Chapter 4

The news cycle moves fast, but in our world, the whispers of the mafia move faster.

Sofia Moretti had allegedly "attempted suicide."

That was the official story fed to the press.

The unofficial story, circulated in hushed tones over espresso, was that she had thrown a Ming vase at a maid, slipped on the spilled water, and sliced her wrist on the shards.

A tragedy of clumsiness, masquerading as despair.

But Dante treated it like a national emergency.

He spent three days at her bedside, holding vigil.

He didn't call me. Not once.

I was back in my leaky apartment, counting down the hours.

I had seven days left.

I had a calendar on the wall with a big red circle around October 22nd.

That was the day the freighter left for Europe.

I had bought a ticket under the name Jeanette Moreau.

I spent my days painting to keep from screaming.

I painted Dante. But not as a god. I painted him as a monster with a hollow chest, a void where a heart should be.

I painted Sofia as a snake eating its own tail, choking on her own venom.

It was therapeutic. It was necessary.

On the fifth day, the TV in the diner was blaring above the clatter of silverware.

*Breaking News: Union of Power. Dante Vitiello and Sofia Moretti announce engagement.*

I dropped a tray of coffee.

The mugs shattered, ceramic shrapnel skittering across the linoleum.

The customers stared. The silence was deafening.

I looked at the screen.

There they were.

Dante, looking tired but resolute, his jaw set in stone. Sofia, looking pale, her wrist bandaged, clinging to him like a parasitic vine.

She was wearing a diamond the size of a grape.

My husband. Engaged.

While I was still legally his wife.

I walked out of the diner. I didn't even clock out.

I got to my apartment, my movements mechanical.

The door was unlocked.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I pushed it open.

Sitting on my only chair was Uncle Sal. The Consigliere.

The man who had walked me down the aisle because my father was dead.

He smiled. It was a rehearsed expression that didn't reach his eyes.

"Elena," he said. "This place... it's quaint."

"Get out, Sal," I said, my voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"We need to talk business."

He placed a document on my rickety table.

"Annulment papers," he said. "Based on... mental instability on your part. And failure to produce an heir."

"I see," I said, staring at the damning words. "And the engagement on TV?"

"Politics, Elena. You know how it is. The Morettis were threatening war after Sofia's... accident. Dante had to step up."

"He had to marry his mistress to stop a war?" I laughed, a harsh, brittle sound. "How noble."

"Sign the papers, Elena. You'll get a stipend. Enough to live... modestly."

"And my shares?" I asked. "The 5% of the shipping company Dante gave me as a wedding gift?"

Sal's smile vanished instantly.

"Revoked. Family assets stay with family. You are no longer family."

I looked at the papers.

They were stripping me of everything. My name, my dignity, my money.

The door opened again.

Dante walked in.

He looked exhausted, shadows bruising the skin beneath his eyes. He looked at me, then at the room, wrinkling his nose at the scent of turpentine and stale air.

"Elena," he said, his voice rough. "Just sign. Don't make this difficult."

"Difficult?" I asked. "You're engaged, Dante. We're married."

"The church will grant the annulment. I have connections."

"Is this what you choose?" I asked him, looking deep into his eyes, searching for the man I thought I knew. "Really?"

"It's my duty," he said, reciting the script. "Sofia needs stability. The families need to merge."

I reached into my pocket.

I pulled out the simple gold band I still wore.

I took it off. It felt heavy in my palm.

I placed it on the table next to the papers.

"Done," I said.

Dante stared at the ring. He looked... hurt?

No. Just bruised ego.

Suddenly, a shriek came from the hallway, piercing the tension.

Sofia burst in.

She was wearing a white fur coat over hospital pajamas, a grotesque parody of elegance.

She looked deranged.

"You!" she screamed, pointing a bandaged hand at me. "You did this! You made him wait! You made me bleed!"

She lunged at me.

Dante caught her, holding her back against his chest.

"Sofia, calm down," he soothed.

"She's a witch!" Sofia sobbed, turning to the bodyguards who had filled the hallway. "She cursed me! Look at this place! She's a rat living in a sewer!"

"Sign it!" she shrieked at me, spittle flying from her lips. "Sign it and die!"

The bodyguards looked at me with disgust.

"Ungrateful," one muttered. "After everything the Boss did for her."

"Greedy," said another.

They were rewriting history in front of my eyes.

I was the villain. Sofia was the victim.

I looked at Dante, holding the woman who killed my mother.

I looked at Sal, the man who sold me out.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself.

"I'll sign," I said.

Sofia stopped screaming. She smiled, a triumphant, ugly smirk.

"But," I added.

I leaned forward, my hands on the table, locking eyes with Dante.

"The Vitiello family must publicly admit that my mother's death is being investigated as a homicide. And that Sofia Moretti is a suspect."

Silence.

Absolute, heavy silence descended upon the room.

Dante's face went hard.

"No," he said.

"Then I don't sign," I said. "And I go to the press. Not the mafia press. The New York Times. I have proof, Dante. I have the toxicology report you tried to burn."

"You're bluffing," Sal said, though his confidence wavered.

"Try me," I whispered. "I have nothing left to lose. Do you?"