Revenge at the Altar

One day left until my revenge.

"Isabella, are you sure you want me to handle the port operations?"

Robin stood behind me, his voice a mix of probing excitement and disbelief.

"Of course," I said, turning to face him with a look of absolute trust. "Without my papa, I need someone I can rely on. And you are that person."

I handed him a document. It was the transfer of control for the port's smuggling routes.

Robin's hand trembled slightly as he took it. "Bella, I don't know what to say…"

"Don't say anything," I whispered, caressing his cheek. "We're getting married soon. A husband and wife should share everything."

He leaned in and kissed me tenderly. For a fleeting second, I almost felt a ghost of the man I thought I loved, the one who genuinely wanted a life with me.

"I'll protect all of this," he promised in my ear. "I'll protect you, and I'll protect our future."

Our future?

He really thought he had one.

The moment Robin left, I dialed Marco's private line.

"Did Sal find anything?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

Sal, Marco's Consigliere, had a way of making people talk.

"He did," Marco's voice came through the phone, seething with a rage he could barely contain. "Papa was a devout Catholic. He would never have suspected Father Romano. Robin paid him half a million dollars to add a specialized substance to Papa's holy water."

"He said he just wanted to weaken the old Don, to give himself a bigger role in family affairs. But that substance—it's known to induce a fatal cardiac arrest."

"The evidence?"

"We have it all. Bank transfer records, receipts for the chemical purchase, and…" Marco paused. "Sal has his full confession on tape. The priest sang like a canary to save his own skin."

If there was even a shred of hope left in me for Robin, Father Romano's confession annihilated it.

Every memory of his love replayed in my mind, each one transforming into the image of my papa, choking for air.

I was bidding farewell to the last five years of my life. I was a new Isabella now.

My phone vibrated. Ava again.

This time, the photo showed her in a pure white gown, an elegant and expensive design. Robin stood beside her in a deep blue suit, their arms wrapped around each other in an intimate embrace.

The setting was a suite in a high-end hotel.

The caption was a single line: Having a little wedding rehearsal with the future Don.

They were rehearsing our wedding.

The wedding that was supposed to be mine.

I said nothing. I just forwarded the photo to Dante with a single word attached: Prey.

Dante's reply was instant: Received.

In the days that followed, Robin became even more attentive. He came to the estate every day, "helping" me manage various family affairs.

He thought he was taking over the Moretti empire.

In reality, he was digging his own grave.

Every document he signed, every contact he made, every transaction he oversaw was meticulously recorded.

Marco was secretly rerouting our entire network of power. What Robin was taking over was nothing but an empty shell.

True power had never left the heart of the Moretti family.

The night before the wedding.

I sat alone in the estate's study, the room where my papa used to work.

The calendar on the desk showed tomorrow's date.

Less than twelve hours until my revenge.

"Isabella?"

Robin's voice called from downstairs. I had almost forgotten he had a key.

"In the study," I answered.

The footsteps grew closer. Robin pushed the door open, his face a mixture of excitement and nerves, just like when we first got together.

"Tomorrow's the big day," he said, sitting beside me. "Why aren't you resting?"

"I can't sleep," I murmured, leaning my head on his shoulder.

Robin held me close. "Me neither. Just think, after tomorrow, we'll finally be a real family."

His phone buzzed.

A message notification.

Robin glanced at it and quickly shut off the screen, but I had already seen the sender's name: Ava.

"Are you busy working?" I asked.

"Nothing important," Robin said, kissing the top of my head. "The only thing that matters right now is you."

I knew it would be the last lie he ever told me.

After he left, I picked up my phone.

I dialed Marco's number.

It was answered on the first ring.

"Brother," I said, my voice as still as dead water. "It's time to close the net."