Chapter 2

By the time I returned to the family villa, I locked myself in the study and did not sleep the entire night.

At dawn, Julian’s divorce papers arrived, along with a thick stack of documents.

Inside were photos of Luciano and me at the safe house.

In one photo, I was cleaning his wounds. In another, I was feeding him. In every single one, I looked gentle in a way that barely resembled me.

Each picture was solid proof of my so-called betrayal of the family.

Julian was forcing my hand.

If I refused the divorce, he would make these photos public.

By then, the Vosselli name would be dragged through the mud, and I would become a joke in the entire mafia world.

As for Luciano, he was a wounded man with no memory. The rumors alone would be enough to drown him.

I could not let him be hurt.

I picked up the pen, ready to sign.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was Julian’s underboss.

“Donna, the Don asked me to inform you that Miss Liliana is giving birth today. The baby can’t wait any longer.”

Giving birth?

I froze.

Wasn’t Liliana only two months pregnant? How could she possibly be giving birth now?

There was a note of smug satisfaction in the underboss’s voice.

“Miss Liliana is carrying the Don’s first child. She’s been staying at a private estate in Switzerland to ensure a healthy pregnancy.”

“She came back this time to surprise the Don. No one expected the accident.”

“The doctor said the baby’s condition is unstable. They have to perform a C-section immediately.”

So, Julian had been lying to me from the very beginning.

He was not divorcing me because he wanted to give Liliana a proper title.

He was doing it so his child with Liliana could inherit the Moretti family openly and legitimately.

And Luca and I had been nothing more than disposable pieces in his plan all along.

Rage and humiliation crashed over me.

I hung up and tore the divorce papers to shreds.

Julian, dream on!

I drove straight to the safe house in the western suburbs.

Luciano was sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun. When he saw me, a soft smile appeared on his pale face.

“Seraphina, you’re here.”

His memory had stopped at eighteen, on that bright afternoon all those years ago.

He had taken a beating meant for me, and from that day on, he had left a mark on my heart I could never erase.

I walked over, knelt in front of him, and took his hand.

“Luciano, I may have to leave for a while.”

His smile froze.

“Why? Where are you going?”

“There’s something I need to take care of.” I could not bring myself to meet his eyes.

“When it’s over, I’ll come back for you.”

Luciano was silent for a long time before he asked softly, “Is it because of me?”

“Am I dragging you down?”

There was a fragile note in his voice, so faint most people would have missed it.

I quickly shook my head. “No. This has nothing to do with you.”

“All you need to do is stay here, recover, and wait for me to come back.”

With that, I stood to leave.

But Luciano suddenly grabbed my hand. His grip was tight, as if he had used every bit of strength he had.

“Seraphina, don’t go.”

For the first time, I saw panic and dependence in his eyes.

“I can’t remember anything. You’re the only person I know.”

“If you leave, what am I supposed to do by myself?”

My heart clenched hard.

This was exactly the weakness Julian had used against me.

He knew I cared about Luciano. He knew I could not bear to see him suffer even a little.

That was why he thought I would give in.

I took a deep breath, forced the tears back, and made myself calm down.

No. I could not lose.

I patted the back of Luciano’s hand and softened my voice. “I’ll be back soon. Trust me.”

After leaving the safe house, I went directly to the Moretti family estate.

The old Don Vito had stepped away from the business years ago, but every major and minor matter in the Moretti family still passed through his hands.

If Julian wanted a divorce, if he wanted to bring an illegitimate child into the family, he needed the senior man’s approval.

And I was going there to cut off that path.

Inside the study, Don Vito was reading through the family ledgers. When I entered, he only glanced at me.

“What is it?”

“Vito, Julian wants to divorce me.” I went straight to the point.

Don Vito’s pen paused. A blot of ink spread across the page.

He looked up, and a sharp gleam flashed through his cloudy eyes.

“For that Fiori girl?”

“She’s pregnant,” I said. “And she’s about to give birth.”

“Julian wants that child to inherit the Moretti family.”

I laid everything out for him, including the fact that Julian had tricked my father into handing over the Vosselli shares.

By the time I finished, Don Vito’s face had turned terrifyingly dark.

He slammed the ledger onto the desk.

“That bastard!”

“Who does he think he is? Does he think the Moretti family belongs to him alone?”

Don Vito was so angry his chest rose and fell sharply.

I took a step forward and continued, “Vito, Julian already has fifty percent of Vosselli shares in his hands. Soon, he’ll make a move against my family.”

“If Vosselli falls, Moretti won’t escape unscathed.”

“Our families are tied together now. We rise together, or we fall together.”

Of course, Don Vito understood that.

After a moment of silence, he looked at me. “What do you want me to do?”

“I won’t divorce him,” I said, word by word.

“As long as I am still the Donna, that illegitimate child will never have a place at the table.”

“My son, Luca, must be the only heir to the Moretti family.”

The old man studied me with a complicated look in his eyes.

“Seraphina, you’re a smart girl.”

“But Julian’s heart is no longer with you. What is the point of holding on to him?”

“The point doesn’t matter.” I met his gaze directly.

“What matters is that I will not let my son lose to an illegitimate child.”

“And I will not let Julian destroy the Vosselli family.”

My determination seemed to move Don Vito.

At last, he nodded. “Fine. I agree.”

“Rest assured. As long as I’m alive, Julian won’t turn the Moretti family upside down.”

With Don Vito’s promise, half the weight on my chest finally eased.

But I knew it was not enough.

Julian was arrogant to the bone. Now that Don Vito had forced him down, he would never let this go.

I had to find someone who could stand against him.

Someone who could make him lose everything.

A name surfaced in my mind.

Enzo.

Don Vito’s illegitimate son from outside the family, Julian’s greatest rival.

A man rejected by the Moretti family, yet powerful enough to build his own business and arms empire in South America from nothing.

Rumor had it he was ruthless, calculating, and every inch a lone wolf.

Finding him might be my only way out.