CHAPTER 61

Vittorio's private jet flew peacefully through the sky, heading towards New York. Ellis, with horror and disbelief in her eyes, looked at Vittorio beside her, trying to comprehend the extent of the shocking events she had witnessed. Silence hung in the airplane cabin as the two prepared for an inevitable conversation.

Vittorio broke the silence, his calm and firm voice echoing in the confined space of the jet.

"Ellis, I want you to understand something," he began, looking into her eyes. "This flight is the only time we will discuss this story. When we land, we'll leave all of this behind."

Ellis's eyes widened in surprise at the coldness in Vittorio's words. She could hardly believe he was so detached from the terrible events that had occurred. With a trembling voice, she asked, "How can you be so cold, Vittorio? I saw you poison and kill your uncle, a man who had been with you throughout your life! A man who talked about you with me at the dinner table on his birthday! Your own blood!"

"The man who killed my father," the mobster retorted.

Vittorio sighed, briefly averting his gaze before turning back to Ellis. "Matteo Amorielle was responsible for my father's death, as well as being involved in business with Tommaso Grecco. He deserved what he got," he said, his voice filled with a mix of sadness and anger. "I had to seek justice."

Ellis couldn't contain the anger boiling inside her. She stared directly into Vittorio Amorielle's eyes, her heart heavy with the violence she had witnessed.

"I heard everything, but there were other ways to deal with him, to seek justice. You didn't have to kill your uncle," she said, her voice laden with sadness and indignation.

"Yes, I had to," Vittorio emphasized. "Sometimes I have to do questionable things..."

"Yes, just like leaving me in a suite waiting for you while you spent the night with another woman," bitter Ellis commented. "And it must have been quite a good night, apparently..."

Vittorio sighed deeply, appearing tired and burdened. "Ellis, there are things you don't know, things I couldn't tell you before."

"What are you talking about? What don't I know?" Ellis asked, intrigued, furrowing her brow.

Vittorio reached into his pocket and handed Ellis an envelope. "Isabela Bianchi, the woman you thought I was sleeping with all night, is an investigator hired by me. She discovered the truth about my uncle and brought compelling evidence."

Ellis opened the envelope and found a series of shocking photos. They were images of people in inhumane conditions, victims of human trafficking. Tears welled up in her eyes as she flipped through the photos, horrified by the cruelty they portrayed.

Vittorio explained, his voice trembling with emotion. "Matteo was involved in a human trafficking scheme. He profited from the suffering and exploitation of innocent people from Pedesina. These photos are of some of the victims he transported and sold."

Ellis sobbed, feeling the weight of the world bearing down on her shoulders. Vittorio gently held her hands, trying to comfort her, but she pulled away forcefully and then turned to her husband and asked:

"While I spent the day alone, you obtained the poison, didn't you?"

Vittorio nodded once again, a dark look crossing his eyes.

"Yes, I needed to get in touch with a partner in Colombia. It was necessary to make preparations for what would happen to my uncle. The poison was just a part of it."

"A part?" Ellis repeated.

"Yes... I needed to destroy everything that was his... To leave no chance for his businesses to continue."

Ellis looked at the photos again and, amidst despair, found a familiar face. It was Martina, the saleswoman who had attended to her in a store in Pedesina. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Martina... This is the girl who spoke to me," she explained, pointing to the saleswoman's face and showing it to Vittorio. "Did you save her, Vittorio? Is she safe?"

Vittorio shook his head sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, Ellis, but these photos are from a shipment that had already left. Martina is probably on an operating table now, without her organs."

Tears streamed down Ellis's face, her sadness mixing with a sense of helplessness. She hugged Vittorio tightly, seeking solace in his arms.

"I know it's hard to accept, Ellis. But you need to understand that when you saw me killing my uncle, I was doing more than seeking revenge. I was saving lives."

Ellis pulled away and shook her head, disbelieving what she had heard. She looked at Vittorio with tear-filled eyes.

"Vittorio, I understand why you did what you did. I do. The circumstances, the pressure... they can lead us to make decisions we never thought we would. But there's something I can't ignore."

Vittorio looked at Ellis, curious and apprehensive about what she would say.

"I saw you, Vittorio. I saw you enjoying it. I saw the pleasure in your eyes as you tortured your uncle. You enjoyed doing that!" Ellis emphasized. "And that's not normal to me. It's not something I can simply ignore and pretend didn't happen."

Vittorio nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon outside.

"I'm not a good man, Ellis. I never have been, and I never claimed to be. The life I lead, the world I'm involved in, is ruthless. Sometimes, extreme measures are necessary to survive, to protect what's mine."

Ellis's expression twisted in disbelief and disgust. She stood up from her seat, looking at Vittorio.

"But at that moment, you weren't just protecting what's yours. You were relishing in it," Ellis reinforced. "When we were in Milan, you showed yourself as a kind and caring person. But seeing this side of you, the way you took pleasure in it... I can't reconcile the person I thought I knew with what I witnessed."

Vittorio took a step towards Ellis, reaching out to touch her hand, but she moved away, increasing the distance between them.

"Ellis, I know it's difficult, but you need to accept that this is my world. It's normal in my environment."

"Normal?" Ellis repeated, crying and desperate. She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Normal?! Vittorio, none of this is normal! It's not normal for you to threaten someone's life by marrying you! It's not normal for you to leave your wife alone on your wedding night to negotiate! It's not normal for you to get involved with other women for 'business transactions,' and it's definitely NOT NORMAL FOR YOU TO KILL YOUR UNCLE, DAMN IT!"

"It's normal for me!" Vittorio shouted back at Ellis, who widened her eyes at the mafioso's outburst. He approached her, getting close to her face, and continued, "Fine, Ellis. Don't understand what I do, don't accept how I conduct my business, but don't you dare judge me for my uncle's death. You can't judge me because you don't know what I went through. You don't know what I lived, what I witnessed... So, cara mia, step down from your pedestal because I doubt that if you were in my shoes, knowing who was responsible for your father's death, you wouldn't have done the same."

Ellis stared into Vittorio's eyes and then said firmly, "I didn't, and yet I was forced to marry."

Vittorio's face showed surprise upon hearing Ellis's words.

"What do you mean?"

"That's right, Don Vittorio. Thanks to your business in my neighborhood, my father was killed," Ellis replied. "My father was killed in front of our house during a shootout for territorial control. And I didn't come after you..."

"I'm sorry, Ellis," Vittorio said, trying to reach for her hand, but Ellis refused once again.

"I don't want your remorse. I'm just showing you that there's always a choice. I made one... so I can't accept this, Vittorio. Everything that happened... It's repugnant. I can't just leave it behind and pretend none of this happened."

"I'm sorry, Ellis. I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted you to see this side of me," Vittorio whispered. "Please believe me when I say that."

"I believe you, Vittorio. But believing alone isn't enough now."

Ellis turned and walked towards the suite of the private jet, leaving Vittorio alone.

As the private jet continued its journey through the skies, Ellis and Vittorio Amorielle remained separated in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and inner dilemmas, searching for a solution that could determine the course of their lives from that point forward.