"She died because she got greedy and made stupid choices," he scoffed, his lip curling with contempt. "Piper had nothing to do with it. Don't even think about laying a finger on her."
His voice was frost-edged now, sharp enough to draw blood. I shook from the inside out.
I gripped the front of my silk nightgown like it would hold my chest together, like it could keep my heart from spilling out onto the floor. The marble blurred under the torrent of my tears.
"Colino," I whispered. "Have you forgotten? When you were snatched—when that rival Family grabbed you off the street—who risked everything to save you? Who fought off those men with her bare hands until your father's soldiers arrived?"
"And what about the day she was in that hospital bed, broken and bleeding, and you knelt at her side and promised you'd never hurt me? That you'd take care of me for the rest of your life? That was a blood debt, Colino. And you swore on your family's honor."
His jaw clenched, his expression hardening into granite. "Don't throw ancient history in my face. I've given you and your mother everything for years—food, clothes, a place in this house, respect you never earned. Whatever debt I had, I paid it off a long time ago."
Then, as if to twist the knife deeper, he let out a bitter laugh.
"This is about money, isn't it?"
He flicked the check at me again. The edge sliced across my cheek, drawing a thin line of blood that dripped onto the pristine white marble.
I bit down hard, fists clenched until my nails carved crescents into my palms. "I don't want your money. I want Piper to be held accountable for what she's done."
He chuckled, a smug little breath through his nose—the sound of a man who'd never been told no. "Go ahead. Let's see which mouthpiece is dumb enough to take that case and face the Marconi Family in any courtroom in this city."
"Know your place." His eyes narrowed, cold and reptilian. "I won't have a hysterical lunatic as my wife. This ends now."
His phone rang. He glanced at the screen—and just like that, his face lit up like a boy on Christmas morning.
"A gift? From you? That's so thoughtful. Honestly, those associates only signed on because of you."
"What? No ride? Don't worry, I'm coming to pick you up right now. Just stay put, bella."
He didn't even look back at me as he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the corridor like a death knell.