Page 51

I stride through the manor’s halls, my heels clicking on black marble. My black dress hugs my frame, my curls pinned tight. It strikes me how much I look like a queen ready for battle. I’m headed to his study, biting words lodged in my throat, burning, when low voices stop me cold. At first, I think it's Enzo, but the voice is different. Much older. The hairs on my body stand at alert.
I pause outside a half-open door, my pulse spiking as I listen. Adriano’s smooth tone slithers through, laced with menace, talking to a man I don’t recognize.
“She was mine,” he says, his tone icy, obsessive. “Do you understand? Lucia Mine. He had no right to her, fucking Antonio Mancini. I gave her my all but, in the end, she chose that Mancini fool over me. So, what did I do? I orchestrated the accident that killed her with help from the Vitales. Then I framed the Rossis to spark the war, kept my loyalty to the family and never blew my cover. Enzo’s too blind to see I’ve been pulling his strings.”
My heart stops, ice flooding my veins. Enzo’s mother. Adriano loved her, killed her, and built this feud on her blood, all to hide his twisted relationship with the Vitales. The fact that he's confessing to this within the confines of manor means he's either getting sloppy, or he doesn't mind being found out because he has something bigger in store.
My hand grips the wall, nails digging into plaster. I know now why I always hated him and his sinister smile. It's why he'd subtly tried to threaten me in the garden that morning. He'd been hiding something this big. Perhaps, he'd been threatened by my presence, thinking his secrets will get leaked with me becoming Enzo's wife.
I have to find Enzo. This is bigger than his hate, bigger than our marriage. It’s a betrayal that’s shaped his life, my life, this whole fucking feud. I need to find him, to tell him, even if he shuts me out again. My heart pounds, not just for me, but for him, for the pain he’s carried all this year. A pain built on a lie spun by the very person he respects. No betrayal can be greater.
I spin away, my steps quick as I go in search of Enzo. The manor’s quiet, its shadows swallowing my urgency. I find Matteo in the courtyard, leaning against a stone pillar. He's polishing a knife. He has a grin ready for me as I approach, but immediately I get close enough and he sees my face, his grin fades.
“Serafina, are you alright?”
“Yes. Yes,” I blurt out. I realize how crazy I must look, so I let my face twist into a small smile. “Where’s Enzo?”
He hesitates, his eyes narrowing, but he answers, “At the cemetery. It’s Signora Mancini’s death anniversary. His mother.”
His words land heavy, a punch to my chest. Enzo’s at his mother’s grave, alone with his grief, and I’m about to shatter his world.
I don’t wait as I begin to head in the direction of her grave site. A maid had pointed it out to me during my first week in the manor. Matteo’s frantic voice calls behind me, but I don't stop in my strides, my steps quick as I move through the manor’s shadowed halls, heading for the deserted west end of the estate.
The air grows thick with neglect, as I reach the wild, overgrown clearing where Lucia's grave lies, hidden among tangled vines and crumbling stone. I slow, my boots soft on the earth, and spot Enzo ahead, a lone figure in black, standing over a worn stone. His shoulders are rigid, head bowed, and my heart twists, reaching for him despite everything. I pause, half-hidden by a gnarled willow’s drooping branches, watching him. His pain is palpable, and I feel it like a pull I can’t resist.
He doesn’t move, doesn’t see me, and for a moment, I just stand there, my breath shallow. The man who’s claimed me, hurt me, is bared here, stripped of his walls, and it shakes me. I’d set out to lash at me, then I heard Adriano's confession and my anger had been forgotten.
I came here to tell him about Adriano's betrayal, but now, seeing him like this, I want to hold him, to ease the weight he carries.My love for him is new and terrifying. It surges. I step forward, my resolve hardening. I need to reach him, not just for the truth, but for us, for whatever we’re becoming.
I step closer, my boots soft on the grass, and call his name. “Enzo.” My voice is quiet, a thread in the still air. He whirls around, his dark eyes catching mine, and I freeze.
Pain rages in his gaze. His face, always so guarded, is raw and my heart twists with a wound that's so deep it snatches the breath from my lungs. I’ve never seen him like this, not in our fights, not in our passion. My heart aches, reaching for him, and I move without thinking, closing the distance to stand beside him. I say nothing, my presence is a silent offering, and he doesn’t push me away.
His arm slides around me, pulling me close, his chest hard against my side. The hug surprises me, his warmth seeping through my dress, and I stiffen, then soften, letting myself lean into him. His scent wraps around me, grounding me, and we stand there, wordless, the world fading. His heartbeat thuds against my cheek, steady but heavy, and I feel his grief, his need, mirroring my own. I don’t question it, just hold him, my love a quiet flame I can’t extinguish, even now. I stay, loving him in this fragile moment.
Time slips away, the cemetery silent, until he shifts, his grip loosening. The moment is broken. I step back, ready to leave, to grant him this silent moment. Whatever I have to say will haveto wait. As I begin to step away, his hand catches mine, stopping me. I drag confused gaze to his.
“Fina,” he says, his voice rough. “I’m sorry.”
I blink at him, destabilized by this shift. “Sorry?”
“Yes. I've been an asshole these past weeks, and for that, I'm sorry.”
His eyes hold mine, soft, real, and I’m floored, my chest tight. Enzo, apologizing? A genuine smile breaks on my face, my heart lifting. “You’re forgiven,” I say, meaning it. “But I need to tell you something urgent.”
He nods, his grip tightening. “Go ahead.”
I take a breath, the weight of Adriano’s words pressing down on my chest. I have no idea how Enzo will react, but I have to tell him. “I overheard Adriano in the manor, talking to some guy.” Enzo's brows furrow.
I continue. “He said he killed your mother, Enzo. According to him, he loved your mother, and it angered him when she chose your father, so he silenced her by killing her, then framed my family and used a Vitale deal to cover it. It's how this war was started.”
He doesn't say anything, just continues to stare at me, his expression unreadable. I try again, needing his reaction. “Adriano is behind it all, Enzo. He's been manipulating you all this time.”
I hold his gaze, willing him to believe me, to see I’m not his enemy. His eyes flicker, and I think he’s listening, but then his face shifts, hardening into something cold, something cruel. Fury burns in his eyes, not at Adriano, but at me, and my stomach twists, dread rising like bile.
“You’re lying,” he snaps, his hand dropping mine like it’s poison. He steps back, his voice sharp, slicing through me. “You heard this and thought you’d stir shit? You’re trying to fuck with me, get back at me for shutting you out.” Each word cuts deeper, and I flinch, my chest tightening under the weight of his anger.
“No, Enzo, I swear,” I say, stepping forward, hands raised, desperate to reach him. “I heard him, clear as day. He’s been betraying you, playing you for decades.” But his eyes are ice, a wall slamming down, shutting me out. He’s not hearing me, not even trying, and it hurts. A raw ache spreads through me.