Chapter 2

I stared at Bianca, completely lost in thought. She appeared to be about four years old. She wore a pink jacket, her dark curls falling softly around her face, and tiny shiny leather shoes adorned her feet. I thought that if my child were still alive, they would have been the same age by now.

I knew Sofia was talking because her lips were moving, but I couldn't hear a single thing she was saying. I kept my focus entirely on Bianca, who was being held in her arms.

I couldn't help but wonder if my child would have giggled that way, or if they would have reached out to take my hand when crossing the street, or if they would have called me "Mamma".

I felt a dull ache throbbing in my chest, so I finally forced myself to look away. I sounded calm, even somewhat detached, as I asked, "Did you track me down here expecting me to change my mind? It's not going to happen. I'm not taking the Romano Famiglia case."

Sofia set Bianca down and hurried toward me, gripping my wrist tightly before I could even step back. "I'm begging you, Elena."

She wept as she said tremblingly, "I know I was in the wrong before; I shouldn't have fought you for Dante. If you're angry, take it out on me—hate me or do whatever you want with me.

"What would happen to my daughter, who is only four years old, if anything happens to the Romano Famiglia? Do you really have the heart to let her spend her life hiding from investigations and enemies?"

It had been exactly four years since Dante and I broke up. I stared at Sofia, thinking that time had been remarkably generous to her appearance. She looked almost exactly as she had before, but the innocence that had once lived in her eyes had long since disappeared, replaced by greed, ambition, and calculation.

She was nothing more than a terrified, anxious girl hiding in a corner of the orphanage when I first met her. She was quiet and timid back then.

I was the one who brought her into my life, gave her the finest education, and even sent her abroad to study in Eldoria.

I actually believed for a time that she was caught in the middle, torn between us, even when Dante was getting engaged to her. That was until I caught them intertwining in my bed, until my Famiglia's business' confidential files completely vanished, and until Papa's company came crashing down.

Sofia fell to her knees before me on the very day everything collapsed into total ruin, sobbing violently. "I'm sorry, Elena, but I'm deeply in love with Dante. You're a capable person, so you can definitely thrive even without him, Elena. Dante is my sole reliance, though, so I'm begging you—please give him up to me."

I had always given Sofia whatever she wanted ever since growing up. It was no different this time, but what she gave me in return was something that would haunt me forever.

Sofia cut off Mamma's treatment expenses on the very day of her wedding with Dante, and due to the unpaid fees, Mamma's medication was discontinued. At the same time, the team of specialists pulled out of the intensive care unit. Mamma had already passed away by the time I received the phone call.

That massive blow caused me to miscarry a few days later, and before I even had the chance to hold my child, they had already died in infancy.

I left Kingsbay and went to Ravenport after being broken beyond repair. It was at that moment that I finally saw Sofia's true nature. She had never been weak or helpless. She was a venomous snake—one that waited patiently before sinking its fangs into the places that hurt the most.

I would have demanded answers and sought an explanation in the past, but now, I was too weary from it all. I simply withdrew my hand and turned toward the entrance of the apartment building.

"Elena Marino!" Dante bellowed as he grabbed the strap of my briefcase and yanked it back hard before I could even react, causing the briefcase to slip off my shoulder.

In that instant, case files spilled across the pavement, leaving hundreds of pages scattered about our feet. The file lying on top was open, its title clearly visible. "Federal Fraud Investigation: The Romano Famiglia."

Dante caught sight of it and smiled. He seemed genuinely delighted as his tense shoulders relaxed. "I knew it, Elena. You haven't changed at all. You actually started investigating this case a long time ago, even though you refused verbally."

I realized that Dante had mistakenly thought that these notes I stayed up all night to make were to find a way to clear his name. I couldn't be bothered to set him straight. I gathered the documents one by one and closed the case file. I then walked into the apartment building without sparing them another glance.

I didn't even bother to turn on the lights in the room as I slowly crouched down, pulled out my wallet, and looked at the photo of Mamma smiling warmly at me. There was also a cut-out scrap of a pregnancy report that read "four weeks pregnant" right next to it—the only proof that my child had ever existed.

Dante and Sofia had moved on to a new life long ago. They had built a family together, managing a life that belonged completely to them.

I was the only one trapped in the past from four years ago, unable to escape. "It's been four years, and I ran into them again today. Dante thought I was going to save him, but this time, I swear I'll personally send them to hell."