After Rebirth I Set Him Free

I gathered Darren's old belongings from my room and tossed them into the fire.

The flames roared, and waves of heat washed over my skin, but I felt as if I were submerged in ice water.

For the next few days, the estate was filled with the sounds of demolition.

The rooftop greenhouse Darren had built for me with his own hands was dismantled, replaced by a lavish cigar bar Scarlett preferred.

The shooting range where we’d spent hours practicing, the place we watched the sunset, was leveled to make way for a dance floor for Scarlett’s parties.

Even the terrace where we’d exchanged our first promises was torn down, replaced with the Italian-style garden Scarlett wanted.

The day the garden was completed, Scarlett cornered me in the hallway.

Her chin held high, she made a show of the bracelet on her wrist.

"Darren found this in the safe," she announced, shaking her wrist. "He said it was obviously meant for the future matriarch of the Valachi family. He put it on me himself."

She waved her hand in my face. "What do you think?" she purred. "Like it?"

It was a family heirloom, passed down for generations, a symbol of the matriarch’s status.

I nodded sincerely. "It's gorgeous. It suits you."

But Scarlett's face instantly darkened. "I don't like it."

"We both know who this was meant for," she spat, her eyes sharp. "You keep saying you don't care about Darren, but your past with him is a time bomb ticking right next to me. I can't relax for a second with you around."

"Then what do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Well..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly cried out and tumbled down the stairs.

A powerful force shoved me from behind. I staggered, falling hard.

A sharp pain shot through my ankle, and my palms scraped against the rough floor, a searing sting spreading up my arms.

Before I could scramble to my feet, Darren shoved me aside, his face a mask of cold fury.

As he cradled Scarlett protectively in his arms, a murderous rage radiated from him.

He frantically checked her for injuries, his voice tight with panic.

"Scarlett! Are you okay? What did she do?"

"Where does it hurt?"

After a moment, she shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gazed up at him. "I'm fine… It's just… I think Alessia pushed me by accident."

"I shouldn't have worn the bracelet. She wouldn't have thrown it off, and now it's gone."

She held out her bare wrist.

"I'm not welcome here," Scarlett said to Darren, her eyes red. "Why don't we just go back to our little apartment? At least no one will hurt me there..."

Her pitiful act was designed to break his heart.

His expression hardened into pure fury.

Clutching my swelling ankle, I stared in disbelief. "It wasn't me—"

But Darren shot me a look so cold it sent a shiver down my spine.

"I didn't push her, and I damn well didn't take the bracelet," I choked out.

"You know exactly what you did," Darren bit out.

He helped Scarlett to her feet and gave a sharp nod to the bodyguards beside him.

"Make her 'find' that bracelet."