2

Around midnight, I woke with a start and called Vittorio's name without thinking.

"Vittorio, can you get me some water..."

No one answered.

It took me a moment to remember that I was alone.

I got up from the cold floor and poured myself a glass of water. Then I sat on the couch and stared at the old pendulum clock on the opposite wall, watching the second hand tick.

I stayed like that until the sky began to pale. Then the doorbell rang and snapped me out of it.

There was no one outside. Just an insulated bag.

A note was stuck to it.

It read, "I know you've skipped another meal. Whatever happens, take care of yourself."

Inside was a container of steaming pasta. The smell hit me right away.

It was from my favorite place.

I glanced at it, then threw the whole thing, bag and all, into the trash.

I went into the kitchen and quietly made myself an espresso.

Whenever I came home after a late night of work, Lillian would be waiting up for me in the living room, yawning.

She'd nag me about my habits while she cooked me something.

I took a sip of the coffee and frowned.

I'd let the espresso shot run too long. It was so bitter it turned my stomach.

The next day, I pulled myself together, put on a sharp suit, and went back to the Cordano family offices.

The elevator doors opened, and there was Vittorio.

He was smiling at Lillian and kissing her cheek like he adored her.

Their smiles froze the second they saw me.

I walked right past them without a glance. Behind me, a few family members were whispering, wondering if Lillian was the secret girlfriend everyone said Vittorio had.

Vittorio called after me.

"Santina, you just got back. There's no rush to get to work. Take some time off first."

I answered without turning around.

"No need, Mr. Cordano. Business is business."

Vittorio was old Don Cordano's only son, the heir from the day he was born.

And I was the only woman in 20 years who'd ever fought him to a draw at the Cordano training camp.

That summer, on the training grounds, Vittorio smiled and held out his hand to me.

"Santina, right? You're the fiercest girl I've ever met. Next time we fight, I'm still going all out."

We spent years trying to outdo each other. Then we teamed up to wipe out the people who opposed him and secure his place as heir.

To protect me, we always acted like rivals in front of the council of elders.

Nobody knew how many nights the two people who went at each other across the conference table had spent tangled up together.

Except Lillian.

After I brought Lillian back, I let her move into our home without a second thought.

I even asked Vittorio for a favor for the first time ever and got her a job as his assistant.

I never imagined the two people I trusted most would betray me together.

In the afternoon meeting, I could feel Vittorio watching me, but I didn't look at him once.

Afterward, I ran into Lillian outside the break room.

She was standing at the corner of the hall, clutching a paper cup.

"Santina..."

Her voice was soft and shook a little at the end.

I walked past her with a blank face.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hang her head, looking wounded, while Vittorio gently comforted her.

I picked up my pace and went into my office.

By the time I finished work, it was late at night.

I opened my drawer to put away the files I'd sorted and found a box of chocolates sitting inside.

My father was so strict when I was little that I hardly ever got snacks.

The only sweetness I remember from back then is the chocolate Lillian used to sneak me.

Later, when I developed chronic stomach trouble, she made sure I ate three meals a day and always kept chocolate in her bag in case I needed a boost.

Before she moved to New York to get married, she'd made Vittorio solemnly promise to look after me and handed him the bag where she kept the chocolate.

Back then, Vittorio had looked at me like he'd protect me no matter what.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

And now...

I gave a short, bitter laugh and tossed the chocolates into the trash.

Trash belongs in the trash.