Enzo and I had once walked the same path.
We met in law school, studying the same craft. We spent years buried in legal codes, analyzing loopholes, and learning how to protect the interests of powerful families without leaving a trace behind.
Enzo was disciplined and ambitious. After graduation, he passed the bar and became the kind of legal adviser that families like ours trusted with their most dangerous secrets.
I passed as well.
But instead of joining a firm, I chose another road.
I married Salvatore.
After becoming his wife, I took over the legal matters of the Ortega family and handled the countless problems that came with their world.
Enzo and I both understood what it meant to carry another person's burden.
In our world, once a verdict was finalized, escaping it was almost impossible.
Unless someone could produce undeniable evidence strong enough to overturn everything, the person who took the blame would spend the rest of their life behind bars.
Wronged.
Forgotten.
Silent.
That was the price of loyalty.
That was the meaning of omertà.
Thinking about it now, I couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh.
I had always known this path was dangerous.
I knew every step was filled with risks.
Yet I still chose to believe Salvatore.
I still chose him.
I lowered my head and said nothing.
My mother noticed the tears gathering in my eyes.
She leaned closer across the old table, her voice trembling.
"Adriana, did Salvatore threaten you?"
"Tell me the truth."
"Your father and I will stand beside you, no matter who we have to face."
She held my hand tighter.
"Or is it because you truly love him that much?"
"Do you really love him enough to sacrifice your entire life?"
I looked at her and forced a small smile.
Then I slowly shook my head.
Salvatore and I had been married for seven years.
But we had known each other for nearly ten.
He had become part of my daily life, part of my memories, part of the future I had imagined.
A future where I never considered the possibility of him not being there.
After a long silence, I finally nodded.
My mother understood she couldn't change my mind.
So she gave up trying to persuade me and turned to the things mothers always worried about.
"Adriana, when you go in there, don't trust anyone."
"Protect yourself. Protect the baby."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Even if we lose everything, your father and I will find a way to bring you home."
"You have to promise me..."
Before she could finish, the guard looked at the clock.
Then he cleared his throat several times.
The meaning was obvious.
Our time was over.
The guard stepped forward.
As they pulled me away, my mother refused to let go of my hand.
She held on with every bit of strength she had left.
But the moment my fingers slipped from hers, she lost her balance.
She fell heavily onto the cold floor.
My mother remained there, silently crying.
From the corner of the room, Gia watched everything.
She quickly pulled back when she noticed someone might see her.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
I still hadn't exposed Salvatore.
Not once.
Not a single word.
To Gia, that meant she had won.
My father stood nearby, his fists tightly clenched.
His anger burned so intensely that his entire body trembled, but there was nothing he could do.
Salvatore watched me being taken away from my mother.
Then his eyes fell on the dissolution papers I had thrown aside earlier.
He picked them up.
His fingers brushed over the pages, and he slowly wiped his palm against his trousers before speaking.
That habit again.
The one he had whenever he was hiding something.
He had never believed I would actually sign.
For seven years, he had seen me as the perfect wife.
Understanding.
Patient.
Quiet.
The woman who never demanded too much, never caused trouble, and always stood behind him whenever he needed someone to clean up the damage.
In his eyes, I was the person who would never leave.
The person who would always forgive him.
He never imagined that a few simple words would be enough for me to cut the bond between us.
A strange emotion rose inside him.
Relief.
Even satisfaction.
But with everyone watching, he forced himself to lower his head and maintain the appearance of a guilty husband.
Then he looked up and met my father's furious gaze.
My father walked over and took the agreement from his hands.
The moment he saw my signature, his expression changed.
He couldn't believe it was real.
"If you still have even a little conscience left, then take care of Matteo."
His voice was cold.
"And from today onward, you stay away from anything involving Adriana."
He threw the signed papers onto the floor and turned back to help my mother stand.
Gia didn't care about my father's anger.
She only smiled.
To her, everything was already decided.
She walked over and wrapped her arm around Salvatore's.
"That was easier than I expected."
Her voice was filled with excitement.
"Come on, Salvatore. You can move my things into the Ortega estate now."
Matteo stood beside Salvatore, tugging at his leg.
"Daddy, I want new toys."
He was too young to understand what had happened.
Too young to know that his family had already changed forever.
Gia crouched down and gently stroked his hair.
"Of course, sweetheart."
"Whatever you want, Mommy will buy it for you."
Matteo smiled brightly and reached for her.
He threw himself into Gia's arms.
Salvatore held her hand tightly.
Then he turned away.
Leaving with Gia.
Leaving with Matteo.
Leaving behind the woman who had once sacrificed everything for him.
His new family.
