I woke up very early the next morning.

I walked downstairs and saw Franco walking through the door.

"Siena, why are you up so early. You should sleep more."

I looked at him.

My face showed absolutely nothing.

My pathetic heart was still waiting for him to explain.

His tailored shirt was wrinkled.

He smelled like stale smoke and cheap cherry perfume.

I would have lost my mind in the past.

I did not do that today.

"I am sorry Siena. The shootout in the South Side took all night. I did not want to wake you up so I stayed at the club."

He was completely used to apologizing.

He would rather apologize than explain.

He assumed I did not read the underground intelligence.

I decided to play dead.

I was going to leave anyway.

I could never wake a person who was pretending to be asleep.

"It is fine."

"Look Siena. I brought you the pastrami sandwich from that deli you love. I had my guys wait in line for it. The syndicate is quiet today. I will stay home and keep you company."

I felt a wave of impatience.

"I have no appetite."

"Are you throwing a tantrum again."

He had no intention of explaining himself.

He chose to blame me instead.

"Siena, where is your cross."

He grabbed my wrist.

"What cross."

I sounded entirely indifferent.

"The one you always wear on your neck. You said you would never..."

"Oh, that. I saw a new design at the boutique recently. I am planning to replace it."

Franco panicked when he noticed the necklace was gone.

What was he panicking about.

Was he afraid I would leave.

Or was he feeling guilty.

That cross was a gift from seven years ago.

He bought it with the money he won in an underground boxing ring for my birthday.

It was cheap.

But it was the most precious thing in the world to us back then.

He told me he would replace it with a massive diamond the day he became Underboss.

I believed him.

I wore it every single day for seven years.

My mind drifted back to that night of bullets and rain.

Franco was covered in blood.

He was holding a cheap silver cross.

"Siena, promise me you will wait seven years. I know you do not despise me but I despise myself. I have nothing right now. I struggle just to keep you safe. Trust me. I will climb to the top of the Moretti family in seven years. I will marry you with honor and give you the grandest wedding."

"Okay."

The Siena from seven years ago accepted it with a heart full of joy.

She accepted his cross.

That loop lasted seven whole years.

I lived inside the illusion Franco spun for me.

I waited for the day he took power so I could be his rightful wife.

It did not matter how much I loved him anymore.

I was no longer the Siena from seven years ago.

Franco's phone buzzed.

The caller ID read Port Authority Contact.

Panic flashed through his eyes.

He quickly declined the call.

"What is wrong."

I pretended not to care.

"Nothing. The smuggling route contacts keep demanding a higher cut."

"That is business. Why did you hang up."

The phone rang again.

"Just answer it. Syndicate business is more important. I will look around on my own."

"No. I said I would spend the day with you. I am staying right here."

The caller tried several more times.

He cut off every single one.

A text message chimed.

I did not lift my eyes.

I knew it was not a port authority contact.

It was definitely the dancer he kept in the Lower East Side.

"Siena, I need to return a call."

"Okay."

He took his phone and walked to the corner.

I could not resist looking back at him.

I rarely saw Franco smiling with such genuine delight.

We returned to the penthouse.

Franco offered to cook dinner to make up for his absence.

He left his phone on the marble kitchen island.

The caller ID was still the Port Authority Contact.

I always knew Franco's passcode.

I unlocked the screen.

A stream of messages flooded in.

"Franco, I miss you so much. Are you coming over tonight."

"You were so rough last night. My back still hurts. I cannot even get out of bed."

A photo of her wearing sheer black lace lingerie followed.

I did not read the rest.

It was completely meaningless now.

I would never turn back once the thought of leaving took root in my mind.

His phone buzzed again.

I kindly handed it to him.

"Here. Your phone has been ringing for a while."

The corners of his mouth twitched upward as he answered.

I knew I was not going to eat this apology dinner tonight.

Franco hugged me gently.

His guilt was palpable.

"Siena, I am so sorry. An emergency came up at the warehouse. I have to head over there right now. I might have to stay at the club tonight."

"Okay. Go ahead."

I maintained a perfectly polite smile.

Franco grabbed his leather jacket and rushed toward the door.

I received a text from an unknown number at midnight.

It was a picture.

The photo only showed the side of Franco's face.

The woman only showed off a pair of long, bare legs.

I did not need to guess.

I had zero interest in knowing who this woman was.

The picture from last night made the underground tabloids the next morning.

[Moretti Underboss Franco Caught Cheating!]

[Franco's Chaotic Private Life Exposed!]

I looked at the headlines dominating the screen.

My heart felt absolutely nothing.

Don Moretti called me personally.

He told me not to throw a fit.

I gave him a few vague answers and ended the call.

Franco finally walked through the door a week later.

He brought the same pastrami sandwich.

I suddenly found it hilarious.

"Franco, I am about to throw up from eating this exact same sandwich for seven years. It makes me sick just looking at it."

"What."

He froze in place.

He never expected me to say something like that.

He thought I would spin around in circles with joy based on his understanding of me.

He thought I should be grateful.

A person truly lost all their light when they stopped loving.

Franco was wearing a custom navy suit today.

I used to think he looked bright and handsome.

Now he just looked horribly average.

People were right.

My love was the gold plating that made him shine.

He only glowed because I loved him.

I stared straight into his eyes.

I repeated myself word by word.

"I said I am sick of this sandwich. It has been seven years. I want a different taste. Is that not allowed."

He looked stunned but quickly recovered.

"Sure. Of course. What do you want to eat. I will go buy it."

He acted like I should be crying tears of gratitude just because he agreed to my request.

"I want a lobster roll from Chelsea Market. Go get it."

I would normally just settle for what he brought.

I just refused to settle today.

"Forget it if you do not want to go. Making someone eat the exact same thing for seven years gets tiring. Let alone doing it to me."

Confusion mixed with his panic.

He still refused to explain anything.

He could keep hiding it then.

Franco searched my face for any clues.

I did not show a single flaw.

Franco was absolutely certain I knew nothing about his cheating.

"Wait for me."

He leaned down to kiss my forehead, turned and walked out.

I snapped out of it when I heard his engine roar away.

Saying I had no feelings left after seven years was a lie.

His actions had completely shattered my heart.

I had promised my family I would marry no one but him.

It all looked like a massive joke now.

Siena, your taste in men is garbage.

Thankfully there was still time to fix this.

Franco did not return by noon.

I took a cab straight to his Manhattan nightclub.

The head of security blocked me at the entrance.

"Miss Siena, the boss is meeting a very important guest. Please wait a moment."

"Alright."

I sat in the VIP lounge for forty minutes.

The heavy oak doors finally opened from the inside.

Franco walked out with the dancer from the tabloids.

The security guard stepped up and whispered in his ear.

Franco lifted his eyes and met mine.

His hand dropped from the woman's waist.

He walked toward me with quick, urgent steps.

"Siena, why are you here."

"Nothing. You took so long buying food. I was worried about you so I came to check."

I looked past him.

"Who is this."

"Oh. She is a new talent we are signing for the club. We are expanding our entertainment division."

"Hello. I am Luna. Franco personally poached me to work here."

Franco.

She called him so intimately.

Was she showing off to me.

Was this a declaration of war.

It did not matter what she meant.

I felt nothing but pure disdain.

Luna wore stiletto heels and crossed her arms.

She looked incredibly smug and arrogant.

Franco noticed my subtle expression.

He turned to Luna.

"You can go back now. We are done here."

Luna glared at me viciously.

She felt Franco's attitude shift.

She twisted her hips and stormed off in a petty rage.

"Siena, do not be angry. She and I are completely clean. Nothing is going on."

Franco raised his hand to swear to God.

I could not help but laugh out loud.

"I believe you. Did you not say I am the only one you love."

"Of course. We are getting married next month."

Married.

Were we really still getting married.

I smiled a bitter, hollow smile.