The Five Graves He Built for Love

In the seven years of my hidden blood-union, I had conceived five children. Each one was stillborn.

Dominic Falcone seemed heartbroken over my condition and brought in the Family's own physician to watch my diet, sparing no tribute. He reassured me, time and time again, that we would eventually have a healthy child together.

The day I found out I was pregnant again, my heart overflowed with joy. I went to share the good news with Dominic, eager to see his face when he heard it. Instead, I overheard him and his oldest confidant, Marco Rizzo, through the half-open door of a private room at the back of the social club.

"You killed Gemma Vaccaro's five children just to give Adriana Colombo specimens for her experiments? Are you insane? Those were your own blood."

Dominic's voice stayed level, cold as marble, as though the matter had nothing to do with him at all.

"Adriana lives for that research. I know nothing about medicine. The most I can do is stand behind her and give her whatever she needs."

Marco's voice carried disbelief, and under it, a low fury. "But those were your own children. How could you be so cruel?"

Dominic only laughed, quiet and unbothered. "Does it matter? The pact between Gemma and me is a forgery. Nothing in it was ever sanctioned by my line. Any child she bore would be nameless, unacknowledged, unwanted. What does it matter whether they lived or died? My wife can only be Adriana."

In that moment, everything I had believed in shattered. The union I had cherished was nothing but a fraud drawn up on false paper. The man I had loved with my whole heart was nothing more than a monster wearing a man's skin. And since this was the truth, there was no longer any need for illusions.

Marco's voice was heavy. "If Adriana is the only one you love, why did you ever bind Gemma to you? Why let her carry your children?"

Dominic's mouth curved. "Because Adriana wanted to study across the sea. And I am a man like any other, with certain needs. Gemma was untouched when I took her, pure, easy to draw into a hidden pact. And keeping her close meant she wouldn't wander off and bring back some filth I didn't want."

He paused, then went on with a chilling ease. "As for the children, I don't like taking precautions, and she was so desperate to be a mother. I thought, why not let her have them, for something to do? I never intended to let a single one draw breath."

Marco's face darkened. "But you let her live in blissful ignorance for seven whole years. You let her carry and lose five children. And now you throw her away as if she never mattered. Gemma loves you to the bone, Dominic. Do you really think she survives this?"

Dominic waved him off, impatient. "Enough. She was a poor country girl who got lucky, living in silk because of me. I gave her more than she could ever have dreamed."

Then, almost pleased with himself, he added, "Three days from now, Adriana and I sail for our wedding across the sea. See that you come. Drink to our happiness."

Marco let out a long breath. "Dominic, don't blame me for saying it. A man who wounds the one who truly loves him, one day you'll regret it."

Dominic scoffed. "As long as I marry Adriana in grand style, I won't regret a damn thing, not if it kills me. Keep your sentiment to yourself."

Marco shook his head, worn out. There was nothing left to say.

The joy that had filled my heart only moments before evaporated, leaving behind a hollow emptiness. I stood frozen where I was, my body cold as ice, my thumb pressing the stump of my missing pinky into my palm until it hurt, the way another woman might grip a rosary. Then Dominic turned and saw me. My tear-streaked face seemed to startle him. Panic flashed through his eyes, and he crossed the room toward me.

"Gemma. When did you come? Why are you crying like this?"

His voice held traces of concern, even heartbreak.

I wiped my tears quickly and forced a smile. "It's nothing. My lashes weren't set right and one got into my eye. I'm hopeless with any of it."

Dominic let out a relieved breath and pulled me into his arms. He stroked my hair, gentle, and murmured, "Seeing you cry breaks my heart. Don't wear those things anymore, all right? My wife is already the most beautiful woman in the world. Come now. Let's go home."

His words were sweet as ever, thick with tenderness. But they no longer held any warmth for me.

Once, I had adored him, trusted him. When I first came under the Falcone name, still green, I had been humiliated and pushed around by men above me in the ranks. It was Dominic who had come like a hero, standing between me and them, making me feel safe. But now I knew the truth. The man I loved was nothing more than a cold-blooded executioner. And I was nothing more than a fool who had loved him blindly.

He once told me that he would always be my shelter, my protector against the storms of life. That he would guard me for the rest of my days. I believed him. I gave him my body, my heart, my soul. When he asked for a hidden blood-union, one recorded in a falsified Family pact and never sanctioned by his line, I agreed without hesitation. He feared that binding his name to a woman born of nothing would weaken the Falcone standing among the five families.

Every time I found out I was pregnant, Dominic would light up like a child, shouting with excitement that he was going to be a father. He would hold me in his arms, his joy infectious. Afraid that I would suffer, he personally instructed the Family physician to use deep anesthesia, ensuring I wouldn't feel any pain. And every time, he stayed by my side, watching over me as if I were his most precious treasure.

I thought he cared about me. I thought he cared about our baby. But in reality, he was merely making it easier for himself to strangle our child with his own hands, to provide a specimen for his beloved. And I, foolishly, blamed myself. I thought my body was too weak, too incapable of carrying a child to term. I grieved over every stillborn, burdened with guilt, apologizing to him for my failures. Looking back now, I was nothing but a joke.

That night, after returning to the estate, I waited for Dominic to step into the shower. I made the arrangement to end the pregnancy. And I bought passage across the water. Three days from now, I would be gone. When he emerged, his hair still damp, he spoke casually, as if it were of little importance.

"Honey, I'm going overseas in three days. Family business. I'll be tied up for over a month."

A month. Just enough time for his arranged alliance marriage. And his honeymoon. I looked up at him and asked softly, "Dominic, I haven't been feeling well lately. Can you stay? I'd like you to spend more time with me."

His brows furrowed instantly, his voice turning cold. "Honey, we've been together for years. You know how I am. I don't let a woman put herself between me and the work. Be good and wait for me at home. I'll bring you something back when I return."

My last shred of hope crumbled. I lowered my gaze, swallowing my disappointment. Beneath the sheets I pressed the stump of my missing pinky hard against my palm, the way other women reach for a rosary. "You're right. I was being selfish. Go ahead."

Satisfied, Dominic's expression softened. He pushed me down onto the bed, his breath laced with the scent of aged wine as he murmured into my ear.

"Honey, the physician says your body has recovered well. Why don't we make a baby tonight? I really want to watch our child grow up with you."

A wave of bitter irony washed over me. I gently pushed him away. "Not tonight. You've been drinking. It could harm the baby's health."

Knowing how much I cared about this, Dominic didn't suspect a thing. He kissed my forehead before drifting off to sleep. As his breathing steadied, I quietly reached for his jacket. That was when I discovered it. A second phone. One I had never seen before.

My heart pounded as I pressed the power button. The lock screen made my stomach churn. A picture of Dominic and Adriana. Kissing. I tried a password. Adriana's birthday. The screen unlocked. I tapped on their messages. The first thing I saw sent my blood running cold. A photo of one of my stillborn children.

Dominic's message read:

[Adriana, I got the specimen for you. It'll come by chopper this afternoon. Fresh. It won't touch your research data.]

Another message:

[You ran through the last one already? Don't worry. Gemma is carrying again. I'll find a way to bring the labor on early. You'll have a new one soon. My girl works harder than any man in this Family. She's going to be a great doctor one day.]

And another:

[Adriana, when do you come home to Brooklyn? I've kept my wife's place open for you. Gemma is just something to take the edge off.]

My hands trembled as I touched my stomach, tears spilling down my cheeks. This child... should never have come into this world.

I continued scrolling.

Albums filled with pictures of them, together from childhood to now. Tens of thousands of photos, each one captioned with a different love note. Seven years of my hidden blood-union, and he had spent most of it away on "Family business," all of them just excuses to be at her side.

My breath hitched when I checked his saved files. More than a hundred versions of wedding plans. Every detail, large and small, meticulously arranged. All personally planned by Dominic. For her.

Each version of the wedding plan was incomparably luxurious, laid out like offerings, so that Adriana might choose her favorite.

For every feast day, every saint's day, every small occasion the calendar allowed, Dominic prepared exquisite and expensive tribute for Adriana. No matter how deep the Family's business ran, no matter how many men waited on his word, he crossed an ocean himself to place each gift in her hands.

And me? I only deserved the leftovers. I still remembered the night we sealed our blood-union. Dominic didn't give me a single flower. That evening, as the car slowed past a florist near the old quarter, I gazed at the colorful bouquets behind the glass, my heart filled with silent longing. Noticing my expectant eyes, he merely said in an indifferent tone, "Flowers are for little girls. You're not that childish, are you, Honey?"

Yet, for Adriana, he bought an entire estate across the sea and planted a vast garden filled with rare and exotic blooms, only because she loved them.

Looking at the photos of them kissing amid that sea of flowers, I suddenly laughed. Then I burst into tears. I pressed the stump of my missing pinky hard against my palm until the shaking stopped, took a deep breath, and photographed everything. The wedding plans. The tribute. The messages. The garden. And then I found it. The falsified Family pact. At the time, Dominic told me he didn't want me troubled with the formalities, so he arranged for the man who kept such records to come to our home and put his seal to the union.

Turns out, they were just actors. Hired mouths reading from a page. I tore the pact in half and let the pieces fall into the trash. I returned to the bed and stared at Dominic's sleeping face, so calm, so handsome. Once, this sight had filled my heart with warmth. Now it only made me sick. A night of silent sorrow left me sleepless.

The next morning, as always, Dominic had the Family's kitchen prepare an elaborate breakfast for me, plated the way one plates something precious. In the past I was always moved by such care, believing he truly cherished me. But after those messages, I understood it was all just an act, staged by a man who never wasted a gesture.

Every carefully planned, nourishing meal I ate, Adriana had already tasted first. The only difference? Hers came from Dominic's own hands. Thinking of it, a wave of nausea crashed over me. I barely made it to the sink before dry-heaving. Dominic crossed the room and reached me in an instant, his hands gently supporting me.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

A glimmer of something eager flashed in his eyes.

"Are you carrying again?"

I caught the look on his face and inwardly sneered. Why are you so pleased? Are you only waiting to use this child to please your sweetheart once more?

I wiped my mouth and forced a weak smile. "No. You know my body's weak. After losing those babies, I can barely conceive anymore."

Dominic cupped my face, his voice laced with gentle reassurance. "Gemma, don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. I don't hold it against you. Just focus on getting well, and I promise, one day we'll have a healthy child."

He smoothed my hair, his tone turning lighter. "Don't be sad, alright? Today is my mother's Feast Day. Sixty years, and half the Family is coming to honor her. We're expected, my love."

Then his voice shifted, just slightly. "But since our union is still hidden, even my mother knows nothing of it. So if anyone asks who you are"

I already knew what he meant to say. I cut him off with a faint smile. "I understand. I'll say I'm your courier."

His face settled into satisfaction. "I knew you'd understand, Honey."

When we arrived at the hotel, the first thing I saw was Adriana clinging to my mother-in-law's arm like a doted-on child. She wore a gown that cost more than most soldiers saw in a year, and she pressed two fingers to the old woman's wrist as if reading her pulse, saying playfully, "Zia, you have the strongest heart in this whole room. You'll live to be two hundred."

My mother-in-law beamed, delighted by the flattery. Smiling, she slid the jade bracelet from her own wrist and placed it into Adriana's hand.

"This came down through the Falcone line. It passes to the wife of the next Don."

Adriana turned to me, her smile layered with something buried underneath. Yet her words came out sweet and innocent. "Zia, this is far too precious. I couldn't possibly take it." Her smile held a half-second too long, and her fingers drifted to the pendant at her throat.

My mother-in-law laughed. "Oh, Dominic's brought his girl today. That's his future wife, isn't it? Perhaps she'll give the Family five grandsons one day. You should give it to her instead."

Her eyes finally found me. She looked me over, her gaze thick with open contempt as she took in my plain, understated dress.

"What girl? That's only Dominic's little courier. Family errands, nothing more."

Then her expression darkened into disgust. "Running loose, breeding without a sanctioned union, and not one but five stillborn? Hah. Truly, God has eyes."

"Back in my day, a filthy little whore like her would have been weighted and dropped in the river," Dominic's mother spat, her eyes brimming with contempt. "She's nothing compared to a girl of clean blood like you, Adriana."

She took Adriana's hands in hers, a sickeningly fond smile stretching across her face. The old widow of the Falcone line turned the dead Don's wedding band slowly around her own finger, and the whole room seemed to lean toward her. "It's decided then. Dominic isn't getting any younger, and today, I will make the decision. He will marry you into the famiglia."

This wasn't the first time I had stood in the great hall of the Falcone estate as nothing more than Dominic's 'courier.'

Back then, he had told me he was afraid his mother would disapprove of where I came from and refuse to accept me into the blood. But he swore he had chosen me, that he would seal our union first, quietly, and slowly work on winning the matriarch over. I had believed him. I had waited. Seven years had passed and I was still waiting.

Now, his mother, having somehow learned that I had given birth to five stillborn babies, regarded me with nothing but scorn. In her eyes, I was a promiscuous woman, a stain on the Family name that no amount of tribute could wash clean.

"A whore like her doesn't deserve to breathe another second under this roof. Dominic, get rid of her."

There was a time when Dominic would have defended me, even if only half-heartedly. But now, with Adriana gleaming under the great chandeliers, there was no space left for me in his gaze. The soldiers along the walls kept their eyes forward, their faces carved from stone. No one in that hall would meet my eyes.

Feigning reluctance, he sighed. "Alright. Since I'm crossing the sea on Family business the day after tomorrow, I'll take Adriana with me. We can hold the wedding there."

Not a moment's hesitation.

Adriana feigned shyness. Her fingers rose to touch the pendant at her throat. "But I haven't even tried on my wedding dress or picked out my ring yet."

As if on cue, the tall doors opened, and an array of twenty-three custom wedding gowns was wheeled into the hall, each cut by the great masters of the fashion houses, booked years in advance.

Each dress had a matching diamond ring, glistening like caged stars. One in particular, a pink diamond, I recognized from an auction I'd read of last month. It had gone for two hundred million.

These weren't last-minute arrangements. These had been prepared for a long time. Adriana gasped in delight, throwing her arms around Dominic. "Oh my God, they're all in my size! And twenty-three... the year we met! Dominic, you were thinking of me even back then, weren't you?"

She pouted playfully, and he only smiled, eyes brimming with indulgence.

I looked down at my own plain silver ring, the one he had given me the day he made his promise. It was too small, cutting into my skin every time I moved my finger. I had tried to take it off before, but I never could. And yet, those diamond rings, each an exact fit for Adriana, meant that he had never forgotten her size. It wasn't carelessness. It wasn't forgetfulness. He had never truly seen me at all.

Standing beside them, I felt like the punchline to a cruel joke. I turned on my heel and hurried toward the washroom. Splashing ice-cold water onto my face, I tried to wash away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. But no amount of water could cleanse the ache searing my chest. My thumb found the stump where my smallest finger should have been, and I pressed it hard against my palm until the room stopped swimming.

As I stepped out, I collided into a warm embrace. Dominic.

He pressed a delicate bottle of perfume into my hands, his voice soft with feigned tenderness. "Are you jealous? Today is my mother's feast day. I couldn't refuse her, not in front of the whole Family. Agreeing to marry Adriana is just for show. Those dresses and rings? They're only to please her."

His fingers brushed against my cheek. "Once I'm across the sea, I'll explain everything to her. You and I... we're the real ones. We have the pact. Our blood is sworn."

His voice dipped lower, coaxing, cajoling. "Gemma, I promise you, after this month, I'll tell my mother the truth. I'll bring our union into the open, before every made man in this house. I'll give you the wedding you deserve."

He lifted the perfume bottle with a smirk. "I know how much you love these. This one was difficult to get, a brand-new creation from the top perfumer abroad. See how much I love you?"

I gripped the bottle, my fingers tightening around the glass. How laughable.

This perfume was one of the wedding favors prepared for his ceremony with Adriana. He had summoned thousands to celebrate their union, each guest to leave with this very same bottle as a token of their love. And now he had the audacity to press it into my hands, spinning another lie, thinking I would believe it. My fingers curled around the cold glass, my knuckles white.

I smiled. "Thank you, Dominic."

And in my heart, I vowed. This would be the last time he would ever deceive me.

The one who's truly being deceived... is me. My phone lit up in my palm, the reminder surfacing quietly. The procedure at the clinic that afternoon. Dominic's eyes flicked to the screen, his brow drawing together.

"Tesoro, what procedure?"

I slid the phone into my bag and smiled. "Nothing. Just noise. I understood everything you told me. I understand you."

Satisfied, Dominic pressed his lips to my forehead. "That's why you're my Gemma. You always understand. Let me see to the guests, and I'll come home tonight to keep you company."

I followed him without a word, my heart weighed down with unease. But he didn't return to the great hall where the Family had gathered. He took the back stair, up toward the private rooms.

Through the door, left carelessly ajar, I saw her. Adriana, wearing nothing but a thin sheath of lace. Her voice poured out like something warmed and honeyed.

"Dominic, why did you take so long? I've been waiting forever."

Dominic hesitated, uncertainty passing over his face like a shadow. "I think Gemma isn't well. Maybe we skip tonight. There'll be time enough after the wedding. I should look in on her first."

Adriana looped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. "Dominic, are you really going to leave me here alone? It's been so long since we last did this. Haven't you missed me?"

Her fingers traced along his jaw. She touched the pendant at her throat, then let her hand drift back to him. "We'll be married soon. I want to give you a child. Tonight you don't have to hold back. As many times as you want. All right?"

Something clouded Dominic's eyes, and in the next breath every hesitation vanished. He pushed her back onto the bed, his restraint crumbling into nothingness.

The sounds that followed twisted like a knife into my heart. I couldn't watch anymore. I turned and fled, stumbling blind through the corridors and out of the hotel. The moment the cold night air hit me, nausea crashed over me in violent waves, forcing me down to a crouch, heaving dry sobs against the pavement.

A sudden chill struck me. A bottle of iced wine, upended over my head. Adriana stood above me, letting the empty glass drop, her lips curling in mockery.

"Gemma, what are you, some kind of breeding animal? Five stillborn children, and you're carrying again?" She crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Don't think I wouldn't notice. That was morning sickness, just now. I'm the Family's physician. I know these things."

I went very still.

She sneered, cruel amusement gleaming in her eyes. "You actually think being pregnant again will make Dominic love you? Don't be stupid. One word from me, and he'll take your child the way he took the other five. After all, I'm the one he truly loves."

Adriana drew out her phone and held it up before my face. My breath hitched. Images of my dead children filled the screen.

"Beautiful, aren't they? And guess what. This one, in your belly? It'll end up just like the others."

My vision blurred with rage. Without thinking, I raised my hand to strike her. She was faster. She snatched a shard from the broken bottle and dragged it across her own palm.

Blood welled from the wound as she loosed a piercing scream. Before I could move, Dominic came running. The instant he saw Adriana's bleeding hand, his face darkened, and every soldier who'd trailed him out went still, hands drifting toward their coats, waiting for a word that didn't come. He shoved me aside and pulled her into his arms.

"Gemma, what the hell are you doing?" he roared.

Adriana clung to him, weeping pitifully. "Dominic, I only wanted to be kind, to bring her in for a drink. But she said I stole you from her. Then she came at me. Maybe... maybe she isn't right in the head, after losing so many children."

Dominic turned to me, his gaze burning with cold disgust.

"I was the one who chose to marry Adriana. If you have a quarrel with that, bring it to me. What right do you have to take it out on her?"

I opened my mouth, desperate to explain, but his next words froze me in place.

"Adriana's hands mend the men of this Family. Her hands save lives. And you dared put a mark on them? How vicious can you be, Gemma?"

His voice was sharp, filled with pure contempt. The ring on his finger had stopped turning; his hand had gone perfectly still.

"With a mother as cruel as you, it's no wonder every child you carried was born dead. That's simply your karma."

I looked at him in disbelief, as if seeing him for the first time. My voice cracked as I pointed at Adriana, my vision blurred with tears.

"My retribution? The ones who truly deserve retribution are you!"

I took a shaky breath, my entire body trembling with rage. "Dominic, do you dare to tell me why my childrenwho were perfectly healthy inside mewere all born stillborn? And what did you do with their bodies?!"

Dominic's brows furrowed, a flicker of impatience in his expression. The signet ring turned slow and idle around his finger. "Your health was always weak, Gemma. The children suffered because of that. Their deaths were inevitableyou just didn't realize it when you were pregnant. They were buried the way the Family buries its own. Why are you dragging up these meaningless things now? Apologize to Adriana."

I stared at him, my heart hollow, my hands numb at my sides.

I knew. Deep down, I knew this was the answer I would get. But why did it still hurt so much?

My fingers clenched into fists before loosening. Slowly, I bent down and picked up a shard of broken glass from the marble at my feet. Without hesitation, I brought it to my left hand and, in one swift motion, sliced off my pinky finger.

Blood spurted out instantly, splattering onto the cold marble floor of the estate.

"Gemma!" Dominic's voice was sharp with alarm.

I lifted my gaze to meet his, my lips curling into a bitter smile.

"Dominic, you're right. Dr. Colombo's hands are meant to shine over the Family's operating table. Since her palm is wounded, I'll compensate her with a finger. Is that enough?"

The crimson pooled at my feet as I turned away, stepping over the blood like it meant nothing. Dominic hesitated. For a moment, just a moment, I thought he might reach for me. But then Adriana whimpered and clung to him, her tear-filled voice breaking through the silence.

"Dominic, my hand hurts..."

Her fingers drifted to the pendant at her throat, and the mask reset. His hesitation vanished. He let me go.

As I sat in the private ward of the Family's physician, my phone vibrated with an incoming call from Dominic.

"Cara, how's your hand? Don't worry, Adriana's hand is fine. Tonight was my fault. I know you've always blamed yourself for the children's deaths, and I shouldn't have said those things."

I remained silent, my fingers tightening around my phone. In the palm of my ruined hand, I pressed the raw stump of the pinky against my own skin until the pain steadied me.

"But I gave my word to my mother that I'd see this alliance marriage through. It's only for show, but if I delay the date, the whole house takes it as an insult. She's getting old, her health isn't the best. I'm worried..."

"I'm fine," I cut him off, my voice calm, detached. "Take good care of her. Don't let your mother worry."

Dominic chuckled softly. "Silly cara, what do you mean, 'your mother'? She's our mother. Don't worry, one day I'll make the Family recognize you by blood."

There was a warmth in his voice, as if he truly believed his own words.

"The day after tomorrow, I sail across the sea for the ceremony. Tomorrow, I'll come home and bring you something to eat. Be good, alright?"

I didn't answer. Instead, my gaze drifted to the open door beside me, where a television murmured the evening report over the city's territory.

[Word on the street: the Don of the Falcone Family spares nothing for his woman. For a small cut to her hand, he summoned the finest physicians across three states overnight. To lift her spirits, he laid down three hundred million in laundered cash at a private auction for a jade heirloom once owned by an old-world noblewoman.]

The screen cut to Adriana, smiling coyly as men from the allied press crowded her. The words ran bold across the bottom: The Most Adored Woman in the World.

I turned to the physician standing beside me. "I'm ready." Even with the anesthesia, I felt the instruments scraping away at my insides, hollowing me out once more. I had lost another child. When I left through the back entrance, my arms wrapped around my empty stomach, tears slipped down my cheeks, silent and endless.

Baby, I'm sorry. In your next life, don't choose me as your mother.

The next day, Dominic didn't come home. Instead, he called.

"Gemma, I'm sorry. I truly wanted to be with you today, but my mother suddenly wasn't feeling well. As her son, I have to stand at her side."

I glanced down at my phone, my lips curling into a humorless smile. A minute earlier, Adriana had posted to her feed for all the allied houses to see.

In the photo, she sat on a plush hotel bed, draped in a silk robe. Dominic knelt at her feet, bare-chested, his hands gently working her ankles, his eyes filled with infinite tenderness. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips still parted, as if she had just been thoroughly ravished.

Clothes were strewn across the floor, a telltale sign of the passion they had shared moments before. I closed my phone and took a deep breath. Without hesitation, I gathered everything I owned and set it ablaze. The fire roared, devouring every trace of my existence in his life. The past seven years, the love I had given him, the pain I had enduredit all turned to ash before my eyes.

At dawn, I arrived at the airfield. Just as I was about to board, my phone buzzed with a new message from Dominic.

"Gemma, are you up yet? Don't forget to eat. I can't bear to be away from youI miss you so much."

"Be good and wait for your husband at home. When I come back, I'll bring you a gift. I miss your lips. If only I could kiss them now."

I lifted my eyes and looked across the terminal. Not far from me, Dominic held Adriana in his arms, kissing her deeply, even as his fingers moved effortlessly over his phone screen to send me that message.

How impressive. It must have been exhausting, keeping up such an act. I didn't bother replying. Instead, I gathered the photos and messages stored on my phone, compiled them into a single file, and set them to be sent to Dominic's private line. Then, without hesitation, I turned and walked toward the boarding gateone that led to a destination far from his.

Meanwhile, Dominic arrived at the lavish banquet hall across the sea. His mother and a room full of esteemed guests from the allied families were already gathered, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Frowning, he checked his phone again. Still no reply from me. A strange unease settled in his chest.

After a moment of thought, he summoned his attendant.

"Book passage for the Madam to arrive here tomorrow. She must be lonely at home without me."

It was a calculated move. By the time she arrived, the alliance would be sealed. Even if she wanted to make a scene, it would be too late.

Holding Adriana's hand, he stepped toward the dais just as his attendant came rushing forward, face pale, phone clutched tightly in trembling hands.

"Don Falcone! There's a serious problem! The Madamshe found out everything about the children!"

Dominic's breath caught. The signet ring stopped turning. His hand went perfectly still. "What are you talking about?"

The attendant swallowed before continuing, his voice shaking. "A few hours ago, she boarded a flight to another country. And just now, word came throughthe plane went down."