BIANCA

I sighed as I woke up bright and early the next morning. I did so every morning, to lay out a proper breakfast for Vincenzo before the household stirred.

But as I turned to call out to him, I saw him already dressed in his wine-dark suit, his eyes fixed on his phone.

"I have business at the club today," he said, his voice distracted. "And a sit-down with the crew. I'll be back later."

I nodded silently.

His eyes flicked to me, his expression stern. "And Bianca?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure you don't make trouble with Gemma. Make her feel at home."

I felt a surge of resentment, but I bit my tongue. "Of course," I responded in a tight voice.

His eyes narrowed, as if daring me to disobey him. Then he turned and walked out the door, leaving me feeling frustrated and helpless.

Just then, Gemma walked into the kitchen, yawning and stretching. She was wearing Vincenzo's shirt, the one he had worn the night before.

I felt that pang of jealousy, knowing that they had slept in the same bed. Something I could only dream of.

She walked over to the coffee maker, pouring herself a cup. I tried to ignore her, focusing on wiping down the counters. But she seemed determined to taunt me.

"Sorry if we were a bit loud last night," she said with that annoying, cruel smile of hers. Her fingers drifted up to the heirloom at her throat, stroking the band of stones that had no business hanging on her. "Did you hear us? I hope we didn't keep you up."

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment, but I tried to keep my cool. Of course I had heard them. Her especially, screaming like a goddamned banshee.

"Good morning to you too, Gemma," I said, my voice neutral.

She snorted a laugh. "Oh, come on, Bianca. Don't be like that. I'm just trying to make conversation."

She walked over to the table and sat down in Vincenzo's chair. Her eyes raked over me in a way that made me self-conscious.

"So, are you still a frustrated little virgin? I mean, at twenty-five, and never been touched. How do you survive?"

I felt my anger rising, but I didn't want her gloating from getting under my skin.

"My life is none of your business," I half snapped.

She just laughed again, clearly enjoying my discomfort. Her hand slid back to the necklace, that possessive little stroke. "Oh, but it is, darling," she said. "After all, we're practically family now, aren't we?"

She stood and moved even closer. I could smell the faint trace of Vincenzo's cologne on her.

"I don't have time for this," I said, turning my back on her and walking away.

I stormed to my room, my heart beating fast with anger and frustration.

Opening my wardrobe, I began pulling out my clothes, shoving them into a suitcase.

I left a few things on the hangers, counting my days until I walked out of that suffocating estate for good.

After packing, I grabbed my phone and dialed the lawyer's number. "Hello. I was wondering when the papers dissolving the marriage pact would be ready," I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"They'll be ready in a few days," the lawyer replied. "You'll be finally free, Donna Bianca."

I felt a lump form in my throat as I hung up the phone. My thumb found the bare spot on my ring finger, the smooth place where the Family band used to sit, and I turned it, over and over. I was finally going to be free of all this. I had already decided. Nothing was going to unmake it.

Later that afternoon, I went into the kitchen to fix something to eat. I was rummaging through the fridge when Gemma strolled in, a smug look on her face.

"I'm going to bake a chocolate cake for Vincenzo," she announced, heading for the mixing bowls.

I raised an eyebrow. I clearly didn't want her in my kitchen. "You don't need to do that."

She shot me a smirk. "Oh, I want to. Besides, we're housemates now. We share the kitchen."

I gritted my teeth, trying not to lose my temper. "Fine. But be careful."

She rolled her eyes so far back they nearly disappeared. "Don't tell me what to do. I can handle it."

But she couldn't. I turned back to the refrigerator, but a sudden crackling sound caught my attention. Whirling around, I gasped. Flames were licking at the edge of the counter, smoke rushing into the air.

"Gemma! What did you do?"

Her eyes went wide, and she stumbled backward, bumping into the kitchen island. "I—I don't know! The oven must have malfunctioned or something."

The fire was spreading rapidly, the heat scorching my skin.

"We have to put this out!" I yelled, already grabbing for the extinguisher. "Don't just stand there, help me!"

But before I could blink, she was darting out of the kitchen, leaving me to face it alone. "Gemma, wait!" I screamed, my words lost in the roar of the flames.

Cursing under my breath, I turned my attention back to the fire, desperately trying to aim the extinguisher. The smoke stung my eyes, making them water. The heat was becoming unbearable. Still, I pushed on, refusing to give up.

But then I got burned. I cried out, dropping the extinguisher with a clatter. Blisters were already forming on my palms. My skin was going red.

I couldn't breathe, the smoke choking me, filling my lungs. My vision started to blur. The world was spinning around me like crazy.

Just as I fell to the floor, a deep voice cut through the roar. I snapped my eyes open.

Vincenzo burst into the kitchen, his face twisted in a worried frown. But it wasn't me he rushed to. It was Gemma, who stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with fear.

He swept her into his arms, cradling her like a child. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice full of concern. She clung to him, coughing again and again.

I watched, stunned, as Vincenzo carried her out of the kitchen, leaving me to face the fire. I was still trying to process what had just happened.

Tears trickling down my face, I began to crawl across the floor. My lungs were burning and my skin blistering. In that moment, it was painfully clear that I was on my own.

BIANCA

I slowly fluttered my eyes open, registering my surroundings.

I was in a private clinic room, the kind the Family kept off the books.

My arms and hands throbbed with a dull ache, and I could feel the weight of bandages wrapped around them.

Thank God for the men who pulled me out when they did. Else I'd have been dead by now.

As I turned my head to the side, I caught sight of Vincenzo and Gemma in the next room.

One of the Family's doctors was tending to Gemma, who had a small plaster on her hand.

Vincenzo was gazing at her with an intensity that made my heart twist with envy.

He was so focused on her, so concerned for her well-being.

I felt a pang of resentment towards him.

Why was he so attentive to Gemma's minor scratch, while I lay here with severe burns?

I tried to push the thought aside.

The two nurses in my room were murmuring in hushed tones.

But as I listened more closely, I realized they were talking about Vincenzo and Gemma.

"Don Ravello is really something else," one of the nurses said, her voice full of admiration. "The way he looks at Gemma, it's like he's besotted. He's always treated her like a queen."

The other nurse sighed wistfully. "I wish I had a man who would dote on me like that. Poor Donna Bianca must feel so sorry for herself, knowing she'll never have the Don's love."

I felt a surge of anger at their words, but I was too weak to respond.

The nurses continued, oblivious to my growing resentment.

"It's so sad, really," the first nurse said. "But I don't blame the Don. Donna Bianca just isn't the right fit for him. She looks so out of place beside him."

The other nurse nodded in agreement. "I always dreamed of having a taste of the Don, back when he was still running through women. I longed for him to pick me, even if it was just for one night. But since Gemma came along, he's never looked at another woman again."

I felt a wave of disgust wash over me as I listened. Ice clinked against glass somewhere down the corridor, too loud in the quiet.

Who were these women to speculate about my marriage and my husband's feelings?

And what was with these filthy rumors about me being unable to satisfy Vincenzo?

I cleared my throat, trying to draw their attention.

The nurses jumped, turning to me with fake smiles plastered on their faces.

"Oh, Donna Bianca, thank God you're awake!" one of them exclaimed.

I glared at them, my voice sharp. "What's the state of my injuries?"

The nurse by my side hesitated before answering. "You might take a while to heal, Donna. The burns are quite severe. But we'll administer some drugs to help you heal faster."

I cut her off, my tone icy. "Focus on that instead of endless babbling."

Just then, Vincenzo's eyes caught mine. He was standing in the doorway, Gemma by his side.

He walked towards me with her, his expression detached, the way a man crosses a room he no longer considers his own.

"How are you feeling, Bianca?" he asked, his voice without any emotion.

I felt a pang of hurt at his tone, but I refused to show it.

I glared at him, my voice icy. "As you can see, I'm still burned. All because of your mistress."

His expression darkened, and he sneered at me. "Didn't you deserve to be burned, though? Wasn't it your carelessness that caused the kitchen to catch fire?"

I was taken aback by his words. "What are you talking about? That's not what happened at all."

He scoffed. "Don't play dumb with me, Bianca. Gemma told me everything. You were trying to surprise me with some food, and you ended up causing a fire. You're lucky you didn't hurt her more than she already was. Else you'd have been in big trouble."

Anger sparked up inside me at his accusations. "That's not true! Gemma started the fire, not me. And she barely got scratched, while I'm the one who's still suffering."

Gemma pouted, her voice dripping with innocence. Her fingers drifted to the necklace at her throat, stroking it once. "I warned you to let me cook, Bianca. But you didn't listen. Now look at what's happened. The kitchen is a mess, and I almost lost my life in that fire."

I was shocked by her blatant lies. "How can you be such a liar? You started the fire, not me. And you're just trying to cover your own tracks."

Vincenzo snapped, his voice loud. He cracked one knuckle of his right hand, then another. "Enough! I know you're just trying to turn the situation around. You've always been jealous of Gemma. But you're not going to get off the hook that easily. The damages to the kitchen and the renovation will be taken from your account immediately."

I stared at him in disbelief. "What? You can't be serious."

His expression was cold. "I'm dead serious. It's expensive, and you'd better be ready to pay up."

He gently took Gemma's arm and led her out of the room, leaving me feeling hurt and humiliated.

The nurses who had been watching whispered to each other as they trailed out after Vincenzo and Gemma.

I was left all alone feeling nothing but pity for myself.

The next day, a notification lit up my phone.

Gemma had tagged me in a video online.

I clicked on it, and my heart sank. Gemma was cuddled up next to Vincenzo, and they were celebrating his mother's birthday at the old estate in the countryside.

I wasn't even invited. Of course, who was I kidding?

Donna Falcone never liked me. She always thought I wasn't good enough for her son, that a Falcone name grafted onto Ravello blood was nothing without an heir to prove it.

Gemma sent me a quick message. "Everyone is having so much fun without you. Thought you had to see it for yourself. Don't worry, I'm taking good care of Vincenzo and your mother-in-law. She seems to love all the gifts I brought. Oh, and I told her you said you didn't care about stupid parties like these and you had something more important to do. She's very cross with you. My bad. Anyway, get well soon. Or not."

I was disgusted and pained by her message. I wanted to throw my phone away and forget about the whole thing.

Over the next week, Vincenzo never checked in on me.

All I got were updates from Gemma, flaunting her good time with him in my face.

I eventually had to block her.

But today was the day I was being discharged.

I was going to walk out on my own and break the marriage pact officially.

I had already spoken to my lawyer, and the papers were ready.

I was finally free from the toxic marriage that had been suffocating me.

I called my lawyer and asked him to send the papers dissolving the marriage pact to the house.

When he told me no one was home, I instructed him to leave them in the mailbox outside.

When Vincenzo returned from his trip with his mistress, he would find the papers waiting for him. Between our Families, there was no graver insult than that. Let him choke on it.

I took a deep breath, feeling a sense of closure. I was starting a new chapter, and I was ready to leave the past behind.

But as I arrived at the house to collect my belongings, I realized Vincenzo had locked me out. He hadn't even had the decency to leave the keys behind.

I twisted the bare spot on my ring finger where the heirloom band once sat, and shrugged. I didn't care. I had savings of my own, and I was going to build a new life somewhere far from Ravello reach.

I hailed a cab and left the house behind, feeling a sense of freedom that I had never felt before.