Chapter 3

I just switched it off.

At dawn, my bedroom door burst open.

Vito stood in the doorway, clutching the divorce agreement.

The wound in his side had reopened, and a dark red stain was spreading across his shirt.

He ripped up the agreement right in front of me and flung the pieces into the air.

The scraps of paper fluttered onto the edge of the bed.

"Serafina, take back what you said last night."

His eyes were bloodshot as he bent down and gripped my shoulders.

"You know that if the world were ending, the only place I'd want to be is beside you.

"Vera tricked me into signing. You must have guessed that."

His hands suddenly tightened. "So why did you sign?"

"Because I wanted to."

His breath caught.

Then his mouth came down on mine like a storm.

Rough and urgent, like a summer downpour.

I bit down hard and split his lip.

The taste of blood spread between our mouths, but he still wouldn't let go.

I turned my head aside and laughed softly.

"So because the world isn't ending today, you have time to sleep with someone else?"

He finally stopped.

"Or do you think five years with you have made me so obedient that I'd just wait at home for you even after you betrayed me?"

Vito looked at me and slowly loosened his grip.

He crouched down, put the black-gold wedding ring back in my palm, and bent to kiss my fingertips.

"Tell me. What will it take for you to forgive me?"

"Once Vera's baby is born, give it to me."

"Done."

"And you cut that bitch off completely. You never see her again."

This time, he was silent.

With a cold laugh, I tossed the black-gold ring back at him.

He immediately grabbed my hand. "I agree."

I didn't say anything. I just laughed quietly.

At that moment, a shrill scream came from my other phone.

"Vito Marcello! You betrayed me!"

Vito froze where he stood.

I waved the phone at him. The screen showed a call in progress with Vera.

I'd placed the call while Vito was forcing that kiss on me.

On the other end, Vera was sobbing and shrieking. "Vito, get to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in half an hour, or you can come collect my body!"

The call ended.

Vito stared at the screen, the veins at his temples bulging.

I smiled at him. "Half an hour. Tick-tock, tick-tock."

He gritted his teeth, then flung my hand aside and ran out.

I washed up, then took my time driving over, tracking Vito's location.

When I arrived, they were putting on a cheap soap opera right there on the bridge.

They cried, cursed, hugged, and kissed. It turned my stomach.

When he saw me, Vito stepped in front of Vera by reflex and watched me warily.

"Serafina, she's pregnant. Stop upsetting her."

But Vera slipped out from beside him, her tear-streaked face full of triumph.

"See that? One phone call, and he comes running. And I knew you'd come too."

She walked up to me and suddenly grabbed my wrist.

Click.

The crazy woman had actually handcuffed our wrists together.

Then she pulled open her coat to show a time bomb strapped around her waist.

"This time, who do you think he'll save first?"

Vera laughed wildly as she activated the bomb and threw the handcuff key far away.

Red numbers began counting down.

The color drained from Vito's face. "Vera, you're out of your mind!"

Vera looked at him defiantly. "Go find the key, or defuse the bomb for me. Your choice."

I tugged at the handcuffs and looked at Vito, my face blank.

His gaze went to where she'd thrown the key, and he hesitated for a few seconds. Then he lunged for Vera instead.

"Serafina, she's pregnant. I'll defuse the bomb first. Trust me! There's time!"

After that, he didn't look at me again. All his attention went to the bomb.

Vera ran her fingers through his dark hair and flashed me a triumphant smile.

"See? In the end, he still chose me."

I scoffed and said nothing.

The ten-minute countdown hit zero. Nothing happened.

Just as I'd expected, the bomb wasn't real.

Of course a fake would bring a fake bomb.

Vito let out a long breath, shot Vera a furious glare, and got up to go find the key.

Three minutes later, he came back with the key and unlocked the handcuffs.

"So," Vera said, rubbing her wrist, "in the end, I'm still the winner."

I glanced at the lake water beyond the railing, smiled, and grabbed Vera's wrist.

"Don't be so sure."

Then I pulled her with me over the railing.