By some miracle, I was alive.
When my eyes first fluttered open, the sterile white of the hospital ceiling greeted me, and the steady beeping of machines tethered me to reality. Pain laced through every inch of my body, sharp yet numbed by medication.
I shouldn't have survived. The nurse said as much.
"It's a miracle you're even here," she whispered, adjusting the IV. "You'll have scars, and the impact was dangerous… but you're stable enough to be discharged tomorrow."
I nodded faintly, unable to find words.
But inside, I was breaking.
Because as I lay there, the memory of another fall came rushing back. Years ago, during the summer the Family kept a safehouse on the Amalfi cliffs. I had slipped near the edge, loose rock giving way under my sandals. I could still remember the terror, the wind tearing through my screams. And Domenico hadn't stopped until he found me. He climbed down himself, his hands bloodied against the stone, his arms shaking as he pulled me back up. He never once let go.
That was the Domenico I loved.
But now? I had stood in the middle of that street, frozen and terrified. And he hadn't even looked at me. His arms, his protection, his love — all of it had gone to Ginevra.
I was disregarded.
Disposable.
That night, I stayed alone in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling as snow continued to fall outside the window. Domenico never came. Not even once. My phone buzzed at midnight, and I snatched it up desperately — only to feel my heart sink.
Domenico: Ginevra was in shock from almost being hit. She needs me tonight. Stay strong.
Stay strong. As if that was all my pain amounted to.
A second message arrived later — from Donatella, his mother.
Donatella: Serafina, tomorrow's my birthday. Come please. I miss you, my daughter.
For a moment, I wanted to refuse. To curl up and disappear. But Donatella… she was the one who had been there after my parents were killed. When my father, one of the Ferraro capos, was gunned down and my mother followed him three days later from the grief and the bullet fragment the surgeons missed, it was Donatella who took me in. She managed the Ferraro holdings that would have been mine, kept them safe until I could stand on my own. She was more of a mother to me than anyone else had ever been.
So the next day, against my better judgment, I went.
The celebration was grand, with warm lights glowing across the Valente estate. Laughter spilled from the great hall, crystal glasses chiming. Guards in dark suits stood at the perimeter, hands clasped in front of them, eyes never still. But as I lingered at the edge of the hall, unseen, I heard the voices.
"Domenico, are you insane?" Donatella's voice was sharp, cutting through the chatter. "You let her be in an accident for that woman? Serafina is your blood-promised. She's the one meant to be with you!"
Domenico's reply was firm, defensive. "But you know, Ma — Ginevra saved my life. I owe her everything. I'm just returning the favor."
My heart thudded painfully.
Donatella's voice trembled. "And Serafina? Has she not saved you too, countless times? I told you to take care of Ginevra, not replace Serafina!"
His answer sliced through me. "Maybe it's better to replace Serafina. I think Ginevra's better."
The words gutted me. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. The world blurred as I backed away, my legs unsteady beneath me. My fingers found the hollow of my throat, pressing hard against the bare skin where my saint's medallion used to hang, and I held on as if the floor might open and swallow me whole.
When I finally stepped inside, I felt like a ghost. Domenico sat with Ginevra at the center table, their hands closed together, their faces glowing with comfort, while I stood like a forgotten shadow. A wallflower at my own place in this family. Soldiers and capos who had once kissed my hand now glanced past me as if I weren't there.
Donatella found me later, her expression soft, guilt swimming in her eyes. "Are you alright, my dear?"
I forced a smile. "I'm okay. Happy birthday."
Her hand lingered on my arm. "Come, sit with us at the table."
I shook my head, glancing at Ginevra draped beside Domenico. "There's no need. She's there. You don't have to make space for me."
Her eyes dimmed. Her thumbs pressed together at her waist, knuckles whitening. "I'm sorry, Serafina. It's our fault for letting that woman into your life."
I shook my head again, whispering, "No worries. I understand."
And I turned away, heading toward the bar.
The burn of alcohol slid down my throat as I sipped glass after glass, desperate to drown the ache. The chatter of guests blurred, my vision hazed. Somewhere behind me a capo was telling a story about the old days, his voice thick with grappa and nostalgia, and the sound of it was so ordinary, so warm, that it made the cold inside me worse.
Then a hand slid against my back — too low, too rough. I stiffened, turning sharply. A man leaned close, his breath laced with liquor. I didn't recognize him. Some associate brought in from another crew, someone who didn't know who I was. Or didn't care.
"Don't look so lonely, pretty," he murmured.
"Stop it," I hissed, pushing him away.
But his hand gripped tighter, pressing against my waist. Panic surged, and I shouted, my voice ringing through the hall. "He's harassing me! Someone — help!"
Heads turned. Conversations hushed. All eyes landed on me. The guards along the wall shifted but didn't move. They wouldn't. Not without a signal from the head of the table.
The man smirked, loosening his grip just enough to play innocent. "Harassing? No, no. She's drunk. She came on to me. Tried to seduce me."
Laughter rippled. Gasps followed. Whispers darted through the crowd like knives.
And Domenico? He stood on the other side of the room, watching me. Watching. And doing nothing. The silver lighter was still in his hand, but his thumb didn't move. He just looked at me the way you look at a problem that isn't yours.
Finally, he stepped forward, his eyes cold as he grabbed my arm. "Is it true?" His voice was sharp, humiliating. "Were you seducing him?"
"No!" My voice cracked with desperation. "I swear, Domenico — I wasn't —"
But the damage was done. People were staring, whispering, eyes filled with pity and disgust. Capos' wives covered their mouths. Old men who had bounced me on their knees as a child looked away. My body trembled as shame swallowed me whole.
I tore myself free, running out of the hall as tears blinded me.
"Serafina!" A voice called after me — not Domenico's. Donatella's. She caught up in the corridor, her heels clicking against the marble. "Don't go, my dear. Please. Stay. You belong here."
I shook my head, sobbing. "No. I can't. I can't be part of this family anymore. I'm breaking the blood-promise."
Her face fell, sorrow deep in her eyes. In this world, breaking a blood-promise was not a private matter. It was a wound cut into two bloodlines at once.
"Please," I whispered, clutching her hands. "If you truly care for me, don't ever tell your son that I'm leaving. Don't let him find me. Promise me."
Her lips trembled, but she nodded, tears gathering in her eyes.
And just like that, I turned away, my heart shattering one last time.
