By then, I was surrounded by other family members holding up their phones, a torrent of abuse closing in. I’d thought he’d have something to say in my defense, but instead he blamed me. “Seraphina, I didn’t think you could be this vicious. Find time to apologize to Bianca and Lia.”

With that, he drove off without a second glance, leaving me to face the humiliation alone. It was only when the Bellini family’s head butler arrived with guards and dispersed the crowd that I could leave.

My white gown stained. My heart broke.

I sent the driver away and walked the Sicilian coast back to our castle.

When I pushed open the door, Adrian was sitting on the living room sofa smoking a cigar. I saw the clear disgust in his eyes. “You’re back?”

I looked at him calmly, speaking, “Adrian, we’re done.”

He froze, staring at my face. “Is this just about what happened at the restaurant? Seraphina, I thought you’d understand. If I’d defended you there, Bianca and Lia would have been the ones hurt.” He paused, taking a deep drag on his cigar.

“Besides, you were the one who hurt Lia first. You have only yourself to blame. Thankfully, Lia’s already forgiven you, and Bianca said she’s letting it go. It’s over and done with.”

He reached for my hair, yanked back at the stain. “Go clean yourself up. You’re making both our families look bad.”

“Adrian.” I watched his back as he turned to leave, and took a deep breath. “Three days from now is my wedding day.”

His steps came to an abrupt halt and he spun around, showing his patience completely gone. “Lia’s hurt. Do you really expect me to talk about the wedding right now?”

I looked at him, my face blank. “I’m telling you, not asking you or negotiating.”

His face darkened completely. “Stop being childish. I told you, I’m not free. A wedding without a groom will only humiliate you and the entire Bellini family.”

I clenched my fists and met his gaze. “I don’t need you for my wedding.”

He let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Seraphina, who else would dare marry you? Who would dare touch someone the Moretti family has staked a claim on?”

At that moment, a crash sounded from the family memorial room. I ran in and my blood ran cold. The silver cradle in the niche lay overturned, the baby swaddle my mother had sewn by hand was cut to shreds, the tiny silver pistol my father had made for my unborn child was dented and broken on the floor. Lia sat in the middle of the wreckage, staring at me with an innocent look on her face.

Bianca blinked back tears, her face full of helplessness and fear. “I just saw they were dusty, and tried to wipe them clean. I’m so sorry…”

Adrian shoved me hard out of the doorway and grabbed Bianca’s hands to check them frantically. “Bianca, are you hurt? Did the glass cut you?” Bianca’s gaze slid over Adrian’s shoulder, throwing me a triumphant smirk.

I knew she’d done it on purpose. I couldn’t hold back, and slapped her hard across the face.

Bianca clutched her red, swollen cheek, her voice trembling with misery. “I’m so sorry, I really didn’t mean it. Please don’t hurt Lia, she’s just a child…”

Adrian stared at me, demanding that I apologize. “Seraphina, you’ve gone too far. Apologize.”

“Adrian, that was our child!” Two years prior, Adrian and I had been expecting a baby, who’d died before she could ever come into the world. What Bianca had shattered was the only thing I had left of her.

Lia ran out screaming. “Lia!” Bianca chased after her at once. Adrian’s face turned livid with rage. “Look at what you’ve done! I know how you are feeling, but did you have to hit her?”

I stared at him in disbelief, a cold chill spreading through my entire body. “Adrian, you know exactly what this memorial room means to me. That was your child too. How can you say that?”

“Seraphina!” He cut me off sharply. “None of this would have happened if you hadn’t bullied Lia at the restaurant! You brought this on yourself!”

Just then, Bianca’s terrified cries echoed from outside, followed by the crackle of the guards’ walkie-talkies. Torino family men were trying to attack this place. Adrian panicked at once, yanking his arm free of mine and sprinting outside. I lost my balance and fell hard, my head slamming into the stone floor, and everything went black.

I flashed back to that night two years prior. In another act of Torino family retaliation, they’d abducted me, five months pregnant with our child, from the desolate Palermo streets.

Adrian had assembled his men for the rescue, only to abandon the mission at Bianca’s frantic call. She’d faked a life-threatening medical crisis for Lia, and he’d rushed the girl to the hospital, losing critical hours of rescue time.

By the time my father led the Bellini family’s armed guards into the warehouse where I was held, gunning down Torino’s men, I had already slipped into unconsciousness, and our baby was gone.

I'd forgiven him that time. Now, he'd forgotten every bit of his guilt and every promise he’d made.

"Seraphina?" I woke to Adrian's face. I blinked, trying to tell if it was real or a hallucination, when Lia leaned in and curled her lip. "See? I told you Aunt Seraphina was faking it."

The second my eyes cleared, Adrian pulled Lia behind him, shielding her tightly.

I pushed myself off the floor, and Bianca hurried forward and dropped to her knees in front of me. "It was all my fault. Take it out on me. Lia's innocent. Please don't hurt her."

Adrian pulled her to her feet at once, his face thunderous. "Seraphina, this is going too far! You hit her, now you force her to kneel to you? What the hell is wrong with you? You haven't even apologized to them!"

"It's my fault." I smiled bitterly. It was my fault, for letting myself be humiliated over and over, for making my parents worry, for failing to protect my child. "I'm sorry." I was tired. I didn't want to fight anymore.

Adrian froze. I'd never backed down in a fight with Bianca before. My apology seemed to rattle him, and his voice softened slightly. "I don't really blame you. Just don't be so impulsive again."

Bianca tugged his sleeve, her eyes flashing with resentment. "We should go back. I'm scared Lia will have nightmares sleeping here. I'm just worried the Torino family will come back, and Lia will get scared again..."

"I'll come with you." He glanced at me, a sense of guilt crossed his face. "Lia's still shaken up, and the Torino men are still hanging around. Bianca can't handle this alone. I'll be back tonight."

I nodded, turned, and walked to my bedroom. All three of them were gone.

I stared at the wedding decor, and felt nothing but bitter irony. After a hot shower, I sent a message to the family trust, putting the coastal castle up for sale. The house had been gifted to us by the family to celebrate our wedding. There was no point in keeping it now that we were ending things. Then I started packing my bags.

That night, Adrian texted: [Torino's men are still here. I won't be back tonight. Get some rest. Love you.]

Right after, Bianca posted another Instagram update. [My baby wanted to see the sunrise over the sea, so he sailed us to the Aeolian Islands] The photo showed Lia on Adrian's shoulders, their backs to the rising sun.

I picked up my suitcase, and left the castle forever.

That night, Bellini members leaked the footage, clearing me. Vitriol turned on Bianca and Lia.

Adrian called me at once, screaming. "Seraphina, Why did you do this? You apologized to their faces, then put your family up to slandering Bianca and Lia online! If anything happens to them because of you, I'll never forgive you!"

He slammed the phone down before I could get a single word in. Five minutes later, Adrian issued an official clan-wide proclamation to the entire Moretti family.

“To every made men of the Moretti family: Bianca is my wife, and Lia is my daughter. Do not be led astray by falsehoods, and under no circumstances shall you bring harm to them. Seraphina Bellini and I share nothing more than a casual acquaintance between our two allied families. I have no knowledge of why she is circulating malicious rumors to discredit my bond with Bianca.”

Once the proclamation was distributed across the family’s secure internal channels, he sent a follow-up text to me: [I swore a blood oath to Rico to protect Bianca and Lia. This was the only way to keep the family off their backs. Lay low for a time. This will all blow over soon enough.]

I stared at the message, only to find tears streaming down my face.

We were done forever.

Then, I boarded a private plane bound for Hawaii.