Lorenzo smiled, though a trace of melancholy lingered in his eyes.

"Once Gia is officially entered into the Falcone bloodline, you won't have to worry about her anymore."

"If anything ever happens, come to me."

"Oh... and this."

He placed a small velvet box into Ambra's hands.

"A little gift before the blood union."

Ambra laughed, her smile playful.

"Another one?"

"Lorenzo, honestly, how many presents have you bought me this year?"

"My closet is already overflowing."

"If Serafina ever found out, she'd probably lose her mind."

Despite her teasing, she accepted it without the slightest hesitation.

Beside her, Gia giggled happily, clutching Ambra's skirt.

"Mamma..."

"Mamma..."

She repeated the word over and over, each time lifting her little face expectantly, waiting for praise.

At that moment, the matron hurried into the office.

She pushed open the door, clearly preparing to finalize Gia's legitimization papers.

The instant Lorenzo saw me standing outside, every ounce of color drained from his face.

"Serafina?"

His voice caught.

"What are you doing here?"

I kept my expression perfectly calm.

My thumb slowly turned my mother's ring.

"Relax."

"Ambra does charity work here."

"I only came to say hello..."

"And to finish Gia's paperwork."

Ambra adjusted Gia on her hip before smiling warmly at me.

"Serafina."

"It's been a long time."

I returned the smile.

"It has."

"I'll take a look around."

"You two are busy."

"I won't interrupt."

"I'll wait in the car."

Without another word, I turned my wheelchair toward the exit.

Lorenzo must have mistaken my silence for hurt.

He hurried after me.

"It isn't what you're thinking."

"Ambra comes here often."

"The children all call her 'Mamma.'"

"Once the paperwork is finished..."

"I'll explain everything to Gia."

I looked at him.

At the panic hidden beneath his carefully composed expression.

At the desperation in his eyes as he searched for words that might convince me.

For a moment...

I almost laughed.

He had orchestrated everything.

The staged hit.

My broken spine.

The operation.

Every lie.

Every sacrifice.

All so that his daughter could enter the Falcone bloodline without anyone asking questions.

He already had everything he wanted.

So why did he still look guilty?

I smiled gently.

"Relax."

"I'm not angry."

"Finish the paperwork."

"I'll wait outside."

Then I turned away.

He remained where he stood, watching me leave.

Only after I disappeared down the hallway did he finally let out a long breath of relief.

The staff passing nearby didn't bother hiding the smug looks they exchanged.

I ignored every one of them.

Instead, I quietly took out my phone.

With a few taps...

I erased the legitimization request.

Gia's name would never appear in the Falcone Family records.

Not through me.

That evening, to celebrate Gia officially joining the Family, the Falcones held a lavish dinner at the estate.

I claimed I wasn't feeling well and stayed upstairs.

Even with my bedroom door tightly shut...

Their laughter still drifted through the halls.

A family mansion built to hide secrets could never hide happiness.

I wheeled myself toward the landing at the top of the staircase and looked down.

There they were.

Lorenzo.

Ambra.

Gia.

A picture-perfect family.

Lorenzo carefully picked out every dish Gia liked, placing each one neatly onto her plate.

Ambra laughed softly.

"At this rate, you're going to spoil her."

Lorenzo smiled without a trace of embarrassment.

He gently straightened the tiny crown resting on Gia's head.

"She's my daughter."

"She deserves the very best."

Something inside me finally broke.

I quietly turned away.

Back inside my room, I gathered everything Lorenzo had ever given me during the past five years.

Every letter.

Every piece of jewelry.

Every carefully wrapped gift.

One by one...

I tore them apart.

Paper shredded beneath my fingers.

Photographs split cleanly down the middle.

Jewelry boxes smashed shut before being thrown into the trash.

When I pushed the overflowing bin aside, it tipped over.

Everything spilled across the floor.

At that exact moment...

Ambra appeared in the doorway.

She walked toward me slowly.

Deliberately.

A smug smile curled across her lips.

Without warning...

She drove her foot into my wheelchair.

The chair overturned instantly.

Pain exploded through my body as I crashed onto the hardwood floor.

Ambra simply stood over me, smiling.

"Serafina."

"It must be exhausting..."

"Living like this."

"So helpless."

"So useless."

She slowly crouched beside me.

Her voice overflowed with mock sympathy.

"You really are pathetic."

"You watched your blood union become mine."

"You watched your husband bring my daughter into his home."

"And after all that..."

"You still swallow every bit of humiliation without a word."

She tilted her head.

"Honestly..."

"I almost pity you."

I clenched my teeth and struggled to push myself upright.

Before I could even move...

Ambra suddenly stumbled backward.

Her eyes widened theatrically.

Then she screamed.

Her body tumbled down the staircase.

Everything happened so fast that my mind went blank.

Before she could strike the marble floor, Lorenzo rushed forward and caught her in his arms.

He held her tightly.

As though she were the most precious thing in the world.

Then he looked up at me.

His eyes burned with fury.

"Serafina!"

His voice thundered through the mansion.

"Have you completely lost your mind?"

"Ambra only came upstairs to invite you to dinner..."

"And you attacked her?"

Every member of the Falcone Family looked at me as though I were a stain on their bloodline.

Gia's cries echoed through the drawing room, bouncing off marble floors and centuries-old oil paintings.

"She's evil!"

"She hurt my mamma!"

"I don't want her here!"

"I want my mamma!"

Ambra leaned weakly against Lorenzo's shoulder, her voice soft enough to invite sympathy.

"I'm sorry..."

"I only told Serafina I was willing to stand in for her at the blood union."

"I never imagined she'd misunderstand me."

The corner of her lips lifted for the briefest instant before she forced it back down.

Lorenzo let out a weary sigh.

"Don't blame Serafina."

"She didn't mean it."

Still sprawled across the floor before an entire room of made men who had executed people for far less...

I laughed.

Coldly.

"Lorenzo."

"The blood union."

"The accident."

"The child."

"Don't you think I deserve an explanation?"

His expression froze.

For the first time, genuine panic flashed across his face.

His thumb unconsciously rolled the face of his signet ring.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your accident has nothing to do with Ambra."

Ambra lowered her eyes and sighed softly.

"I only wanted to celebrate your special day with you."

"I never thought you'd hate me so much."

Lorenzo's restraint finally shattered.

"Serafina."

His voice rang through the room.

"When did you become someone like this?"

"Ambra showed you nothing but kindness."

"And you attacked her."

"Apologize."

Before I could utter a single word, his parents spoke.

The atmosphere in the room turned icy.

The Don slowly shifted in his chair.

The entire hall seemed to hold its breath.

Renata Falcone smoothed an invisible wrinkle from the sleeve of her black dress before looking down at me with open contempt.

"You're already crippled."

"And somehow you still manage to cause trouble."

Don Falcone calmly set his glass of grappa onto the table.

The crystal touched the wood without making the slightest sound.

"Do you still think you're worthy of carrying the Colombo name?"

"Besides my son..."

"Who else would ever take a useless woman like you?"

"Enough," Renata interrupted impatiently.

"This is simply the consequence of her own actions."

"Forget about her."

"Take Ambra to Dr. Bruno before the injury worsens."

Every word cut deeper than the last.

But none of them hurt as much as the warmth slowly spreading beneath me.

Blood.

It seeped quietly across the floor.

Not one person noticed.

Or perhaps...

No one cared enough to look.

Without sparing me a single glance, Lorenzo wrapped one arm around Ambra while taking Gia's hand with the other.

The three of them walked toward the door together.

The soldiers stationed outside stepped aside in perfect silence.

Like a family.

Five years.

Reduced to nothing in a single evening.

My entire body trembled.

I dragged myself back into the wheelchair inch by inch.

Then I booked a flight scheduled for the morning of the blood union.

Afterward, I checked into a hotel under a name that no longer belonged to Serafina Colombo.

That night, Lorenzo finally sent me a message.

> Ambra is still willing to attend the blood union for your sake.

> You hurt her. Asking you to apologize was only for appearances. Don't take it to heart.

> My parents didn't mean those things.

> After the ceremony, I'll bring them to apologize to you personally.

> Get some rest.

> I have a surprise waiting for you.

> I promise you'll love it.

I stared at the screen.

For five years...

He had played the perfect fiancé.

Patient.

Gentle.

Devoted.

Now the performance was finally over.

I never returned to the estate during the next two days.

Neither did Lorenzo.

He was too busy preparing every detail of the alliance ceremony.

Nothing could be allowed to go wrong.

On the morning of the blood union, I called him one last time.

He answered absentmindedly.

"Make sure everything is arranged exactly the way my mother requested."

He was clearly speaking to someone else.

One of his men hesitated.

"Boss..."

"Are you certain about transferring half the Family's cash flow and territory to Miss Ricci?"

"She isn't blood."

"That's an enormous risk to put into the ledgers."

Lorenzo didn't hesitate.

"Do it."

"I promised her half."

"The other half belongs to my daughter."

"And increase security."

"If anyone from the Colombo Family shows up..."

"Don't let them cause trouble."

His man acknowledged the order and left.

Only then did Lorenzo remember I was still on the line.

"Serafina?"

"I'm sorry."

"I kept you waiting."

"The ceremony is about to begin."

"I'll be home as soon as it's over."

"Don't be upset."

"Alright?"

I lowered my eyes to the boarding pass resting quietly in my hand.

My thumb slowly turned my mother's ring.

Once.

Twice.

Then it stopped.

"I won't keep you any longer."

A faint smile crossed my lips.

"Lorenzo..."

"Happy wedding."

He paused for a second before chuckling.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's our blood union."

"Just wait for me at home."

I ended the call.

Turned around.

And walked toward the boarding gate without looking back.

A notification flashed across my screen.

**Alliance Pact Successfully Nullified.**

Without the slightest hesitation...

I deleted Lorenzo Falcone from my life.

At that very moment...

The ceremony was in full swing.

Yet somewhere beneath the music and celebration, an inexplicable unease settled inside Lorenzo's chest.

Something about that final phone call felt wrong.

Very wrong.

His brow slowly furrowed.

His thumb rolled his signet ring once.

Then again.

He looked toward one of his captains.

"Find Serafina."

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"If I were truly marrying another woman..."

"She would never stay this quiet."

After the vows, Lorenzo walked through the banquet hall beside Ambra, raising glass after glass with the heads of the allied Families.

His smile carried unmistakable triumph.

Then one of his men rushed through the crowd.

His face had gone completely white.

"Boss..."

His voice shook.

"Something's happened."

Lorenzo's smile disappeared.

"What is it?"

The soldier swallowed hard.

"Miss Colombo boarded a flight this morning..."

"It crashed into the sea."