I opened my contacts with unsteady hands and pressed the first name on the screen—"Don Corleone."

Papa—Vito Corleone—picked up the phone almost immediately. He spoke in a gentle voice, marked by his distinct Sicerian accent and a trace of laughter. "Hey, Vittoria."

I pursed my lips before I gathered my courage and asked, "Do you think you can come to my school now, Papa? I—"

Papa sounded ecstatic on the other end. "You want me to go to your school right now? You must have won some commendation again! You're finally inviting me to your school to see you get an award! I'll be right there in half an hour, Vittoria!"

"It's not that, Papa…" I felt a sharp ache in my chest after hearing his reaction. I wanted to tell him that he had it all wrong, but at that exact moment, the distinct sound of a gunshot came through the phone. I then heard a shriek of pain, followed by several heavy thuds.

I froze, my grip tightening on the phone. I then barely caught a low-voiced command. "Get rid of the mess."

I could feel my heart hammering against my chest, terrified that he was in the middle of something life-threatening. I choked back what I was about to say. "It's fine, Papa. You should finish up what you're doing. I'll just collect the honors on my own. I'm in a rush, so I'll talk to you later, Papa."

"How could you hang up before they agreed to show up, Vittoria?" Ms. Pagani shrieked as she overheard me from the side, lunging to grab the phone out of my hand.

I reflexively dodged her attempt to grab it and swiftly hung up the phone.

It was then that I felt the stinging impact of another hand striking my face.

Ms. Pagani's face contorted with rage. "You committed a major offense, and you still have the nerve to keep it from your parents!"

Ettore punched the wall and pointed at me, yelling, "You ought to know that my father is considered a bigshot in this city! He's got connections in the city hall! If you lay a hand on Viola, he can wipe your family off the map in no time, Vittoria!"

Viola hobbled out of the infirmary, propping herself up against the door as she sneered at me. "You're such a coward that you don't even dare to call your parents! Your family must be absolutely dirt-poor! How a nobody like you had the guts to lay a hand on me is beyond me! How pathetic of you, Vittoria!"

I lowered my head, my voice barely a whisper as I said, "I'm sorry, Viola. I shouldn't have pushed you, but my parents truly can't make it. I'll give you a public apology in front of everyone, and I'll let you get even with me however you like, so please don't get the police involved in this matter."

Viola let out a contemptuous smirk, while Ettore lunged for my phone again, yelling, "Do you think you actually have a say in this?"

I held onto the phone for dear life as he lunged at me to snatch it again, scrambling backward. I ended up falling onto my knees, looking completely disheveled.

I slammed into the cold tile with a heavy thud, the sharp pain sending tears streaming down my face.

I remained on the floor, groveling and pleading for mercy. "I'm begging you, Viola. I'll do whatever you want—I'll apologize, I'll pay for everything, and I'll even allow you to hit me back. I'll do anything, so please don't get my parents involved."

I felt numb to the pain as I beat my head against the floorboards. I didn't stop until my forehead was a bloody mess, which was finally enough to make Viola smirk with satisfaction.

Viola reached out to stop Ettore. She then raised her voice, saying, "I suppose I can forgive you if that's the case, but I want more than an apology. I want you on your knees, crawling to me and barking like a dog—right in the middle of the graduation ceremony!"

"I'll do it," I replied, agreeing to her terms while digging my fingernails into my hands. I felt utterly degraded, but I didn't care as long as my fathers stayed safe. I was willing to do whatever she asked.

Viola, however, went back on her word before graduation ever came. She texted me to meet at our usual spot after classes were over.

I followed her instructions, and looking back now, it was the one thing I regretted more than anything else.

Viola wasn't alone in the alleyway—she had brought five or six of her lackeys with her, who fanned out in a semi-circle to back me against the wall. She looked like she had been crying, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. She then rasped, "Do you really think you're that attractive, Vittoria?"

I didn't have time to respond before she shoved a phone into my face. It was still on, displaying a message from Ettore. "I've had enough, Viola. I'm leaving forever, so please don't bother looking for me."

I saw the photo attached to the message, which showed a safety rail overlooking a cliff. There were a pair of sneakers, a school jacket folded with care, and a phone resting on top of it. There was the sea stretching out in a hazy gray at the bottom of the cliff, with white foam churning where the surf hit the boulders.

I stared at the photo, a sudden chill running down my spine. "Is this—"

"You can drop the innocent act now!" Viola barked, striking me so hard her nails left three bloody welts on my face. "Ettore is dead! He would never have jumped if you hadn't been stalking him and wouldn't leave him alone!"

I was absolutely dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe that Ettore was dead.

I couldn't believe that Ettore, the one who had slapped me outside the infirmary just yesterday and threatened to have his father kick my family out of Mirthaven, was dead. I instinctively backed away, my back hitting the cold, rough brick wall. "I had nothing to do with this. I never even made a move on him…"

"Who else would it be if not you?" Viola shrieked. She seized me by the hair and shoved me hard into the brickwork, causing my vision to swim. "You ought to know that the police had gone through his phone—and you were the last person to message him!"

She shoved the phone right in front of my eyes, forcing me to look at the screen.

I noticed the message right away, which was sent from my phone three days ago at 2:00 am. "I'm really into you, Ettore, so much so that I think about you every day. I'd like to meet up with you in the woods behind the school tomorrow; I have something I need to tell you."

I never sent that message. I shook my head desperately. "I didn't send this. I swear I didn't send this, Viola. I mean, three days ago, I was—"

Viola didn't give me any room to explain myself, as her lackeys swarmed around me, pinning me to the ground.

I heard Viola above me, her voice dripping with malice, just before the ice-cold water fell. "You enjoy throwing yourself at guys, don't you? I'm going to make sure you understand the consequences today, Vittoria!"

I was dragged into an old, deserted gym locker room. Viola was holding a baseball bat she had found somewhere.

She then used the tip to force my chin up and hissed, "Go on—spit it out. What were you planning to do with him in the woods? Did you plan on making a move on him? You slut! You should have been taught a lesson long ago!"

I remained on my knees, shivering and drenched, my voice trembling with every word. "I never asked him to meet me. I swear I didn't—"

I was instantly struck on the back with the baseball bat, producing a sickening thud. I sprawled onto the floor, the impact driving every bit of air from my lungs. I gasped with an open mouth, but I couldn't draw a single breath.

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't—"

I got hit in quick succession. I curled into a fetal position, desperate to disappear. I tried to shield myself, but it was useless; the blows never stopped landing on new parts of my body.

I didn't even have the energy left to scream after receiving dozens of hits to my stomach. I finally gave in and whispered, "I'm the one who did it. I seduced him."

It was only then that they stopped hitting me.

Viola crouched down, her fingers digging into my chin as she forced me to look at her. "If you had just said that to begin with, we could have skipped all this, Vittoria."

She then asked one of her lackeys to bring her a utility knife. "Your admission alone isn't enough, though. You need a permanent reminder of what you've done."

She held my left arm still, rolled my sleeve up, and began slicing into the skin of my forearm repeatedly.

I felt the initial chill of the metal, then a sharp, fiery sting, while blood began to ooze from the cuts, running down my arm and dripping onto the ground.

Viola etched three letters into my skin—M, U, and R. She then stood up, tossed the bloodied utility knife away, and dusted off her hands. "You're a murderer, Vittoria. You'll never be rid of your crimes even when you die and end up in hell!"

I was left alone on the cold concrete of the locker room after they walked away.

I stayed where I was, staring at the flickering fluorescent light on the ceiling as it buzzed. I was aching all over, and the cut on my left forearm kept bleeding until my sleeve turned dark crimson.

I was drifting in and out of consciousness when I caught the sound of people talking nearby. I recognized that it was Viola talking with Ettore. I was momentarily stunned, as Ettore was supposed to be dead.