第7章

That afternoon, my words choked Cillian into absolute, stunning silence.

He stared at my indifferent face like all the life had been violently drained out of him. Eventually, carrying his suffocating rage and bitter resentment, he stumbled out of the estate.

For the next few days, he didn't come home.

I thoroughly enjoyed the unprecedented peace. Aside from double-checking my packed luggage for France, I just drank tea on the sunny balcony.

I was exactly three days away from my flight out of Chicago.

That morning, Cillian suddenly barged in and slammed a thick stack of tabloids down on the glass table in front of me.

"Was this you?!" he barked, his eyes red and thick veins popping on his forehead.

I frowned slightly, scanning the blaring headlines.

Donovan Don's Extramarital Affair! Former Flame Zelda the Homewrecker?

The cover photo was snapped from the lounge at my birthday party. Cillian had Zelda pinned against the heavy door, kissing her forcefully.

They hadn't gone all the way yet in the photo, but the wrecked clothes and aggressive posture loudly said enough.

The photos had gone incredibly viral, making Zelda the laughingstock of the city and severely damaging the Donovan family's pristine reputation.

I looked back up at him calmly. "I didn't do it."

"You expect me to believe that?!" his fury spiked higher. "Who else wants to destroy Zelda this badly? Do you have any idea she's passed out from crying over these pictures?!"

Watching him actively lose his mind trying to protect his mistress's reputation even now... it was truly hilarious.

"You think way too highly of yourself, Cillian."

"I don't have the free time to play paparazzi, and I certainly don't care enough to leak your disgusting sexcapades to the pressing media. You think this is revenge? It's just the inevitable consequence of you two acting like wild animals.

"Since you stormed in here ready to play executioner, why don't you just spit it out? How are you going to punish me?"

I stood up, looking him dead in the eye, actively mocking him. "Are you going to take another bullet for her, or are you just going to put your hands on me to clear the way for your precious first love to finally be the Don's wife?"

A flash of genuine, deep pain crossed his handsome face. He looked at me, his lips trembling slightly like he desperately wanted to say something. But ultimately, the ruthless Mafia boss took over.

He looked away, hardening his heart to stone. "This situation blew up. The elders are absolutely furious. Someone has to take the fall for this nasty scandal to appease the family."

"And?"

"And," he took a deep, ragged breath, his voice like pure ice, "you're going to the cells. Three days of strict confinement. When the heat dies down, I'll let you out."

Erasing his wife's victimhood entirely, making her the convenient scapegoat for his cheating scandal. This was the man I'd loved for a decade.

"Fine." I didn't fight back, knowing it was utterly useless. I just accepted the absurd punishment.

The underground cells of the sprawling estate were damp, cold, and pitch-black.

The heavy iron door slammed shut, swallowing me into total, suffocating darkness.

For 72 hours with absolutely no concept of time, I endured the biting cold, the dark, and the gnawing hunger.

I didn't scream or cry. I just sat quietly on the freezing concrete floor, tightly wrapping my arms around myself.

I just repeated it over and over in my head. Almost over. Soon, I'll be completely free.

The three torturous days finally passed.

When the heavy doors screeched open and blinding, brilliant sunlight poured in, it took me a long time to adjust my eyes.

A heavily armed guard looked down at me blankly. "Ma'am, the Don says you can come out. He said if you know you're wrong, you should call him."

I ignored him entirely and walked straight back up to my bedroom.

My phone buzzed loudly. A text.

My divorce was finalized.

Looking at the glowing screen, I smiled in pure, unadulterated relief. The smile grew wider until hot tears actually fell.

I grabbed my pre-packed suitcases, took my passport, and walked right out of the gilded cage that had held me for five long years without looking back once.

A few hours later, a massive jet bound for Paris accelerated down the long runway at O'Hare and took flight.

I sat comfortably in the window seat, watching the city built on lies and brutal betrayal shrink away into absolutely nothing.

The plane broke through the heavy, dark clouds, soaring high into the brilliant, welcoming sunlight.

Flying toward my brand new life.