I forced a bitter smile. "I heard the Don's daughter has a thing for colored flares. The old Valente signal protocol. If we could make her smile, convince her to attend your wedding, wouldn't that bring honor to the occasion?"
Sienna eyed me with suspicion. "How would a worthless wretch like you know what the Don's daughter likes?"
"Believe it or don't. If it turns out to be false, it's no loss to you either way, Miss Marchetti."
After Sienna left, I curled into the corner of the bed, my body burning with fever, my lower abdomen seized with stabbing pain. No one came.
Looking back now, meeting Cesare Delgado was the single greatest regret of my life.
Through the haze of unconsciousness, I caught a blurred glimpse of colored flares arcing past the window, their light bleeding through the curtains in reds and greens that only someone raised inside the Valente compound would recognize.
Only then did I let out a breath and smile.
Long ago, my father and I had made a pact: whenever the colored flares went up, it meant I was in danger, and someone would come to take me away.
At some point, Cesare appeared. He sat at the edge of my bed for a long time.
When he saw me open my eyes, he touched my forehead. "The fever's broken. Come on, sit up and have some porridge."
I struggled upright. "Sienna came. She forced an entire bowl of that sterilizing concoction down my throat. Did you know?"
Cesare's expression faltered for a moment. He lowered his gaze. "I knew."
"You knew?"
I clenched every muscle in my body to keep the tears from falling.
He reached for my hand. I pulled away.
"Serafina, she was only protecting herself. If you'd given birth, where would that leave her and her child? It's only human nature."
I let out a hollow laugh. Human nature. What a convenient excuse.
Cesare set the bowl down and continued. "After Sienna went home, she had terrible stomach pains. It's possible our child's spirit unsettled her..."
He looked at me, hesitating, then pressed on.
"There's a priest at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Croce. Go to him and ask him to perform rites for the child's soul. Then climb all nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine steps on your hands and knees, one bow per step, and bring back a blessed charm for Sienna. Do that, and we can put this whole matter behind us. Alright?"
I stared at him, my eyes burning red.
"Cesare Delgado, you and I are finished. If you want a blessed charm, go get it yourself."
I dragged myself off the bed, trying to leave this wretched place.
He blocked my path.
He scooped me up, ignoring my thrashing, and threw me into the back seat of a black sedan. The driver tore north along dark roads until the headlights caught the base of the mountain where the chapel sat, invisible against the night sky.
"Take her up the mountain."
Two soldiers seized me by the arms, one on each side. I hauled my broken body forward, dropping to my knees and pressing my forehead to the stone with every step.
Two days without food or water, fresh from a miscarriage. I passed out and woke and passed out again along the way.
I don't remember how I obtained the blessed charm. All I know is that when I finally saw Cesare at the bottom, my legs gave out and I collapsed.
He caught me and gathered me into his arms.
"Serafina, you've suffered so much. I promise, even after I marry Sienna, you'll be the only one in my heart."
I closed my eyes slowly. Three days ago, I might have believed those words. Now they made my stomach turn.
"I got you your blessed charm. Let me go."
He ignored my plea and carried me back to the cottage.
"Serafina, don't be stubborn. The wedding is tomorrow. Sienna has agreed to let you keep living in the cottage afterward. You'll stay out of each other's way. Alright?"
Before leaving, he added one last instruction: "The Don's daughter may come to observe the ceremony tomorrow. Stay in the cottage and don't cause trouble."
Shortly after he left, my father's agents found me.
I looked in the direction he had gone, then at this little cottage in the Hudson Valley that had never truly been mine, and a quiet smile crossed my lips. My fingers drifted to the bare hollow of my throat where a locket once hung, then fell away.
I hope tomorrow, you won't regret this.
On the day of the wedding, the Delgado estate was draped in white flowers and candlelight, every room arranged for a formal alliance ceremony. Cesare stood in a tailored black suit, Sienna at his side. Capos and associates filled the chairs, the old families represented, the Commission's presence implied in the weight of the room.
They were about to begin the vows when a voice cut through from beyond the gates: "Serafina Valente. Daughter of Don Domenico Valente. Boss of Bosses."
The bouquet in Sienna's hands trembled. A smile curled at the corner of her mouth. She smoothed the front of her dress with both palms. She hadn't expected the Don's daughter to actually come.
