The taxi ride home was a blur of city lights and vibrating anxiety. My phone, resting on the seat beside me, had been buzzing incessantly for the last twenty minutes.
Sebastiano: Where are you?
Sebastiano: Rosa said you came by. Why didn't you come in?
Sebastiano: Bianca, answer me. I'm worried.
Sebastiano: Are you okay? Call me.
I watched the notifications stack up on the lock screen, each one a measure of his guilt. He wasn't worried about my safety; he was worried about his exposure. He was terrified that I had stood outside that door and heard the sounds of his betrayal. He was calculating the damage, wondering if his carefully constructed house of cards was about to collapse.
I didn't reply. I simply reached over, held the power button, and watched the screen go black.
I leaned my head back against the seat, closing my eyes. I needed to think. I needed to calibrate my performance. I had set the wheels in motion with the consigliere-for-hire, but I still had to play the part of the oblivious, doting wife for just a little longer. I needed to lull him into a false sense of security before I pulled the rug out from under him.
When the taxi pulled up to the driveway, I saw Sebastiano's car parked haphazardly near the entrance, as if he had arrived in a rush. Catalina's car was there too, tucked discreetly to the side.
Of course she was here. She was like a parasite I couldn't shake.
I paid the driver and walked up the steps. The front door was unlocked. As I stepped into the foyer, voices drifted from the living room. They were arguing, their tones hushed but frantic.
"So what?" Catalina's voice was sharp, dismissive. "If she heard us, she would have stormed in! She would have screamed! You know her, Sebastiano. She's emotional. She wouldn't just walk away."
"You don't know that," Sebastiano hissed back. "She's been acting strange since the miscarriage. Quiet. Detached. What if she's planning something?"
"You're being paranoid," Catalina scoffed. "Maybe she just dropped off the papers and left. Maybe she didn't hear anything. So maybe not? Why are you freaking out?"
"And what if she did?" Sebastiano's voice rose, cracking with stress. "What if she dissolves the union? Huh? Do you know what happens then? The arrangement with the European partners, the Castellano alliance, it's contingent on this marriage holding. My grandfather will strip me of everything if I cause a breach now. I lose everything, Catalina. Everything!"
"So you care more about the Family than us?"
"I care about our future! Which requires the Family!"
I took a deep breath, plastered a confused smile on my face, and walked into the room.
"What is all the commotion?" I asked, my voice light and airy.
Both of them jumped. Sebastiano spun around, his face pale, sweat beading on his forehead. Catalina looked like she had swallowed a lemon, her arms crossed defensively over her chest.
"Bianca!" Sebastiano breathed out, rushing toward me. He looked like he wanted to grab me, shake me, and hug me all at once. "Oh god, Bianca. I thought something happened to you."
He reached for my hands, his grip clammy. "I've been calling and texting you for an hour! Why is your phone off? Where have you been?"
I looked at him, widening my eyes in innocent surprise. "My phone? Oh, it must have died. I forgot to charge it last night. I'm sorry, did I worry you?"
"Worry me? I was out of my mind!" He searched my face, looking for any sign of anger, any hint that I knew. "Rosa told me you came to the office. Why didn't you come inside? I was… I was in a sit-down, but I would have stepped out for you."
"I didn't want to disturb you," I said, shrugging. "Rosa looked so stressed, and I heard you were busy. I just wanted to drop off the blueprints for the development project."
"But where did you go after?" he pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You've been gone for hours."
I paused. I let the silence stretch for just a second too long, watching his pulse jump in his neck.
"Oh, something came up," I said casually. "I needed to go to the counselor for the dissolution papers," I said simply.
The room went deathly silent. You could hear a pin drop. Sebastiano looked like he had been punched in the gut. Somewhere deeper in the house, the grandfather clock ticked once, twice, into nothing.
"What… what do you mean dissolution?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "Bianca? What? Are you… are you breaking the union?"
I watched him squirm. I watched the terror in his eyes, not of losing me, but of losing his standing, his name, his grandfather's protection. It was pathetic.
Then, I threw my head back and laughed.
"Oh my god, look at your face!" I giggled, slapping his arm playfully. "Do you want a dissolution, Sebastiano? Is that it?"
He blinked, confused, his brain struggling to catch up. "What? No! No, of course not! Baby, you're… you're kidding?"
"Of course I am!" I said, stepping into his space and wrapping my arms around his neck. I felt his body sag with relief. "Why on earth would I dissolve a blood-bound union with my loving husband? You're the best thing that ever happened to me."
I kissed him. It was a performance worthy of an Oscar. I pressed my lips to his, humming contentedly, while staring directly at Catalina over his shoulder.
Her face was a mask of pure, unadulterated rage. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, her knuckles white.
I pulled back, smiling up at Sebastiano. "I went to the counselor to update my will, silly. After the accident… it just made me think about things. About protecting us. Making sure the assets are clean, the trusts are in order."
"Oh," Sebastiano exhaled, a nervous laugh bubbling up from his chest. "Right. A will. That makes sense. God, Bianca, don't joke like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"I would only dissolve the union if you violated it," I said, my voice turning serious for a split second. "Just like the Ferrara family. Did you hear? The husband was sleeping with one of his associates. Can you imagine? Throwing away an alliance, a bloodline, for a cheap fling? His father-in-law sent two men to his office. It's disgusting."
Sebastiano stiffened against me. His thumb moved, barely perceptible, rolling the wedding band around his ring finger. "Yeah," he choked out. "Disgusting. I would never do that to you, Bianca. I promise."
"I know," I cooed. "You're a good man."
I turned my head slightly, locking eyes with Catalina again.
"Well," I said, running a hand down Sebastiano's chest. "If you love me so much, how about you show me? Kiss me again."
"Bianca, we have company," Sebastiano murmured, though he didn't pull away. He was too relieved, too desperate to keep up the charade.
"Catalina doesn't mind," I said, my voice dripping with sweetness. "She's practically family. Right, Catalina?"
Catalina didn't answer. She looked like she was about to explode.
I pulled Sebastiano down and kissed him again, harder this time, making a show of it. I let my hands wander, staking my claim on the property she thought she had stolen.
"Let's go upstairs," I whispered loudly enough for her to hear. "Let's make love. I want to feel you."
Sebastiano hesitated, glancing at Catalina, but he was trapped. "Okay," he said. "Okay, baby."
I pulled away, patting his cheek. "I'll just go take a shower first. I feel gross from the city. You stay here. Go finish whatever business you have with her."
I gestured vaguely at Catalina.
"And Catalina," I added, flashing her a bright, venomous smile. "Thanks for keeping him company while I was gone. You can see yourself out, right?"
I didn't wait for an answer. I turned and walked toward the stairs, swaying my hips.
As I climbed, I glanced back once. Catalina was staring at Sebastiano, her eyes burning with betrayal and humiliation. Sebastiano was rubbing his temples, looking like a man who was drowning.
I made it to the bedroom and closed the door. The smile vanished instantly. I rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed my lips with the back of my hand until they burned.
I turned on the shower to drown out any noise. I sat on the edge of the tub, my heart pounding. My right hand drifted to my bare collarbone, fingers pressing against the hollow where my mother's gold crucifix used to rest. I held them there until the trembling stopped.
My phone, which I had turned back on, buzzed on the counter.
I picked it up. A message from Uncle Lorenzo.
Uncle Lorenzo: Everything is ready now. The jet is fueled. The transfer is approved. You can leave whenever you want.
I stared at the screen.
"Soon," I whispered to the empty room. "Just one more act."
