CHAPTER 61: Isabella's Choice

IsabellaIsabella sat in the harsh fluorescent light of the hospital waiting room, her emerald gown stained with Dante's blood, her hands still shaking three hours after the attack. Sofia slept fitfully against her shoulder, exhausted from terror and shock. Around them, FBI agents stood guard while federal prosecutors prepared questions neither sister was ready to answer."Mrs. Valentino?" A doctor appeared, his scrubs spotted with blood. "Your husband is out of surgery. The bullet missed his heart by two inches, but there was significant damage. He's stable, but…." He paused. "He's asking for you. Only you. He won't let us sedate him until he sees you."Isabella stood carefully, easing Sofia onto the plastic chair. "Stay here. Lorenzo will watch you."Lorenzo nodded from his position nearby, his own shoulder freshly bandaged, his sharp hazel eyes alert despite his injuries. "She's safe, Mrs. Valentino. Go see the boss."The doctor led Isabella through sterile corridors to a private r

CHAPTER 62: Dante's Discovery

DanteDante lay in his hospital bed staring at the ceiling, his chest burning from surgery and his heart breaking from Isabella's departure. She hadn't looked back. Hadn't said she'd return. Had just walked away after he'd finally told her the truth about her father's murder.Maybe that was what he deserved. Maybe this was karma for building a marriage on lies."Boss?" Marco's voice came from the doorway. His lean athletic frame was tense, his warm hazel eyes serious in a way that made Dante's instincts flare. "We need to talk. About Isabella. About what she's been doing for the past month.""I know what she's been doing," Dante said bitterly. "Meeting with the FBI. Planning to wear a wire. Investigating behind my back. Catalina's recordings made that clear.""You don't know everything," Marco said, moving into the room and closing the door. "You don't know why. You don't know what she was actually protecting. And boss….." He pulled out a tablet. "You need to see this before you deci

CHAPTER 63: The Antidote

IsabellaIsabella stared at Catalina's message demanding ten million dollars in exchange for the antidote that could save Dante's life. Around her, medical staff worked frantically, but she could see in their desperate movements that they were losing him. The heart monitor's erratic beeping grew weaker with each passing second."Transfer the money," Sofia urged, her wide innocent brown eyes filled with tears. "Bella, just do it. We can figure everything else out later but right now….""If I transfer it, Catalina wins," Isabella said, though her hands shook violently over her phone. "She gets the money and disappears. And what's to stop her from lying? From letting Dante die anyway?""What's to stop her from telling the truth and saving him?" Sofia challenged. "Bella, I know you want justice. I know you want to punish her for everything. But is that worth Dante's life? Is it worth…..""Mrs. Valentino, we're losing him," a doctor interrupted, his voice urgent. "His heart rate is droppin

CHAPTER 64: The Restaurant

IsabellaWhere it all started. Where your father died. Where the debt was born. Where your marriage began.Isabella stared at Catalina's riddle, her mind racing while Marco's breathing grew shallower in her arms. Four minutes. She had four minutes to solve this and save both men she loved."The restaurant," she whispered, realization crashing over her. "Bella Notte. That's where Dante first came to collect the debt. Where he proposed the contract. Where it all started."She called 911 for Marco, giving rapid instructions to the operator, then grabbed a nearby police officer. "This man needs immediate medical attention. Poison. Tell them to prepare for ricin exposure protocol. And….and tell them to send whatever antidote they have to Lenox Hill Hospital, room 847. There's another victim there.""Ma'am, you can't just….""Do it!" Isabella commanded with such force the officer actually stepped back. "Or two men die in the next three minutes and their blood is on your hands."She was alre

CHAPTER 65: Aftermath

IsabellaIsabella sat in the back of an FBI van outside Bella Notte, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, watching crime scene investigators swarm through the restaurant that had been her family's legacy. Catalina's body was being photographed, documented, and removed. The place where Isabella's mother had cooked, where her father had welcomed guests, where she'd built a life from ruins—now it was a crime scene."Mrs. Valentino?" Agent Morrison slid into the seat beside her, her expression professional but not unkind. "I need to take your statement. About what happened here. About Catalina's death. About….about everything.""Sofia shot her," Isabella said, her voice hollow. "In self-defense. Catalina was going to kill us. Sofia saved our lives.""I know," Morrison said gently. "We have the recording from Catalina's phone. We have witness testimony from your husband, from Marco, from you. Sofia's not being charged. This was clearly self-defense. But Isabella…." She paused. "We need

CHAPTER 66: The Final Betrayal

DanteDante stared at Marco—his brother in everything but blood, his underboss for twenty years, his most trusted friend—lying wounded on the restaurant floor with Sofia's gun still smoking in her trembling hands."You," Dante said, his voice hollow. "All this time. It was you.""It was me," Marco confirmed, his warm hazel eyes that had always held loyalty now cold with something Dante couldn't recognize. "For six months. Planning. Coordinating with Catalina. Feeding her information. Positioning Lorenzo. Setting up every piece on the board while you were too busy falling in love to notice your kingdom crumbling.""Why?" The word tore from Dante's chest. "Twenty years, Marco. Twenty years of brotherhood. Of loyalty. Of…..of everything we built together. Why betray that? Why betray me?""Because you betrayed us first," Marco said, trying to sit up despite the bullet in his shoulder. "The moment you married her……." He gestured to Isabella with contempt. "The moment you let some restaurant