When we arrived at my family's estate, the party was in full swing.
Isabella, the birthday girl, was breathtaking in an haute couture gown, her makeup flawless.
My parents hovered by her side, their gazes never leaving her, as if she were a priceless jewel.
They used to look at me that way.
Until ten years ago, when the long-lost Isabella was found.
She had hidden in our mother's arms, pointed a trembling finger at me, and whispered, "Elena... why did you leave me alone in that warehouse?"
That one sentence was all it took. Everyone believed I had arranged her kidnapping out of jealousy.
From that day on, I was the family's shame, a disgrace in my parents' eyes.
Seeing Dante and me approach, Isabella glided over, her smile radiant.
"Elena, Dante, you're finally here! I was starting to think you weren't coming."
Then, she covered her mouth in a show of feigned regret.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Elena. I forgot you can't hear. I should be signing. But I don't know how... You won't hold it against me, will you?"
My mother, who had followed her, snorted coldly. "If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have suffered so much. What right does she have to blame you? That deaf girl. She's a disgrace to the Ricci name."
My father said nothing, but his disdainful glare spoke volumes.
I had long grown numb to their blatant favoritism, but it still stung.
"She's not that petty. You don't need to apologize," Dante stepped in to soothe Isabella, presenting her with a carefully wrapped gift.
"Isabella, happy birthday."
Isabella accepted it with a dazzling smile.
But the moment she opened the box, I felt like I’d been plunged into an icy abyss.
It was the Black Swan diamond pendant.
The heirloom of the Falcone matriarch, passed down by every Don to his one true love.
Only the Don's wife was worthy of wearing it.
I had once asked Dante why he hadn't given it to me. He’d looked troubled, telling me it was lost during a family feud. He'd said it was just a material thing, that his heart was all that mattered.
Now, it was clear. All of it, a lie.
The heirloom wasn't lost. He had saved it for Isabella.
Because Isabella was the one true woman in his heart.
My heart felt as if it were being carved by a dull blade, the pain so sharp I could hardly draw a breath.
The room felt suffocating. I made an excuse and slipped out to the pool in the backyard.
I never expected Isabella to follow me.
