And now… they wanted me gone. Like I had never mattered at all. Like I was nothing.
I forced myself to stand, my legs unsteady beneath me. I wiped my face roughly, smearing away the tears, and began to pack.
Only the essentials. My wallet. My phone. And my mother's old scarf.
At the very back of the closet, tucked away where I hadn't looked in years, I found a small velvet box. My heart clenched.
The bracelet. My mother's bracelet.
I opened it slowly, almost afraid of what I would find.
And then I saw it. Crushed. Broken clean in two.
Another piece of me… destroyed.
For a moment, I just stared at it, my mind blank, my heart too numb to even react properly. My left hand drifted to my bare wrist and pressed hard against the skin where the bracelet had sat for years, the emptiness there worse than any wound on my body.
Then, carefully, I picked up the broken bracelet and placed it into my bag.
No tears came this time. I had none left to give.
Downstairs, the celebration was already in full swing. Laughter echoed through the halls of the Montecarlo estate. Glasses clinked. Voices blended into a cheerful hum. I could hear soldiers and capos and their wives all performing their loyalty, the way they did at every gathering the Old Don hosted.
Enzo was down there too. Smiling. Talking. Playing his role perfectly. As if I had never existed.
I pulled my sleeves down tightly, trying to cover the angry red bites that still burned across my skin. My hand throbbed painfully, swollen and tender, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Taking a steadying breath, I opened the door and stepped out.
I heard them before I saw them. Lined up along the corridor like a receiving line of small, well-dressed judges. The hall sconces caught the silk of their clothes, the sheen of their hair, and the flatness behind their eyes.
"Wicked witch changed her dress," Gianna snickered.
"Doesn't fix her face," Nico added with a laugh, one shoulder lifting in that careless shrug.
"Shhh," Alessia said with a smirk. "She still has to play the piano. Let's not ruin Grandpa's party… yet."
Each word struck like a blade.
But I kept walking. Step by step. Face composed. Smile forced.