Chapter 1

For a moment, Dante and I both froze, neither of us able to say a word.

It had been twenty-eight days since I finally understood exactly where my husband's heart lived—and it wasn't with us.

Every time he chose Bianca Conti and her son over Nico and me, I had our son call him "Don Amato."

I told myself it was so the two of us wouldn't waste one more tear on a man who didn't deserve them.

But Nico didn't see it that way.

He was only seven—the age when a boy still worships his father, still believes he can do no wrong.

Usually, the hesitation came first—a long pause, then the word would come out small and unsure.

But today, he said it on his own, without waiting for me.

Clean. Fluent.

Like he'd rehearsed it in his head a thousand times, just waiting for the moment he could finally say it without flinching.

Seeing us both frozen, Nico didn't wait for either of us to speak first. He reached out and took my hand himself.

"Don Amato, go handle your business." Then he turned to me and slipped his small hand into mine. "Come on, Mom. We're going to be late for our appointment."

The family portrait had been Dante's idea—his way of making up for the family dinner he'd missed.

Nico had circled today's date on the calendar two weeks in advance.

I followed my son out of the photo studio, my spine locked straight.

It all began with a receipt.

It was a bill from a yacht restaurant—three guests listed, one of them a child.

For his seventh birthday, all Nico had wished for was a family trip out on a yacht—fishing together, dinner on the water, watching the sunset.

Dante had called it a waste of time.

He'd stayed just long enough to have dinner with Nico at home, then left.

A few days later, he took Bianca and her son instead.

I found the photos on Bianca's social media page.

The caption read: [The best sunset should always be watched with the best father.]

The picture showed the three of them on the deck of the yacht, Dante and Bianca each with a hand on the boy between them.

Bianca was Dante's first love.

Years ago, when the Amato Family went to war with a rival house, Dante had her sent out of the city overnight to keep her safe.

By the time she came back, she was already a widow with a son of her own.

That night, we had the worst fight of our marriage. I told him I wanted a divorce, and that I was taking Nico with me.

Dante sighed and called me impossible.

He asked how I could bear to let our son grow up without a father in the house, and told me that Bianca's father had once saved his life—that it was a debt he had to repay.

I looked at Nico's face, gone pale with fear at the sound of us shouting, and I made a decision.

I knew that if I tore Nico away by force, he'd never be able to forget Dante.

But I also knew this wouldn't be a one-time thing.

I didn't want Nico or myself to suffer through it again and again, so I chose a quieter way—I tricked Dante into signing the divorce papers.

When I handed the signed agreement to my father's lawyer, he gave me a warning.

"Elena, when your father married you into the Amato Family, he invested a substantial amount of capital into the Amato family's business. Once your marriage is dissolved, you have the right to initiate a capital withdrawal—the funds are subject to a thirty-day settlement period. Are you certain you want to go through with this?"

I nodded. "I'm certain."

The lawyer started the settlement process.

I had thirty days. I started teaching Nico to call his father by a different name.

Today was day twenty-eight.

And for the first time, Nico had said "Don Amato" completely on his own, without any cue from me.

I could feel him trembling faintly against my side.

It didn't feel like a victory. It felt like a thousand needles finding my heart all at once.

We were halfway across the street when Dante finally snapped out of it.

He jogged a few steps after us, already opening his mouth to ask Nico what he'd meant.

But before he could get the question out, his phone rang.

Bianca again—that same practiced, breathless catch in her voice.

"Dante, where are you? Gabe won't stop crying—I can't soothe him."

Dante stopped walking.

He stood there staring at our backs, phone pressed to his ear, and said, "Okay. I understand. I'm on my way."

Then he texted me two words—talk later—before turning on his heel and walking away without looking back.

I heard the engine roar to life behind us.

I heard it pull away, farther and farther, until there was nothing left to hear.

Nico stopped, burying his face in my side until I felt his tears soak straight through my blouse.

"Mom." His voice was barely a whisper against my side. "Can we just not have a dad anymore?"