Valentina De Luca
We sat waiting for the ambulance I had called after finding my husband lying motionless on the bathroom floor.
That was the story I gave the hotel reception over the phone. I would repeat it at the hospital and to anyone else who asked. We arrived at the hospital, where I was treated while he was officially pronounced dead. Unsure how I was supposed to react, I chose to play the part of a wife in shock, which was only natural on a honeymoon.
The soldiers activated what we called Black Code over the phone. It was the signal used to announce that the head of a clan—or the Capo—had fallen, without alerting enemies, traitors, or the press. It also meant that the death had come at the enemy's hands and that the time for retaliation had arrived. Mourning always came second.
