Chapter 5

Three days later, the bodies of the slain Rinaldi men were secretly returned home.

Our family held a small, private funeral for them.

When my parents arrived, their hair had gone gray. Their eyes were red as they took my hands.

"Sienna, you're the only hope this family has left."

My throat tightened, and I nearly burst into tears.

"Dad, I'm going to get revenge! The Ferraro family has already invited me to try on wedding dresses. The wedding is in seven days. I'm going to make the most of this. I'll show everyone the Rinaldi family isn't one to mess with."

After the funeral, the Ferraro family sent someone to take me shopping for a wedding dress, but Dante didn't come.

Instead, he sent me a four-piece set of sapphire jewelry that was clearly worth a fortune.

I accepted everything without asking any questions.

For the next five days, Luca and I never crossed paths.

Every now and then, the comments showed me glimpses of Luca and Ivy traveling as they prepared for the wedding, sickeningly sweet and blissfully happy.

I saw a few people defending me.

I'd thought seeing them together would break me.

But by then, any love I'd had left for him was gone. Too much of my family's blood was on his hands.

I was waiting for the right moment.

Two days before the wedding, I suddenly got a call from Luca.

He invited me to his and Ivy's wedding.

I smiled to myself.

"Sorry, Luca."

"I have something very important to take care of that day, so I won't be there to see you happy."

"I hope you and Ivy grow old together."

The line went silent for a long moment. Then Luca spoke, sounding mildly disapproving.

"You're still making decisions out of spite?"

"Sienna, you're not a kid anymore."

"Even if I'm marrying someone else, there's no reason to burn bridges with the Marchetti family. If this is about what happened, let me explain..."

I scoffed. "Think whatever you want."

Then I hung up on him.

I blocked his number too.

I packed a few essentials and walked out of the Rinaldi estate.

A black Maybach pulled up in front of me.

As I got in, I glanced back at the place where I'd lived for over 20 years. Suddenly, I caught sight of a familiar figure trying to force his way inside.

Fortunately, our bodyguards kept him out.

The guards dragged him away from the entrance while he kept arguing.

He seemed furious with himself and smashed his phone against the ground.

Just then, the driver spoke up. "Ms. Rinaldi, I'm the Ferraro family's butler. Mr. Ferraro has taken care of all the wedding arrangements. All you have to do is show up."

Still dazed, I nodded.

The car headed out of Boston.

I looked out the window.

From that moment on, I was saying goodbye to the woman I used to be.

"Luca, this is goodbye. Forever."