Omerta The Blood They Stole

On the eve of my blood-bound wedding, I was taken.

In our world, they call it the Snatch. An abduction sanctioned in the shadows, ordered by powerful hands that never leave fingerprints.

For two endless days and nights, I was imprisoned, humiliated, and tortured until every ounce of dignity had been stripped away.

When my family finally paid the ransom and brought me home, the physician avoided my eyes as he delivered the verdict.

"I... I'm sorry. The damage is severe. You may never be able to bear children."

Before I had even recovered from that nightmare, another blow shattered what remained of my world.

Within a single week, my betrothed, the reigning Don of the Graziano Family, abandoned me and married Camilla Vitale instead, the false daughter everyone adored.

The rumors spread through every ballroom, private club, and underground gathering like wildfire.

They whispered that I had been defiled.

That I was no longer worthy of becoming a Don's wife.

That even fate had discarded me.

Those whispers drove me into a darkness I couldn't escape.

In the end, I climbed onto the bridge and threw myself into the freezing river, convinced there was nothing left to live for.

Just before the current swallowed me forever, Tomasso Graziano appeared.

The Underboss of the Graziano Family.

The younger brother of the man who had abandoned me.

Without the slightest hesitation, he dove into the icy water after me, fighting the raging current until he dragged me back to shore, nearly drowning in the process.

When he finally regained consciousness, the first thing he did was confess.

He told me he had loved me for years.

That he loved me more than his own life.

He begged me to become his blood-bound wife, promising that under his name, no one would ever hurt me again.

My broken heart, desperate for even a fragment of warmth, believed him.

So I married him.

Two years later, fate gave me what I thought was a miracle.

I was pregnant.

Holding the examination report with trembling hands, tears of happiness blurred my vision as I hurried home, eager to tell my husband the news.

But before I could step inside, voices drifted through the half-open door.

Tomasso.

My parents.

I froze where I stood.

"Back then," my father said quietly, "Camilla completely lost her mind. She hired those men to take Serafina."

My entire body turned to ice.

My mother sighed.

"Thank God you paid them enough tribute to keep their mouths shut. Otherwise Camilla would've been ruined. You even accepted marrying Serafina afterward... a woman the doctors said could never give you an heir."

Every word stabbed deeper than the last.

Then Tomasso finally spoke.

His voice was calm.

Steady.

As though they were discussing nothing more than Family business.

"That won't be necessary."

My mother hesitated.

"But the Graziano bloodline can't end with you. We've already decided. Camilla's first child will inherit everything from your brother. As for the second heir..."

"It should be yours."

Silence lingered for a heartbeat.

Then Tomasso answered without the slightest hesitation.

"No."

"This way, my brother and Camilla's child will remain the Graziano Family's only heir."

"As long as Camilla is happy..."

His voice softened with unmistakable tenderness.

"...that's enough for me."

A painful silence followed.

Then he added quietly,

"As for Serafina..."

"I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to her."

"Good girl," my mother said softly. "I know how much this has weighed on you. If you hadn't done what you did, the Vitale Family would have lost every ounce of standing we have in the Cosa Nostra."

"I know we've wronged Serafina. I know this isn't fair to her. But this was the only way."

Every word froze the blood in my veins.

A violent chill swept through me, and my body began to shake uncontrollably.

So it was true.

The person who had orchestrated the Snatch...

The one who had me dragged away, humiliated, tortured until I wished for death...

Was my own sister.

Camilla.

The false daughter my family had cherished for years.

I had believed Tomasso was my salvation.

I thought he had jumped into that freezing river because he loved me.

I thought he had pulled me back from death because he couldn't bear to lose me.

How ridiculous.

He hadn't saved me out of love.

He had saved me to bury Camilla's crime forever.

And my own parents...

The people who shared my blood...

Had chosen to sacrifice me without hesitation, all to protect the Family's honor and the daughter they truly loved.

I clamped a trembling hand over my mouth, forcing every sob back down.

I didn't dare make a sound.

If they found me outside that door, I wasn't sure I could survive hearing another word.

Barely able to remain standing, I turned and fled.

By the time I stumbled back to the wing Tomasso and I shared, my legs were so weak they nearly gave out beneath me.

Just then, my phone vibrated.

Tomasso.

A message appeared across the screen.

[Serafina, I've got a sit-down tonight. Don't wait up. Get some rest. Love you.]

For a long moment, I simply stared at those three words.

Love you.

Once, they had been enough to soothe every wound inside me.

Now they felt like the cruelest lie ever written.

I locked the screen without replying.

Instead, my gaze slowly drifted toward the heavy door of his private study.

When we first married, I couldn't escape the nightmares.

Every night I woke screaming, terrified that I was back in that dark room again.

The only way I could fall asleep was with Tomasso holding my hand.

Yet countless times, I'd reached for him in the middle of the night only to find his side of the bed empty.

He was always inside that study.

No one was ever allowed in.

The room remained locked behind a keypad at all times.

I stood there for several seconds before walking toward it.

Almost without thinking, I entered one date.

Camilla's birthday.

A soft click echoed through the silence.

The door unlocked.

For a heartbeat, I couldn't move.

Then I slowly pushed it open.

The moment I stepped inside, the air left my lungs.

Every wall...

Every inch of the room...

Was filled with Camilla.

Photographs.

Portraits.

Sketches.

From the little girl with bright eyes and ribbons in her hair...

To the elegant young woman she had become.

She smiled at me from every direction.

The display shelves were lined with her belongings.

Old dolls.

Hair ribbons.

Music boxes.

Birthday gifts.

Tiny keepsakes that had clearly been handled countless times, dusted carefully, preserved with almost obsessive devotion.

It wasn't a study.

It was a shrine.

A shrine built for the woman Tomasso had loved all along.

Then the truth struck me with terrifying clarity.

Every one of those gifts...

Every treasured keepsake...

Had once belonged to Camilla before being casually discarded by Alessandro Graziano, the reigning Don and Tomasso's older brother.

For ten long years, Camilla had devoted herself to Alessandro.

She chased after him.

Loved him.

Tried everything to earn even a glance from him.

And everything Alessandro threw away...

Tomasso quietly collected.

He kept every abandoned gift as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.

My heart shattered piece by piece.

My fingers trembled as I touched those carefully preserved memories.

Hot tears streamed endlessly down my face.

At last...

Everything made sense.

When I was thirteen, my birth parents finally found me and brought me home.

That was also the day they asked Camilla to call me "sister."

Only then did I learn the truth.

We had been switched at birth.

Camilla had spent thirteen years growing up in my place, showered with love, protected as the Vitale Family's precious daughter.

And although I eventually returned...

I never truly belonged.

My parents tried to make up for losing me.

They gave me gifts.

Kind words.

Their guilt.

But their hearts...

Their hearts had always belonged to Camilla.

She wasn't their daughter by blood.

She was their daughter by love.

Years later, when the Graziano Family chose me, the true-born daughter of the Vitals, for a political marriage, my parents accepted immediately.

Not once did they ask whether I wanted that life.

I never knew...

Camilla had already fallen hopelessly in love with my betrothed.

So she arranged the Snatch.

She paid those men to destroy me.

To ruin me.

To make sure I could never stand beside Alessandro...

So she could steal my place.

And the people who should have protected me...

My parents.

Tomasso.

Every one of them knew the truth.

Every one of them chose silence.

Every one of them chose her.

My knees finally gave way.

I buried my face in my hands and cried until breathing itself became painful.

Just then, my phone began to ring.

Mom.

"Your sister had another fight with Alessandro," my mother said gently. "She wants to stay at your place for a while. Tomasso has already agreed."

"So just let her stay, capisci? Seeing you only reminds her that you were once promised to Alessandro. You know how sensitive she is."

"But... why?" My voice cracked as I cut her off.

"Why what?"

Silence lingered for a heartbeat.

Then my father's voice came over the line, heavy with alcohol.

"Sweetheart... I know you've never forgiven us for letting Camilla marry Alessandro."

"But we had no choice. If we hadn't secured that alliance, the Vitale Family would've been finished. Our standing in the Cosa Nostra would've collapsed. The tribute would've stopped coming..."

I slowly closed my eyes.

These excuses.

I'd heard them so many times they no longer sounded like words.

Only noise.

But that wasn't what I wanted to know.

What I wanted to ask was...

Why?

Why was I always the one sacrificed?

Why was burying the truth more important than protecting their own daughter?

Why was Camilla...

A girl switched into my cradle...

Worth more than the child they had searched thirteen years to find?

Was the Vitale Family's reputation truly more precious than my life?

On the other end of the phone, my father continued talking.

The longer he spoke, the sicker I felt.

"I understand," I whispered at last.

"I'll do as you ask."

The moment the call ended, I stumbled into the bathroom.

I barely made it to the sink before I doubled over, vomiting until my stomach cramped.

When I finally looked up, a pale, hollow-eyed stranger stared back at me from the mirror.

I hardly recognized the woman reflected there.

That was the moment I made my decision.

If everyone in my life only cared about Camilla...

Then they could have her.

I was leaving.

I walked back into the sitting room and dialed the number I hadn't called in years.

The elderly woman who had once cared for me in the mission-house answered almost immediately.

"Iris," I said quietly, "I want to go overseas with you."

"I want to help build the new refuge."

After listening to her answer, I closed my eyes and smiled through tears.

"Yes."

"I've made up my mind."

"I can leave with you at the end of next month."

After ending that call, I immediately dialed my private physician.

"Don't tell Signor Graziano about the pregnancy."

"I want it to be a surprise."

"A surprise?" a familiar voice repeated behind me.

The study door had just opened.

Tomasso stood there, having caught only the last few words.

Without missing a beat, I smiled faintly.

"Your birthday is at the end of next month."

"It's a birthday surprise."

His entire face brightened.

He crossed the room in quick strides and wrapped me tightly in his arms.

"Thank you, Serafina."

"You don't have to do all this."

"I don't want gifts."

"I just want you to be happy."

"Every single day."

Once...

Those words would've made me cry with happiness.

Now...

They only made my heart colder.

"My parents called earlier," I murmured against his shoulder.

"They asked me not to upset Camilla while she's pregnant."

"I'm... really hurting, Tommy."

He hugged me tighter, gently rubbing my back.

"They don't mean anything by it."

"My brother says Camilla's temperament has become impossible since the pregnancy."

"He actually left the country today just to avoid arguing with her."

I slowly shook my head.

My eyes turned red.

"That's not why I'm upset."

I lowered my gaze, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm just sad..."

"That I'll never be able to give the man I love a child..."

"The way my sister can."

For the briefest instant...

Tomasso went completely still.

His embrace stiffened.

And before he hid it away...

I caught it.

A flicker of disappointment.

Tiny.

Almost invisible.

But real.

"I'm sorry, Tommy."

"I've only ever been a burden to you."

I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood as tears slipped silently down my cheeks.

His expression quickly softened again.

His thumb unconsciously brushed over the wedding ring on his finger.

Again.

And again.

Slowly.

Like a habit he'd repeated thousands of times.

Like a silent confession only he understood.

"Don't ever think that."

"I told you two years ago."

"Even if you could never have children..."

"I would still love you."

"Exactly the same."

A bitter laugh nearly escaped me.

Exactly the same?

Would he?

"There is something else," he said after a pause.

"I already promised your parents Camilla could stay here for a while."

"What do you think...?"

He phrased it like a question.

As though I truly had a choice.

Yet beneath those careful words...

I heard the plea.

He wanted me to say yes.

He needed me to.

So I smiled.

A perfect smile.

"Of course."

"I don't mind."

"I wouldn't want to make things difficult for you."

Relief flooded his face so quickly it almost hurt to watch.

"Serafina..."

"You're incredible."

I swallowed the bitterness burning in my throat.

"Incredible?"

"In what way?"

He smiled warmly.

"You're the perfect wife."

"The perfect sister."

"The perfect daughter."

"I can't think of a single flaw you have."

I smiled back.

Small.

Quiet.

Bitter enough to break my own heart.

So...

This was what being "good" earned me.

My parents choosing Camilla.

My husband choosing Camilla.

Everyone protecting the woman who had orchestrated my nightmare.

Sheltering a criminal.

Covering up her sins.

Leaving me alone to bleed.

Feeling the slight tremble running through my body, Tomasso gently pulled me closer.

His voice was softer than ever.

"You're exhausted."

"Come on."

"I'll help you get some sleep."

Late that night, after making certain my breathing had settled into the slow rhythm of deep sleep, Tomasso carefully slipped his fingers from mine.

Without making a sound...

He rose from the bed.

Then quietly disappeared into his study once again.

Tomasso never knew that earlier that afternoon, while he was away, I had hidden a miniature camera inside his study.

It was tucked into a place so carefully concealed that not even his most trusted soldiers would think to search it.

That night, I sat alone in the darkness, staring at the live feed on my phone.

The door opened.

Tomasso walked in.

He stood before the wall covered with Camilla's photographs, reached out, and gently lifted one into his hands.

His fingertips lingered on her smiling face as though she were something too precious to touch.

Then he spoke.

"Camilla..."

"Alessandro didn't leave for overseas today because he wanted to avoid you."

His voice was low.

Tender.

Painfully so.

"Why are your eyes always fixed on him?"

"Why do you insist on carrying his child?"

He lowered his head, letting out a bitter laugh.

"Tonight..."

"Serafina told me she wanted to give me a child of my own."

"For a moment..."

"I was actually moved."

His fingers tightened around the photograph.

"She really is a good woman."

A long silence followed.

Then came the words that shattered whatever was left inside me.

"But..."

"She'll never be you."

"If she could give me a blood-heir..."

"Maybe..."

"I could love her a little more."

"But that's impossible now."

I stared at the screen, my fingers gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles turned white.

At last...

I understood everything.

He wanted children.

He longed for a family of his own.

And somewhere inside him...

There truly had been a place for me.

Small.

Fragile.

Conditional.

Yet despite that...

He had willingly buried every possibility.

He had abandoned the chance to have a child with me.

He had buried his own future...

Simply because the woman he loved was Camilla.

Very well.

Tomasso...

If your heart belongs to her so completely...

Then I'll make sure...

She belongs to you.

The next morning, Camilla arrived with an entire convoy of attendants.

Soldiers carried suitcase after suitcase into the Graziano compound.

She wasn't visiting.

She was moving in.

I looked toward the kitchen and froze.

Steam drifted through the doorway.

Tomasso was inside.

In the two years we'd been married...

He had never once entered that kitchen for me.

Not to cook.

Not even to make me a single cup of coffee.

Now...

He stood over the stove himself.

Suddenly, I understood.

Whatever he was making...

It had never been meant for me.

It was for the woman he truly loved.

At breakfast, Camilla picked up a shrimp dumpling with elegant fingers.

She took one small bite before smiling sweetly and holding the rest toward me.

"Sis..."

"Does Tommy really not know you're allergic to shrimp?"

She paused deliberately, her smile widening.

"Well..."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"After all..."

"He probably only remembers that I love shrimp."

My fingers tightened around the spoon.

I said nothing.

Across the room, one of the soldiers accompanying her shifted slightly, quietly observing every reaction.

Just then, Tomasso emerged from the kitchen.

"Last dish."

"Shrimp with egg."

He wore thick heat-resistant gloves.

Every movement was careful.

Gentle.

Like someone serving the most important person in the room.

He placed the plate before me.

"Serafina."

"You've always been delicate."

"Eat a little more."

"It's good for your health."

Camilla blinked innocently.

"Tomasso..."

"You didn't actually forget she can't eat shrimp... did you?"

She tilted her head with a playful smile.

"Then again..."

"I suppose that's understandable."

"How well can two people really know each other after such a rushed arranged marriage?"

The smile vanished from Tomasso's face.

His expression stiffened.

He looked at me, guilt flashing through his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Serafina."

"It's my first time cooking, so I..."

Before he could finish, nausea surged violently through me.

I covered my mouth and rushed toward the bathroom.

Behind me, hurried footsteps followed.

"Serafina!"

Tomasso reached me first, gently rubbing my back.

Before I could steady my breathing, Camilla appeared at the doorway.

She leaned lazily against the frame, amusement sparkling in her eyes.

"My, Sis..."

"You look exactly like I did a few months ago."

"Morning sickness was miserable."

She smiled brightly.

"What a shame..."

"That's something you'll never get to experience."

She was about to continue when Tomasso suddenly interrupted.

"Camilla..."

"You suffered that badly from morning sickness?"

The hand resting against my back faltered.

Its warmth suddenly felt uncertain.

As though it could leave me...

And return to her...

At any moment.

"Of course I did."

Camilla pouted dramatically.

"I've sacrificed so much carrying your brother's baby."

"And what do I get?"

"The great Don picks fights with me every day."

Her hand drifted lovingly over her stomach.

"Being pregnant is exhausting."

"So what if I'm a little bad-tempered?"

She huffed.

"Sometimes..."

"I don't even want this baby anymore."

Tomasso's expression changed instantly.

Without thinking, he reached out and caught her hand.

His thumb unconsciously rubbed the wedding ring on his finger.

"Don't say things like that."

"When this baby is born..."

"He'll be the rightful heir to the Graziano Family."

"My brother will owe you everything."

Camilla's face lit up.

She smiled triumphantly before naturally leaning against Tomasso's chest.

"Serafina..."

"You're so lucky."

"Tommy is far more considerate than Alessandro has ever been."

Tomasso's ears flushed red.

Almost awkwardly, he steadied her shoulders.

"You're in the final months now."

"You have to be careful."

Just then, Camilla met my eyes.

A strange smile flickered across her face.

The next second, she clutched her stomach and cried out.

It was perfect.

Too perfect.

Her hand had reached her belly before the pain even appeared on her face.

Tomasso didn't notice.

He panicked immediately.

"Camilla!"

Without a second thought, he swept her into his arms.

As he hurried toward the door, he turned back only long enough to say,

"Serafina."

"I'm taking Camilla to the doctor."

I didn't answer.

I simply stood there.

The ache inside my chest spread little by little until it became impossible to breathe.

Silent tears slipped from my eyes and disappeared into the sink below.

Tomasso...

You're not even trying to hide it anymore.

The moment my parents learned Camilla wasn't feeling well, they rushed over.

The old Don's cane echoed sharply across the marble floor as he hurried inside with my mother close behind.

The entire household revolved around Camilla.

They fussed over her.

Comforted her.

Asked if she had eaten.

Asked whether she was frightened.

Asked if she needed anything at all.

Not once...

Not a single time...

Did either of them ask how I was.

Instead, they turned to Tomasso and reminded us again and again to take good care of Camilla.

Before leaving, they even arranged for the most expensive private nurse the Family could hire...

Solely to look after her.

Camilla lounged across the sofa like a queen surrounded by loyal subjects, basking in every ounce of attention. A smug smile curved her lips as she lazily rested one hand over her swollen belly.

"Oh, honestly," she laughed, her tone dripping with self-satisfaction. "You're all treating me like I'm made of crystal just because I'm pregnant. Isn't everyone being a little dramatic?"

Before anyone else could answer, she turned to me with feigned innocence. Her fingers stroked her stomach almost theatrically, as if she had rehearsed the gesture.

"Oh... I completely forgot." Her eyes sparkled with cruel amusement. "You can't have children anymore, can you? Tell me, Serafina... you're not jealous of all the attention the little pregnant woman is getting, are you?"

A chill settled over my face.

The Vitale matriarch immediately sensed the tension and hurried to smooth things over before the atmosphere collapsed.

"Of course not," she said with an uneasy smile. "Serafina has always been generous. She loves you just as much as the rest of us."

Camilla's lips curled ever so slightly.

Then she turned toward Tomasso.

"What about you, Tommy?" she asked sweetly. "Do you love me too?"

Tomasso froze.

The question had caught him completely off guard.

His eyes instinctively drifted toward me before quickly looking away. His thumb unconsciously rubbed over the gold wedding band on his finger, betraying the conflict he tried so hard to hide.

I looked around at every familiar face before me.

The made men.

The false daughter.

The smiling elders.

Every one of them wore the same carefully crafted mask.

Behind those warm expressions was nothing but deception.

The last trace of warmth inside me quietly died.

"Of course," someone answered with an easy laugh. "To Tomasso, you're family. Naturally he loves you."

I didn't stay another second.

Without another word, I offered a casual excuse, turned around, and walked out.

I had no desire to keep performing in their carefully staged little family play.

By the time I returned to the compound after finalizing every detail of my escape to the Yvora Republic with Iris Everett, it was already well past ten that night.

The Vitale couple had long since departed.

The mansion was wrapped in silence, every hallway swallowed by darkness.

Only a thin strip of light leaked from beneath the door of Tomasso's study.

Almost on instinct, I opened the hidden camera feed I had secretly installed weeks ago.

The image that appeared made my blood run cold.

Camilla.

She wasn't asleep in the guest room where everyone believed she was resting.

Instead, she lay sprawled across Tomasso's desk, her dress hanging carelessly from one shoulder, looking entirely at home.

She circled her arms around his neck, smiling with effortless confidence.

"So..." she purred, her lips almost brushing his ear. "You married Serafina just to keep Alessandro loyal to me?"

One slender finger slowly traced the center of his chest.

"You've loved me for so many years."

Her voice became softer, sweeter.

"And yet you ended up blood-bound to a woman who can never give you an heir."

She tilted her head.

"Tell me, Tomasso... don't you regret it?"

His breathing turned uneven.

He deliberately looked away from her.

"As long as you're happy..."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"...nothing else matters."

Camilla smiled in victory.

She caught his jaw between her fingers and forced him to look directly into her eyes before pressing her lips against his.

The kiss lingered.

Deliberate.

Possessive.

When she finally pulled away, her eyes shimmered with dangerous temptation.

"You've done so much for me."

"I should reward you."

Her fingers slipped over his collar.

"Tonight..."

"I want to belong to you."

Tomasso's entire body stiffened.

For a fleeting second, hesitation flashed across his face.

Seeing it, Camilla only laughed softly.

"Relax."

She rested a hand on her rounded belly.

"I'm already seven months along. The doctor said we'll be fine... as long as we're careful."

The final thread of his restraint snapped.

He pulled her fiercely into his arms.

The distance between them disappeared.

Outside, lightning tore across the night sky above the compound.

A deafening clap of thunder rolled through the estate, shaking the windows.

Just as Tomasso reached his breaking point, something suddenly flashed through his mind.

His expression changed.

"Serafina..."

His voice caught.

"She's terrified of thunderstorms."

He hurriedly gathered his clothes, threw them back on, and rushed upstairs without another thought.

When he pushed open our bedroom door, only the warm glow of the bedside lamp greeted him.

I lay beneath the blankets, breathing steadily, seemingly fast asleep.

Only then did he finally release the breath he'd been holding.

Relief softened his features.

He leaned down, pressed a feather-light kiss against my forehead, then quietly slipped into bed beside me.

For the next two weeks, he played the perfect husband whenever the sun was up.

Gentle.

Patient.

Attentive.

But every night, once darkness covered the estate, he disappeared behind the closed doors of his study...

...into Camilla's waiting arms.

At last, Alessandro arrived.

The Don himself had come to bring Camilla home.

The moment his eyes landed on me, surprise flickered across his face.

Perhaps regret.

Perhaps admiration.

For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.

Finally, he sighed.

"I did think about you these past two years."

His voice carried unmistakable guilt.

"It wasn't that I didn't care."

He lowered his eyes.

"But for the honor of the Family... I didn't have another choice."

After a long pause, he looked back at me.

"I hope... you don't hate me."

Bang!

The bedroom door upstairs burst open.

Camilla swept down the grand staircase, her heels striking the marble floor with sharp, echoing cracks like gunfire.

"Alessandro!"

She smiled brightly as though nothing in the world had ever gone wrong.

"I forgive you."

She waved toward the second floor.

"Go upstairs and pack my things."

"I'm coming home with you."

The instant Alessandro disappeared upstairs, the sweetness vanished from her face.

Her smile twisted into something vicious.

She slowly turned toward me.

"Serafina."

Her voice was filled with naked contempt.

"You pathetic little castoff."

"You actually believed you could compete with me for Alessandro?"

I didn't even bother answering.

I simply turned and walked away.

That only made her angrier.

She rushed after me, grabbing my arm with enough force that her nails pierced my skin.

"I really thought fate had finally smiled on you."

She laughed mockingly.

"Even after Alessandro threw you away, I figured at least one man still wanted you."

Her smile widened.

"But what a joke."

"Tomasso never loved you either."

Every word landed like another blade.

"Isn't that pathetic?"

Her eyes glittered with cruel satisfaction.

"So what if you were the Vitale family's real blood daughter?"

"So what if you were Alessandro's original fiance?"

"In the end..."

She leaned close enough for only me to hear.

"...he still put his ring on my finger."

The room fell deathly silent.

Camilla's smile became almost inhuman.

Her whisper was soft.

Venomous.

"Remember this, Serafina."

"As long as I'm alive..."

"No one in this world will ever choose you."

"Not Father."

"Not Mother."

"Not Tomasso."

"And certainly..."

"...not Alessandro."

"You still don't know the truth, do you?" Camilla's smile widened with cruel delight. "Tomasso has loved me from the very beginning."

My fingers curled into tight fists. The thin gold ring that had once belonged to my mother dug painfully into my skin.

"W... what did you say?" My voice came out hoarse, trembling despite my efforts.

She laughed.

"Do you really think Tomasso spends every night locked away in that study because he's busy? That room is filled with every ounce of his longing for me."

She stepped closer, her eyes glittering with triumph.

"He even promised me that if you ever became pregnant, he'd make sure that child never lived long enough to be born. He would never allow anyone to threaten my baby's place as the true heir of the Graziano Family."

Her laughter rang through the room.

"Isn't that romantic?"

A surge of rage nearly stole my breath.

"You aren't afraid Alessandro will hear you?"

Before she could answer, steady footsteps echoed down the staircase.

Unhurried.

Confident.

The footsteps of a man who believed every inch of this house already belonged to him.

Camilla reacted instantly.

Without warning, she grabbed my wrist and slammed my hand hard across her own face.

The sharp crack echoed through the hall.

The next second, she deliberately threw herself backward.

She landed perfectly in Alessandro's waiting arms.

Almost simultaneously, furious voices exploded from the doorway.

"Serafina!"

Tomasso's voice.

"Have you lost your mind?"

My parents rushed in behind him.

Camilla buried herself against Alessandro's chest, clutching her reddened cheek.

Tears streamed down her face as though she had suffered the greatest injustice imaginable.

One trembling hand protectively covered her swollen stomach.

"Alessandro..."

Her voice broke into sobs.

"I never imagined... after all these years... my sister would still hate me for marrying you."

She shook her head pitifully.

"But you didn't choose me because you stopped loving her."

"It was for the alliance... for the bloodlines of the Vitale and Graziano Families."

Fresh tears spilled over.

"She's jealous because I'm carrying your child."

"She said..."

Camilla's lips quivered dramatically.

"She said she wanted me to suffer the same fate she did."

"To lose my chance of ever becoming a mother."

I hadn't spoken a single word.

Yet when I looked up...

Alessandro.

Tomasso.

My own parents.

Every one of them stared at me with the same icy condemnation.

Disgust.

Disappointment.

Judgment.

Alessandro's expression turned frigid.

"If anything happens to Camilla's baby..."

His voice carried absolute authority.

"...you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Without another glance, he swept Camilla into his arms and strode out of the mansion.

His soldiers closed ranks behind him like an iron wall.

Bang!

Tomasso slammed his fist against the doorframe so hard the wood shuddered.

His eyes burned with anger.

"Serafina!"

"I never thought you could become someone this vicious!"

"What happened to you wasn't Camilla's fault!"

"So why are you taking your hatred out on her?"

Even my parents joined in.

They rebuked me without hesitation.

Called me reckless.

Disgraceful.

A stain on the Vitale Family's honor.

Nothing to do with Camilla?

Tomasso actually had the audacity to say those words.

The fury inside me exploded.

I wanted to expose everything.

I wanted to tell him exactly who Camilla really was.

But before a single word could leave my mouth...

The room spun violently.

My vision blurred.

Darkness swallowed everything.

...

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in one of the Family's private hospitals, hidden far from public records.

Tomasso sat beside my bed.

Both of his hands tightly wrapped around mine.

The moment he saw I was awake, relief flooded his face.

"Serafina..."

His voice shook.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

A faint, icy smile surfaced deep inside me.

So...

He finally knew.

Perfect.

Then I'd simply make the surprise even bigger.

My eyes slowly filled with tears.

"The doctor said..."

My voice was barely a whisper.

"...it's only been a little over a month."

"With my condition..."

I lowered my eyes.

"There's no guarantee I'll be able to keep the baby."

"I didn't want to tell anyone until I knew for certain."

Tears rolled silently down my cheeks.

"Why would I be jealous of Camilla?"

"I'm carrying your child."

"I would never hurt her."

"She framed me."

Tomasso tightened his grip around my hand.

His thumb unconsciously rubbed against his wedding ring as guilt washed over him.

"I'll speak to Alessandro."

"And to your parents."

His voice hardened.

"Camilla has gone too far this time."

I slowly closed my eyes.

"I'm tired."

"I don't want to see anyone."

He understood.

Or at least he believed he did.

After gently tucking the blanket around me, he stood.

"Rest."

"I'll clear your name."

Then he quietly left the room.

Only a few hours later, my parents arrived.

The same people who had condemned me without hesitation now wore warm smiles.

They praised my good fortune.

Blessed the child in my womb.

Right in front of me, they even criticized Camilla for acting impulsively and forgetting the dignity expected of the Family.

As though none of the previous humiliation had ever happened.

Then, almost casually, they remarked that if I safely delivered this baby...

The Graziano bloodline would gain another heir.

Lena Sterling slowly twisted the rings on her fingers as she spoke.

One.

Then another.

Her calculating eyes never stopped moving.

Watching her made my stomach churn.

I claimed exhaustion and asked Tomasso to send them away.

The moment the room finally fell quiet, I called my consigliere.

I instructed him to prepare the documents to dissolve our blood-pact.

When the papers arrived, I quietly slipped them between my prenatal reports.

Later, with a few soft smiles and carefully chosen words, I convinced Tomasso to sign everything without even looking.

One month.

After the mandatory waiting period...

Our marriage would officially end.

The effective date?

Tomasso's birthday.

The very day I intended to disappear from his life forever.

For the next month, he lived in complete happiness.

He couldn't stop talking about our baby.

About our future.

Completely oblivious to the fact that both were already slipping through his fingers.

He even ordered two nurseries to be renovated.

One decorated in soft pink.

The other in pale blue.

"So we're ready either way," he said with a smile.

"If it's a boy or a girl, everything will already be perfect."

Soon he was talking about a second child.

A son.

A daughter.

A complete family.

I merely smiled.

Tomasso...

I truly hope you're still smiling when your birthday arrives.

Finally...

The day came.

Early that morning, he wrapped me gently in his arms.

"It's my birthday," he whispered.

"Let's spend the whole day together."

Before we could leave...

His phone rang.

Camilla.

Over the past month, she'd repeatedly used visits to me as an excuse to get close to Tomasso.

Again and again, she'd tried to lure him back into her bed.

To my surprise...

He had refused every single time.

He kept telling himself he had chosen me.

Chosen our child.

That he owed us his loyalty.

Just when I almost believed he might truly have changed...

Camilla played her final card.

She claimed she had only wanted to deliver his birthday present.

But on the way...

Her car had been involved in an accident.

Her stomach hurt.

She was terrified something had happened to the baby.

Exactly as I expected...

Tomasso panicked.

Turning toward me, he lied without hesitation.

"Theres urgent business."

"I'll be back soon."

His thumb absentmindedly rubbed over his wedding ring as he spoke.

I smiled sweetly.

"When you come back..."

"I'll have a very special surprise waiting for you."

His eyes softened.

He noticed the small gift box in my hands.

Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead with unmistakable tenderness.

"I can't wait."

"We'll open it together."

The moment he walked out...

My phone rang.

Camilla.

I answered.

Her smug laughter came first.

"Serafina."

"It was me."

"Two years ago, I was the one who hired the men to snatch you."

She laughed again.

"I only found out the rest a few days ago."

"It wasn't your parents who rescued you."

"It was Tomasso."

"He spent a fortune protecting me."

"And the only reason he married you..."

"...was to stop you from digging any deeper."

Her voice grew even crueler.

"While I stayed in your house..."

"He came to me every single night."

"In that study."

"Again and again."

"He told me touching you made him sick."

"He had to imagine it was me..."

"...just to endure sleeping beside you."

A long silence followed.

Then came the final blow.

"Did you honestly believe..."

"...he could ever love the child inside your womb?"

She burst into triumphant laughter.

The call ended.

I stared at the dark screen.

Every word had been recorded.

Then I glanced at the scheduled message waiting to be sent at exactly the right moment.

A slow smile spread across my lips.

Camilla...

Enjoy your laughter while you still can.

It won't last much longer.

Just then, Tomasso called.

I watched the screen light up.

Then I let it ring.

Until it stopped.

After that...

I blocked his number.

And every remaining path that could ever lead him back to me.

Without looking back, I tightened my grip on the ticket in my hand and walked toward the airfield.

Toward the Yvora Republic.

Toward a future where neither Tomasso nor anyone else would ever control my life again.