"I didn't push Lina." My voice stayed calm. "She fell on her own and tried to pin it on me. Vincenzo, did you actually see me push her?"

Vincenzo hesitated, then said, "Even if you didn't, you shouldn't have argued with her. Today is her big day."

"Her big day?" I pointed at the plate of pasta, my voice suddenly rising. "She won this award with my recipe, lied her way into everyone's praise, and trampled over my work to get her 'big day'! You know the truth, and you're still going to protect her, aren't you?"

Just then, a server rushed in and announced, "Congratulations, Ms. Villo! Your tomato-basil pasta made the cover of a prestigious newspaper. Food critics are calling it this year's most stunning dish!"

Lina immediately beamed through her tears and nestled into Vincenzo's arms. "That's amazing! Vincenzo, I knew I could do it!"

He looked at her with a gentle smile I hadn't seen in a long time. It felt like an ice-honed blade driven straight into my heart. Then, when he turned to me, the smile vanished, and he said flatly, "You see how things have turned out. We can talk about the recipe later. You're coming home with me now."

"Home?" I laughed until tears spilled down my face. "How do you expect me to go back, Vincenzo? Am I supposed to watch you and her play the happy couple? Watch as my work is stolen from me? Watch as you two play me like a fiddle?"

"Isabella, mind your place!" Vincenzo growled, his voice cooling and carrying the authority of the Don. "This is the Villo family's banquet. Don't humiliate yourself with this scene."

"Humiliate myself?" I pressed a hand to my chest. "My biggest humiliation was marrying you! It's been five whole years, Vincenzo. Is there even room in your heart for me now?"

The murmurs around us swelled, and the Villo family's patriarch's face darkened. "Vincenzo, control your wife."

Vincenzo's expression turned stormy. He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. "You're coming with me!"

"Let go!" I yanked free. A voice recorder slipped from my pocket and clattered to the floor, but I didn't pick it up. The evidence no longer mattered. The prelude to my test had already shown me everything I needed to see. "I'm not going back. We're finished from today on, Vincenzo. Whatever ties between us are severed!"

With that, I spun around and walked away.

Behind me came Lina's mockery. "Who do you think you are, Isabella? Without Vincenzo, you're nothing!"

I didn't look back as I strode straight out of the ballroom. Giuseppe's car was still waiting at the entrance. I opened the door, slid in, and finally let the tears fall.

The car was quiet. Giuseppe handed me a tissue. "Ms. Rossi, don't be upset."

"I'm not." I wiped my tears and said resolutely, "We'll proceed as planned at 8:00 pm tomorrow, in the old downtown. I don't want a single mistake."

He nodded. "You can count on me, Ms. Rossi."

As the car rolled away from Villo Estate, I pulled out my phone and opened Lina's social media feed. She had already posted a new update—a photo of herself with that plate of pasta. The caption read, "Hard work pays off. Thank you for the support, especially Vincenzo."

The comments were all congratulatory, and Vincenzo had liked the post.

I closed the app and tossed the phone aside. Most of my hope had already burned out. Only a small, foolish ember remained. It was just enough to carry me through one last test.

The following night, Giuseppe's car waited in a quiet spot outside the estate.

"Ms. Rossi, everything is set," he said. "My two nephews are at the specified place, ready to play the abductors. Martino is also in position, and the fishermen at the docks will 'find' the scarf and call the police."

"Thanks, Giuseppe." I pulled open the door and got in. "Let's head to a hidden spot near the old downtown. I'll go into the alley when it's time."

As the car slowly pulled away from the estate, I glanced back. I'd lived there for five years—it was the place that held all my dreams and disappointments. Now, I was finally leaving for good.

We parked in a narrow lane a short walk from the old downtown. I checked the time. It was 7:50 pm.

"I'm heading over," I said, pushing the door open. "Once Martino calls Vincenzo, wait half an hour, then have your nephews pull out. After that, take the fishermen to the docks to 'discover' my things."

"Take care, Ms. Rossi." Giuseppe's voice caught in his throat.

I nodded and turned into the dim alley.

At 8:00 pm sharp, two figures in black hoodies and masks appeared, flanking me on either side. I raised my voice on purpose and shouted for help. "Help! Let me go!"

From behind the newsstand at the mouth of the alley, Martino Bianchi poked his head out, fumbling for his phone with a look of panic. He dialed Vincenzo.

"Don Corleone, something terrible has happened! Donna Corleone has been taken by two strangers! Si, in an alley at the old downtown! They look like they're heading toward the docks!"

The "abductors" pushed me toward the street. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Martino end the call, and a cold emptiness spread through me.

All that was left was Vincenzo's reaction. I waited ten minutes, but no familiar headlights appeared at the alley's entrance.

Giuseppe called, his voice low and heavy. "Ms. Rossi, our lookout says Lina is at Vincenzo's place. She suddenly started clutching her stomach and claiming it hurt badly. She clung to him and wouldn't let him go, saying this had to be your plan to lure him out.

"She told him that she and the baby would be in danger if he took the bait and left. Vincenzo… He hesitated but ultimately stayed at home."

"Got it." My voice was steady, almost flat, but tears came without warning anyway.

I knew it. I'd lost the gamble.

"Stick to the plan." I hung up, letting the "abductors" steer me into a van parked by the curb. We headed straight toward the abandoned docks on the edge of town.

There, I took the vial of chicken blood Giuseppe had prepared and smeared it on my silk scarf. Then, I tossed it into the churning sea.

"Ms. Rossi, the boat is ready." Giuseppe steadied me. "Let's go."

I took one last look at the dark water, then turned and stepped onto the fishing boat.

…

Meanwhile, back at Corleone Estate, Vincenzo finally calmed the sobbing Lina. She leaned against his chest and said weakly, "See? I told you Isabella was doing it on purpose. She's jealous of me and wants you to worry about her. If you had gone, you would've walked right into her trap."

He frowned, a restless anxiety growing in his chest.

Vincenzo knew I wasn't the type to seek attention like this, especially after what had happened at last night's banquet. He shot to his feet, grabbed his phone, and called me. My phone was powered off. He tried Giuseppe's phone, but it was also off.

A wave of dread swallowed him whole.

"Get the car! Take me to the old downtown!" He tore out of the bedroom and grabbed a maid. "Where is Isabella? Did she come back at all?"

She flinched and shook her head. "No, Don Corleone. Donna Corleone hasn't returned since leaving earlier."

The car had barely cleared the estate gates when Vincenzo's phone rang. It was a call from the police. "Don Corleone, we received a report that your wife was abducted at the old downtown and taken to the abandoned docks. A witness says she may have fallen into the sea. We found a bloodstained scarf on the shore. Please identify it."

Vincenzo's mind went blank, and a deafening buzz filled his ears.

"This can't be!" he shouted, his voice hoarse. "She wouldn't fall into the sea! Keep searching, and do it carefully!"

The car tore down the road toward the docks. Throughout the journey, his hands shook violently. All he could see in his mind's eye was me.

He couldn't bear the thought that I, who had always been gentle with him and quietly given everything I had, might simply vanish.

By the time he reached the docks, the police had already set up a cordon. On the rocks by the water lay a blood-stained scarf.

Vincenzo lunged forward and lifted it with trembling hands. My familiar scent still clung to it, but it was now tangled with the metallic tang of blood.

"Where is she?" He seized a police officer, his eyes bloodshot and frantic. "Where is my wife? Did you find her?"

The officer shook his head, looking grave. "Don Corleone, the wind and waves are strong. We've sent out search teams, but there's no sign of her. I'm afraid… It doesn't look good."

Vincenzo staggered back a step. His knees buckled, and he sank onto the rocks, clutching the scarf and a diamond ring in his fists. His eyes were hollow, and his voice was broken as he rasped, "Isabella, come back… I can't live without you…"