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Semua Bab Open Marriage Closed Heart: Bab 1 - Bab 10

10 Bab

Chapter 1

My husband, Damien Falcone, had 99 lovers. He gave them all up when he fell for me. Now, for number 100, he's dragging me to hell.My husband was missing. Right when we needed him most—the arms deal with the Castellano family.My father had no choice. He took me with him.The exchange at the docks was going smoothly. Too smoothly.Then they heard our bottom line, and the smiles died on their faces."Five million? I thought you could go as high as ten."I frowned. "What? We never—"Before I could finish, gunfire erupted.The first bullet grazed my ear. It left a hole in the container behind me.I hit the deck, my gun already in my hand."Isabella!" My father's voice was a roar over the gunfire.Marco and his men were already taking cover. Bullets rained down on us.This wasn't a last-minute decision.This was a setup. An ambush.I returned fire. A Castellano goon dropped.But we were surrounded."Isabella!" My father screamed again through the hail of bullets. He clutched his shoulder,

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Chapter 2

The next day, Sophia Ricci waltzed into the hospital room.She held a bouquet of white lilies—funeral flowers—and wore an innocent smile."Get out," I said. My voice was ice.She walked right in, put the flowers in a vase, and spoke softly. "Isabella, don't be like this. Damien already told me off. I just glanced at the files. I had no idea... I feel so awful."With one sentence, she turned a capital offense, leaking intel, into a little mistake. "Curiosity."I slowly stood up and walked toward her. "You think 'I didn't know' is going to keep you alive?"I pressed the cold steel of my gun to her forehead.Fear finally crept onto her face. She flinched back. "You can't… Damien, he…""He what?" I chambered a round.I sneered. The innocent act was pathetic.Damien had countless women, but none ever dared to threaten me.None ever dared to declare war."You think he'd go to war with me over a traitor?" I asked her.The next second, Damien's voice came from the doorway."Bella, stop!"He lu

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Chapter 3

"Stop!" I screamed, rushing forward.Sophia's mother, Elena Ricci, turned around slowly.She wore the smile of a predator that had just claimed its territory. "Isabella, you're back. Damien invited me to help redecorate. He said Sophia prefers a brighter style."My eyes swept across the living room, and my heart sank.My prized 16th-century tapestries were ripped down, tossed on the floor.In their place hung a cheap print of a giant pink rose.My collection of rare classical vinyl records was shoved into a cardboard box.Next to it was a tacky, rhinestone-covered Bluetooth speaker, blasting pop music.This home, the sanctuary Damien and I built together, was being defiled. Destroyed."This is my house," I managed, my voice trembling with a rage so deep it barely made a sound."Of course, dear," she said, her eyes scanning the room with contempt. "But a home should feel alive, not like a tomb. It's time to clear out the dead weight."She pulled her phone from her pocket.She clicked on

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Chapter 4

Damien rushed to my side.He saw my tear-filled eyes and the shattered music box on the floor. Pain filled his face. "Bella, what happened? Your hands…"He reached for me, but I flinched away in disgust.Just then, Sophia ran in after him.She threw herself into her mother's arms, crying her eyes out. "Mama, are you okay? It's all my fault, I shouldn't have asked you to help… Miss Isabella, please forgive us, we didn't mean it!"Elena immediately started her act, looking at me with fake terror. "Damien, you have to talk to Isabella. She was like a madwoman just now, she said she was going to kill us…""I just told her not to touch my mother's things!" I pointed at the broken pieces on the floor, my voice ice.Damien's eyes darted between the crying Sophia and her mother, and me.His brow furrowed. The pain in his eyes was replaced by impatience and doubt."Bella, that's enough." His voice was laced with something I'd never heard before: disappointment. In me.I stared at the stranger w

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Chapter 5

The air in the hall turned to ice.Damien's eyes shot between me and the man he called his uncle."Isabella…" he choked out my name. "I'm asking you a question! Why are you with my uncle?!"He lunged for me, but his uncle moved, placing himself between us. A silent, solid wall."You," Damien spat, his rage turning on his uncle. "An exile. You dare touch my wife?""Damien," the man's voice was terrifyingly calm. "Get a grip. You were looking for her all night, weren't you? I found her.""Found her?" Damien scoffed, his eyes burning into me. "In your bed?"I finally spoke, my voice raw. "And where did you want me to be, Damien?"I stared back at him, my gaze like steel. "In the house your mistress's mother destroyed? Or on my knees, picking up the shattered pieces of my mother's memory for your 'guests'?"My questions were a slap across his face.All the color drained from his cheeks.He had no argument. So he fell back on the one thing he had left. Power."Marco!" he roared at his man.

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Chapter 6

After the meeting, I was "escorted" back to the manor.Two of Damien's men stood outside my door. They called it protection. I called it a cage.The room was still a wreck.Elena and Sophia's people had removed most of my things, leaving only what they deemed "unimportant."I sat on the edge of the bed. The cabinet where my mother's music box once sat was now just a hollow, empty space. After it was shattered that day, I never saw the pieces again. They were just… gone. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting the familiar sting behind them. I refused to let a single tear fall. In my mind, I could still hear its ghostly melody. A song I thought I'd never hear again. A knock at the door shattered the quiet grief. "Come in."It wasn't a guard. It was Julian.He wore a black suit and held a small velvet box.His gaze drifted to the empty cabinet, lingering for a moment before meeting mine."How did you get in?" I asked."Your husband's men know better than to stop me," Julian said, clo

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Chapter 7

Three days later, Damien came to my room himself.He wore a pristine navy suit and a fake, benevolent smile.Clearly, he had recovered from the shock of the meeting and was ready to proceed with his plan."Isabella, we need to talk.""There's nothing to talk about." I kept arranging books on the nightstand, not looking at him."The family needs stability," he said, pacing. "The elders need to see that we're a united front.""United?" I laughed coldly. "You mean you need me to play along with your charade?""I mean you need to help Sophia adjust to her new role."I finally looked up at him. "What new role?""Taking over your former assets," Damien said, his tone serious. "The casinos, the port operations, the legitimate investments—she needs guidance.""You want me to guide the woman trying to replace me?""I want you to guide a novice who needs to learn," Damien said, walking toward me. "Isabella, this is good for everyone. You show your grace, Sophia gets help, and the family remains

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Chapter 8

The call came at four in the morning, waking me from a dead sleep."What is it?" I answered, pretending to be groggy."Ma'am, it's a disaster!" Marco's voice was panicked. "The FBI just raided Pier 2!"I sat up, putting on a shocked voice no one could see. "What?""The Neptune was seized, all the cargo confiscated. And three of our guys were arrested.""How bad are the losses?""At least five million. Not counting legal fees and bail," Marco's voice trembled. "The Boss is losing his mind. He wants to see you.""I'm on my way."I hung up the phone. A cold smile touched my lips.The trap had been sprung.The meeting room at the main house was in chaos.The elders were gathered around the long table, every face dark as a thundercloud.Damien stood in the middle of the room, his face pale, his eyes bloodshot.Sophia was huddled in a chair in the corner, her eyes red and swollen from crying."Isabella!" Damien stormed over to me the second I walked in. "Do you know what happened?""Marco to

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Chapter 9

Two weeks later, the Five Families Summit convened.The top floor of the city's most luxurious hotel was locked down. The five Dons sat around a massive oval table, each flanked by two bodyguards.Damien sat at the head of the table, a king presiding over the ruins of his kingdom.Without the assets I took back, the Falcone family was facing a financial crisis. Three smaller families were already reconsidering their allegiance."Gentlemen," the old Don Benedetti began, "today we discuss the matter of the Falcone family's leadership."Damien's face soured. "What matter? I am the rightful—""This isn't about your name, Damien," Benedetti cut him off. "It's about your judgment."Across the table, the other Dons were grim."Eight million dollars in losses in two weeks," said Don Russo. "Three key piers under federal surveillance, five core members arrested. Damien, you owe us an explanation.""It was Sophia Ricci's mistake—""A mistake you enabled," another Don shot back. "Her mistake is

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Chapter 10

In the three days after the summit, Damien went completely insane.He had lost his family, his fortune, and his power.Most importantly, he had lost me.Julian's network told me Damien had locked himself in a rundown safe house, drinking himself blind and talking to the walls."It's all her fault," he repeated, over and over. "It's all that bitch's fault."But he wasn't talking about me.He was talking about Sophia.On the fourth night, gunfire echoed from the docks.Julian and I were in the main house study, planning the family's restructuring, when Marco burst in."Boss, there's a problem!" he panted. "A body was found at Pier 12."Julian frowned. "Whose?""Sophia Ricci."A silent understanding passed between us."Details," Julian commanded."Three shots. Two to the chest, one to the head," Marco said, wiping sweat from his brow. "The kill was professional. But the cleanup…""But what?""They left the Castellano family's signature. A white rose and their family crest."I almost laugh

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