Chapter 3

I flashed back to that night two years prior. In another act of Torino family retaliation, they’d abducted me, five months pregnant with our child, from the desolate Palermo streets.

Adrian had assembled his men for the rescue, only to abandon the mission at Bianca’s frantic call. She’d faked a life-threatening medical crisis for Lia, and he’d rushed the girl to the hospital, losing critical hours of rescue time.

By the time my father led the Bellini family’s armed guards into the warehouse where I was held, gunning down Torino’s men, I had already slipped into unconsciousness, and our baby was gone.

I'd forgiven him that time. Now, he'd forgotten every bit of his guilt and every promise he’d made.

"Seraphina?" I woke to Adrian's face. I blinked, trying to tell if it was real or a hallucination, when Lia leaned in and curled her lip. "See? I told you Aunt Seraphina was faking it."

The second my eyes cleared, Adrian pulled Lia behind him, shielding her tightly.

I pushed myself off the floor, and Bianca hurried forward and dropped to her knees in front of me. "It was all my fault. Take it out on me. Lia's innocent. Please don't hurt her."

Adrian pulled her to her feet at once, his face thunderous. "Seraphina, this is going too far! You hit her, now you force her to kneel to you? What the hell is wrong with you? You haven't even apologized to them!"

"It's my fault." I smiled bitterly. It was my fault, for letting myself be humiliated over and over, for making my parents worry, for failing to protect my child. "I'm sorry." I was tired. I didn't want to fight anymore.

Adrian froze. I'd never backed down in a fight with Bianca before. My apology seemed to rattle him, and his voice softened slightly. "I don't really blame you. Just don't be so impulsive again."

Bianca tugged his sleeve, her eyes flashing with resentment. "We should go back. I'm scared Lia will have nightmares sleeping here. I'm just worried the Torino family will come back, and Lia will get scared again..."

"I'll come with you." He glanced at me, a sense of guilt crossed his face. "Lia's still shaken up, and the Torino men are still hanging around. Bianca can't handle this alone. I'll be back tonight."

I nodded, turned, and walked to my bedroom. All three of them were gone.

I stared at the wedding decor, and felt nothing but bitter irony. After a hot shower, I sent a message to the family trust, putting the coastal castle up for sale. The house had been gifted to us by the family to celebrate our wedding. There was no point in keeping it now that we were ending things. Then I started packing my bags.

That night, Adrian texted: [Torino's men are still here. I won't be back tonight. Get some rest. Love you.]

Right after, Bianca posted another Instagram update. [My baby wanted to see the sunrise over the sea, so he sailed us to the Aeolian Islands] The photo showed Lia on Adrian's shoulders, their backs to the rising sun.

I picked up my suitcase, and left the castle forever.

That night, Bellini members leaked the footage, clearing me. Vitriol turned on Bianca and Lia.

Adrian called me at once, screaming. "Seraphina, Why did you do this? You apologized to their faces, then put your family up to slandering Bianca and Lia online! If anything happens to them because of you, I'll never forgive you!"

He slammed the phone down before I could get a single word in. Five minutes later, Adrian issued an official clan-wide proclamation to the entire Moretti family.

“To every made men of the Moretti family: Bianca is my wife, and Lia is my daughter. Do not be led astray by falsehoods, and under no circumstances shall you bring harm to them. Seraphina Bellini and I share nothing more than a casual acquaintance between our two allied families. I have no knowledge of why she is circulating malicious rumors to discredit my bond with Bianca.”

Once the proclamation was distributed across the family’s secure internal channels, he sent a follow-up text to me: [I swore a blood oath to Rico to protect Bianca and Lia. This was the only way to keep the family off their backs. Lay low for a time. This will all blow over soon enough.]

I stared at the message, only to find tears streaming down my face.

We were done forever.

Then, I boarded a private plane bound for Hawaii.