you really need to see a few more doctors? I know this doctor is your own, and you trust him, but still, what if this time he’s made a misdiagnosis?” Karen was worried about Emanuele’s well-being, but she couldn’t believe the diagnosis. She found it puzzling that Emanuele believed in the result, which left her deeply perplexed.

Emanuele had already risen, limping towards the door. Due to the severity of his injury, he had been bedridden for quite some time and hadn’t stepped outside in a while. Now, he felt it was time to take a walk outside. Karen followed Emanuele out.

Watching Emanuele descend the stairs and enter the hospital’s lawn, Karen sat down beside him. The weather was lovely that day, the sunlight warm and comforting as it bathed them. Emanuele sat quietly on the bench, soaking in the sun’s rays.

Karen, looking over at Emanuele with concern, said, “Emanuele, you can’t keep going on like this. I know you’re very upset. How about you let it all out?”

“You want me to let it out?” Emanuele turned to look at Karen, his expression carrying a tinge of strangeness.

Karen nodded. “I know you must be very sad right now.”Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“When I’m in a bad mood, I feel like killing someone,” Emanuele said, his expression somber and cold, as if he were trampling life underfoot.

Karen was frightened by Emanuele’s demeanor. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted to kill her.

No, no, she was the Bratva princess, her father and brothers were formidable. Emanuele wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her. Still, Karen couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down her spine at Emanuele’s gaze.

“Emanuele, killing is not the answer. Let’s try a different approach. When I’m feeling low, I like to go shopping, buy a lot of things, and then indulge in food and drink. That usually lifts my spirits. Why don’t you try that?”

“I’m not interested in those things. I only feel excited when I see life slipping away at my hands.”

Emanuele was right. He was a demon who didn’t bat an eye at killing. He had changed somewhat now. Perhaps he had been influenced by Isabella. Sometimes, when he tortured people, he would think of the time he took Isabella to see the prisoners in the dungeon. Back then, Isabella seemed on the verge of collapse. At the time, he disliked Isabella and found her breakdown particularly exhilarating. Now, however, Emanuele felt guilty when he thought of Isabella’s previous state. As a result, he couldn’t help but restrain his cruelty, even though he knew Isabella couldn’t see it anymore. Nevertheless, he still did so. Moreover, before returning home, Emanuele would take a shower to rid himself of the smell of blood. He worried that the scent on him would be unbearable for her.

In short, because of his concern for Isabella, he rarely engaged in brutal torture anymore. But now, he was saying this just to intimidate Karen. He was in a truly terrible mood, and this woman beside him was bothering him.

Emanuele sighed. If his leg really couldn’t be healed, how would he face Isabella? He cared for Isabella, so he didn’t want to show any signs of weakness in front of her. That’s why he wanted to wait until he was mostly recovered before going to Italy to bring Isabella home. He didn’t want Isabella to pity him or sympathize with him. He was her man; he should be towering and invincible, not a pitiable cripple.

Just then, a voice came from behind Emanuele: “Emanuele?”

The voice was so familiar that Emanuele would dream about it. Upon hearing it, he couldn’t help but feel a flutter in his heart. Even though it was someone he would dream of, he didn’t want them to be here right now.

Emanuele turned cautiously and saw Isabella standing not far away.

After some time apart, Isabella was still as beautiful as ever, exuding a youthful vigor from head to toe. However, upon seeing him, she was unusually angry and grieving.

“Emanuele, you deceived me. You actually deceived me!” Isabella’s voice quivered. She seemed deeply sorrowful and indignant.

It was evident that she was very upset. Initially, she had been worried that he was in mortal danger during his time in Italy, and she had been on edge the whole time. But now, it seemed her worries were somewhat unnecessary. Emanuele was doing fine in the hospital, albeit injured, and Chicago was calm, without any danger. Yet, he didn’t want her to come back. Why? And to make matters worse, Karen was by his side. She remembered her, this woman who had always seen her as a rival!