Matteo didn’t reply. Instead, he smiled and calmly tore the agreement in half. He then turned, pulled out his phone and tossed it onto the table in front of me.
“I knew you wouldn’t apologize,” he said evenly.
“That’s fine. I have a special gift for you instead.”
“Victoria, I’ll have someone pull the oxygen tube from your brother’s throat.”
I froze, my breath caught in my chest. For a moment, I couldn’t even comprehend the words. Then I saw the video playing on his phone. My brother was struggling, choking, fighting for air. The sight hurt my sight, breaking the last piece of my reason.
My only brother had been lying in a hospital bed for three long years. Matteo knew better than anyone why he was there. Three years ago, that night had been pure carnage. Out of everyone Matteo had brought with him, only my brother and I had survived.
They had tied both Matteo and my brother to a massive water tank, over ten meters high and forced me to make a choice. The one I didn’t pick would be lowered into the tank to drown. The one I chose would be saved.