FAZER LOGINMy mother abandoned me.Something inside me snaps, so much that I am on my feet before the thought finishes forming. My palm hits the table hard, making the glasses jump and tip, water spilling across the table."I will not let you dirty my dead motherâs name." The words tear out of me, raw and shaking with fury. Francesca does not flinch. She only arches one brow, as if my rage confirms every judgment she has already made."Sit down," she says coldly."No, Francesca." My voice rises despite the warning look Marco gives me. "You may insult me. You may question my place in this house. But you will not speak of my mother as if she were disposable dirt beneath your feet.""Bianca." Marcoâs tone carries restraint but also steel. "Thatâs enough.""Is it?" I turn toward him, breath uneven. "She just spat on the memory of a woman who is not here to defend herself."Francesca sets her utensils down with deliberate calm."A donna does not create a scene at her own table," she says. "If you can
Bianca:~~~An hour later, a soft knock sounds against my bedroom door. I hurry over and open it at once. The maid stands in the hallway with her eyes darting down the corridor, looking like an assassin on a mission, a small paper bag held close to her body."Madam," she whispers.I step aside just enough for her to pass the bag into my hand, then dismiss her with a nod. I wish I could give her something for her silence, but I have nothing to offer.She leaves at once.I close the door, lock it, and only then let myself look down at what I am holding, as my fingers tighten around the paper.I cross to the dresser, empty the bag, and stare at the sealed box for a long second before opening it. Inside is the tablet. Small. White. Ordinary enough to look harmless.It is not harmless. It's going to kill my baby⊠no. No! What the hell am I even thinking? I might not even get pregnant if I don't take the pill.I sit on the edge of the bed with it resting in my palm. Two days ago Luca was in
"Luca..." My voice comes out smaller than I want. "Are you there?"I hear him then. A heavy breath, followed by a rough exhale, dragged out like it costs him something.Then the line goes dead. Luca has hung up on me. That bastard. I thought he would say something. Anything. Some proof that I was more than a substitute, more than a body he used and set aside. But that was only my wishful thinking.I lower the phone slowly and stare at the dark screen. The silence in the room feels suddenly louder than his voice ever was. For a moment I only stand there, the echo of the call still pressed against my ear, my pulse refusing to settle.Which also reminds me.I still have not gotten the emergency pill.The thought cuts through the leftover heat of the conversation with brutal clarity. Two days. The window is still open, but it will not stay open forever. I cannot walk out of this estate and into a pharmacy like an ordinary woman. I am watched. Guarded. A high-profile target wearing a weddi
I do not answer Luca.The phone stays pressed to my ear, my lips sealed, my free hand still clenched at my side as his question hangs in the quiet between us, rough and accusing, and for several long seconds I give him nothing back.On the other end, his breathing changes."Bianca."I still say nothing. "I asked you a question."My throat tightens. The residual heat of Julianâs call is still under my skin, tangled with the image of my father in that chair and the unbearable thought of Luca with Gemma. Suddenly, speaking feels dangerous, and silence feels safer.He pushes again."Donât play mute with me. Who made you cry?"I shut my eyes. When I finally speak, my voice comes out colder than I expect."Shouldnât Mr Falcone be busy entertaining his fiancĂ©e?"The line goes quiet in a different way. Then I hear it. A low sound that is almost a smile. Almost amusement. It slides through the speaker and lands wrong in my chest."Thatâs none of your concern," he says.The tiny warmth is gone
Julian does not let the camera stay on my father for long."I want him to see me, please."The moment my fatherâs tears break fully, the frame switches, and Julian's face returns with casual cruelty."Thatâs enough," he says. "He doesnât get to see you. Not like this. You want him looking at your face, then you come back and stand in front of him yourself.""Julian, pleaseâ""I said no." His words are final.I exhale heavily and stop begging. The helplessness that follows is worse than panic. It settles low and heavy, forcing my thoughts into narrower lines."Has he received medical care?" I ask. My voice is thinner now but steadier. "Is he eating? Are his wounds being treated?"Julian only watches me, but he does not answer."Come and confirm it yourself," he says at last. "That is the only proof Iâm offering."For a second I hate how completely he has closed every other door. Then the only path left hardens in my mind."Iâll try to leave," I tell him. "When Iâm out, Iâll call you."
A broken sound catches in my throat."I want to see his face," I demand, my voice raw. "Wake him. I want to hear him."Julianâs face appears on the screen as he switches the camera toward himself. He looks almost amused by the urgency in me. Up close, he has changed. Sharper somehow. Leaner. The boyish ease I once knew is gone, replaced by something harder and more deliberate. I never got a proper look at him at the cathedral. Now I wish I still had not."Patience," he says. "First, you look at me.""Julian, please let meâ""I said look at me, Bianca."There is something unsettlingly soft in his expression, as if this is a reunion instead of a hostage exchange. I nod and force myself to meet his eyes."I miss you," he says quietly. "More than I expected. More than I should have." I do not speak. I only watch him. He grins, then begins undoing the top buttons of his shirt without looking away from the camera. One. Then another. I frown, but still say nothing."Look."He parts the fabri







