Apollo didn't even look at me.
Instead, he gently took Agatha's injured wrist into his hands, carefully examining the scratches. “Does it still hurt?” His voice was unbelievably gentle. “I'll have the family doctor come back tonight. I don't want even the smallest scar left on your hand.”
“A little...” Agatha sniffled pitifully, fresh tears filling her eyes. “But please don't blame my sister. Maybe Lila only attacked me because she thought I was trying to hurt her.”
Behind them, the De Sangue soldiers waited for no further instructions.
Torches were thrown into my forensic laboratory.
Flames erupted instantly, swallowing everything in their path. My microscopes, case files, years of forensic notes, preserved samples, research journals, and every dream I'd spent years building disappeared beneath the fire.
At the same time, another soldier dragged Lila's carrier toward the growing flames.
“No!” I screamed until my throat felt raw. “Please stop! She didn't do anything wrong!”
Two bodyguards pinned me to the ground.
I kicked, sratched, bit but it wasn't enough.
The carrier landed beside the fire. Lila cried desperately, clawing at the metal door with her tiny paws.
“Apollo!” I sobbed so violently I could barely breathe. “What happened to you? Have you forgotten who you used to be? You promised you'd protect me. I don't want your love anymore. I don't want your promises or your money. Just... please... give Lila back. I'm begging you. I'm really begging you!"
Then Lila's cries suddenly stopped.
I shoved the bodyguards away with strength I didn't know I still possessed and stumbled toward the carrier.
There was blood on the ground—too much blood.
Lila lay motionless beside the crushed steel carrier. Her tiny body no longer moved, and the bright blue eyes that had followed me everywhere were empty.
I slowly picked her up... She was still warm but she was gone.
I couldn't cry. I couldn't scream.
I simply sat there, holding her against my chest.
My father was gone. Now Lila was gone too. Why did everyone who ever loved me leave? Was I really that unlucky, or was I simply never allowed to keep anything precious?
Apollo stepped outside.
The first thing he heard wasn't my silence.
It was the words I'd spoken moments earlier.
I don't want your love anymore.
His expression darkened as he strode toward me, grabbed my arm, and slammed me against the wall.
“Elarisse.” His grip tightened painfully around my wrist. “When the fuck are you going to grow up? Do you think saying shit like that is funny? You've been mine since the day you turned eighteen! If you don't want my love anymore, then whose the fuck do you want?”
I stared back at him. There was nothing left inside me.
“Move,” I said quietly.
Apollo didn't move.
I looked him straight in the eyes.
“Lila's dead. My father's gone. So don't stand in my way.”
For the first time, his grip loosened.
I walked past him without another word.
Back in my bedroom, I curled into the corner of the bed. Downstairs, I could still hear them laughing.
“Apollo,” Agatha's cheerful voice echoed through the mansion. “Why's my sister making such a big deal over a cat? It was only an animal. I don't understand why she's acting like the world ended.”
Apollo let out a cold laugh.
“Ignore her. We've spoiled her too damn much, and now she thinks the whole world owes her something.” Ice clinked against his glass. “The Redd family is gone. She's got a weak immune system. Where the fuck is she going to go besides staying under my roof? This time, I'm making sure she learns her lesson.”
I listened quietly.
Then I stood.
Like someone who had finally buried the last piece of herself.
I opened every drawer, every cabinet, and every safe in the room, gathering everything Apollo had ever given me.
The engagement ring he'd slipped onto my finger.
The custom pistol engraved with my initials because he'd once promised I'd never be defenseless.
The notebook filled with plans for all the countries he wanted to visit with me.
The silk scarf he'd wrapped around my neck during our first winter together.
The antique pocket watch he'd bought because I'd once said it reminded me of my father.
The diamond bracelets. The designer handbags.
The couture gowns.
Every gift.
Every promise.
Every lie.
I stuffed everything into a large canvas bag and dragged it into the courtyard. After building a fire, I threw every single item into the flames.
One after another, every reminder of the life we'd built together disappeared into the fire.
Apollo rushed outside.
The moment he realized what was burning, his face changed.
“What the fuck are you doing?” He stormed toward the fire, fury flashing across his face. “Have you completely lost your damn mind? Do you even realize what you're throwing away?”
I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“You burned everything that mattered to me.” My voice remained eerily calm as I watched the flames consume the last of our memories. “So now I'm burning everything that ever reminded me of you. If my life meant so little to you, then these things don't mean anything to me either.”
Apollo stared at me as if he no longer recognized the woman standing before him.
His fists clenched.
“Fine.” His voice turned ice cold. “If you don't give a damn about us anymore, then neither do I. I hope you fucking regret this.”
He turned away.
...
That same day, Apollo left the Riccio estate.
Agatha walked beside him with a satisfied smile she couldn't quite hide.
Before leaving, Apollo ordered every servant and every De Sangue guard assigned to the estate to leave as well.
Within an hour, the enormous mansion fell completely silent.
The very next morning, the entire city exploded with one piece of news.
“Apollo Riccio: The feared Don of De Sangue. The powerful CEO of Riccio Group. Officially introduced his girlfriend to the public.”
Every news outlet carried the same headline. Every social media account shared the same photos.
In every picture, Agatha stood beside him with her arm wrapped around his. She wore an elegant white coat while Apollo kept one hand possessively around her waist. Another photo showed them inside one of his private helicopters, flying over the Chicago skyline as the sun dipped below the horizon.
She looked like she'd always belonged in his world.
The comments flooded in.
“She's so lucky.”
“Don Apollo finally found the woman worthy of him.”
“They look perfect together.”
Almost at the same time, my phone buzzed.
One message.
From Apollo.
“See what happens when you keep testing me? This is the price for going against me. Maybe now you'll learn where you stand.”
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Strangely...
It didn't even hurt anymore.
Maybe there was simply nothing left inside me that could still break.
I locked my phone and quietly continued packing my suitcase. There were only a few days left before my flight, and I refused to let anything stop me now.
Halfway through folding my clothes, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over me.
My vision blurred.
The room tilted.
A cold sweat spread across my forehead as my hands began trembling uncontrollably.
No...
Not now.
I reached for the bedside table, trying to steady myself, but my legs gave out beneath me.
My blood sugar...
It was dropping again.
I fumbled through my bag with shaking fingers, searching desperately for the emergency glucose tablets I always carried. My breathing became uneven as panic crept into my chest.
Nothing.
I checked another pocket.
Still nothing.
I couldn't remember where I'd left them.
My fingertips were already going numb.
With the last of my strength, I grabbed my phone and called Apollo.
