A single tear slid down my cheek. I wiped it away quickly.

I kept my head down, ignoring the stares from the family associates as I waited for the documents for the island property to be finalized. I just needed to leave. Vittorio promised to keep quiet about it, that he'd manage things until Damiano's name was formally put forward for the succession.

Later that day, I returned to the compound after handling finances and a sit-down with the capos. Elena approached me, beaming, and grabbed my hand.

"Sis! It's been forever since we went out together. Damiano's racing tomorrow. Come with me. Don't just stay holed up here, mourning Dante," she said sweetly. Her smile appeared a fraction before her eyes agreed with it.

Dante... racing? That was new. He never did stuff like that. That was Damiano's thing. Speed, risk, freedom. Not Dante. But something inside me wanted to see what he was up to.

I didn't want to go, but Elena pushed so hard that I finally gave in.

The next morning, we were at the track. A private circuit on the outskirts, the kind of place the families used for bets that never touched a ledger. Black sedans lined the gravel lot, tinted windows up. Men in good suits stood in clusters, smoking, watching the cars being wheeled out. Elena ditched me to find Dante, and I wandered the paddock until I spotted his cousin Rocco talking to him near one of the garages.

"Seriously? You'll get yourself killed!" Rocco snapped, shaking his head. He cracked the knuckle of his right thumb. "I don't get why you're doing all this just to stay close to Elena."

Dante's voice was calm. Too calm. "It's the only way. I don't even know how to drive this car. Tampering with the brakes is all I could do."

My blood froze.

"You're insane," Rocco muttered. "Look, I get it. You love Elena. But she's your brother's wife. And Serafina, your own wife, was wrecked when you died. You really felt nothing seeing her break down like that? She loved you, man. She loved you so damn much."

Dante didn't say a word.

Rocco ran a hand through his hair. "Let her go, bro. Let Elena go. Stop this mess."

I stood there, hidden behind the concrete column of the garage wall, silent, breath caught in my throat.

Then I heard Dante speak.

"I'll go back to Serafina. But after two years with Elena... I'll fix things."

Go back?

I scoffed quietly and turned away.