Isabella POV
I lowered my hand and waited. At Eleanor’s sharp nod, the two Carson soldiers shoved the heavy oak door open.
The stench of cheap gin, sweat, and sex spilled into the pristine corridor. Inside, the scene was a grotesque tableau. Caitlin was sprawled on the floor, her emerald dress torn and bunched around her waist, next to a young, half-naked Moretti Associate who looked absolutely terrified.
A collective gasp rippled through the Outfit wives. The silence that followed was deafening.
Caitlin blinked against the sudden intrusion of light. Then, her bloodshot eyes found me standing calmly among the crowd. The realization of her ruin snapped whatever sanity she had left.
"You bitch! I'll kill you!" she shrieked, a feral, guttural sound. She scrambled up and lunged at me, her manicured nails aimed directly at my eyes.
I didn't flinch. I didn't step back. As she closed the distance, I simply raised my arm and caught her wrist mid-air. My grip was like a steel vice, locking her in place. I stared into her twisted, hateful face, my voice chillingly calm. "Caitlin, what are you talking about?"
Before she could scream again, Gina broke from the crowd. My aunt didn't rush to cover her daughter's exposed skin; instead, she dragged Caitlin down, and both of them threw themselves dramatically at my grandmother's feet.
"Mother Eleanor, you must seek justice for us!" Gina sobbed, clutching the hem of Eleanor’s dark skirt. "Isabella, she... she was always jealous of Caitlin! She lured Caitlin into that room to ruin her! To ruin our family's name!"
The performance was flawless. The venomous whispers among the wives started instantly, their judgmental eyes darting back to me.
Eleanor’s face remained a mask of carved stone. She lifted her silver wolf-headed cane and struck the floor once. *Clack.* The corridor fell dead silent. Her piercing gaze shifted to me. "Isabella. Explain."
I offered a perfect, respectful curtsy. "Nonna" (Grandmother), I said evenly, "I am innocent."
"Liar!" Caitlin screamed, her face red with panic. "You pushed me in with that man and locked the door! I heard the bolt slide home!"
Before I could even open my mouth to defend myself, Maeve, Eleanor’s most trusted attendant who had been standing right beside the soldiers, spoke up. Her voice was flat, carrying no emotion, yet it echoed loudly in the quiet hall.
"The door was not locked, my Lady. It opened with a simple push."
The wives exchanged sharp glances. The first crack in Caitlin’s lie had just splintered wide open.
Panic seized Caitlin’s features. She scrambled up, her eyes wild. "Even if it wasn't locked, you held it shut! I was pulling on the handle with all my might! Your hand must be torn to shreds!"
Desperate to prove her point, she lunged forward and snatched my left hand—the very hand she had pinned to a mattress with a stiletto just hours ago. She held it up high, presenting it to the crowd like a bloody trophy.
Every eye locked onto my skin.
There was no blood. There was no gaping wound. The skin was pale, smooth, and completely unblemished.
Caitlin’s eyes bulged out of her head. She stared at my flawless hand, her voice dropping to a horrified, trembling whisper. "No... impossible... it should be bleeding..."
I looked at my hand, a phantom memory washing over me. I remembered the suffocating scent of expensive cologne, the dark abyss of Damien Moretti’s eyes, and the surprisingly gentle touch of his fingers as he applied that unknown, miraculous salve to my torn flesh. His secret was my shield, a devil's miracle that had just sealed my cousin's fate.
I slowly pulled my hand from her trembling grasp, letting her sink entirely into her own madness. I met my grandmother's calculating gaze, stepping out of the role of the accused and into the role of the executioner.
"The truth is, cousin, you offered to help me to my room because I felt unwell," I said, letting the words hang in the air as Gina and Caitlin turned ashen. "I admit, I woke up shortly after I lay down. I was startled awake... by a conversation. A very interesting conversation happening right outside my door."
