I had no intention of continuing this pointless reunion.

Zayn's possessiveness was terrifying. If he knew I was tangled up with this trash, he would have them killed. Slowly.

I lifted my eyes, my voice flat.

"If you're my ride, let's go." I walked straight toward the black Cadillac.

The air froze for a second.

Then, the men behind Ryder burst into laughter, even louder and more grating than before.

"Go? Go where?"

"Emilia, are you insane? Or has living on the streets finally rotted your brain?"

One of the beefy thugs pointed at the sign.

"This car is reserved for the VIP from Sicily!"

"Open your damn eyes. We're here for the Donna of the Vettori family!"

Ryder's phone was still on speaker, and Carmela's shrill voice cut through again.

"Honey, don't waste your breath on her. And remember to get a good look at the Vettori Donna's hand. I heard Zayn gave her the 'Fleur-de-lis Blood Ring'."

"It's the symbol of the Vettori family's power. I've only ever seen blurry pictures of it in magazines. If I could see that pigeon's blood ruby in person, even from a distance, I could brag about it to my socialite friends for the next six months."

Ryder's voice softened as he spoke into the phone. "Don't worry, babe. I'll get a good look for you once we meet her."

"But honey, I've already bought you a pink diamond ring at auction. It's not as priceless as the Blood Ring, but it's still very precious."

After hanging up, Ryder turned back to me, a cold sneer on his face. He crossed his arms, watching me like I was a clown.

"Did you hear that? We're here to greet royalty, not some pathetic woman in a cheap, unbranded dress."

"You think you're worthy of even being mentioned in the same breath as someone of her stature?"

I glanced down at my left hand.

The legendary ring rested quietly on my finger.

The massive pigeon's blood ruby caught the sunlight.

On the inside of the band, the ancient fleur-de-lis emblem pressed against my skin with its familiar coolness.

I thought of the man who always wore a cold expression, but whose hands trembled slightly as he knelt on one knee to place it on my finger.

A soft smile touched my lips unbidden.

Ryder saw my smile and his gaze followed my own.

The next second, he lunged forward, grabbing my wrist and exposing the ring to everyone.

"Emilia, you really pulled out all the stops to put on a show for me, didn't you?"

"Is this another plastic piece of junk you picked up at a flea market? So desperate to play the lady that you'd parade around in a fake like this?"

"You don't have to go to such lengths. Just come back, be good, admit you were wrong, and go cook for Carmela's kid. I'll forgive you."

"You think putting on a fake ring makes you Mrs. Vettori? Your vanity is pathetic."

The pain in my wrist made me frown.

I looked at the man I once loved so deeply, now acting like a self-righteous imbecile.

"Tell you what, I'll give you two hundred bucks for this knockoff. The forgery is actually pretty good."

"Carmela has always wanted to see the real thing, so I'll give it to her as a toy. You're getting a good deal."

He started to pull at the ring. I wasn't strong enough to break free, so I said flatly, "It was a gift from Zayn…"

Before I could finish, he grabbed my chin, his face close to my ear.

"Emilia, you've gotten really bold."

"You have no right to speak his name!"

Ryder still hadn't let go, forcing me to look at him.

"If you're looking to get killed, don't drag the Conti family down with you."

He lowered his voice, but he couldn't hide the fear in it.

"Forging a Vettori family sigil and saying the Godfather's name in public... Emilia, are you trying to get us all killed?"

The Soldatos, who had been enjoying the show, instantly paled.

Anyone in this life knew the price of impersonating someone from the Vettori family.

It meant a one-way trip to the bottom of the Hudson River, sealed in a concrete barrel.

A few of the more cowardly ones even took a step back, staring at me as if I were the plague.

"Dammit, Emilia, are you crazy? We begged and pleaded for this job today." One of the men pointed at me, his finger trembling.

"Boss, she's trying to provoke the Vettoris with this cheap fake! She wants them to think the Contis are challenging them!"

"She's getting revenge! I can't believe she'd come up with such a vicious plan."

Ryder shoved me away, wiping his hand on his suit as if my touch had soiled it.

"Crazy bitch."

"Looks like three years on the streets taught you nothing."

I lifted my head. My jaw throbbed, but my gaze was as still as a frozen lake as I stared straight at Ryder.

Perhaps he'd never seen me like this, because he froze, his words dying in his throat.

A crony Carmela had planted in the group saw his chance and added with a sneer,

"Boss, don't let her fool you. This woman is just bitter. She wants to ruin your alliance with the Rossi family."

"It's classic jealousy. If she's miserable, she wants to drag everyone else down to hell with her."

Ryder seemed to find this a reasonable explanation.

Perhaps the word "jealousy" soothed his pathetic ego.

He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly pulled a thick wad of cash from his suit jacket and stuffed it into my hands, as if I were a beggar.

"Alright. For old times' sake, I'll help you out one last time."

"This is twenty thousand dollars. Go into the city, find a decent hotel, clean yourself up, and buy some respectable clothes. You need to hide how pathetic you look."

"I'll talk to Carmela. As long as you're willing to swallow your pride, you'll be taken care of in the kitchen."

He brushed off his lapel. "Don't worry. I'm a Capo in charge of several districts now. This is just pocket change to me."

Looking at the cash in my hands, I almost laughed.

In Sicily, Zayn gave me a black card with no spending limit for my allowance.

Twenty thousand dollars?

It wasn't even enough to cover the cost of a single paintbrush Zayn had casually gifted me.

But Ryder assumed this was the moment I'd been waiting for, the moment I would kneel at his feet, weeping with gratitude and selling my dignity for a handful of cash.

With a sudden burst of strength, I ripped my wrist from Ryder's remaining grip.

The wad of cash hit the tarmac with a slap, the bills scattering and taking flight in the wind.

"Not necessary, Mr. Conti." My voice was devoid of warmth.

"I don't accept charity from strangers. It's dirty."

I didn't care what shade of purple Ryder's face was turning as I walked away.

I hadn't gone more than a few steps before my wrist was seized again, the grip so tight it felt like my bones would shatter.

Ryder's distorted face was close to mine. "Emilia, you won't even take my money? Who are you trying to impress?"

"A stranger? After I slept with you for ten years, now I'm a stranger?"

He had grabbed me twice today. If Zayn saw this, Zayn would kill him a dozen times over for it.

Or rather, if Zayn so much as smelled another man on me, I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

"Mr. Conti, we're broken up. Stop making a scene."

I used all my strength to shake him off. "You wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea."

"And don't say I didn't warn you. My husband is a jealous man."

Ryder paused, then let out a snort of laughter, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over my "bargain-bin" dress.

"Husband? Is your broke-ass husband slinging takeout on some street corner, or is he mopping floors like you?"

He seemed convinced I was either lying out of shame or trying my hardest to provoke him. His anger faded, replaced by a smug, self-satisfied expression.

"Alright, stop with the dramatics."

"In three days, the Five Families are hosting a charity gala in Manhattan. That's the real big leagues."

"The Vettoris will be there. I'll take you, show you what real power looks like."

He looked me up and down, frowning in disgust.

"But not in those rags. Go buy a proper gown. Don't embarrass me."

"You can't be on my arm looking like that."

The Five Families' gala?

Zayn had arranged for the Vettori family to host that gala specifically to celebrate my pregnancy.

"I really don't need that, thank you."

Rejected again, Ryder's last shred of patience vanished.

In his eyes, I was ungrateful, pushing my luck.

"Fine! Just fine!"

"Emilia, you've really grown a backbone, haven't you?"

"After a few years on the streets, you think you're hot shit?"

He abruptly pulled his hand back and yelled to his men behind him.

"If she doesn't want to go, then forget it! Tell Carmela to get her best gown ready!"

"I'll take her that day, and I'll let everyone see who the real woman worthy of standing by my side is!"

I had no desire to argue. Zayn was probably getting impatient.

As I left, I glanced back at Ryder, my eyes filled with pity.

"I hope you still have this much confidence in three days."

Stepping out of the restricted area of the airstrip, the cold air filled my lungs, settling the nausea churning in my stomach.

My mind went back to that rainy night three years ago, at the church doors.

I had stood in my wedding dress, waiting not for vows, but for Ryder's cold announcement.

"Carmela's pregnant. The family doctor says it's a boy."

"Emilia, to get the inheritance, I have to marry the Rossi girl. It's a necessary alliance."

He even had the audacity to grab my hand and swear.

"Just bear with me for a year. As soon as I get the Capo position, I'll divorce her and marry you."

In that moment, my heart died.

If he needed a marriage of convenience, then so would I.

That night, I agreed to my parents' arrangement and boarded the flight to Sicily.

In an ancient, dimly lit church in Palermo, Zayn Vettori, the Godfather who made the entire European mafia tremble, knelt on one knee before me.

We completed a simple wedding ceremony.

A year later, I gave birth to Lucas.

Now, I was pregnant with our second child.

If it wasn't to accompany Zayn back here to clean house, I would never have laid eyes on Ryder again.

And I certainly wouldn't have given him the chance to peacock in front of me like a fool.