CHAPTER 122: THE MAN WHO WOKE UP WRONG

The mansion was silent... Too silent.

Smoke curled from the shattered chandelier, the scent of burnt iron and blood hanging heavy in the air. Rain leaked through the cracked skylight, spattering across the marble floor where Daisy and Romeo still lay—stunned, bruised, but breathing.

Daisy pushed herself up first, groaning. "Romeo...?"

He stirred, eyes dazed, coughing out dust. "Still here... Barely."

They both turned toward the center of the hall.

The Heart was gone, so were Bianca and Alessia.

Only scorched marble and a faint crimson residue marked the spot where they had stood.

Daisy’s hand trembled as she touched the floor. It was still warm, pulsing faintly, like something alive beneath the surface. "This place feels... wrong."

Romeo glanced toward the broken door, every nerve on edge. "We need to get out before the guards come in. They’ll think we did this."

"No." Daisy’s voice cracked. "We can’t leave. Not until I know where Alessia is."

"She’s gone, Daisy." Romeo’s tone was grim. "They both are."

But Daisy shook her head fiercely. "No one just vanishes into light. She’s somewhere And Luca’s body..." she froze mid-sentence, eyes widening.

The body was there.

At the bottom of the grand staircase, lying motionless amidst fallen glass and splintered wood.

Luca Morano.

His chest was bare, his shirt scorched open, the faint outline of a crimson sigil still fading beneath his skin.

Daisy ran to him, falling to her knees. "Oh my God...Sir Luca.... Luca" She pressed two fingers against his throat.

A pulse, Weak but steady.

Romeo came closer, jaw tightening. "He’s breathing. But if Alessia was inside him before..."

"Then she might still be." Daisy whispered, tears streaming down her face. "Or maybe..."

The air shifted before she could finish.

The lights flickered once, and Luca’s hand twitched.

Romeo drew his gun instantly. "Don’t."

Daisy looked up sharply. "It’s him."

"You don’t know that." Romeo said.

His eyes stayed locked on Luca’s face, watching as the man’s chest rose slowly, painfully.

A soft groan escaped his lips—deep, rough, unmistakably Luca’s.

Then his eyes opened.

Not the soft gray they remembered Darker and Colder.

Luca blinked, sitting up slowly.

The movement was heavy, deliberate, like every muscle fought against him.

He looked at his surroundings. The shattered walls, the blood, the storm outside and finally at Daisy and Romeo.

"What happened?" His voice was low, gravelly.

Daisy swallowed. "You.... collapsed. There was an explosion, Bianca.. she... "

But he cut her off, a flicker of pain crossing his face as he pressed a hand to his chest. "Where’s My Alessia?"

Romeo holstered his gun but didn’t relax. "That’s what we were hoping you’d tell us."

Luca’s eyes narrowed. "She was here."

"Yes," Daisy whispered. "Inside you. But when the light hit, you both disappeared. When it cleared, only you remained."

For a heartbeat, silence.

Then Luca rose. The movement was wrong... too smooth, too detached.

His hand brushed the railing, fingers curling like they had forgotten how to feel.

"She’s not gone," he said flatly. "She can’t be."

Romeo took a careful step forward. "Luca, whatever that thing was.. the Heart—it did something to you. You should rest."

But Luca ignored him.

He walked toward the massive window, staring out at the rain-soaked courtyard where guards gathered in confusion.

The storm had ended, but the sky still pulsed faintly red.

"I don’t need rest." His tone was cold enough to make Daisy flinch. "I need answers."

He turned, and for a brief moment, Daisy saw something flicker in his eyes like another reflection overlapping his own.

A shadow of Alessia.

Her voice... Her pain.

Gone in a second, but enough to chill Daisy’s blood.

Romeo caught it too. "Sir luca morano," he said carefully. "Tell me what you remember."

Luca’s gaze drifted to the floor. "I remember her screaming. The Heart burning through us both. Bianca trying to take it." He exhaled slowly. "Then nothing, Just darkness."

He flexed his hand, staring at the faint crimson lines that still ran across his veins. "But I can feel her like she’s still here."

Daisy’s lips parted. "Inside you?"

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked toward the grand hall doors, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Someone else was here before it all happened. Lorenzo."

Romeo tensed. "You saw him?"

Luca nodded once. "He said he was breaking the curse. But I think he lied. He wanted this to happen."

Daisy stepped closer. "Lorenzo’s dying, Luca. He said he unleashed something he couldn’t control."

Luca’s jaw clenched. "Then he’ll tell me how to undo it—before it kills her."

"Sir luca.... " Daisy began, but he was already walking away.

He moved through the hall like a ghost, boots echoing against marble, rain streaking down his face as he stepped into the storm again.

Outside, the guards bowed instantly. "Boss.... "

He raised a hand to silence them. "Find Lorenzo. I want him alive."

The men scattered without question.

Romeo joined Daisy at the doorway, watching the figure of Luca disappear into the mist. "He’s not himself."

Daisy’s arms folded tightly around her body. "No... But he’s still Luca Morano. And that means he will burn the whole city to find her."

********

By morning, word had spread across the underworld.

The Morano estate was sealed reporters swarmed the gates.

Rumors whispered of blood magic, betrayal, and the missing of Alessia and Bianca .

But none dared speak Luca’s name aloud.

Inside the mansion, Daisy sat beside the fire, staring at her trembling hands.

The warmth didn’t touch her, She felt hollow.

Romeo entered quietly, holding a tablet. "You should see this."

On the screen was a CCTV still—grainy, time stamped from two hours ago. A figure walking through the docks on the outskirts of Naples.

Alessia.

Or someone who looked like her.

Daisy’s breath caught. "That’s impossible. She’s..... Missing," Romeo finished. "Not dead."

Luca entered just then, his shirt half-buttoned, a gun holstered at his hip. "Where?"

Romeo handed him the tablet. "Warehouse district near the old customs pier."

Luca’s jaw tightened. "Get the car."

"Wait," Daisy said, rising. "We don’t know what we’re walking into. If she’s really there.... "

"She’s my wife," Luca cut in sharply. His voice cracked on the last word, revealing a hint of pain beneath the steel. "I’m going."

He started for the door, but Daisy caught his arm. "And if it’s not her? What if it’s a trap?"

Luca’s eyes softened for the briefest moment. "Then I will walk into it anyway."

*******

The drive to the docks was silent. Rain fell again, thin and cold, slicing through the fog that clung to the empty streets.

When they arrived, the old warehouses loomed like skeletons.

Broken windows, Flickering lights. The sea roared in the distance.

Romeo parked, scanning the area. "No guards. No movement."

"Too quiet," Luca murmured, stepping out. His boots splashed through puddles as he made his way toward the largest warehouse.

The metal door was half open. Inside, a single lamp flickered.

And beneath it... someone sat tied to a chair.

Daisy gasped. "Lorenzo."

He was barely recognizable—bloodied, pale, his left hand trembling as he lifted his head.

"You found me," he croaked.

Luca approached slowly, eyes burning. "You did this. You brought the curse."

Lorenzo gave a weak smile. "I tried to break it."

"You failed." Luca’s voice was low, dangerous. "Now tell me where she is."

Lorenzo coughed, blood staining his lips. "You think it’s that simple? You were marked the moment you touched the Heart. Alessia’s not gone, Luca. She’s trapped—in the reflection."

"The what?"

"The mirror world," Lorenzo whispered. "A place between life and death. You can reach her but only if you pay the price."

Luca’s jaw hardened. "What price?"

Lorenzo looked up, his eyes flickering with something dark. "Yours."

Before anyone could react, a single gunshot rang out.

Lorenzo’s head jerked back—blood spraying the concrete.

Daisy screamed.

Luca turned sharply toward the shadows near the doorway.

A tall man stepped out, dressed in black, lowering his smoking pistol. His face half-hidden, voice calm and cold.

"Donato Morano sends his regards," the man said.

Then he vanished into the fog.

Luca’s fists clenched, rage burning through the numbness.

Romeo moved to check Lorenzo’s pulse, but it was useless. He was gone.

Luca turned toward the sea, wind slashing through his hair. "Donato... what have you done?"

Thunder rolled across the sky like an omen.

Daisy wiped tears from her face. "Sir luca.... what now?"

He stared out into the horizon, his reflection rippling faintly in a puddle near his boots—

and for one terrifying second, that reflection smiled back when he didn’t.

********

Bianca found herself in the forest of Larissa, and it was no longer quiet.

A wind moved through the silver trees, whispering secrets in a tongue no living soul should understand.

Bianca stood in the heart of it—barefoot, her white dress torn and dirt-streaked, her hair clinging damply to her face. Her eyes darted around as faint laughter echoed between the trees. It wasn’t the kind of laughter that came from joy—it was brittle, cold, and mocking.

"Who’s there?" she demanded, voice trembling as she turned in circles.

From somewhere deep within the mist, a voice answered.

Low. Familiar. Male.

"You betrayed me, Bianca."

Her breath hitched. "No... no, I didn’t... "

The laughter came again, closer now, vibrating through the air like the hum of bees. "You played with fire. You thought you could twist fate, deceive me.... But now, Bianca, it’s your turn."

Her knees weakened. "W-what do you want from me?"

"To finish what you started."

The shadows coiled around her feet like serpents. And when the mist parted, she saw a figure half-rotted, half-whole emerging from the silver fog. Its eyes glowed a furious crimson.

Bianca’s scream tore through the night......

Indeed people she betrayed had began to hunt and catch up with her.....