Chapter 5

Gavin didn't explode over the form.

He tried to stroke my hair. "Are you still angry about what happened? I already explained, it was because of the baby…"

I dodged his touch, cutting him off.

Gavin sighed and pulled out a velvet box.

Inside lay a dazzling diamond necklace, the star piece from last month's Sotheby's auction.

"Stop it, Viola." Gavin fastened the necklace around my neck. The cold gems felt like a snake against my skin. "This is your reward. Thank you for saving Sofia. You're the most understanding wife."

I didn't refuse, nor did I show any of the joy his gifts used to bring me. I just nodded silently.

I had less than a month left.

I didn't want any more trouble before I could leave.

"I'm tired. I want to go home."

Gavin, thinking I had given in, let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, the driver is downstairs. I have to stay here tonight to watch over Sofia, she hasn't woken up yet."

I returned to our marital home alone.

The moment I walked in, I took off the necklace and threw it into a packing box, along with all the other jewelry, designer bags, and custom gowns Gavin had ever given me.

I didn't want this trash.

I started erasing every trace of myself from the house. Photos, my toothbrush, the book I was halfway through… I was going to make it so Gavin Whitestone could never find a single trace of Viola Rossi in his life again.

The next morning, just as I threw out the last box, the front door was kicked open with a violent crash.

Gavin stormed in.

He was no longer the tender husband from yesterday. He was an erupting volcano.

"What have you done, Viola?!" Gavin growled, grabbing my wrist with a force that felt like it would crush my bones.

I grunted in pain.

"If you're here to have a meltdown, please leave," I said, looking at him coldly.

"A meltdown?" Gavin sneered, pulling a blood-stained plastic bag from his pocket and throwing it on the floor. "Look at this!"

Inside was a delicate emerald brooch.

I had lost it last week. It was Gavin's gift for our third anniversary.

"Last night, there was an attempt on Sofia's life," Gavin's voice was a terrifying whisper, each word ground out from between his teeth. "The assassin was from the Ricci family. He almost killed her! And this brooch was found in his pocket!"

"Why was your property on him? I need an explanation."

I looked at his contorted face and found it laughable.

Framed. Such a clumsy setup. Sofia couldn't even be bothered to come up with a clever plot because she knew that when it came to her and the baby, Gavin would turn into an idiot.

"If I wanted her dead, I would have done it on the operating table. I wouldn't have waited until now," I explained calmly, even though I knew it was useless.

"You're just pissed that I forced you into surgery! So you want revenge!" Gavin refused to listen, his reason consumed by rage. "Viola, when did you become so vicious? Colluding with a rival family just to get my attention?"

"I didn't."

"Enough!" Gavin let go, and I slumped to the floor. He looked down at me, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Viola, as the Godfather, I have to answer to the family. Betrayal must be punished."

I was locked in the Whitestone family's solitary confinement cell.

No windows, no light, just endless, cold darkness.

"Just for two days, Viola. I want you to think about what you've done," Gavin said coldly before leaving without a backward glance.

I curled up in a corner, my consciousness drifting in the dark.

On the third night, I smelled something burning.

Then, thick smoke began to pour in from under the door.

Fire.

Someone was trying to burn me alive.

"Gavin… help me…" Survival instinct made me fumble for the tiny backup phone hidden in the sole of my shoe. It was my last resort.

My trembling fingers dialed the number I knew by heart.

Ring… ring…

It connected.

"Gavin, help me… there's a fire…" I rasped into the phone, using my last bit of strength.

There was a second of silence on the other end.

Then, a sweet, malicious female voice answered.

"Oh, is that you, Viola?"

It was Sofia.

My heart seized.

"Where's Gavin? Put him on the phone! I'm in the cell, it's on fire!"

"Gavin?" Sofia giggled, and I could hear the faint clink of a spoon against a ceramic bowl in the background. "He's in the kitchen. He said he doesn't trust the store-bought prenatal supplements, so he's brewing some for me himself. It's so sweet of him, isn't it?"

"Tell him… I'm going to die…"

Sofia's voice turned venomous. "You shouldn't have gotten in my way. Rest in peace. I'll be sure to love him for the both of us."

The line went dead.

In that moment, a despair hotter than the flames consumed me.

Thick smoke filled my lungs. I coughed violently, tears streaming down my face.

Gavin, you are so… so cruel.