Chapter 4

On the day of the auction, Luca sent a car for me.

The event was jointly hosted by several of Sicily’s most powerful families. The guests came not only to bid, but also to measure their rivals and test old alliances.

Luca was waiting at the entrance.

The moment he appeared, the conversations around him faded.

He reached for my hand, but I pretended not to notice and walked beside him.

Once, I had dreamed of entering an event like this on Luca’s arm. I wanted everyone to see that I was Mrs. Moretti.

Now that it was finally happening, the title meant nothing to me.

Our seats were in the front row.

I was about to sit beside Luca when a familiar voice called his name.

“Luca.”

Viviana approached in a gold gown covered with tiny crystals.

Without asking, she took the seat on his left.

Luca didn’t object.

I sat on his right.

Throughout the auction, Viviana leaned close to whisper in his ear. Occasionally, she laughed, and Luca answered in a low voice.

I kept my attention on the stage.

Then the auctioneer presented a sapphire necklace.

A moonstone rested at the center of the pendant. It looked as though it had been made to match the ring my mother had left me.

I stared at it for a few seconds too long.

Luca noticed.

“Do you like it?”

“A little.”

He raised his paddle.

“Five million euros.”

The price climbed, but Luca continued bidding.

At twenty million euros, no one challenged him again.

“Sold.”

I looked at him in surprise.

It was the first time Luca had ever chosen something for me without being asked.

“Thank you.”

“If you like it, it was worth it.”

An attendant placed the box in my hands.

Before I could lift the necklace, Viviana leaned closer.

“It’s beautiful.”

She looked at Luca and bit her lower lip.

“I like it too. Don’t you remember? You once told me sapphires suited me better than any other stone.”

Luca hesitated.

Then he held out his hand to me.

“Give it to her.”

I stared at him.

“She likes it,” he said. “Let her have it.”

I had held the necklace for less than a minute.

That was all it took for Viviana to claim it.

I closed the box and handed it to her.

“Take it.”

A violent crash came from outside the auction hall.

Gunshots followed.

People screamed as the windows shattered.

Above us, the massive crystal chandelier began to sway.

Someone shouted a warning.

The chandelier tore free from the ceiling.

The crowd scattered.

I tried to move to the right, but several overturned chairs blocked my path.

Luca reacted immediately.

He lifted Viviana into his arms and ran toward the emergency exit.

The chandelier struck the floor where they had been sitting, sending glass across the room.

I dropped to the ground and covered my head.

Shards cut through the back of my dress. Warm blood slid down my skin.

Across the hall, Luca carried Viviana through the emergency exit.

He never looked back.

His instinct had answered the question Viviana asked in his study.

When it mattered, Luca would always choose her.

A medic removed the glass from my back and bandaged the cuts. None were deep enough to require stitches.

Luca never came to check.

When I returned to the estate, I didn’t pack anything else.

Everything was already waiting by the door.

The following morning, our divorce agreement took effect.

At five, I carried the sleeping Sophia downstairs. The sky was still dark as I placed her in the car.

Before getting in, I looked at the estate one last time.

I had spent years trying to turn that house into a home.

Now I felt nothing.

As the car pulled away, Sophia stirred in my arms.

“Mommy, are we going to Boston now?”

“Yes.”

“You get to do your science?”

I smiled.

“I do.”

“And I get to go to my new school.”

She settled against me again.

For the first time in ten years, the life ahead of me belonged to me.

I took out my phone and sent Luca one final message.

The divorce is final. Sophia and I are leaving for Boston. We won’t disturb you again.

For ten years, Luca had left my messages unanswered.

This time, my phone vibrated before our car reached the estate gates.

What divorce?