Chapter 3

That night, I told Vincent I wasn’t feeling well and shut myself off from him.

He had the housekeeper make me a tonic from my mother’s old recipe.

Since I’d conceived, he wouldn’t let me do a single thing, not dry my hair, not bend down to pick up a pen, not even open a car door for myself.

The maids always whispered:“A man like the Don is one in a million.”

“When Donna has the baby, he’ll pluck the stars right out of the sky for her.”

Vincent heard them, stepped outside to make a quick call, then returned to me with a smile. “Darling, I’m taking you to the Hayden Planetarium this weekend. Rented the whole thing out. I got you a gift. I had a star named after you. The catalog number’s our wedding date.”

“Seraphina, I know you’ve been low these last few weeks. I know this pregnancy is hell on you, and I hate that I can’t take the pain away. All I can do is to make you smile.”

He sat beside me, his voice softening.

He would never know those two lives almost never made it into the world at all.

When the weekend came, Vincent had the entire planetarium lit only with the projected night sky, just for the two of us.

He held my hand as we walked through the starlit halls, pointing out constellations for me.

“Look right there,” he said.

“That’s your star. A testament to our love. When the children are born, we’ll bring them here, and tell them how their mama and papa’s love is as eternal as the stars themselves.”

Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He glanced at the screen, his jaw tightening for a split second, then turned to me with that apologetic look I’d come to loathe.

“I’m sorry, baby. Family emergency. I have to go handle it. I’ll be back before you know it, I swear.”

Seconds after he walked out the door, my phone buzzed.

A photo from Isabella.

Another framed star-naming certificate, this one emblazoned with Vincent & Isabella.

Her text followed a moment later: [Wondering if he’d rather stargaze with you, or have a little fun with me under the starlight roof in that Rolls you got him for his birthday? He’s on his way over right now, Donna.]

A fist closed around my heart, squeezing so tight I could barely breathe. That car, the custom Rolls-Royce Phantom, had been my birthday gift to him. He’d spent a fortune modifying the starlight roof, carving our initials into the leather, saying the stars would bear witness to our blood oath.

Now it was the backdrop for his infidelity.

A video followed right after.

Isabella lay in the passenger seat, the starlight glowing behind her as she smirked into the camera. “He says it’s thrilling,” she whispered.

“Like doing it right in front of your face. I suggested we do it in your bed, while you sleep. Think he said yes?”

I gripped my phone so hard my knuckles turned white, hot tears spilling down my cheeks before I could stop them.

When Vincent returned and saw me crying, he panicked instantly, his hands flying to my shoulders.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t you like the gift? Did I do something? Did someone touch you? Tell me who it is, and I’ll put a bullet in their head tonight.”

His concern was identical to that of the boy who’d taken a bullet to the ribs to keep me from getting hurt when we were kids.

But that same boy had grown into the man who’d hurt me worse than any rival crew ever could.

I lifted my tear-streaked face, choking back the sob in my throat.

“No… I just love the gift so much. I’m overwhelmed.”

I forced a weak, wobbly smile.

“As a thank you, I have a surprise for you too. You’ll get it in a few days, on our anniversary.”

Vincent let out a huge sigh of relief, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead, and held me tight.

“You silly girl. I’d give you the whole world just to see you smile. If you love the stars, I’ll build you a whole goddamned planetarium. When the babies come, we’ll live quiet, like we always wanted. No more wars, no more crews. Just us.”

He rambled on about a future that no longer included me.

Just then, my burner phone buzzed in my purse.

A secure message from the professor had come through.

[Security clearance approved. Identity transfer protocol has passed final review. Once signed, all records connected to your current identity will be sealed and inaccessible for ten years. No public, legal, medical, financial, or government trace will remain. Confirm signature.]

My thumb hovered over the screen for less than a second.

Ten years?That was not enough.

If Vincent Castellano could choose Isabella, then I could choose disappearance.

Not for ten years.For the rest of my life.

I signed without a moment’s hesitation.

Then I lifted my eyes to the man still holding me and smiled faintly against his shoulder.

Vincent Castellano, tomorrow, I will vanish from your world forever.