sia

verlooking the city. The silence inside was as vast and empty as my marriage. I

t was a shrine t

e filled with pieces that felt less like adornments and more like costumes. It was Isabella's style, Isabella's preferences.

t at a prestigious art academy in Florence, and a safe passage to a life outside the reach of the Famiglias. The thought of

lay my par

ound me in the library, a book op

said, loosening his tie. He smell

acid smile he expected from his quiet,

aybe relief, maybe suspicion-crossed his face before he masked

at he was in complete control, that I was a simple,

" I said, my voice deliberately sof

r to the bar to pour himself a drink when his phone buzze

e said, already turning away, hi

as my

standing by his desk, back to the door, murmuring into the phone. I waited si

s it, A

ce even. "Felix said you needed to sign them tonight." Using the name

But buried beneath them was a single page, a legal document drafted by a lawyer on Marco's payroll. It was an amendment to the prenuptial agreement for one of our l

ar c

began signing, his signature a sharp, arrogant scrawl. He flipped through

my heart hammeri

ust signed his name at the bottom, the ink

back toward me wit

Is tha

s, my hands steady despite the trem

rap w