Betrayed While Carrying the Mafia Heir

Liliana's POV After they left, I managed to crawl to the door, but it was locked. I started banging on it with both fists, the sound swallowed by the tile and concrete. "No, no, no," I mumbled, tears rolling down my cheeks. My stomach hurt so badly as blood trickled down my thighs, pooling warm against the cold hospital floor. I grabbed my phone and hurriedly opened it just as a voice note from Nadina popped up on the screen. I tapped it and her mocking voice filled the restroom. 'Hey, bitch, so I mistakenly locked you up and put up a do not disturb sign. Oops, guess no one would find you now. Just bleed to death already and die!' Immediately I finished listening to the voice note, it was automatically deleted. Tears ran down my cheeks as I dialed Giacomo's number. He picked up on the fifth ring. "Please, Giacomo, help me. I'm stuck in the bathroom. Nadina—" "I know," Giacomo's cold voice sounded over the phone, interrupting me. I paused as I stared at my phone, my mouth open in shock. "You know she locked me up?" I asked, desperately hoping it wasn't what I was thinking. "Yes, it's your punishment for trying to hurt her. Sleep on that cold dirty floor and reflect on yourself," Giacomo answered coldly. Pietro's voice sounded immediately, "And don't come back if you aren't ready to beg for forgiveness!" The line went dead immediately as I stared at my phone speechless. The two people who had sworn a blood oath to protect me had just locked me up, leaving me in so much pain after the trauma I'd gone through in two days. I was kidnapped, thrown from a moving car, lost my baby, all because of Nadina, and I'm the one who hurt her and should apologize. That night I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt. My laughter sounded hollow, like someone who had lost her mind. The sound bounced off the tile walls and came back to me wrong, distorted, the laughter of a woman locked inside a room that smelled of bleach and her own blood in a building the Russo Family owned from basement to roof. By morning, the cleaners found me passed out on the restroom floor. They took me to the Family doctor, who sighed when he saw me. "What have you gotten yourself into, Liliana?" he asked me with a weary sigh. I gave him a teary look. "I have no idea, doctor." "You've lost so much blood, Liliana. You've been through a lot of stress. I'm afraid if you don't rest and recover, your body could face irreversible damage," the doctor advised me. I nodded. "Thank you, doctor." "Also, the nurse will bring the bill. You don't have coverage under any Family account on file with us," the doctor informed me. I sat up on the bed, wincing and frowning. "What do you mean, doctor? I have coverage under my husband's account." The doctor frowned as he tapped on his phone. "I'll call the nurse in accounting to come sort this out." Shortly after he left, the nurse stepped inside holding a laptop. "Miss, please, what's your husband's name?" she asked. I felt bile rise in my throat. I hated acknowledging him now, but I had no money to pay for my bills. "Giacomo Russo," I answered. The nurse tapped furiously on her keyboard and then looked up at me with a frown. "I'm sorry, there's no record of you in our system. The person recorded under Giacomo Russo's account is Nadina Greco and their daughter, Angela Russo," the nurse informed me. For a moment I forgot how to breathe as I stared at the nurse with my mouth hanging open. "W…what?" I stuttered. My husband had registered someone else under his account, leaving me out to dry. As if I had never existed inside that house. As if the years I spent in the Russo compound, cooking their Sunday dinners, pressing his shirts before sit-downs, waiting up past midnight while he conducted Family business, had simply never happened. "How do you intend to pay for your bills, Miss?" the nurse asked impatiently. I gulped softly. "Credit." She glared at me and nodded. Immediately she left, I grabbed my phone ready to call Giacomo and yell at him, but I thought against it. If he didn't see me as his wife, then I would end this sham of a marriage. I limped out of the clinic despite the doctor and nurses protesting for me to rest and recover. I hailed a cab on the avenue outside Russo territory and went straight to a consigliere's office downtown, a man who handled civil matters for families outside the old law. I sat down in the reception area, patiently waiting for the consigliere to call me in. The office was quiet, wood-paneled, the kind of place where men came to dissolve things legally that could never be dissolved any other way. Thirty minutes later, the consigliere called for me. I entered his office and sat across from him, my eyes filled with determination. "How may I help you?" the consigliere asked. "I'd like to file for dissolution of my marriage and erase all ties with Giacomo Russo," I answered. The consigliere nodded and started typing on his computer when he frowned. "Are you Nadina Greco? You'd like to dissolve your union with Giacomo Russo?" he asked me. I frowned. "No, I'm Liliana Russo. I've been married to Giacomo for four years." The consigliere frowned. "According to the official records, that's incorrect. There's no record of a Liliana Russo married to Giacomo Russo. The only marriage record here is the one for Nadina Greco and Giacomo Russo, blood-bound two years ago." I frowned, shaking my head. "That's impossible, Sir. We had a ceremony, witnesses, all of it." I showed him the picture of the marriage certificate on my phone, but he just shook his head. "That's a fake, Miss. See for yourself." He pushed the computer toward me and my heart stopped. Right before my eyes was the legal proof that Nadina and Giacomo had been blood-bound for two years, and Pietro had witnessed it. And the date? It was the exact date my car had broken down in the middle of a storm. I had called Giacomo and Pietro begging them to come pick me up, but they didn't answer my calls and claimed they were in a sit-down. That night I took a shortcut through a stretch of contested territory and was robbed and stabbed twelve times and almost bled out in an alley, except for a stranger who saved me. I was nine months pregnant then. I lost my baby and had eighteen stitches. So two years ago, when I almost died, my husband was binding himself to someone else, which made him too busy to save me. My chest clenched so violently, I couldn't sit still. I stood up, but the ground spun. My knees gave out. I hit the floor, sobbing, gasping for air. "No… it can't be." The consigliere rushed to my side. "Miss, are you alright? Should I call an ambulance?" His voice echoed like it was underwater. I curled into myself, rocking back and forth. My nails digging into my arms. The pain was suffocating. The room smelled of old paper and polished wood and none of it was real, none of the four years had been real, and the floor was cold against my cheek the way the restroom floor had been cold, the way the pavement had been cold the night they threw me from the car. "No, it can't be. No, it can't be. No, no, no—"

Liliana's POV I don't know how long I cried on the floor of the consigliere's office, curled up like a ball, but when I finally stood up, I wiped my tears and sighed. It couldn't get any worse than this. My marriage of four years to Giacomo Russo had been nothing but a farce. I wanted to scream at him and ask why he would do such wickedness to me. Why tie me down for fifteen years? Fifteen years ago, I moved into the Russo compound to take care of them after they lost their parents and their sister in a car bombing. I had been their closest friend and they asked me to live with them. For years I helped them heal. I woke Pietro up when he screamed from the nightmares of the explosion, the smell of burning metal still clinging to his skin. When we became adults I fell in love with Giacomo and he said he loved me back. He married me shortly after, and like a fool I happily did whatever I could to keep making them happy. Even when Nadina came into the picture a year after my marriage, I hadn't been bothered. Nadina had been my best friend in college. My childhood friend. She was my bridesmaid. She'd never harm me. But I was so wrong. The three of them hurt me in a way that I couldn't even think about it fully without losing my breath. What did I ever do to deserve this? Why didn't he just tell me he never loved me? Why go through all this hell just to ruin me? "Miss, should I call someone for you? Hospital? Police? A friend?" The consigliere's voice broke through my thoughts. I stared at him and smiled bitterly. "Thank you so much. I'll leave now." I staggered out of the office watching as they all stared at me, pity evident in their eyes. The receptionist looked away. The armed man stationed by the door didn't. I hailed a cab to head back to the compound. I had nowhere else to go and I needed to pack my things. I had one goal now: get my passport. Cancel this identity. Erase "Liliana Russo" for good. The house was quiet when I entered and I was grateful. However, after I grabbed my passport and started coming out, I heard voices in the sitting room. Putting on a calm facade, I walked out and ignored them. Pietro and Giacomo were having dinner while Nadina was lying on Giacomo's legs. The table was set with Sunday silver. Wine poured. Candles lit. They looked like a beautiful family. A perfect picture of a deceitful family. I had barely taken three steps when Giacomo's voice rang out. "Liliana!" I didn't stop. However, I felt a painful grip on my arm. I turned to realize Pietro had grabbed me. "Are you deaf? Can't you hear us calling?" Pietro snarled at me. I ignored him and yanked my arm away from him. "I don't have time for whatever this is." Pietro threw his head back and laughed coldly as he suddenly grabbed my bag. "Kneel and apologize to Nadina for hurting her earlier and then maybe we'll let you leave," Pietro said. I turned my sad eyes to Giacomo hoping that just maybe he might help me. But instead, he agreed with Pietro. "Yes, Liliana. The doctor said if we hadn't come in time Nadina would have bled and died. You almost killed her, so an apology is the least you can do." I scoffed softly. "I almost killed her? She wanted me dead! I have been through hell for two days and no one asked me anything. Then—" "It's fine, Giacomo. Let her be, Pietro, she doesn't have to apologize," Nadina interrupted me softly, acting like the victim once again. Her fingertips drifted to the hollow of her throat as she spoke, that delicate little gesture she wore like innocence. Giacomo suddenly stood up, furious. "No, it's not okay, Nadina. She can't harm you and go scot-free. If you don't apologize this instant, I will punish you, Liliana!" I shrugged. "I'm not apologizing for what I didn't do, Giacomo. Do your worst." Giacomo dragged me roughly outside as he grabbed a bottle, smashed it against the stone courtyard. Pietro shoved me forward. They forced me to kneel on the shards. Pain sliced through my skin. I gasped as glass embedded in my knees. "Count to one hundred," Pietro snapped. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. They stood over me. Watching. The compound lights threw their shadows long across the ground, and somewhere behind them the house was warm and lit and I could smell the dinner still on the table. Nadina smirked behind them. By the time they reached a hundred, I was faint from blood loss. Pietro tossed my bag at me. "Fucking useless bitch." "Next time you touch Nadina, I'll kill you myself," Giacomo added. His right fist clenched and unclenched at his side, as though the violence he'd already dealt still wasn't enough. They walked away. I staggered to the side wall, pulling glass from my knees, barely holding back screams. I tore an old dress hanging outside and wrapped my knees. I refused to let this stop me. If anything it made me want to cancel my identity more. My thumb found the inside of my left wrist without thinking, pressing into the skin there, and the fresh pain in my knees joined the older pain that never fully left. I hailed a cab and went to the immigration office. I was attended to immediately by a junior agent. "Are you sure about this? Once we sign these documents, Liliana Russo doesn't exist again," the agent said. I nodded. "That's what I want." He asked for my passport and I handed it over as he scanned it when suddenly red lights flashed, sirens blared, and alarms echoed through the room. "What's happening?" I asked. Men in black surrounded me. Guns holstered. I was seized, dragged into a cold, sterile office. "What are you doing? I didn't do anything!" Officer Lombardi slammed the passport down. He tapped his badge once with his index finger, the gesture of a man who believed the institution made him untouchable. "Fake document. Fraud. You're under arrest." I was stunned as I stuttered. "No—Giacomo Russo gave me that passport! Call him. He'll explain—" He picked up the phone, pulled up the registry system, then dialed. Giacomo answered. "Russo residence." "Mr. Russo, this is Officer Lombardi, Immigration and Customs. A woman named Liliana Russo—she claims you gave her this passport. Can you confirm that you know her?" There was a pause. Then Giacomo's voice—calm, composed, merciless. "I don't know anyone by that name." I screamed. "Giacomo! It's me! Please—" The officer ignored me. "Just to confirm, sir. You deny giving her any documents? Please be certain because she will be arrested." Without a moment of hesitation, Giacomo's voice sounded again. "I don't know her. Do whatever you wish. I have to go take care of my wife and daughter." Then the line went dead with a click. I watched in horror as I was handcuffed and led out of the office, but I couldn't cry or scream. All that kept resounding in my ears was Giacomo's last words. I don't know her. Do whatever you wish. I have to go take care of my wife and daughter.

Liliana's POV That night, I couldn't speak. I just sat there, staring at the stained walls of the holding cell, numb. I'd been arrested for submitting a forged passport. And the one person who should have saved me? He threw me to the wolves. "You got anyone to call?" the guard asked, locking the cell door behind him. The bolt echoed through the concrete corridor like a gunshot. I nodded silently. My heart was hollow. My cheeks were crusted with dried tears. My throat raw from screaming and begging. "One call. Don't waste it." He slid a phone through the bars. I tapped in the number. It rang once. "Hello? Who is this?" My mother's voice sounded over the receiver. Relief flooded me. "Hi, Mom. I need your help." "Liliana? Why are you calling from a strange number? Where are you?" my mother asked worriedly. "It's a long story. There was a mix-up. I've been arrested." "What?!" she shouted. "Who dares lay a hand on you?! Do they know who you are?!" Even through the static of the prison phone, I could hear it. Not just a mother's panic. The cold fury of Cosima Valentino, a woman who had held territory together while her husband's heart failed him, who had kept rival families from smelling blood in the water for fifteen years. When she said do they know who you are, it was not a question. It was a threat she expected me to relay. "Please, just talk to Dad. I need out of here. And a new passport. In my name." She paused. "Alright, baby girl. Hang in there. You'll be out soon." The line disconnected. The guard gave me a suspicious look, then left. A while later, he returned with a bitter update. "Nobody's available to process your release tonight. You stay till morning." I didn't answer. I climbed onto the narrow spring bed, curling into myself. But every time I closed my eyes, I heard Giacomo's voice. Nadina's laugh. Pietro's silence. And their baby's cries. They'd taken everything from me. In five days, I'd be gone. And when I left, they'd regret it. Around midnight, I drifted off. I woke to scraping metal. My eyes opened just as the cell door creaked. Seven women stepped in. My heart stopped. Before I could scream, a hand clamped over my mouth. "Nadina sends her warmest regards," one of them sneered. And then the beating began. Fists rained down. Kicks to my ribs. Fingers clawed at my skin. One bit my shoulder, another yanked my hair until I screamed. This was a contracted hit inside the walls. Paid for, arranged, delivered with the efficiency of someone who had done this before. There was nothing random about it. Seven women, midnight, an unlocked cell. Someone had greased the right palms. I whimpered and tried to fight, but it was useless. When they were done, I was barely breathing. My body throbbed. Blood soaked the floor. I heard faint shouting, guards rushing in, and then everything went dark. When I opened my eyes, everything smelled like antiseptic. The sharp beeping of machines echoed beside me. I was in a hospital. Pain lit up every nerve in my body. "Don't sit up," a voice warned. I turned slowly. The same doctor. The one who'd warned me before. "How do you feel?" I tried to shrug. My shoulders screamed. "Terrible," I rasped. My voice was gone. My throat was shredded. "You were in critical condition. You've been unconscious for three days." "Good," I whispered. "Two more days to go." He frowned. "No, Liliana. This isn't good. I warned you. And now… I'm sorry, but you'll never be able to carry a child again." I stared at the doctor without blinking, my heart already numb. My hands subconsciously touched my stomach and a small whimper escaped my lips. "I'm so sorry, Liliana," the doctor said. "The bleeding was too much. It was the only way to save your life." I was heartbroken and devastated but still the tears couldn't drop. I let out a sigh. They'd taken everything from me and left me with nothing. I'll do the same to them. My thumb found the inside of my left wrist. I pressed into the scars there, the ones from the broken glass, still fresh beneath the bruises. The pain was the only thing that felt real. The only thing that was mine. The doctor handed me my phone. "It's been ringing nonstop for three days," he said. "Please take care of yourself." I took my phone and saw several missed calls from my mom including messages and pictures. Where are you, Liliana? What happened? Your father got you released but the guard said you had an accident. Please call me. Liliana, your father has done what you asked and you've gotten a new passport. I sent a picture below and mailed the passport to you. Liliana, I'm worried about you. Your flight has been booked. You leave in two days, call me! I stared at the screen for a moment, then typed the only thing I could. Thank you so much, Mommy. I'm fine, just tidying things up here. See you soon. As I hit send, the door opened and Nadina walked inside with her baby in a stroller. "Oh, Liliana, imagine my happiness when the doctor told me you're awake," Nadina gushed in a fake cheerful voice. She moved through the hospital room like she owned it, the same way she moved through every room. Two fingertips drifted to the hollow of her throat as she smiled. I glared at her, my eyes blank. "What do you want?" "I just brought you lunch. The boys were just messing with you by leaving you there. They didn't know you'd be hurt." She set down a flask. Pulled out a steaming bowl. I recoiled. Seafood. She knew I was allergic. "Leave me alone," I said through clenched teeth. "Before I strangle you." Her smile turned sharp. "But I'm not done yet, love. You're not dead." She leaned in and shoved the plate closer. The smell made my stomach twist. I swatted it away, reacting on instinct. The plate shattered as Nadina screamed, staring at her baby in horror. I turned toward the baby's cries. My eyes fell on a tiny shard embedded in the infant's hand. My fingers froze as I saw the blood on the baby's hand. And then the door burst open. Giacomo and Pietro staring down at me like I'd just committed murder. "What's going on here?" Giacomo snapped.

Liliana's POV Immediately Nadina saw them standing by the door. She ran toward them and clutched Giacomo's hands. "She hurt baby Angela!" she cried. "I just brought her soup to cheer her up and she threw it away." "You wanted to poison me. You know I'm allergic to seafood!" I snapped. "I swear I had no idea, Giacomo," Nadina said, and started sobbing pitifully again. I scoffed. The fact they fell for her fake tears was pathetic. Giacomo and Pietro marched toward me like soldiers defending their queen's honor. "How could you be so vicious, huh?" Pietro sneered at me. "A night locked up hasn't done much to reform you, huh? You want more punishment?" Giacomo snarled. I stared at them blankly. "What more do you want to do, huh? You've done everything you could ever possibly do to hurt me." Giacomo's eyes softened for a bit before the baby's cries sounded again and they hardened. "I'll let you off the hook just this time!" he snapped as he left with Nadina and the baby. "Let me off the hook?" I scoffed, laughing like a crazy person. "Do you even know what I've been going through all these days? Do you even know that I lost—" "We need to take Angela to the doctor," Nadina's teary voice interrupted me. And just like that she managed to silence me once again as the boys rallied around her and left with the baby while she gave me a smug smirk before leaving. I stayed in the hospital for a few more hours and they didn't return. When the doctor discharged me he gave me a strict warning. "If you don't rest, you will die, and I'm not joking here," he said. I nodded. "I understand, doctor." When I got back to the Russo compound they weren't back yet. I went into the room I had shared with Giacomo for four years and I brought out a big box. I carried the box outside and I lit a fire in the big metal drum in the courtyard, the one the soldiers used to burn documents that couldn't survive a raid. Then I opened the box and was assaulted with years of memories. Inside, the box was filled with photographs from the ceremony, gifts Giacomo and Pietro had given me over the years whenever I celebrated the anniversary of my union with the Family. As I tossed them into the flame it felt like I was liberating a piece of myself. How naive I was, to love two people who hated me this cruelly. Every piece of paper, jewelry, picture, dress, everything I burnt had a story behind it, but I realized it wasn't a true story. Everything was just a reminder that I had been lied to over the years. As I picked up the last item in the box I stared at it a bit longer. It was a braided bracelet I had made with the boys six years ago, the three cords knotted together the night Pietro swore his oath to me. "I promise to never ever let anyone hurt you. I'll die before I let someone lay a finger on you," Pietro had promised. "You already know I love you, Liliana. I'll love you forever and never let anyone hurt you," Giacomo had promised, kissing me. Now as I held the bracelet and their voices sounded in my mind I smiled bitterly and tossed it into the flames. That was the exact moment the boys arrived and saw the bracelet. They ran toward me. "Have you lost your mind? That's our bracelet!" Pietro snapped as he tried to retrieve it but ended up getting burned. "Why are you burning up our things and throwing a tantrum, Liliana?" Giacomo asked. I scoffed. "They're old and need to be discarded. They don't matter again." Then I walked away and went upstairs ignoring them. As I entered my bedroom my phone rang. It was my mother. I picked up the call immediately and her worried voice sounded through the phone. "What happened, Liliana? Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" I chuckled softly, feeling lighter now that I'd erased all memories I had with the boys. "I'm sorry, Mom, I didn't mean to worry you but I assure you, I'm fine," I said. My mother sighed, relieved to hear my voice. "Your father is still a bit upset with you because you ran off fifteen years ago and didn't come or call home." I always knew my father was the difficult one. Don Lorenzo Valentino didn't forgive easily, and he didn't forget at all. "I'll make it up to him when I'm back," I said. My mother giggled cheerfully. "He's happy that you've finally agreed to the wedding though. The reason I was calling was because I wanted you to pick out your wedding dress. I sent a couple of pictures." "Mom, don't worry. I'll come back soon so we can go shopping for wedding dresses instead, how does that sound?" I asked. She chuckled happily. "Oh that sounds wonderful, Liliana. I'll be waiting." "Alright then, Mom, I'll be back in time for the wedding dress shopping," I said and hung up. Just then the door was pushed open and the two boys stood before me, their eyes wide with horror. "Wedding? What wedding?" Giacomo asked.

The boys stared at me, folding their arms across their chests. "What do you want?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Who were you talking to? And what wedding dress shopping?" Giacomo asked. "My wedding. And you both aren't invited," I answered nonchalantly. The boys stared at each other, then burst into laughter. "Oh, stop, Liliana. You're already married to Giacomo," Pietro said. "Yes, babe, if you're doing this to get my attention, then don't bother," Giacomo added. I stared at them. I should have felt insulted by their audacity in assuming that I was bound to him and wouldn't marry anyone else, but I kept calm. "I was talking to my friend about her wedding," I said instead. Pietro frowned. "You don't have any friends besides Nadina." I glared at him. "I have a lot of friends." Giacomo sighed. "So about earlier, we're sorry we've not been paying you any attention. It's just with Nadina and the baby, everything is so sudden—" "How did Nadina become pregnant and I didn't know? Who's the father?" I asked, interrupting him. I wanted to know what lie he would tell just to keep his secret. Giacomo exchanged a nervous glance with Pietro, and Pietro spoke up immediately. "The baby is mine!" Giacomo nodded quickly. "Yes, it's Pietro's. We just didn't know how to tell you 'cause Pietro and Nadina hooked up once and then she got pregnant and, you know, she's your best friend and all," Giacomo rambled. "Yeah," Pietro nodded. His thumb pressed into the center of his opposite palm without him seeming to notice. I stared at them, half-amused. They must think I'm such an idiot, like I haven't figured out the truth yet. "Listen, maybe I've been a bit harsh on you, especially with the customs situation. It's just you've been making things hard for us too," Giacomo said. "Also, what did you go to do at customs?" Pietro asked. "I was trying to get my passport. I lost mine," I lied smoothly. They nodded, and Giacomo started speaking again. "So… how about we take you to lunch tomorrow afternoon? It'd be like old times, just the three of us," Giacomo suggested. I frowned. "What about Nadina and the baby?" "It's just one afternoon. I'm sure they'll be fine," Giacomo said. I nodded. "Alright, that's fine." They smiled excitedly and hugged me, even though it made my skin crawl. When they left, I locked the door, grabbed my suitcase, and started shoving the rest of my things inside. When I was done, I hid it under the bed. Then I brought out the plane tickets my mother had sent, along with my passport, which I had grabbed from the mailbox earlier. My flight was at noon. The same time I was supposed to be at lunch with the boys. Imagine their surprise when they waited… and I never arrived. Filled with quiet excitement for my trip tomorrow, I decided to sleep early and rest my aching body. By morning, the boys were knocking furiously on my door. I opened it and was instantly blinded by a slap that sent me reeling to the floor. I saw stars as I saw Giacomo standing over me, his eyes bloodshot with anger. His right fist clenched and unclenched at his side, over and over, like a second heartbeat. "W…what is going on?" I managed to croak out. "What did you do to my baby? Something is wrong and she's not breathing properly, you vile creature!" Giacomo yelled at me. "I… I didn't do anything, I've been sleeping—" Nadina's loud sobs interrupted me as she ran toward me and knelt. Her fingertips found the hollow of her throat. "If you were upset why didn't you hurt me instead, huh? Why offer to feed my baby last night and poison her?" Nadina cried. I was stunned. "Poison? Feed? I haven't even left—" "And to think we were trying to be nice to you. Witch!" Pietro spat on me, interrupting me. "If anything happens to Angela, I will make sure you beg for death, Liliana!" Giacomo swore. I watched with swollen eyes as they all left in a hurry. I slowly stood up from the floor, my ribs aching in pain. Wincing slightly I stared at the calendar and a bitter smile crossed my lips. Today was the four-year anniversary of my fake blood-bound union with Giacomo. I took off my clothes and stood in front of the mirror naked and I couldn't recognize the woman staring back at me. She seemed to have aged faster than her age. She was covered in bruises, the price she paid trying to make love work. I shook my head. This isn't the woman I want to keep being. I walked into the bathroom and took a long hot shower as I massaged my swollen eyes with an ice pack. Then I did a little makeup and dressed up in a beautiful short red dress. The next time I looked into the mirror again with my dark sunglasses, I saw a different woman filled with confidence. I spent the next hour curating an anniversary package for Giacomo. I wrapped up three boxes and wrote a small note and pinned it to those boxes as I gave them to the courier. "Make sure they're delivered and opened immediately. Giacomo Russo. The Russo compound," I instructed. After the courier left, I grabbed my bag and ordered a ride. As I stood inside the compound one last time, a cruel laugh escaped my lips. "Wait for my vendetta, sweet Russo family," I whispered. Then I turned on the gas and walked to the front door. I lit the match and threw it into the house and walked out. As my car drove me to the airport, I watched as the Russo compound exploded in flames and I felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Burning down a family's house. In the old language, it meant total war. Absolute severance. But this was only the beginning of what I had planned for them. They just wait and see.

Giacomo's POV I paced in front of the emergency room while Pietro stood a few feet away, arms crossed, jaw tight. Nadina sat on the plastic chair nearest the door, crying into her hands. "I really hope nothing has happened to Angela," she wailed. "How can Liliana be so cruel as to hurt a baby?" Pietro snapped angrily. I ran a hand through my hair and the confused face of Liliana flashed before my eyes. "But… but Liliana has never been violent," I found myself saying. Pietro stared at me. "Liliana? Have you forgotten we don't know her anymore? All she's done is cause pain to Nadina and ruin things for us. She's capable of anything." "But still—" I started to say again, but Pietro interrupted me. "This is your child, for fuck's sake, Giacomo. Liliana hurt her," he snapped. I frowned. "But it doesn't make sense. Why would she hurt the baby when we already apologized to her?" Pietro furrowed his eyebrows as he suddenly stared at me. "What if she found out the truth? That Angela is actually your daughter." I shook my head. "I don't know. It doesn't matter even if she did find out. She's never going to leave me. She's been ours for fifteen years. Where will she go?" I said it the way you'd say a thing you've always believed, the way a man talks about a dog that keeps coming back no matter how many times you kick it. The fluorescent hospital lights buzzed overhead. Somewhere down the corridor, a guard we'd posted at the entrance shifted his weight. "She has no family. No allies. No one in this world who'd take her in." Pietro nodded. "Yeah, well she better pray nothing happens to my niece, or I'll kill her." Nadina approached me at that moment, her eyes red and puffy as she clung to my arms. "What am I ever going to do if something happens to Angela, Giacomo? I'll die," she wailed. I hugged her, kissing her forehead and whispering reassuring words to her. "That's not going to happen. Our baby will be fine," I said to her. Shortly after, the emergency door opened and the doctor stepped outside. We all moved toward him, concern etched on our faces. "Doctor, how's Angela?" I asked worriedly. The man smiled. "It's nothing serious. Angela had a bad reaction to her mother's breastmilk. I'd recommend her mother stop breastfeeding the baby until she's gotten rid of whatever diet or pills she's on." I blinked while Pietro and Nadina heaved a sigh of relief. "Wait… so there's no poison? Angela wasn't poisoned?" I asked, my chest tight with emotions. The doctor laughed. "Poison? Gosh, why would you think that. If there's anyone to blame it would be the mother. She's not supposed to take certain things while breastfeeding." I turned to Nadina, furious. "But you told us Liliana poisoned Angela." Nadina burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Giacomo. I made a mistake and I was scared. I'll apologize to Liliana." My mouth fell open in shock. "You made a mistake? I hit her! We insulted her and you knew all the while she didn't do anything to Angela?" Pietro, who had gone to bring Angela from the nurse, returned and saw Nadina crying. "Why are you crying, Nadina? See, Angela is fine," he said. "Of course Angela is fine because she's the one who hurt her and not Liliana!" I snapped. Nadina kept sobbing pitifully as she hid her face in her palm. "I'm sorry, I'll apologize to Liliana, it was a mistake," she cried. Pietro glared at me. "Stop doing that, Giacomo. Everyone is watching and Nadina isn't supposed to cry. She just made one silly mistake. We can all apologize to Liliana." Reluctantly, I pulled Nadina into my arms as I wiped off her tears. "It's alright. Just be more careful and don't go blaming others for your mistakes," I said to her. She nodded, hiding her face in my chest. Her fingers touched the hollow of her throat for just a moment before she tucked them away. As we prepared to leave, a nurse arrived with a courier. The man wore a plain dark suit, the kind of anonymous uniform used by the bonded delivery services the families employed when they wanted something hand-delivered with a witness. "Mr. Russo, this courier is here for you," the nurse said. I frowned and turned to Pietro. "Are you expecting something?" He shook his head and turned to Nadina, who declined. "I was sent to deliver these packages to Giacomo Russo from Liliana Valentino," the courier said. I turned to him. "That's me. Why is Liliana sending packages when she's at the compound?" "I have no idea," the courier said as he handed me three small boxes and a leather-bound ledger. "Please sign here." I signed and was still frowning as I stared at the boxes. "I've been instructed to make sure the boxes are opened before you leave," he said. Pietro frowned. "What nonsense is this? What tantrum is she throwing again?" Nadina shrugged. "I guess it doesn't really matter. Just open the boxes so we can go home, Giacomo." I set the three boxes on the desk and opened the first one. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets as I stared at the document in front of me. Pietro gasped and Nadina inhaled sharply. "She knows," I mumbled. In the first box was the blood-bound union certificate between me and Liliana from four years ago, along with the marriage contract between me and Nadina from two years ago. Both documents side by side. The proof of a sham oath laid bare under hospital lighting. There was a small note attached to it and I read it with my heart racing. Happy fake fourth wedding anniversary, Giacomo. My right fist clenched. Unclenched. Clenched again. With trembling hands, I opened the second box and my breath stopped. "What… what is this?" I gasped.