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.