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Outside, Darren stood by the curb, waiting beside his Ferrari.

Lorenzo, still in his T-shirt and trousers, was on a call in the garden. The moment he saw her walking away with luggage, he ended the call mid-sentence and strode toward her, his long legs closing the distance with urgent, determined steps.

His brows furrowed. “Krystal?”

He rushed toward her, crossing the driveway. She tried to ignore him, focused on lifting her bag into the trunk. But Lorenzoreached her in seconds, grabbed the suitcase handle, and yanked it back out.

“What the hell are you doing?” His voice was low and tense, jaw tight as he placed the luggage back on the ground. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Krystal reached over to snatch the suitcase from his hand. “You’ve got no right to question me. The divorce is already in process.”

But Lorenzo only pulled the suitcase further away. “It’s not finalized yet,” he said coldly. “I’m still your husband, and that gives me every damn right to know where you’re going.”

She tried again to take it back, but he held kept it out of her reach. After a short, frustrating struggle, Krystal let out an annoyed breath and stood up straight, glaring at him. “Are you done pretending, or are you still playing this game?”

Lorenzo dragged the suitcase behind him, putting even more distance between her and the bag. His jaw clenched.

“I won’t let you drag my family’s name through the mud, walking around like you’re single—cheating on me in public.”

He shot a hard side glance at Darren, who just rolled his eyes. But Lorenzo kept going, voice edged with steel. “I won’t tolerate it.”

Krystal scoffed, her patience thinning. “I rented an apartment. Darren lives with me—but in another bedroom. There’s nothing going on between us. Can you move aside now?”

She reached out again for the suitcase, but Lorenzo reached out and grabbed her hand gently, his tone suddenly softer. “Let’s go for a walk. We need to talk.”

Before she could respond, Darren stepped forward and slapped Lorenzo’s hand away, freeing her hand out of his grasp.

“You didn’t care for her when she was yours,” Darren said coldly. “Now that she’s finally free, you want to tangle her back into your mess? Mr. Moretti, be a man for once and stick to your words. You’re not worthy of her.”

Lorenzo’s eyes darkened, and before the words had even finished ringing in the air, his fist connected with Darren’s jaw.

The punch landed hard.

A storm of heat raged through him. ‘This bastard has been living with her. Now he’s standing in the way of us getting back together. He wants her. And he thinks I’ll just stand here and take it?

Krystal rushed forward, shoving Lorenzo aside with both hands.

“Why do you always hurt the people I care about?” she snapped. “I don’t want to see you anymore. Please respect my choice!”

Darren stood up, rubbing the side of his face where Lorenzo’s punch had landed, glaring silently.

Krystal turned to him, her eyes full of concern. But Darren gave her a small shake of his head and a shrug, then walked toward the suitcase lying forgotten on the ground. Krystal rounded the car, getting in the passenger seat. Without a word, Darren picked up the luggage, loaded it into the backseat, and drove away with Krystal.

Lorenzo stood still, his fists clenched at his sides, his heart burning as he watched the car disappear down the road.

***

In the VIP room of the Blue Orchid Bar, the leather couch creaked under Lorenzo as he slouched back, a bottle of whiskey on the table and his glass already half-empty.

Across the table, Larry sat beside Michael, his eyes burning with annoyance. He leaned forward and growled, “You’ve gotta be kidding me. You’re still drinking yourself to death over Krystal?”

Lorenzo let out a sharp breath, frustration flickering across his face as he glared at Larry. “If you’re here just to piss me off, I’ll walk out right now.”

Larry grabbed a glass of whiskey, downed it in one shot, and slammed the glass back on the counter. “What the hell are you losing your mind over now? I’ve been mad at you for a long time already. You want to push it further?”

Michael cut in between them, trying to calm the rising tension. “Lorenzo, man—what are you doing? Why are you so worked up? All Larry did was mention Krystal’s name. He didn’t say anything else, did he?”

Lorenzo raised his head and glared straight at Larry. “Why are you even angry? What the hell have I done to you? And what business is it of yours what goes on between me and Krystal?”