After the doctor left, Antonio moved me out of the holding cell. For the next few days, I recovered in the Gatti family's most luxurious medical suite. The best medical team came to treat me daily.

Before long, my wound healed. Between being sick and not seeing Antonio, I'd put off confronting him about the necklace day after day. Now that I was better, it was time to settle the score.

Since Antonio refused to talk, I'd have to get answers from Camilla instead. But to my surprise, I didn't have to track her down. She messaged me first, asking to meet at a cafe.

Perhaps because she was still recovering, Camilla still looked pale from her injury, but she wore a blissful smile.

The contempt in her eyes when she looked at me, though, was as familiar as ever. "Signora Gatti, you're finally here. I thought you might be too scared to show your face."

As she spoke, she pulled out a document from the limited-edition crocodile leather bag Antonio had bought her.

It was an ultrasound image. My eyes locked onto the small line of text at the bottom of the page.

"Eight weeks pregnant."

Camilla was pregnant, and she was already two months along.

Seeing me freeze, Camilla's smugness intensified. "Signora Gatti, I'll be honest with you. I'm carrying Antonio's child. According to our agreement, as long as I can carry this baby to term, half the Gatti family assets will be mine.

"You've been struggling so hard to divorce Antonio and get what you're owed. I'm getting it all without lifting a finger."

I snapped out of it and looked away from that painful report, letting out a cold laugh. "So, you don't really love Antonio at all, do you? You're no different from all his other women. You're just here for the money."

Having her deepest thoughts exposed seemed to strike a nerve. Camilla's smile vanished, replaced by anger. "So what if I am? We're both after money, but Antonio wants me. Not you.

"You don't even know what he says about you when we're alone, do you? He says you're too ambitious, always trying to prove yourself. You could just be a carefree rich wife, but instead you have to meddle in family business."

Her words hit me hard, bitterness washing over me in waves. All those times I'd handled family business to help him, and he thought I was just power-hungry, trying to climb higher.

As Camilla gestured, her collar shifted, and something caught my eye. A familiar necklace appeared, and my eyes widened.

It was the necklace I'd been desperately searching for. Mamma's necklace. And she was wearing it around her neck.

"How did you get that necklace? Give it back to me!"

Camilla seemed surprised that I'd ignored everything she'd said and focused on the necklace instead.

But she quickly recovered, her lips curling into an arrogant smile. "Does this necklace mean that much to you? Well, Antonio put it around my neck himself.

"He said I can't take it off without his permission. If you want it back, you'll have to beg him for it. Begging me won't help.

"Signora Gatti, you've been married to him for years, and I've only known him a few months. Yet here we are. He's giving me the things you want most. How pathetic."

My eyes went red. I couldn't take it anymore and reached out to snatch it from her.

In the struggle, the hot coffee on the table went flying. It spilled onto Camilla, splashing across her stomach.

She let out a shriek and shoved me away. "Signora Gatti, I invited you here in good faith to talk things out, and you're trying to hurt my baby!"

At that moment, the cafe door flew open with a violent kick. Antonio stormed in, fury written across his face. Luca and his bodyguards were close behind.

The cafe patrons scattered in fear. Antonio rushed to Camilla's side, pulling her into his arms. "Camilla, are you alright?"

The moment she saw Antonio, Camilla's vicious look vanished. Tears instantly streamed down her face.

"Antonio, I only wanted to make peace with Signora Gatti. I didn't want to put you in this position. But she threw hot coffee at me..."

I instinctively tried to defend myself. "It wasn't me. She..."

But Antonio cut me off before I could finish. "Martina, do you really think I'd believe you? How many times have I forgiven you? When will you learn?"

Antonio's words hit me like a bucket of ice water. The words died in my throat.

I should have known. How could Antonio ever choose to believe me? Since Camilla entered his life, when had he ever taken my side?

I looked straight at Antonio. The hatred in his eyes cut deep.

I dropped my gaze. "Since you don't trust me, let's just get divorced."

What was the point of staying in a marriage where the husband believed his mistress over his wife?

But my words only made Antonio angrier. He laughed and gestured to the bodyguards.

"You think it's that easy? You keep trying to hurt Camilla, and now you want a divorce so you can take my money? I let you off easy before, but clearly you haven't learned your lesson. This time, I'll make sure you remember."

Before I could react, several bodyguards seized me and dragged me to the car. Antonio drove us all to the luxury yacht he'd purchased last month, taking me, Camilla, and the doctor aboard.

I watched him direct the bodyguards to tie a thick rope to the railing. My face went pale as I realized what he intended to do.

He'd used this punishment on family traitors before. They'd tie the prisoner to one end of the rope, secure the other end to the boat, then drive the yacht at full speed, dragging the victim through the water until they broke.

As they tied the rope around me and prepared to throw me overboard, tears streaming down my face. For the first time, I begged.

"Don't throw me in. You know I'm terrified of the ocean..."

But Antonio was too busy listening to Camilla to hear me.

Just before they tossed me over, I heard him tell her, "She threw coffee at you, didn't she? I'll let her soak in the water for a few days. We'll see if she confesses then."

Antonio seemed to have forgotten that I'd been kidnapped as a child by a rival family and thrown into the deep ocean. I'd nearly died.

I'd been terrified of deep water ever since. Just standing on the boat and looking down made my stomach churn.

Once they threw me in, cold sweat broke out across my skin. I gripped the rope desperately, thrashing and struggling to stay afloat.

Up on the yacht, Camilla stood by the railing, laughing at the sight of me. But clearly, it wasn't enough for her.

"Amore, I heard you're great at driving yachts. You can even do those beautiful S-curves. Could you show me?"

Antonio was eager to please Camilla after what she'd been through. The next second, he grabbed the yacht's wheel and made a sharp turn.

Camilla let out a startled cry and fell into Antonio's arms with the momentum. At the same time, a massive wave slammed into my face.

Salty seawater rushed into my nose. I choked and coughed, but the moment my head broke the surface, all I heard was Camilla's worried voice.

"Amore, you scared me to death. What if I'd fallen into the ocean? You turned so sharply that Signora Gatti's choking on water. If we both drowned, who would you save? Me or her?"

Antonio hesitated, seemingly considering the question. But in the end, he pulled the woman in his arms closer. "I'd save you, of course."

Those words drained every ounce of strength from my body. The freezing water closed around me. My head spun. The pain in my chest nearly made me black out.

Up on the deck, Camilla looked down at me like I was an insect. Then slowly, she removed the necklace from around her neck and tossed it into the ocean.

"Signora Gatti, I'm in such a good mood today. I forgive you for throwing that coffee at me. You wanted this necklace, didn't you? Think of it as a peace offering."

My eyes went wide. "No!"

The rope around my wrists had already loosened from the seawater. I wrenched it free and, in front of everyone, overcame my deepest fear. I dove headfirst into the deep ocean after that necklace.

As I sank toward the bottom, the last thing I heard was Antonio's desperate scream.

"Martina!"