Chapter 4

Isabella's POV

A sudden wave of dread surged through me. I turned and rushed out the door. Without wasting another second, I hailed a cab and headed straight for the Gambino estate.

The moment I stepped inside, the scene before me stopped me cold. On the gray marble floor lay Mamma's black opal pendant—shattered into three pieces.

I never imagined that the only keepsake Mamma had left me would end up broken like this.

I stood frozen, as if all the blood had been drained from my body in an instant.

In the living room, Lucia was sitting in Ricardo's lap.

"My mother's pendant… What happened to it?"

I was furious, and my voice quivered as I demanded an answer.

Lucia's eyes widened in mock fear when she saw me.

"Mi Dispiace, Signora. I accidentally knocked it onto the floor earlier… I didn't mean to…"

She walked over hesitantly, her expression so pitiful it would make anyone feel sorry for her. But as she neared me, she whispered in my ear, "Actually, I did mean to. I'm carrying the Gambino heir now, and you're nothing but an abandoned stray. And you still want to stick around?

"This useless stone? I can do whatever I want to it!"

Enraged by her words, I lunged at her. "Lucia! Give me back my Mamma's pendant!"

But before I could get close, Ricardo grabbed me.

"Isabella, are you done making a scene yet? Lucia's already apologized. What more do you want? It's just a lousy pendant. Is it worth you getting so angry over it?"

His expression was dark, and his brows were tightly furrowed. The way he glared at me was as if he were looking at a hysterical madwoman.

"What are you saying, Ricardo? You know very well that's the only memento I have of my Mamma. Yet you allow her to destroy it? Do you even have a heart?"

A flicker of guilt crossed his deep blue eyes, but it vanished quickly.

"It's just a piece of opal. The Gambino Famiglia has anything you could ever want."

He thought it was just another stone. I laughed bitterly. The pendant was something Mamma had given me on my wedding day—the only piece of warmth she'd left behind, the light that had kept me going.

Tears fell onto the floor. I felt like a chunk of my heart had been viciously ripped out.

Seeing me like this, Ricardo felt a momentary pang in his heart. He paused, his eyes reddening as his voice softened.

"I promise I'll have someone make you an exact replica… Va Bene?"

I looked at him, and whatever lingering hope I'd held for him died.

"No need. What I wanted… is long gone."

I sank to my knees. With my fingers, I slowly gathered every shard of the broken opal into a velvet pouch, not even leaving the tiniest speck of powder behind.

Once they were all collected, I clutched the pouch tightly against my chest.

"Andiamo, Mamma. We're never coming back to this place again."