Late at night, Nico still hadn't returned.

No doubt, he was still with Seraphina, tending to the chill she’d supposedly caught.

Bianca slipped into my room, a shadow in the moonlight. She sat beside me and pressed a small vial into my hand.

"I got the drug," she whispered.

"It'll put me into a deep coma in a few days. Once it takes hold, you just have to get me in the car and send it over the cliff. Then we're free. Don't worry about the rest—I've got it all planned. They'll never find us."

She paused, a wry chuckle escaping her lips. "The great escape, huh?"

I rolled my eyes at her but said nothing.

The sound of footsteps approached the door. Bianca shot me a sharp, knowing look, then vanished over the balcony and back into her own room.

The next moment, the door swung open and Nico entered.

He frowned, his eyes scanning the room. "Who were you talking to?"

I shook my head, slipping on my usual mask of docile obedience.

"No one," I replied. "Just talking to myself."

He gave me a skeptical glance but didn't press the matter.

"Go to sleep," he said.

I blinked, surprised he hadn't immediately launched into his usual tirade about me hurting Seraphina.

Regardless, I obediently lay down on the far edge of the bed.

Nico undressed and lay down beside me.

His back was to me, his voice flat and distant. "Seraphina just got back. She's… fragile. I have to be there for her, given our history."

I could feel the warmth radiating from his body, but my own blood ran cold.

Nico was sharp. He had to know. He had to see that everything today, and all the days before, was a trap Seraphina had set for us. And he still chose her. All because she was feeling insecure?

I turned my back to him as well, offering only a noncommittal hum in response.

Ever since Seraphina's return, everything was a brutal reminder that I owed my position to a face that resembled hers.

How could a replacement ever expect the original to step aside?

I closed my eyes and said no more.

Steady breathing soon sounded from behind me, but sleep refused to come.

Two days later, Bianca slipped into my courtyard again and tossed me a backpack.

"Cash and fake IDs," she said. "Start packing."

I took it and began stuffing all the jewelry and valuables Nico had ever given me inside.

Bianca clicked her tongue. "Well, well. I didn't realize Nico was so generous."

The next day, I was tending to the flowers in the manor's garden when a commotion erupted from the main house.

I rose to my feet, hurried to the gate, and stopped a passing maid. "What's happening?"

The young woman looked terrified, but my status compelled a reply. "Mr. Marco took Mrs. Carbone and Miss Seraphina to a meeting. On their way back, they were ambushed by the Kozlov Bratva. Miss Seraphina was injured, so Mr. Nico and Mr. Marco are gathering the family's doctors to treat her."

A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. My voice trembled as I asked, "Where is Bianca?"

The maid hesitated, her eyes darting away. "When Mr. Nico and Mr. Marco returned… I didn't see Mrs. Carbone."

I let go of the maid's arm and ran, my heart pounding, toward the main building.

As I neared a derelict warehouse on the edge of the estate, I saw one of Marco's trusted men carrying a familiar, limp figure.

I rushed over and saw Bianca, covered in blood. Rage burned through me, blurring my vision.

"Bianca, are you okay?" I asked, my voice choked.

Bianca offered a faint, bloody smile. "Almost time."

I understood instantly.

The drug was about to take effect.

The moment the words left her lips, Bianca's body convulsed, foam spilling from her mouth before she went limp.

I recoiled, genuinely startled by the drug's potency, but forced my expression to crumble into one of pure devastation.

"Bianca! Bianca!" I shrieked.

One of the men quickly laid Bianca on a makeshift cot and rushed out to find a doctor.

He returned after what felt like an eternity, his face grim and his hands empty.

I frowned. "Where are the doctors?"

He hesitated. "They're all with Miss Seraphina. Her maid wouldn't let me past. Mr. Nico and Mr. Marco are both in there with her."

I gritted my teeth and stormed out. The show had to go on.

Inside the penthouse, Seraphina was leaning weakly against Marco while Nico directed a team of doctors treating a superficial wound on her arm.

As expected, a maid blocked my path, her face a mask of contempt. "Stop right there! Miss Seraphina is being treated. No one is allowed inside."

I stared her down and slapped her hard across the face.

"I am Nico's wife," I snapped. "You dare stop me?"

The commotion alerted those inside. I heard Nico's curt command: "Let her in."

The maid shot me a venomous glare before stepping aside.

I swept past her and grabbed the nearest doctor by the collar, preparing to drag him out.

Nico's voice cracked like a whip. "Alessia Tierney! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I froze, turning to face him with tears already welling in my eyes.

I shot back, "Making a scene? What do you call this?"

I pointed at Marco, who was still fussing over Seraphina. "Marco! You left Bianca for dead, and now you're hoarding all the family's doctors. What is she supposed to do?"

"She won't die," Marco said without looking up.

I stared at him, stunned. "Do you hear yourself?"

Marco sneered. "Bianca colluded with the Kozlov Bratva! I should have put a bullet in her myself. Count it as a favor I didn't. She has the nerve to ask for a doctor? Don't worry, they wouldn't have hurt their asset too badly."

I realized this was another one of Seraphina's setups.

Just as I was about to argue, the man from the warehouse burst in. "Sir… Mrs. Carbone's injuries… they were too severe. She's… she's gone."

I froze, then my legs gave out and I collapsed, sobs wracking my body.

Marco's head snapped up. For a second, something flickered in his eyes, but then the suspicion returned.

He sneered at the man. "She's gotten resourceful. Even managed to bribe you."

I scrambled to my feet, wiping my tears. "If you don't believe him, go see for yourself!" I sobbed. "Bianca is lying in that cold warehouse right now! She was covered in blood!"

Marco stood and stalked toward me. "Fine. I'll go see what trick she's pulling this time. But I'll remind you, Alessia, colluding with an enemy is a capital offense. If she’s playing with fire, I can't protect her."

I offered a sarcastic, broken smile and said nothing.

Marco followed the man out, his pace quickening.

Just then, Nico's voice softened. "Seraphina, are you alright?"

Seraphina turned to me, her face a mask of perfect sorrow. "Alessia, I am so sorry about this. I never thought Marco would just abandon Bianca."

The fury in my heart ignited. I lunged, tangling my fingers in her hair. "Stop your pathetic act!"

Seraphina screamed in pain. But before I could do more, a heavy slap cracked across my face, the sting sharp and humiliating.

Nico looked at me, his eyes like ice. "Have you made enough of a scene? This has nothing to do with Seraphina."

Tears blurred my vision, but through the haze, I caught a flicker of panic in his eyes.