"Leave these things to the staff, tesoro," Lorenzo said softly. "You've been at the clinic every day looking after your mother. No woman should have to carry that much. If you wear yourself down, I'll be the one who can't forgive himself."
With that, he leaned down and kissed my forehead once more.
His touch was as gentle as it had always been.
Yet for the first time, I felt nothing.
How far could a man go for the sake of another woman?
I closed my eyes.
A tear slipped silently down my cheek.
I helped him onto the bed, pulled the blanket over him, and before long, the wine carried him into a deep sleep.
Only then did I quietly reach for his phone.
I entered the password.
It unlocked on the first try.
It was Vittoria's birthday.
A bitter smile tugged at my lips.
I opened his chat with her.
The screen was filled with confidential Family business, messages no Don would ever entrust to someone outside his inner circle.
And the conversation had never stopped.
Not for a single day in the three years since my father's funeral.
Every piece of Marchetti territory that came under Lorenzo's control was carefully explained to Vittoria so she could learn how the Family operated.
Every alliance he forged with another Family was forwarded to her in detail, laying the foundation for the future he envisioned.
Even the transfer agreement for the Marchetti holdings had been drafted three years ago.
All he had been waiting for was my mother's death...
And my signature.
My fingers trembled as I opened his private photo album.
Every photograph belonged to Vittoria.
Some showed her attending Family gatherings as the Falcone Family's second lady.
Others captured her celebrating successful operations beside Matteo.
The resemblance between Matteo and Lorenzo was striking enough that, at a glance, anyone could mistake one for the other.
Beneath the photographs were records from private auctions.
Every necklace.
Every bracelet.
Every diamond.
Purchased by Lorenzo, yet sent to Vittoria under Matteo's name, disguised as gifts from an elder of the Family.
His love had always been hidden.
Quiet.
Lavish.
Carefully woven into the smallest details.
And every detail drove another knife into my heart.
Only then did I recognize those pieces of jewelry.
He had once handed them to me with a smile, telling me they were complimentary gifts from the auction house.
I had believed him.
I let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh.
There was no need to keep looking.
I closed the album and sent a message to every Capo, calling for a sit-down in three days.
At that table...
I would reclaim everything that belonged to the Marchetti Family.
For three years, Lorenzo had taken what was mine.
Now...
He would return every last piece of it.
I didn't sleep that night.
At first light, I washed and dressed.
Just as I finished, a notification appeared in the Family communication channel.
Lorenzo immediately called.
His voice carried an urgency that made it sound as though a rival Family had crossed into our territory.
"Adriana? Since when are you checking Family business?" he asked. "Your mother's condition is getting worse. We agreed I'd oversee everything in your name. You shouldn't burden yourself with these matters. If you make yourself sick, your mother will blame me for failing to take care of you."
I set my phone aside and smiled faintly.
"It was nothing. I must have enabled the notifications by accident. I'll mute them in a moment."
I paused.
"Don't you have a meeting with the Capos about the new venture today? You should go."
The tension in his voice disappeared instantly.
I could almost picture the relief settling across his face.
He stepped closer and wrapped me gently in his arms.
"Thank you for understanding, cara."
He kissed the top of my head.
"I just want to finish everything as quickly as possible, so we can finally have our union."
I simply lowered my eyes.
I didn't answer.
After a moment, I quietly turned off my phone.
"You're going to the clinic today, aren't you?" he asked. "Stop by the hotel first. I had them prepare your favorite meal. You've lost weight lately."
"All right," I replied with a smile. "I'll bring some for Mother too."
My mother had remained in that clinic for an entire year.
Lorenzo had hired the finest caregivers money could buy, insisting he couldn't bear to see me exhaust myself.
Once, I believed that was love.
Now I knew better.
If he truly cared...
How could he have visited her fewer than twice in an entire year?
He had handed her life over to strangers.
People loyal not to my family...
But to the man who paid them.
Everything he had done...
Every thoughtful arrangement.
Every gentle word.
Every act of concern.
Had been nothing more than a carefully constructed cage.
One designed to keep me occupied...
While ensuring Vittoria never had to worry about me standing in her way.
Enough.
Three years of lies...
Would end with me.
I slowly turned my father's heavy signet ring around my finger as the car pulled up outside the clinic.
Before I even reached my mother's room, I heard several nurses whispering to one another in the hallway.
