The Mafia Lord's Secret Lover-Chapter 357: I Just Want to Avenge Our Loss

Evelyn’s jaw clenched tightly. To make her feel ached, but she didn’t care.

Axel noticed, his hand covering hers, grounding her before the storm consumed her entirely.

"My love," he murmured, voice calm but low, "look at me, please..."

She did. Her eyes burned, bright and dangerous.

"Axel," she said, gripping his hand so hard he felt her nails press into his skin, "I don’t care who she is. I don’t care who her family is. I don’t care who is backing her in this country." Her voice shook, but not with fear. With fury. "I just want to avenge our loss."

Axel watched her thoughtfully. Not cautious nor alarmed. Also, not repulsed. The only themes in his mind were listening and understanding her.

"I don’t want to hear of that woman existing in this world anymore. Please, do something!" she finished, each word precise and deadly.

A faint, almost amused breath left Axel’s lips. Not laughter. Something darker. Something that said he had already walked this path in his mind long before she spoke.

"My wife," Axel murmured, squeezing her hand gently, "she is no longer on this earth... She is already in hell now."

Evelyn was utterly shocked.

"Y–You already..." Her words failed her, caught somewhere between disbelief and shock.

Axel’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t look proud. He didn’t look cruel. He simply looked calm, as if stating a fact as ordinary as the weather forecast.

Axel nodded once. "Yes."

Evelyn swallowed hard. For a heartbeat, the room was utterly silent.

"You mean..." she asked slowly, "you already avenged our loss? You kill her?" She needed to hear it again, to make sure her ears weren’t betraying her.

Then Evelyn’s vision blurred. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled freely down her cheeks. But these were not tears of fear. Not sorrow. They were warm, relieving, and almost weightless. As if a stone that had been crushing her chest for days had finally cracked apart.

"Yes," Axel said again, his voice softer now. "When I found out she was the mastermind behind your accident, I asked someone to take her life." He exhaled slowly. "This is the first time I’ve said it aloud. I didn’t know how you would see me after hearing it."

Evelyn let out a shaky laugh through her tears.

"See you?" Evelyn whispered. "Axel, I just found out my husband is a terrifying, overprotective, emotionally stable psychopath." She smiled, "Don’t be surprised by my choice of words, hubby. I’m touched... I didn’t mind..."

His lips curved. "Only for you, I will do anything."

"That’s not comforting," she muttered, though her smile betrayed her.

Axel lifted his hand to wipe her tears gently, as if she were something fragile and precious. "Are you afraid of me now?" he asked quietly.

Evelyn leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "If I were afraid, I wouldn’t be crying happy tears in your arms."

Something in Axel’s gaze softened further, as though a final chain inside him had loosened.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her carefully against his chest, mindful of her injuries.

Evelyn sighed, melting into his warmth. For the first time since the accident, her heart felt light. No unanswered questions. No haunting what-ifs. Only certainty.

They remained like that for a few minutes, silent, breathing together.

Until Evelyn’s body finally surrendered to exhaustion. Her eyelashes were so heavy, her head resting against his shoulder.

Axel noticed immediately.

"My wife," he whispered, brushing a kiss against her hair, "I will carry you to bed."

"Hm," Evelyn hummed sleepily, not resisting at all. At this point, she had no energy to argue.

And honestly, being carried by her husband felt like a well-earned privilege.

Axel lifted her with ease, holding her as though she weighed nothing, and walked toward their bed.

...

In the guest room, Stella lay on her bed staring at her phone.

No missed calls.

No new messages.

Not even a single useless notification.

She checked again. As if the screen might magically change out of pity.

But, nothing!

Something dull and annoying ached in her chest.

She tossed the phone onto the mattress and covered her face with a pillow.

"Geez, Stella," she muttered into the fabric, her voice muffled, "stop thinking about him. He probably already forgot you exist."

But the more she tried to shove the thought away, the clearer Dylan’s face appeared in her mind. Calm eyes. Quiet voice. That irritatingly handsome jawline. The kind that should be illegal.

She groaned and sat up.

No. She needed a distraction. Immediately. Or she really would lie awake all night over a man who hadn’t even confessed anything.

"Maybe a horror movie will help," she muttered, sliding off the bed. "If I’m traumatized enough, I won’t have room for romantic delusions."

With that brilliant plan, she left the guest room and headed toward the family living room. Usually, she watched cartoons there with Oliver, but the little boy was already asleep upstairs. The house was quiet, warm, and peaceful.

"Yes, a horror movie might help me now!" She smiled, stepped into the living room, and froze.

Someone sat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, a tablet in his hands, suit jacket still on as if he had walked straight out from the office.

’Dylan!?’

Stella blinked. Unable to believe what she saw.

’What the heck is he doing here?’ she thought, glancing at the clock on the wall. Nearly eleven.

’Did Axel summon him in the middle of the night? What kind of corporate cult is my brother-in-law running?’

For a moment, she simply stood there, unsure whether to flee, greet him, or pretend she had just wandered in by accident like a confused ghost.

Before she could decide, Dylan looked up.

"Stella?" His voice carried a mild surprise. "You are here?"

She straightened instantly, gathering every shred of dignity she possessed. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"That’s my line, Dylan," she said, shaking her head lightly. "What are you doing here? It’s almost midnight. I assumed my brother-in-law had already finished summoning his loyal knights. He is sleeping..."

Dylan’s lips curved. Just slightly. But enough.