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Chapter 4

Author: Michelle
"Take what? The freight lines? The docks?" Sofia came out from behind Marco, her voice sharp. "Marco built this empire. Conti's connections helped him. What did you build? Being Falcone's wife for ten years was already more than you deserved, and now you want to walk away with the businesses?"

She caught herself and bit her lip. She stepped back and tugged Marco's sleeve, her voice dropping. "I am sorry, Marco. I got upset for you. I should not have interrupted. This is between you two. Please do not be angry with me."

I ignored her and kept my eyes on Marco.

"Don, I already told you what I am taking. Keep the rest and start over with her. Clean break."

"Ginevra..." He stepped toward me, fast and careful.

I held up my hand to stop him.

"Let us make this clean. We were both using each other from the start, and now it is time to go our separate ways."

Before I left, I looked at the four of them.

"The worst thing that ever happened to me was being found by the Conti family."

If I had not been a Conti, I would have stayed in that small town with my foster mother, running the bakery. She would not have died alone in the night from a heart attack. There would have been at least one person in the world who actually cared about me.

I woke up in a hotel room with countless missed calls and unread messages.

"Ginevra, there is too much at stake between the Conti and Falcone families for you to walk away. Let us talk about this when you have calmed down."

"Ginevra, I will not agree to a divorce. You are the Donna of this family. Everything you do represents us. Do not let your emotions control you at a time like this."

"Ginevra, we are sorry for what happened in the past. But what you are doing right now is shaking the foundation of the whole family."

I laughed. They had already let me take the slap. There was no taking that back.

I scrolled further and saw messages from Sofia.

"Ginevra, why are you doing this? I just want everything to go back to the way it was. I left and you stayed, and I have always been grateful for that. But now that I am back, do you really think it is normal for you to keep staying by Marco's side?"

"He told me last night that every time he saw my photos over the years, he regretted not keeping me with him. He cried when he said it. You have never seen him cry, have you? He never cries in front of you."

"I do not want to hurt you. But Ginevra, what you have with him, all that shared hardship, that is not love. That is duty and guilt and gratitude. You cannot expect a man to spend his whole life paying a debt."

"Marco is too soft to say it, so I will say it for him. Letting go is better for everyone. You deserve to be loved for real, not kept around out of guilt."

A final message came half an hour later, as if she had hesitated.

"I am sorry. That might have been too direct. But I really hope you find happiness. Real happiness. You understand what I mean, don't you?"

I stared at the screen with my hands shaking. Every word was wrapped in sugar, and under every layer of sugar there was a blade.

I forced myself to stay calm. I sent the divorce agreement and the power of attorney to my lawyer. I booked the next flight out of the country. Then I took a screenshot of Sofia's messages and sent it to Marco.

"Don, I am taking what I built. Keep the rest. You wanted a clean break, you have one."

Then I blocked him and turned off my phone.

I was on the way to the airport when my best friend called.

"Ginevra, check your phone now."
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