Chapter 3

The syndicate gala was held at a sprawling estate, a grand affair where the air was thick with the scent of expensive cigars.

I walked in with my arm linked through Caspian's.

The moment we stepped into the VIP lounge, the whispers rolled in like a tide.

Capos and their underlings stood in small clusters, their gazes sweeping over me with thinly veiled contempt.

"Look at her, the fragile outsider." A voice drifted from a corner.

"She probably threatened to jump off a roof to force him to bring her tonight."

Caspian ignored the muttered insults, leading me toward the inner circle seating.

He walked straight to the center of a deep blue velvet sofa and sat down.

Elena was already there, settling in on his right side, a crystal champagne flute held casually in her hand.

There was no seat left for me.

I stood in front of the low coffee table, watching Elena's loyal sycophants sneer at each other.

A high-ranking soldier leaned back and, with clear intent, blew a thick cloud of smoke in my direction.

"You look tired, Sienna. Maybe the mafia life is too tough for a civilian."

In the past, I would have silently begged Caspian to protect me.

Tonight, I looked the soldier dead in the eye.

"And you look like a man overcompensating for his lack of power by insulting women," I replied calmly.

"Does your Boss know you sit around gossiping all day like a bored housewife?"

The soldier's face darkened with rage, turning a purplish red.

The lounge fell dead silent.

Caspian gripped the armrest of the sofa, his knuckles turning white.

"Drop it, Sienna," he warned in a low voice.

I let out a short, dry laugh.

I turned my back on the most dangerous men in New York.

"I'll leave you to your real family, Don Caspian."

I walked out of the lounge, ignoring the renewed whispers of men predicting I'd come crawling back in tears.

I needed fresh air.

I wandered through the estate's manicured gardens until I found the magnificent swimming pool, its water glowing with a deep, artificial blue beneath the night sky.

The sharp click of heels against stone sounded behind me.

Elena stepped out of the shadows, her fake sweetness instantly gone.

"You're pathetic, Sienna," she sneered in a low voice.

"You think a few sharp words will change anything? You have no power here."

I turned to face her, a wave of exhaustion washing over me.

"Then why don't you make him break his oath? Make him divorce me and take him. I don't want him."

Elena aggressively invaded my personal space, her eyes flashing. "This family belongs to my bloodline. You are a stain on his reign."

"Let's see how much he really cares about you."

"I don't want to see-" Before I could react, her hands slammed hard against my chest.

She shoved me backward.

My heels slipped on the wet stone edge.

I crashed heavily into the water, the freezing cold rushing instantly into my nose and mouth.

The water burned my bandaged wrists, a searing pain tearing through the deep, unhealed wounds. The newly stitched veins groaned in agony from the irritation, and the gauze was instantly soaked with fresh blood.

I couldn't swim!

Panic gripped my chest as I thrashed beneath the surface.

My heavy, waterlogged gown dragged me down into the deep end like a stone.

Through the distorted, churning surface of the water, I saw figures rushing toward the edge.

Then I saw Caspian dive in.

But as I sank toward the bottom of the pool, I watched his dark silhouette slice through the water.

He swam right past me.

He reached for Elena-who had jumped in to play the victim and cover her tracks-and pulled her toward the surface.

A sharp pang of pain pierced my heart.

The very last shred of love I had for him drowned in that suffocating water.

Another pair of arms grabbed me from behind, hauling me upward with all their might.

I broke the surface, gasping for air, coughing violently as I spat pool water onto the rough flagstones.

My savior was a man I didn't recognize. He knelt beside me, his hands on my trembling shoulders to steady me.

A moment later, Caspian walked over, water dripping steadily from his ruined, expensive suit.

"Are you hurt?" he asked with a frown, his tone flat.

A cold, crystal-clear fury flooded my exhausted muscles.

I stumbled to my feet, soaking wet and shivering.

I didn't lunge at him or cry about my grievances.

Instead, using every last ounce of my remaining strength, I raised my arm and swung.

My palm struck the Don's face hard, the sharp crack echoing over the water.

The deadliest men in the syndicate gasped in shock, the sound of weapons being drawn from holsters slicing through the air around the pool.

Caspian didn't move. He took the blow head-on, his head turning slightly from the impact, before raising a hand to halt his guards.

"I want a divorce," I said, my voice trembling with rage.

"Consider that slap my parting gift."