Chapter 7

A week later, the divorce papers arrived.

It was official—I was no longer his wife. On paper, at least.

No one else knew yet. Not Vincent. Not his siblings. Not the vultures circling around us in society. Only Elena knew. To everyone else, I was still Mrs. Bonanno. But to me, it was already over. I was counting the days, folding my old life into a suitcase no one had noticed I’d begun to pack.

Just as I zipped the last corner shut, a knock came at the door. Vincent’s assistant stood there, holding out a couture gown. The message was obvious: I was expected at the family gala. One last performance.

I looked at the dress and almost laughed.

Legally, I was free. Emotionally, I was already gone. And yet, tonight, I would still wear his name like a mask—because Elena, his mother, had always treated me with kindness, and I still had a few loose ends to tie up before disappearing for good.

The ballroom glowed with golden chandeliers and brittle laughter. Champagne sparkled in crystal flutes, promises shattering with every toast. And there she was—Alessia—standing in the center of it all, radiant, adored, untouched.

The socialites swarmed her like moths to a flame.

“Alessia, Vincent must be obsessed with you,” one gushed.

“That emerald necklace? Straight from Sotheby’s. He fought tooth and nail for it.”

“And remember back in school? He waited for you every single day. When you ignored him for a week, he went nearly insane, begging everyone for advice just to win you back…”

Their laughter echoed like broken glass.

And I stood there, unseen, clutching my secret: the divorce decree hidden away, the knowledge that soon—I would vanish, leaving them all behind.

I stood at the edge, invisible, listening as strangers told me about my own husband’s devotion—to another woman.

I pulled out my phone, calculating the time until my flight. Three hours. If I left now, I’d make it.

But my silence only made me look broken in their eyes. Soon,Bianca and her entourage drifted toward me, smiles dripping with cruelty.

“Valentina,” Bianca cooed. “So many years married to my brother, and what do you have to show? Standing here, watching him with the woman he truly loves.”

“Don’t fool yourself. He only married you because Alessia was gone. You were the substitute, the patch for a wound only she could heal.”

“You should have left years ago.”

I turned to leave. I had no time for their cruelty. But one of them shoved me hard.

The world spun.

I crashed into the champagne tower behind me. Glass shattered in a shriek, golden liquid cascading down my dress, shards cutting into my skin. The cold sting of wine mixed with the hot bloom of blood.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

From the stage, Vincent’s gaze snapped to me. His eyes widened—then he was at my side in seconds, his arms catching me as though I might break apart.

“Valentina!” His voice cracked, ragged with panic. “Who touched her?!”

No one dared answer.

His fury burned across the ballroom. “Bring the doctor. Now!” His grip on me was unyielding, as if he could anchor me to him by force. His hand trembled against my bloodied skin, his jaw tight with barely restrained rage. For a fleeting, reckless moment, I believed—he cared. That in this man’s chest, there might still be something left for me.

Until a guard rushed in, breathless.

“Don Bonanno—Miss Alessia is in pain. She says her stomach hurts—she’s crying badly.”

Vincent froze. His arms tensed around me.

“Is it serious?”

“She can barely stand,” the guard insisted.

His gaze darted between us—me, bleeding in his hold, and Alessia, fragile and weeping in another room.

“Valentina, I—”

I knew what was coming before he said it.

I pushed myself free, my voice steady, cutting.

“Go. She’s fragile. She always has been. And you’ve always gone to her.”

He faltered, my calmness hitting him harder than any anger.

“Valentina…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll manage.”

And so he did what he always did. He chose her. He left me standing in shattered glass, whispering a promise of “I’ll make it up to you later,” before running to Alessia’s side.

The crowd saw only one thing: me, abandoned. Again.

Their murmurs burned worse than the cuts on my skin.

“Pitiful, isn’t it? Even after all these years, he never loved her.”

“She should be grateful Alessia was abroad—otherwise she’d never have worn his ring at all.”

I borrowed a quiet room, cleaned the blood, bandaged the wounds.

No one noticed when I slipped away.

Back at the villa, I packed the last of my things. On the dining table, I placed two items: the signed divorce papers, and the certificate confirming it was done.

My suitcase waited at the door. My hand brushed over my abdomen, pausing.

Three months.

The child inside me would never know its father’s touch. And Vincent would never know he’d already lost more than a wife tonight.

As I opened the door, Bianca arrived, breathless.

“My brother sent medicine for you—don’t ask me why. He should be with Alessia, but he made me come find you. I searched everywhere—” She rolled her eyes, muttering, “Honestly, it makes no sense. He’s supposed to care about Alessia, not you. Why would he…?”

Her grumbling died the second she spotted the suitcase.

“What are you doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” My voice was calm, detached. “I’m leaving. Your brother has Alessia. He doesn’t need me anymore.”

She grabbed my arm, panic rising. “No… no, you don’t mean it. You love him too much. This is some trick, isn’t it? He—he wouldn’t let you go!”

“Bianca.” I tilted my head toward the table. “If you think so, check the papers.”

Her gaze fell on the divorce certificate. Color drained from her face. She stumbled back, muttering, “No… this can’t be. You… you can’t really leave…”

I walked past her, suitcase wheels rolling against marble.

Five years ago, I gave up my dreams for Vincent Bonanno.

Tonight, I was taking them back.

I smiled—light, unburdened, free.

“I’m going to live a life that belongs only to me,” I said, more to myself than to anyone else.

The villa loomed behind me, heavy with memories. But I didn’t look back.

Not at the house.

Not at Bianca’s stunned face.

Not at the man who would only realize too late what he’d lost.

And just like that, I disappeared into the night—

leaving behind a name, a marriage, and a secret he would one day regret more than anything.

Third-person

Hours later, Vincent Bonanno returned, jacket slung over his arm, expecting the same rituals—her voice, her slippers by the door. Instead, silence swallowed the house.

“Valentina?” His call echoed off marble.

No answer. Servants fumbled. One pointed weakly toward the dining table. Papers lay waiting. He strode over, snatched them up.

DIVORCE DECREE.

His own signature in ink he didn’t remember writing. The certificate stamped official, final.

His jaw locked. “Impossible.”

Then his gaze snagged on a second folder. A plain tab with five letters that hollowed him: Clinic.

He opened it. Black letters swam: Florence Maternity — Patient: Valentina Harlow. Weeks calculated. Estimated due date. Notes about careful monitoring.

Pregnant. She had been carrying his child. She had walked out not only as his wife, but as the mother of the life he hadn’t even known he had.

For the first time in years, Vincent’s hand shook.

“Valentina…” His whisper scraped the empty air.

The house gave him nothing back.