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At the mention of his name, my eyes flick to the other end of the room. And there he stands, his back pressed against the walland his eyes watching me with an incredible intensity. His voice is the last thing I remember before I was plunged into a sea of unconsciousness.

“Daniele.” Emily smacks her lips together. “Come see.”

I stare at the brooding man on the other end of the room. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move. If not for the barely-there movement of his breathing, I wouldn’t have known he was alive.

He looks exhausted—like a shadow of the man I once knew. But beneath that exhaustion… there’s something else now. Hesitation.

The anger and hurt that burned in his eyes over the past few weeks have faded, dulled, giving way to something else—something I can’t quite name.

Emily crouches in front of me, tilting her head like a bird of prey. “Do you know how much I hate you, Maria?” she whispers, the venom in her words coating her words. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to be invisible? To be nothing? For years, I’ve wanted him, watched him, only for you to come and take him from me.”

I meet her gaze, keeping my voice steady despite the terror clawing up my throat. “You are a crazy woman, I hope you know that.”

Her eye twitches. “Because I thought—” She stops herself, shaking her head like she’s trying to silence her own thoughts.

She clearly chooses to ignore my words and keeps rambling. “I thought he would love me. I thought that once you were out of the picture—once you were gone—he’d finally see me.”

I remain silent. There’s nothing I can say or do to de-escalate the situation.

This woman has created an entire parasocial relationship with my husband.

If I’m going to get out of this, I’ll need to keep a level head.

My life—and the baby’s—depend on it.

Emily takes my chin into her icy hold, her nails digging into my skin. “What makes you so special? What do you have that I don’t?”

A hand clamps down on her shoulder, yanking her back.

“Enough,” Daniele growls. “This isn’t about your sick obsession, Emily. Back off.”

Emily glares at him, lips curling in disgust, but before she can speak, the door creaks open, silencing all of us. A cold shiver travels down my spine at the shift in the air that moves in the room.

It’s him.

Giacomo strides in, bringing with him a gust of cold night air. His presence is suffocating, his energy a black void that sucks all warmth from the room—not that there was any to begin with.

He takes in the scene before him—Emily trembling, Daniele rigid, me bound and silent. His expression barely shifts as he pulls out a gun. The shot rings out before any of us even have a chance to react. It’s swift, precise, and lethal.

The gunshot cracks like thunder. The bullet rips through Emily’s chest, blood spattering as it slices through her like paper. She stumbles back, eyes wide, mouth opening in a silent scream as a wet, gurgling sound bubbles in her throat. Then her knees buckle. She crumples to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut—lifeless before she even hits the ground.

And just like that, she’s gone. Erased from the world in a blink.

I flinch, my breath catching in my throat. Daniele stands there looking just as shocked, but he does a better job of recovering and schooling his features.

Giacomo exhales, lowering the gun like he’s just swatted a fly. “I don’t take kindly to disobedience. She had one job—make sure Matteo went down. Instead, she fell in love with the fucking target.”

Daniele stares at Emily’s lifeless body, his face blank, but his hands tremble at his sides. That’s when I see it—the small shroud of humanity that still lives within him.

“Dispose of that,” Giacomo orders, waving a hand toward the corpse like it’s nothing more than trash.

Daniele hesitates for only a beat before moving to obey, already working to get rid of her.

As Giacomo’s loose ends are tied up, he turns to me, offering a maniacal smile. “As for you, cara mia… I do hope you’re comfortable. The finale is about to begin.”

My stomach twists violently, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear.

“Cat got your tongue, bella?” He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “No matter. I’ve waited years for this moment. Over two decades, and now… my revenge is finally at hand. And you, my dear, will have the best seat in the house.”