I wiped my tears and pulled out my suitcase to start packing. My fingers had barely touched the zipper when the heavy front door slammed open.

Lorenzo stumbled in, reeking of booze and someone else's perfume. He staggered up behind me, hugged me from the back, and kissed my neck.

"Babe, take Luna to the downtown apartment tomorrow and stay there with her for the day."

I took a deep breath and made myself relax. "Perché?"

His hand slipped under the hem of my nightgown, inching higher toward places he shouldn't have been touching.

"Sofia came out on top in the heir assessment, and she's planning a celebration at Sabella Manor. I know you're not big on parties, so why don't you take Luna and go stay out for the day?"

Everything I'd been holding in all day finally blew.

I shoved his hand aside and took a step away. "Lorenzo, do you even remember who your real daughter is?"

He blinked, irritation flashing across his face.

I spoke before he had the chance. "The other heirs called Luna a bastard today. She came home crying and asked why you didn't stand up for her. She placed second, and you didn't even congratulate her.

"And now you want to throw a party for someone else's kid?"

Lorenzo let out a tired sigh, like he was already done with me. "Alessia, calmati. I'm sorry about what happened at the assessment. Sofia grew up without a father. Eliana raised her alone.

"They've had a hard life. Can't you try to be the bigger person? And remember, you're Donna now. You should be thinking about more than just the three of us."

When he finished, he shrugged off his coat and headed for the bathroom.

I stood there, listening to the water run, like I could hear my heart breaking right along with it.

He could go on about how hard it was for Eliana to raise a child alone, but he never once counted the nights I held Luna in the dark while she sobbed. Everything I did, every sacrifice I made, went unseen.

Compared to Eliana, the woman Lorenzo had grown up with, my love barely even existed to him.

I went to the study, opened my laptop, and unlocked a hidden folder. There was only one file inside—my divorce agreement.

If it weren't for Luna, my pride would've made me send it ages ago. But she deserved a whole family, and I wanted to try one last time to keep it together for her.

…

At 10:00 am, the man in charge of the heir assessment called me. He kept stumbling over his words, like every sentence hurt to say.

"Donna Sabella, I've gone back and forth about telling you this, but you deserve to know. The judges unanimously picked Luna as first, but someone powerful leaned on us. He forced us to give first place to Sofia instead."

My chest tightened. Only the Sabellas had the power to interfere with the assessment.

Lorenzo knew exactly what that ranking meant, and he still traded Luna's honor for Sofia.

But when Luna found out, her eyes lit up like she couldn't have been happier. "Mommy, so I was really first place! I'm going to go tell Daddy!"

Before I could stop her, she bolted for the backyard, where Sofia's party was already in full swing.

Luna stopped in her tracks when she almost reached them.

Lorenzo sat at the main table, gently feeding Sofia cake. Eliana stood beside them, snapping pictures as if she were documenting a perfect family moment.

"Daddy, why are they here?" Luna asked quietly.

And somehow, the whole yard went silent.

Lorenzo frowned the second he spotted Luna. "Aren't you supposed to be at the downtown apartment? Where's your mother?"

Luna swallowed and held up her medal. "Daddy, I won this at the heir assessment. I was supposed to come in first—"

Before she could finish, Sofia knocked the medal from her hand.

"That's a lie! I'm the one who came in first! Where did you come from, you bastard? You really think you're good enough to compete with me? Dream on!"

Sofia huffed and, right in front of everyone, flung the medal to the ground and stomped it under her heel. Then she tipped her chin up and gave Luna a hard shove.

"And who told you that you could call him 'Daddy'? He's my father. Are you blind? Get your eyes checked and stop clinging to my dad!"

Luna hit the ground hard and burst into tears.

My heart lurched. I rushed over, scooped her into my arms, and glared at Sofia. "Apologize to Luna!"

Lorenzo got up right away, putting himself between Sofia and us. "Alessia, that's enough! Today is Sofia's celebration. Don't make a scene. She's wanted a father and a family her whole life. She didn't mean to push Luna. Let it go, just this once."

Just this once? How many times had he used "just this once" to excuse betraying Luna and me?

I stared straight at Lorenzo, trembling. "Can you honestly not tell if she meant it? She just told Luna she isn't allowed to call you Dad, right here in front of everyone. So tell me, whose father are you?"

Hesitation flashed across his eyes. In the end, he chose silence and turned back to comfort Sofia instead.

That was when Eliana stepped in with her gentle, perfect smile. "Ms. Sabella, I'm truly sorry. Sofia just got back from overseas, and she's still getting used to the language.

"If anything she said sounded blunt, please don't take it to heart."

The more she went on, the more smug Sofia got. "I'm not wrong! On the day of the heir assessment, everyone said the Don of the Sabellas is my dad. That means I'm the future heir of the Sabellas!

"This bastard is trying to steal my father!"

My fingers trembled, but I forced myself to stay calm and met Lorenzo's eyes.

For years, he'd skipped out on Luna in the name of family business, and I let that go. But I was not about to stand here and watch someone steal her place as heir right in front of me!

I ground my teeth and forced the words out, slow and clear. "Lorenzo, I'm asking you one last time. Whose father are you?"

His gaze flickered, then he looked away from me. "No one knows better than you how wrong it was for this father-daughter relationship to even happen. That's enough. Today is Sofia's celebration.

"Can't you just let her have it? Luna, be good. Go back and rest with your mom."

Luna stiffened against me, and then her tears spilled over.

"Adesso capisco… Don," she said quietly.

Lorenzo jolted and turned to us, disbelief written all over his face.

Seeing how empty Luna looked, I felt the last bit of warmth drain out of me.

"Lorenzo, we're getting a divorce."

Lorenzo froze. His eyes went wide, filled with emotions I couldn't even name.

"Alessia, you think threatening me with divorce is fun? If you don't want this party, it ends now. You're my wife, and that's not changing."

He shut me out before I could answer. He turned toward the guests, and in a heartbeat, that cold, commanding mafia Don was back.

"The celebration ends here. Please head out."

No one dared to say anything. They just began filing out.

A flash of resentment crossed Eliana's eyes, then vanished behind a look of concern. She gently tugged on Lorenzo's sleeve.

"Lorenzo, this is on Sofia and me. We never should've come back and upset Alessia. If it'll make things better, I'll take Sofia and leave tomorrow—"

Lorenzo cut her off, his voice cold. "No. We grew up together. We've long been family to each other. Alessia can be jealous all she wants, but she doesn't get to take it out on you.

"She actually brought up divorce in front of everyone today. Who knows what she'll try next? Everything stays as planned. Let her sit with that and think about what she's done."

He finished speaking and walked off toward the driveway without a glance back.

I watched him go and let out a wry laugh. I wasn't jealous this time. That feeling belonged to people who were still in love, and I wasn't anymore.

…

That night, Luna was unusually well-behaved. She fell asleep on her own without me having to soothe her.

But the redness around her nose gave her away. She was only pretending everything was fine, so that I wouldn't be sad. And that broke me more than anything else.

Just then, a picture from Eliana popped up on my phone.

She, Sofia, and Lorenzo were at a high-end restaurant owned by the Sabellas. They were huddled together, arms around each other, smiling at the camera.

Next to them stood a sign that read, "Congratulations to Sofia for taking first place in the heir assessment."

So, party or no party, they still found a way to celebrate Sofia on their own.

Another message popped up from Eliana. "Oops, wrong person. I meant to send that to Lorenzo, but I can't take it back now. Anyway, you get it now, don't you?

"If it weren't for what happened back then, Lorenzo never would've married you. He's been building a life overseas with Sofia and me all these years. And now Matteo's dead.

"There's no one left to protect you. Do yourself a favor and leave Lorenzo. It's better for everyone."

A second photo followed immediately.

Sofia beamed in the center while Eliana and Lorenzo kissed her cheeks from either side. They looked like the picture-perfect family of three.

I stared at the photo for a long time before finally texting Eliana back, "Va bene."

Her little scheme was clever, but she had no idea Matteo was still alive. It wouldn't be long before he came to take Luna and me away.

I went the next two days without reaching out to Lorenzo, and he finally seemed to feel how unnaturally quiet things had gotten.

That evening when he came back, he passed me a blue gift box. "Alessia, è per te."

Awkwardness flashed across his face. It had been a long time since he'd swallowed his pride around me.

"Sofia was out of line at the party. I'm apologizing to you and Luna for her."

A diamond necklace lay inside the box, catching the chandelier light, flawless and chillingly perfect.

"Let me put it on you."

Lorenzo stepped closer, and the familiar scent of his cologne washed over me.

"Grazie."

I lowered my head and let him fasten it around my neck. I was about to leave. I couldn't afford to give myself away.

He seemed relieved. He had no idea I'd already seen this necklace two hours earlier on Eliana's social media. She'd uploaded a selfie with the same one around her neck.

I dropped my gaze, hiding how I was falling apart inside, then carried Luna past Lorenzo and toward the door.

His eyes swept over me, and he stopped short. "Where are you headed in an outfit like that?"

I'd put on a sharp suit instead of the soft, feminine dresses he preferred. "Di niente. I'm just taking Luna out to run a few errands."

"Ti porto io," Lorenzo said, a little too eager.

I grabbed my keys. "Va bene. I drive just as well as you do."

Besides, today wasn't just another errand run. I was getting new identities for Luna and me, and he could never find out.

…

Three hours later, when I stepped out of an unremarkable law firm, Lorenzo's car was waiting at the corner. He was leaning against the door, his brow drawn tight, eyes locked on me.

"Alessia, why did you bring Luna somewhere like this?"

I smiled and tried to sound like my usual self. "Di niente. Just handling some personal trust stuff. Aren't you busy today? I heard tomorrow is Sofia's birthday. You probably have a lot to get ready."

It was the first time I'd ever brought her up this directly.

Lorenzo's gaze turned cold. He studied me for a long second. "You're avoiding me. Does pushing your own husband away make you feel good? Since you don't want me here, I'll leave."

He slammed the door, the engine roared, and his car vanished into traffic.

I shook my head, utterly confused. I'd given him room to be with Sofia and Eliana. So what was he even angry about?

I didn't understand until Dario spelled it out.

"Donna Sabella, Don cleared his whole day for you and Luna today. Why did you send him away? Now he is drunk and back with Eliana and Sofia again."

I managed a bitter smile. "Let him."

After all, Luna and I would be gone for good in one more day.

…

I hadn't expected that the very next day at school, Sofia would round up a bunch of kids to gang up on Luna and call her an unwanted kid because of the heir assessment.

Luna couldn't swallow it. She argued with them, and by accident, it triggered the heart condition she'd believed was already cured.

She came early when I gave birth to her. Her body wasn't quite ready, and she was born with a heart condition.

Lorenzo searched the world for the best specialists and had a heart transplant done for her.

The surgery turned out to be successful, but the doctors repeatedly reminded us that she couldn't afford any violent emotional swings.

And now, Luna's heart condition flared up.

I rushed into one of the hospitals the Sabellas owned with her in my arms, half out of my mind. But I was told that Lorenzo had pulled all the top doctors and equipment an hour ago to treat Sofia's allergic reaction.

Seeing how pale Luna had become and how fast her oxygen levels were dropping, I called Lorenzo in a panic, begging him to save her. I could hear Eliana's frantic sobs on the other end of the line.

When Lorenzo finally spoke, his voice was stern with impatience. "Alessia, will you stop? Sofia's condition is critical. She could go into shock at any moment. Luna's heart issue was dealt with years ago. You can't let your jealousy get Sofia killed!"

I opened my mouth to explain, but the line went dead. A crushing despair swallowed me whole.

I thought Luna would be heartbroken, but instead, she stared at me from behind her oxygen mask, strangely calm.

"Mommy, Don doesn't want me anymore, does he?"

She gave me a weak smile and lifted her hand to wipe my tears away. "Don't cry, Mommy. I don't want him either."

In the end, it was Matteo who saved Luna's life, pulling in top specialists from another city despite the risk of exposing himself.

Lorenzo never contacted me after that, but I came across another story entirely on the family's internal network.

Everyone went on about Lorenzo's devotion. For his adopted sister's daughter, he didn't hesitate to throw his weight around and lock down the best medical resources in the city.

Eliana took the chance to send me another photo. It showed Lorenzo outside Sofia's hospital room, anxious, completely absorbed, and fiercely protective.

I studied the photo, then let out a bitter laugh. Any remaining love I had for him burned out. Since he wanted a family with them so badly, I would step aside and let him have it.

After Luna was discharged, I received all the documents for our new identities.

I wiped all of Lorenzo's contact info, set the signed divorce agreement on the nightstand, and boarded a plane with Luna.