Chapter 1 The Funeral

Evelyn's POV

For years, my husband, Federico, had been the one person I believed in.

Until he pushed me away for good with his cold words and divorce papers.

In that moment, my world fell apart.

Only two months had passed since it all began.

Federico had sent my father to prison for murder and racketeering and taken his place as the new Don of the Gambrelli family.

My mother couldn't take the blow. She died of a heart attack.

Now I was at the cemetery for her funeral.

Everyone was comforting me, but somehow I didn't feel that sad.

Growing up, I'd never been close to my parents. They were distant, even cold.

I'd never told anyone any of this. I'd always looked for comfort somewhere else, and I'd thought I'd found it in Federico. Now I knew how wrong I'd been.

The sun was about to set, and Federico still hadn't shown up.

By tradition, the new Don had to lay the former Donna to rest himself. It showed the whole city that he respected the Gambrelli name.

If he didn't come, it would be a public slap in the face to the Gambrelli family.

In the cemetery, a few of my father's longtime men were murmuring among themselves.

"It's already been two hours. How much longer do we have to wait?"

"I don't think Federico's coming. After all, he's the one who put Carl Gambrelli in ADX Florence."

"I know where Federico is... I just saw a post on my phone. He's at an awards ceremony with that actress, Bianca Hill."

As I listened to them, my heart lurched.

I pulled out my phone right away and looked him up.

Sure enough...

There he was, with Bianca.

Federico was almost impossibly handsome. He drew every eye in the room, with his broad shoulders, commanding presence, and dark brown hair always perfectly in place.

They looked perfect together.

The ache in my chest grew worse.

I didn't know why I was still waiting for him to show up.

But we were more than husband and wife on paper. We'd shared five years of love, and I couldn't stop hoping.

Ever since my father was arrested, Federico hadn't come home once. I'd tried to talk to him, but he never gave me the chance.

I still couldn't understand how we'd gotten here, and now I had no choice but to face it all alone.

"Lower her in." My voice shook, no matter how hard I tried to control it.

After the casket was lowered into the ground, the guests stepped forward one by one to lay flowers.

My mother, Rose Gambrelli, had once been the Donna everyone in this city respected. Five hundred people had lined up to kiss her hand. Today, fewer than 20 came to see her off.

The air felt too heavy to breathe. I walked out of the chapel, and I finally broke down and sobbed.

Not because my mother was dead, and not because my father was in prison, but because I knew without a doubt that Federico had betrayed me completely.

On a day this important, he'd chosen to be with another woman and left me to face everyone's gossip and ridicule...

That night, Federico still didn't come home. I couldn't take it anymore, so I went straight to his office.

A bodyguard stopped me at the door. "The Don is in the middle of something important. You can't go in right now."

I couldn't get into the office, but I could hear a woman giggling inside.

I snapped. I shoved the door open, and what I saw froze me where I stood.

Bianca was sitting on Federico's lap. The two of them looked far too cozy.

In that moment, it felt as if someone had stabbed me in the heart.

Only when she saw me did Bianca get up. She blushed as she explained, "Sorry, I just slipped, and Federico caught me."

"You slipped onto his lap?" I frowned. I couldn't believe she'd told such an obvious lie.

"Bianca, out," Federico said, his voice ice cold.

His suit was immaculate, his posture relaxed. He barely lifted his chin, and his sharp eyes settled on me without a trace of warmth.

He showed no sign of wanting to explain.

"What are you doing here?"

That tone cut straight through me.

"I'll go. You two talk." Bianca shot me a contemptuous glance, then smiled at Federico. "See you tomorrow. Don't forget your mom invited us both to dinner."

When I heard that, my stomach twisted.

All these years, Federico's mother had never liked me. She was always polite, but never treated me like family.

Now, I thought I finally knew why...

By the time Bianca left, my voice was completely hoarse. "Fede, I think we need to talk."

"We do." Federico took a document out of his drawer. He avoided my eyes as he held it out to me.

"Let's get a divorce."

Before I came to see Federico, I'd imagined countless possibilities. This was the worst of them.

Divorce papers.

He was giving up five years of us. He was throwing me away.

"Is it because of Bianca?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"This has nothing to do with her," he answered without a second thought, as if that would make it hurt any less. "She and I are just friends."

"Then why..."

"Because our marriage was never real. I was just using you so I'd get the chance to destroy your father once and for all."

His words hit me like a slap. My mind went blank, and tears slid down my cheeks. "We've been together five years..."

Federico cut me off. "I was with you for one reason. Revenge."

His jaw was tight as he spoke, and hatred burned in his eyes.

"Twenty years ago, Carl killed my father. I want every last Gambrelli to pay for it."

"That's impossible... didn't your father die in an accident?" I stared at him, stunned.

"That was a lie." Federico's gaze was hard. "My real name is Federico Lucarelli."

"Lucarelli... your last name is Lucarelli?" My eyes widened.

Of course I knew what that meant.

Twenty years ago, this city had seen a gang war that made national news. The Gambrelli family, newcomers fighting for a foothold, wiped out the biggest local organization, the Lucarelli family.

From then on, the Gambrelli family had ruled the city, and no one dared question it.

My world collapsed completely. I finally understood why Federico had done all of this.

He'd come for revenge. For his dead father's sake, he would never spare a single Gambrelli. Even the promise of forever he'd made me at the altar had been nothing but part of the plan.

There was something savage in Federico's blue eyes.

"But none of that was my fault!" I tried to defend myself. "I had nothing to do with it. My father was always cru—"

"That doesn't matter." His jaw tightened. "You're still his daughter, and you benefited from his crimes. From the very beginning, Evelyn, I was never going to love you."

I froze.

I didn't know how long I stood there, too stunned to move, before I finally found my voice.

"So all these years, you never... never loved me? You were just using me?"

Federico looked at me with pure hatred. "Never. It was all a lie."

Five years ago, he'd sworn at the altar to love me forever. His vows had sounded so real.

Who could have guessed every word he'd said was a lie?