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All Chapters of I Faked My Death, He Lost His Soul: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

28 Chapters

Chapter 1

I stared at my reflection in the ornate mirror. My face was still vivid, alive. I could feel my heart beating in my chest again, a heart that craved freedom. I took a deep breath.This time, I didn’t want William Salvatore. I didn’t want his suffocating version of love.I just wanted to be myself. Isabella Caruso, free, bright, and reckless.The first thing I did was storm downstairs and find my father, Victor Caruso, having breakfast in the formal dining room.“I’m calling off the engagement to William Salvatore.”Victor’s spoon clattered against his fine china. He looked up, his face flushing with anger. “What kind of nonsense is this now?! I’ve indulged your whims before, but this? An alliance with the Salvatore Family is something men would kill for! Do you have any idea how exceptional William is? His lineage, his capabilities, his control… he’s one in a million!”I looked at his face, the face of a man who’d happily bundle me up and deliver me to the Salvatores, and felt a cold l

Chapter 2

My body went rigid. Slowly, I turned.William Salvatore stood at the edge of our private booth.He was dressed in a flawlessly tailored black suit, his posture ramrod straight. His austere, controlled presence was a violent contrast to the chaotic sensuality of the club—a stark monolith in a riot of color. The very air around him seemed to still and chill.Chloe choked on her drink, sobering instantly. She shot me a wide-eyed you’re-on-your-own look, snatched her purse, and vanished into the crowd.Suddenly, it was just him and me.And my offending hand, still resting against the companion’s face.William’s eyes tracked to my hand. His gaze darkened, turning into something lethal.He stepped forward in one fluid motion, his fingers closing like a steel manacle around my wrist. His icy stare shifted to the young man. “Out.”That single word, delivered with the quiet weight of absolute authority, sent the companion and his friends scrambling. They disappeared like ghosts.I yanked my wri

Chapter 3

I walked into the mansion. In the grand living room, my father Victor, his mistress-turned-wife Giselle, and my half-sister Seraphina were waiting, a perfect little tribunal.Victor took in my disheveled state, the smell of smoke and alcohol. His face darkened. “Where have you been? Look at you! This is how a Caruso behaves?”I walked toward the staircase. “I’m not marrying into the Salvatores. Where I go and what I do is my business now.”Seraphina rose gracefully. She approached me, a faint, hopeful smile on her lips. “Isabella… Father said you’ve decided to… relinquish the engagement to me. Is it true?”Her hypocrisy made my skin crawl. “Yes. It’s yours. You always did like taking cast-offs.”“Isabella, watch your mouth!” Victor roared. “A match with William Salvatore is a gift from God! I’ve already spoken to the Salvatore Family. They find Seraphina far more suitable! Don’t come crying to me later with regrets!”I let out a short, sharp laugh. “I don’t have regrets.”From the sofa

Chapter 4

“That’s not true!” she hissed, her voice sharp. “He’d be glad it’s me! I’m not telling him yet because I want it to be a revelation! So keep your mouth shut!”“Don’t worry. Your little marital games don’t interest me.”This life was for me.Somehow, I still ended up at the gathering—a high-stakes meet of syndicate associates and legitimate business fronts at a historic, guarded manor.I wore a blood-red gown that plunged in the back, a statement of fire against Seraphina’s virginal white chiffon.When the time came for the opening formalities, a traditional dance, William’s eyes passed over me and settled on Seraphina. He extended his hand to her.A low murmur rippled through the crowd.“The Caruso heiress is Isabella, no? Why the sister?”“The message is clear. The Don prefers the… manageable one.”“Naturally. Seraphina Caruso understands decorum. The older one… beautiful, but volatile. A liability for a man in his position.”William ignored the whispers. He glanced at me, his explana

Chapter 5

Chaos erupted from the gardens below—shouts, screams, the sound of people running.I stood at the broken railing and looked down. A crowd had already formed around the white heap on the grass that was Seraphina. I felt nothing. An empty, quiet stillness.I adjusted the strap of my gown, picked up my discarded shawl, and walked calmly back inside.I had just cleared the balcony doors when a hand clamped onto my wrist with brutal force.William.He must have run. His breathing was slightly ragged, but his eyes were the terrifying part—a storm of fury and utter disbelief.“Seraphina fell from the balcony,” he said, each word dipped in ice. “You were there.”I pulled my arm, but his grip was iron. “I was.”“Did you cause it?”“Yes. What of it?”His face darkened, the controlled mask shattering into something raw and dangerous. “I told you to learn from her. Is this your idea of a lesson? You will come with me. You will apologize to her.”“Apologize?” The laugh that escaped me was hollow. “

Chapter 6

I woke again to the sharp, clean scent of disinfectant.I opened my eyes to the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room. My hand was warm, trapped in another. I turned my head. William Salvatore sat in a chair by the bed, holding my hand. His eyes were closed, faint shadows of fatigue beneath them.He must have felt me stir. His eyes snapped open.Our gazes locked. He released my hand immediately, the weariness and something that looked uncomfortably like concern in his eyes vanishing, replaced by his usual impenetrable calm.“I’ve spoken to your father,” he said, his voice flat, devoid of inflection. “I’ve taken responsibility for the incident. He won’t press the matter further. But, Isabella, you must promise me you will not lay a hand on Seraphina again. She is your sister.”“I never asked you to take responsibility for anything,” I croaked, my throat raw. The sound was laced with scorn. “And that bastard-born shadow has never been my sister. In our world, a girl of her… origins wo

Chapter 7

“What are you laughing at?” Victor demanded, unnerved by the sound.I lifted my head. My eyes, cold and sharp as broken glass, locked on Seraphina, who was still perfecting her wounded-dove act. “You enjoy performing? Let me give you a scene you’ll never forget.”I moved.My hand shot out, grabbing a heavy, solid-silver letter opener from the vanity. Before anyone could react, I drove it down with all my strength.It pierced the back of Seraphina’s hand, the tip embedding in the wooden floorboards beneath the rug.A scream, genuine and shrill this time, tore from her throat. Blood welled around the silver, vivid against her pale skin.“You… you vicious creature! Out!” Victor was trembling, apoplectic. He pointed to the door. “Get out of this house! I will not harbor a viper like you!”He shouted for the household guards. Two large men appeared and seized my arms, hauling me from the room, down the stairs, and out the front door. A small suitcase followed, tossed unceremoniously onto th

Chapter 8

I left the hospital, again, just in time for Seraphina’s birthday gala.The Caruso mansion was a blaze of light and sound. As the disgraced but still technically eldest daughter, my presence was mandatory.I stood in a shadowed alcove, a ghost at my own family’s feast. I watched Victor, his face flushed with pride and expensive champagne, parade Seraphina through the crowd. He stopped before the assembled guests—rival family underbosses, corrupt politicians, business associates with slippery morals.“To my daughter,” he announced, his voice booming. “The true light of this family! As a token of my faith, I am transferring controlling interest in Caruso Shipping and seventy percent of my liquid assets to her name.”A murmur of approval and envy rippled through the room.I felt nothing. Just a deep, cold stillness.My own birthdays had been silent affairs. A small cake ordered by a disinterested housekeeper. Candles blown out in an empty dining room. Wishes that dissolved into the quiet.

Chapter 9

“Seraphina! Don’t you dare! I will end you!” I thrashed, but the days of confinement had sapped my strength. The men easily grabbed my arms.“End me?” She laughed, a light, tinkling sound. “William would stop you long before you got close. Or have you forgotten which of us he always believes?”The words were a precision strike. They found the core of my despair and detonated it.The fight drained out of me. What was the point?The men didn’t strap me to a chair. They hauled me to the center of the room where a heavy chain with manacles hung from a hook in the ceiling, used in the past for… interrogations.They fastened the cold steel cuffs around my wrists and hoisted me up until my toes barely scraped the concrete. The strain on my shoulders was immediate, agonizing.Seraphina watched, her head tilted. “Too impersonal.” She walked to a utility shelf and came back with a rubber-coated sap, the kind used to inflict pain without leaving obvious marks.“Let’s see if we can beat some sense

Chapter 10

I went upstairs.In the early hours of the morning, as the city began to lighten, my phone screen glowed on the nightstand. A single message.My visa application. Approved.I got out of bed. I dressed in simple, dark clothes. I picked up the single, pre-packed suitcase by the door and opened my bedroom door for the last time.As I descended the stairs, I saw him.William Salvatore, dressed in a flawlessly tailored morning suit, stood in the grand foyer. His wedding party—a collection of severe-looking consiglieri and captains—stood behind him. Seraphina, at her own insistence, had chosen a traditional ceremony. She was a swirl of ivory silk and lace, a veil covering her face.William approached her. He couldn’t see her features. He thought it was me under the lace.He took her hand. His voice, usually so cool, was uncharacteristically gentle. “It’s alright. I’m here.”I stood in the shadows of the staircase, watching.William Salvatore.The impeccable Don.He deserved a poised, complia

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