Chapter 139 Redemption.

"Why do you care for the murderer, Mia? He deserves to die! He tried to kill you and your children. Why does he need pity?" Alexander bawled in frustration. Mia felt her throat tighten; she couldn't reply. She had no answer for why she couldn't bear to see Alessandro in pain. Without a word, she grabbed Alexander's hand and began to lead him back toward the manor. Alessandro struggled to get up from the ground, and Matteo rushed to help him, but Alessandro stopped his friend again, shaking his head. Matteo couldn't understand why Alessandro was torturing himself like this. He had paid for his mistakes more than enough; there was no need for more remorse. "Aria," Alessandro called out again, his voice filled with pain. Alexander turned his head and glared at him, but Mia shook her head and kept walking toward the manor. "I might be a big asshole and have made many mistakes, but I could never think of killing you—not even in my dreams, Aria!" Alessandro shouted after her. "I've never attempted to harm you. Never." His words made Mia stop. She took a deep breath, trying to swallow the anger that was rising inside her once again. But she couldn't stop herself from turning on her heels and glaring at her cold-hearted mafia husband with rage. Her feet began moving toward Alessandro on their own. But Alexander grabbed her hand, trying to stop her. However, she pulled away, muttering, "Let's finish this." She started toward Alessandro again, and this time, Alexander didn't stop her, remaining rooted in place, watching his sister carefully. Mia marched toward Alessandro with a scowl on her beautiful face. She stopped just in front of him. Though her heart ached to see him bleeding and in such a miserable state, she was determined not to back down and was ready to fight back. "Alessandro Valentino!" Mia roared, her voice filled with anger. "You think everything you did was right? You never trusted me, and you tortured me—punished me for things I never did," she yelled in his face, making him bite his bleeding lip and close his eyes tightly. "You said I shouldn't be pregnant with your child and believed that I must be carrying another man's child. When you learned about my pregnancy, you sent those killers to get rid of both me and the babies," she murmured, her breath heavy and panting with anger. "Did you forget what you said, Alessandro Valentino?!" she screamed, her voice dripping with hatred. "Aria, I admit I was a fool to doubt your faithfulness to our marriage, and I'm deeply ashamed of it," Alessandro pleaded desperately. "But trust me, even though I thought you were unfaithful, I never wanted you to leave me. I was so fucking in love with you that no matter what, I could never let you go. My anger and coldness were just a facade, meant to force you to stay with me and not leave for another man." Mia snorted, her disbelief clear. She wouldn't be convinced by his excuses. "Trust me, for God's sake. I'm still so in love with you that I never stopped. I've loved you all these years, even when you weren't with me," he said, lifting his hand to show her his wedding ring. Mia's mind raced in realization. The conflict within her stirred again. Who was this man, and how could he be so contradictory to his own behavior? "Earlier I thought you were going to leave me for Adam, but I wasn't going to back down and let him marry you. Never. I was coming to fight for you, baby," he continued, and without giving her a chance to protest, he took her hand. This time, Mia let him hold her hand. Lost in the turmoil of her feelings, she focused on his face and the emotions conveyed through his eyes. "Then... then why did you leave me like that and stop taking my calls or replying to my texts?" Mia countered, her eyes glistening with tears and her voice faltering. Alessandro felt a surge of relief that she was at least giving him a chance to explain and was listening to him. He took a step closer and looked deeply into her mesmerizing, innocent eyes. "Baby, when the bomb exploded in my car, I was terrified. I couldn't bear the thought of what if you and our children had been in that car? What if my enemies had targeted you? I was so afraid of anything happening to you and our children. So, I deliberately distanced myself to make it seem like you weren't important to me. During the investigation, I discovered that the culprit was the same person who had tried to kill you six years ago," he revealed. "Trust me, I didn't know you were attacked that night, or I would have investigated it long ago. But when you disappeared and then the flight you were on crashed, I was devastated. I couldn't see anything suspicious about it. I wasn't myself for years until Mother and Matteo pushed me to see a doctor and get help so I could start a normal life again. I'm glad I listened to them; otherwise, I might never have found you," Alessandro said, a slow smile spreading across his face as he gently caressed Mia's cheek. Mia narrowed her eyes, watching her ruthless mafia husband closely. He was a liar. A monster. A murderer. Why should she believe him?