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“You’re a Rossi,” he spits, venom dripping from every syllable. “I should’ve known you were a snake, you, your father, the whole fucking clan.” His voice rises, thick with disgust. “Domenico proposed you as my bride, and I was blind, thinking it was peace. It was a trap, wasn’t it? You and your father, scheming to ensnare me, to sink your claws into my empire.”
The accusation lands like a fist, gutting me, knocking the air from my lungs. I stagger, my pride the only thing keeping me upright. “That’s not true,” I choke out, my voice shaking. “I’m telling you what I heard. Adriano’s the liar, not me.” But he’s too far gone, his face twisted with betrayal, seeing only a Rossi, not his wife.
“You think you’ve won, don’t you?” he snarls, stepping closer, his eyes blazing. “You slither into my house, my bed, and now you’re tearing it apart from within, spreading lies about my men. You’re poison, Fina, and I was a fool to let you close.” His words burn, each one a brand on my heart, and I feel the ground shift beneath me, my love for him cracking under the assault.
He leans in, his voice dropping, cold and vicious. “How do I even know that baby’s mine?”
The question hits like a vicious slap, stealing my breath. My hands instinctively fly to my stomach.
“For all I know, you and your Rossi blood planned this, too, to tie me to you, to weaken me.” The doubt in his eyes, the cruelty, rips through me, leaving me raw, exposed.
“I’m not lying,” I say, my voice breaking, tears burning my eyes, but I blink them back, refusing to let them fall. “I heard Adriano. I came to you because I care, because you deserve the truth.”
But he shakes his head, turning away, his shoulders rigid, his rejection a wall I can’t breach. He doesn’t believe me, doesn’t want to, and it’s killing me, piece by piece.
“Stay out of my world,” he growls, stalking away in the opposite direction. “You’re my wife, not my fucking ally. Keep your Rossi schemes to yourself.”
He doesn’t look back, leaving me by his mother’s grave, his words echoing, a fire in my chest that won’t die. The hurt is a living thing, clawing at me, but I won’t break, not for him, not now. I'd come to find him, to tell him the truth, but I fear I've put a dent on the already fragile relationship we share.
I clench my fists, my resolve hardening. Adriano’s secret is too big, too dangerous, and Enzo’s too blind to see it. If he won’t listen, I’ll find answers myself. Papa knows more than he lets on, I’m sure of it. He’s been in this game too long, and if anyone can unravel Adriano’s lies, it’s him. I decide then, my heart pounding, to go to the Rossi villa, to confront Papa without Enzo knowing.
For his sake—for both of our sakes, I have to find out the truth.
23
Enzo
My boots pound the manor’s marble, each step a hammer strike against the silence Fina left behind. Her words at my mother’s grave burn in my skull—Adriano, a traitor. Her voice had been so sure, so fierce. I’d called her a liar, a Rossi snake, but her eyes, raw and pleading, haunt me.
What if she’s right? The thought’s a splinter, lodged deep, and I can’t shake it. I’m in my study now, the air thick with cigar smoke, papers strewn across the oak desk. I’m tearing through my father’s ledgers, digging through old records. Vitale deals from years ago stare back, notes on gold routes that don’t add up. My gut churns, suspicion clawing at me. My mother’s death,the Rossi feud, it’s all a knot I need to unravel, and I’ll be damned if I let Adriano play me for a fool.
Adriano’s been my shadow forever, his silver hair and calm smile a constant. Could he have loved my mother, killed her, framed Fina’s family to start this war?
I recall a memory from last week. I didn't think to dwell on it because it had seemed insignificant, but now with everything going on, I decide to revisit it. I'd held a meeting with Matteo and Adriano, my two most trusted allies. It was about the Vitales fucking with my shipments again.
We’d argued strategy, Matteo’s presence a constant voice of reason, while Adriano in his usual calm manner had wore that smile I now have reasons to believe it's sly. The discussion had shifted subtly and Adriano’s voice had turned sharp as he spat his misgivings about Fina. He'd advised him to thread carefully because he had reason to believe she's a Rossi whore scheming to ruin me.
His bias are the same thing I've harbored all this time, but hearing him voice it in such a distasteful manner had enraged him. I’d shut him down, my voice ice, telling him to watch his mouth or lose his tongue. No matter what, she's my wife, and I won't have her disrespected for whatever reason. His eyes had flashed, but he’d backed off.
Now, that moment feels like a warning I missed. I slam a ledger shut, glass rattling, and head for Fina’s room, needing to see her, to know if she’s lying or if I’ve been blind.
Her door’s open, and Giulia’s inside, folding clothes. She looks up when she hears me approaching. She looks at me warily.
“Where’s Fina?” I ask, my voice gravelly.
“Signora Serafina left an hour ago, Signor Mancini.”
My suspicion spikes. “Where did she go?” I ask calmly.
“She said she was visiting her father.”
My blood runs hot, rage surging. Fina, running to Domenico? After I told her to stay out of my world? Minutes ago, I’d thought she might be right about Adriano, and now she’s scheming with her Rossi blood? “You’re sure?” I growl.
She nods. “She took a car and she didn’t say when she’d return.”
I step back, pulling my phone. I'll be damned if I let her play me. I'm going to demand what the hell she thinks she's doing, and by God, I'll have my answer.
I dial her number and wait, my heart pounding. It doesn’t connect, just dead air. I try again, same thing. My anger spikes, a fire in my chest, but it’s tinged with unease. Whatever the fuck is she playing at?