Bianca's throat felt stuffed with cotton, dry and raw.
Her fingers curled slowly into her palms, and her chest seized as though something had clamped down around her heart, squeezing until the air refused to come.
After a long silence, she looked at Dante and Vincent, her voice low and steady:
"Fine. I'll resign from the firm."
She wanted to see exactly how far Rinaldi & Associates would get without her.
Dante visibly relaxed when she agreed.
He reached for her hand:
"Bianca, don't worry. Even if you're not practicing law anymore, I can take care of you."
Bianca's expression didn't change. She sidestepped his hand, swallowing the pain, her tone flat:
"I don't need you to take care of me."
He'd already made his choice. There was no point pretending to care now.
Dante's throat bobbed. He stared at Bianca, dazed. The love that once filled her eyes had been replaced by something vast and empty, and it stung like looking into the sun.
His chest tightened with a dull, suffocating ache.
Why? He'd always loved Viviana, hadn't he? He'd only married Bianca on impulse, out of spite.
Now Viviana had achieved her dream. She'd gotten what she wanted, taken Bianca's place. He should be happy.
So why did the look of disappointment in Bianca's eyes cut so deep?
It was probably just responsibility.
That was how Dante consoled himself.
Right. Responsibility. He had married her, after all. Helping Viviana scheme against her like this was, admittedly, unfair.
But it didn't matter. They were still husband and wife. He'd make it up to her later.
The thought loosened the knot in his chest for a moment. He was about to say something when Viviana cut in:
"Dante, come shopping with me."
"I'm about to get promoted, so I should pick up some gifts for the team."
Dante glanced at Bianca:
"Bianca, Viviana's still new in Astoria. I need to look after her."
Bianca's voice was even, the sorrow in her eyes fading into something blank:
"It's fine. Go."
Dante blinked. Normally, whenever he mentioned spending time with Viviana, Bianca would argue with him.
No matter how many times he insisted they were just friends, she never believed him.
Why was she so agreeable today?
He looked into her calm, unreadable eyes, and an inexplicable unease crept through him.
He started to explain without thinking:
"Don't worry, I'll come straight home after we're done. I won't be long—"
Before he could finish, Viviana turned to him with a wounded expression:
"Dante, I know you're worried Bianca will get the wrong idea. It's okay, I can go by myself."
She managed a tight, brave smile:
"I'm used to being alone."
She turned and walked out, leaving behind a lonely silhouette.
Dante's face crumpled with sympathy, and he hurried after her.
In his mind, Bianca was the wife who would always forgive him. Whenever they fought, she'd find her own way to let it go without him having to lift a finger.
Viviana was different. She was high-maintenance. One wrong move and she'd sulk for days, exhausting everyone around her.
So he'd rather disappoint Bianca than risk upsetting Viviana.
Bianca stood rooted to the spot, motionless. Her entire body had gone rigid and cold. Sweat beaded along her spine. She bit down hard on her lip, but it did nothing to stop the chill spreading through her.
She watched the two of them leave and let out a bitter, quiet laugh.
She must have been blind all these years, believing Dante actually loved her.
How had she forgotten? Every single time she and Viviana clashed, Dante had taken Viviana's side. Every single time.
She cast a cool glance at Vincent and said quietly:
"You've wanted me out of this firm for a long time, haven't you?"
Guilt flickered across Vincent's face. Before he could respond, Bianca cut him off:
"You got what you wanted."
"I hope you won't regret today's decision."
Without waiting for an answer, she walked alone to handle her resignation paperwork. The staff at Rinaldi & Associates were stunned when they learned she was leaving. They'd watched Bianca pour years of her life into the firm, building its reputation case by case until half the made men in Astoria trusted no other counsel. No one expected her to leave so suddenly.
But given the whispers circulating the past two days, the shock faded quickly, replaced by quiet sympathy as they looked at her.
Bianca clenched her fists, forcing herself to ignore the pitying glances. Once the paperwork was done, she walked out of the firm for the last time.
Back at the compound, she called Elena Bellandi first:
"Mom, I've decided. I'm coming with you and Dad. Offshore, wherever the family keeps safe ground."
Elena paused for a beat, then her voice brightened:
"Really? You've finally come to your senses. Your father and I were so afraid you'd be stubborn and insist on staying in Astoria."
"Don't worry, sweetheart. You can still practice law from there. You don't have to chain yourself to one firm, one family."
"What about Dante? Is he coming with you, or staying behind for now?"
Bianca's voice dropped:
"Mom, I think I need to get a divorce first."
"Could you and Dad help me with the paperwork to get settled?"
"And the Vitale Family... have the Bellandis pull their support. The money, the shipping access, the political cover. Once the divorce is final, I won't have anything to do with the Vitale syndicate."
Dante had always believed he'd built the Vitale operation on talent alone. Fine. She'd let him prove it. Without Bellandi money and protection behind him, she'd see how long his empire lasted.
Elena was surprised, but she'd always respected her daughter's decisions. She didn't press for details, only offered careful reminders:
"Your marriage is your own business. Your father and I won't interfere. We'll have our people handle the withdrawal."
"If anything comes up that you can't handle, tell us."
Her mother's words thawed something in Bianca's frozen chest, just slightly.
She nodded:
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of it."
She'd barely hung up when a message came through from a colleague at the firm:
"Bianca, we want to thank you for everything you've done for us over the years, so we'd like to throw you a farewell party."
"We've booked a villa on the south side of Astoria for tonight. We're planning a get-together, maybe stay the night. Are you free?"
Bianca had planned to slip away quietly, but these colleagues had always been good to her. After tonight, she might never see them again. She couldn't bring herself to refuse.
After a long moment of thought, she agreed.
She packed up a few things and headed to the villa.
What she hadn't expected was Viviana.
Viviana stood in the center of the crowd, her fingers laced through Dante's, her gaze landing on Bianca with a glint of smug provocation:
"Bianca, I never thought you'd actually show up to my promotion party."
"I knew Dante wouldn't lie to me."
