"My apologies. I shouldn't have suggested you seek assistance from the waiter."
The gala ended on a sour note. That night, Rocco came home reeking of gunpowder. He slapped the divorce papers on the table, lit a cigar, and said, "Krystal wants a title. She's earned it. Sign the papers."
I looked at the agreement, my mind flashing back to the night he proposed. "Marry me, Alessia. I'll give you whatever you want. I swear it." The earnestness in his eyes that night felt so real, even if it was just a fleeting illusion.
"Luciano comes with me."
Rocco sneered. "You're an outsider. How do you expect to support him in Chicago?"
I stood up, and though I was a head shorter than him, I straightened my spine. "Then we'll settle this according to family rules. A tribunal."
Rocco's smile vanished. He stared at me with a complex expression before bursting into laughter. "Fine. If you insist on humiliating yourself, then go ahead. Alessia, you can't win. The Grimaldi family has its own rules. What chance does a civilian doctor like you have against me?"
He slammed the door behind him, and outside, thunder rumbled. Raindrops beat against the windows, the sound echoing through the house.
In the garden, the black roses he had planted for me, symbolizing "conquest," were withering in the storm. Now, those roses were nearly dead.
I returned to Luciano's bedside and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "My sweet boy," I whispered, "I will not lose." I heard the sound of a gun being loaded in the study, and I knew the war was about to begin.
The news that I was demanding custody of our son but no money spread through the Grimaldi family overnight.
"Did you hear? She's walking away without a single dollar? She must be insane!"
"I bet it's just a ploy to get more in the end. I've seen plenty of women like her."
Even my best friend, Bianca Cross, risked everything to travel from out of town to talk some sense into me. "Alessia, are you insane? Rocco was the one who cheated, he's in the wrong. You should take all his money! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to raise a child alone in Chicago? Do you have any idea what they do to people who cross the Grimaldis?"
Seeing her so frantic on my behalf warmed my heart. There was still one person in this world who genuinely worried about me. I squeezed her hand and said, "Bianca, I have a plan."
At the family tribunal presided over by Don Salvatore, Rocco's people presented a pile of fabricated evidence. They produced doctored photos and a paid-off witness, accusing me of infidelity and conspiring with rival outfits—anything to prove I was an unfit mother for the Grimaldi heir. I had less than a hundred thousand dollars in savings, while Rocco's fortune was enough to buy half of Chicago. They even found the records of me seeing a psychologist for stress.
Don Salvatore looked at me sympathetically. Rocco, impeccable in a tailored suit, sat calmly on the opposing side, occasionally shooting me a look of pure contempt.
During a recess, I ran into Rocco and Krystal in the hallway. Krystal smiled sweetly. "Dr. Thorne, I hear you're insisting on custody of Luciano. Why bother? It's so hard for a single mother to raise a child."
"You don't have the Grimaldi name yet, Miss Dunn. Don't presume to speak on family matters." I ignored her and turned to Rocco. "I want Luciano."
He replied coldly, "You can't afford him. The cost of his bodyguards alone is more than you'd make in years!"
"That's my business."
Rocco stared at me for a long time, then suddenly laughed. "Fine. I'll see you in the tribunal."
