Chapter 3

Nadia looked up at Timoteo with teary eyes. "Timoteo, my chest hurts so much. I'm so useless."

She was reminding him that this chronic pain was the price she paid for saving his life all those years ago.

Sure enough, the next second, Timoteo carefully picked her up with a frown.

He didn't spare me another glance. Instead, he muttered, "Utterly incorrigible."

With that, he disappeared down the hallway with Nadia in his arms.

…

I was thrown into the basement of the Panno estate.

The lashes of a whip came down tirelessly. The pain was so intense I could barely make a sound.

The man assigned to interrogate me glared with malice. "How dare you target Ms. Bellucci? Don Panno asked me to teach you a lesson!"

My skin tore open. Blood poured out, staining the floor.

Before I passed out, memories flooded back.

It was when the Underboss betrayed the family, and Timoteo almost died in that shootout.

I fought to protect him, carving a bloody path out.

When it was all over, Timoteo didn't go to the hospital. He dragged me straight into the church.

Under the gaze of the Virgin Mary, we stood side by side, swearing an oath to always be each other's most trusted person.

He said he'd always have me by his side, trust me completely, and wanted me as his Underboss because he felt safe with me having his back.

But when Nadia came into the picture, all of that meant nothing.

In her presence, I was just an object that could be doubted at any moment.

An hour later, I was woken up by cold water being splashed in my face.

The iron door creaked open, and Luca Morganti, the Consigliere, walked in.

Luca looked at me with a complicated expression before speaking in a strictly professional tone. "Per Don Panno, you will attend the trial tomorrow."

I struggled to turn my eyes toward him.

He avoided my gaze and continued, "If you plead guilty to all the charges, Don Panno won't pursue the matter of you hiring people to kill Ms. Bellucci."

A harsh, rasping sound came from my throat, but I couldn't speak. I could only spit out blood.

Maybe because we'd once worked together, Luca softened his tone. "Just plead guilty. Don Panno is really angry right now. Ms. Bellucci was scared, and he felt sorry for her."

I couldn't respond.

The footsteps grew faint as he left.

I lay on the cold floor, staring at the ceiling.

Three years ago, during a deal with a Sirithi arms dealer, he suddenly reneged. Without warning, he pulled a gun and aimed straight for Timoteo's heart.

I didn't hesitate to take the bullet for him.

In the pool of blood, he shed tears for me for the first time. "Fina, hang in there. Please don't leave me. Live for me."

I had done so much more than Nadia ever did when it came to saving Timoteo's life. But why did he only remember her saving him and forget about me?

I touched the badge on my chest and said firmly, "You win. I'll see you at court tomorrow."

The next day, I was carried into the courtroom.

"Serafina Liberi, do you plead guilty?"

I closed my eyes and rasped, "Yes, I plead guilty."

The judge seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. As he brought the gavel down, the courtroom's bulletproof glass shattered.

Bullets rained down, and chaos erupted as the crowd screamed.

I looked up and saw Timoteo firmly holding Nadia behind him.

He pulled out his gun and started returning fire. With each move he made, he shielded Nadia from the danger with his body.

Through it all, not once did he look at me.

The attackers had one goal—to take Timoteo's life.

"Timoteo Panno! Today is your day to die!"

The leader of the attackers gave a wicked grin and signaled his men to focus their fire.

Timoteo fought while retreating, trying to move toward the nearest exit.

Terrified, Nadia clung to his arm. She didn't even dare to look up.

I should have remained a cold observer.

Timoteo had pushed me out to take all the blame, including the bloodshed that should have been his. For Nadia, he didn't hesitate to make me carry everything.

Just as I was about to make my escape amid the chaos, my peripheral vision caught sight of the necklace around Timoteo's neck.

It was the only clue I had left about my family and the very token of love I had given him.

I couldn't just let it be destroyed. I would take back what was mine!