Chapter 2

My father frowned and pulled out his phone to call Veronica. Ring. Ring. Ring. Three calls in a row, straight to voicemail. That was all it took to light his fuse.

He turned on me like a bull. "Did you two fight? Is that why she's not picking up? Irene Moretti, you're twenty‑five years old, act like it! Stop picking fights with your mother!"

I put on my best wounded look, pulled up the call recording, and hit play. "Dad, you're blaming the wrong person. Looks like you're the one who drove her out tonight."

Right there in front of all my uncles, Veronica's voice filled the room.

When they heard her say she didn't want my father tracking her down, the old man's face went dark as a coal mine. He lit a cigar and smoked in silence for a long while before he could even speak.

My uncles tried to calm him down. I seized the moment and had the kitchen send up some grilled meat. "Dad, uncles, you've been at it all night. Take a break, have a bite."

They all praised me for being thoughtful. My father just sat there, brooding.

I scrolled through messages from my man on the ground, glanced out at the night, and let a small smile curl across my lips. This time, I never left the house. I'd been with family the whole night. No way anyone could pin a miscarriage on me.

I'd barely taken two sips of water when Marco walked in, half‑carrying Veronica.

The second she laid eyes on me, she burst into tears and started screaming. "Irene Moretti, you absolute monster! I treated you like my own daughter, and you deliberately made me lose my baby!"

Before I could open my mouth, Marco jumped in. "That's right, Irene. I never thought you could be this cruel. I'm so disgusted I can't even look at you. We're done, engagement over."

I gave them my blankest stare. "What are you even talking about? Veronica, you're pregnant? Since when? I had no idea."

That sent her into hysterics. "Don't play dumb with me! I told you just last night I was expecting, and then tonight you send me to that dock, knowing full well I'd be ambushed! I nearly died in that hospital, and you stand there asking what I'm talking about? Irene, we're both women, why would you do this to another woman? You have no heart!"

The old Moretti estate sits in the Bronx, been in the family for generations.

Tonight there was a gathering, family members drinking and gambling in the yard.

They heard the commotion from the main house and crowded around to gawk.

Veronica planted herself at the doorway, refusing to come inside, and wailed loud enough for everyone to hear.

The crowd picked up the gist of it, and the stares turned ugly. "Miss Irene always seemed so sweet, who knew she had a rotten core? Making her own stepmother lose a child!"

"You can't judge a book by its cover. She grew up right in front of us, and look what she's turned into."

One capo spoke up: "I'm going back to tell my guys, no more working for Irene. Who knows when she'll turn that poison on us?" Others nodded. Murmurs spread: keep your distance.

I let my eyes glisten with tears. But this time, it wasn't helplessness or fear like in my last life. It was anticipation.

Veronica saw the tears and thought she had me cornered. She doubled down, broadcasting my "villainy" to anyone who would listen.

Marco, meanwhile, grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me to my knees. "A child's duty is to honor her parents. Not only have you disrespected Veronica, you destroyed her child. Irene Moretti, you will get on your knees and beg for forgiveness, properly. A woman obeys her father at home and her husband after marriage. As your fiancé, it's my job to teach you discipline."

He yanked my hair with all his strength and slammed my head against the floor, seven, eight times.

My forehead split open. Blood dripped.

Marco didn't even blink. He said it wasn't enough. "A few bows won't replace the child she lost. You need to make it right with things. Irene, hand over the keys to the family armory. Let Veronica run it from now on. And transfer the deed to your docks into her name, so she can collect rent and recover in peace. That way, everyone will see your sincerity in making amends."

I almost laughed out loud at his sanctimonious little speech. But beneath the absurdity, something clicked. So that was the play.

Veronica and Marco didn't just want me to take the fall; they wanted my docks, my armory, my power. It made perfect sense now. No wonder Marco had started pursuing me so hard out of nowhere, right after Veronica settled into her role as my father's wife.

Back then I'd wondered why he suddenly "fell" for me.

Now I saw the whole ugly picture.