The Blood Debt He Could Never Repay

I wiped away my tears and gazed out of the window at the gray sky over Falcone territory, the city where every block below belonged to someone who answered to the Family.

Maybe the only relief was that both Lorenzo and I were finally free.

While I was lost in thought, my phone rang.

It was him.

"Serafina, did you go running to the old man again? You ruined my night with Bianca! I'm warning you. Pull something like this again and I'll cut off every dollar the Family lets you touch."

In the past, I would have begged, apologized and done everything to get back into his good graces.

But now, I just said with an indifferent face.

"Do whatever you want."

He was caught off guard by my indifference. But soon, he sneered.

"I heard you gave birth. Having a child really gives you confidence, huh? But don't forget. I'm the heir to the Falcone throne. As long as you carry this Family's name, I can make your life hell."

I closed my eyes.

I had seen what he was capable of.

The first time I caught him in bed with another woman, I naively went to the old Don for justice, believing the code meant something under that roof.

But all I got in return was his twisted revenge.

He used my mother against me, the life-debt that bound me to this house, forcing me to kneel on the freezing balcony, slapping myself over and over.

That night, I listened to him and his lover making love, their voices echoing through the compound, while I shivered until I passed out.

By the time morning came, my face was swollen, my body frostbitten and the Family's private physician was called to carry me off the record.

That was the night the last of my love for him died in the snow.

After that, no matter how cruel he was, I pretended not to see.

I endured every humiliation and every insult that Falcone dealt.

I forced myself to stay in the role of the Underboss's wife.

But now, my mother was gone.

My child, too.

This union, already a corpse, needed to be buried once and for all.

I hung up the phone without another word.

Then I stood up and quietly twisted the plain band on my finger before contacting a man I trusted at the funeral home to arrange the cremation.

When I returned to the hospital room, I saw Lorenzo standing in the doorway, one of his soldiers a silent shadow at the far end of the corridor.

He drew his eyebrows together as he looked at me, then sneered.

"Why don't you keep acting, pretending to be pitiful anymore?"

He crossed his arms and scanned me with an icy gaze. "Running around so soon after giving birth? Looks like you're in great health. I suppose you won't need any time to rest and recover."

He stepped closer, his voice dripping with malice. "I've decided to move Bianca into the compound. She's young, delicate and doesn't know how to keep a house. Go on and process your discharge papers. Come home and be our maid."

As he leaned in, his lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Your pain is the best stimulant for me in bed."

He stared at me dead on, expecting to see my pained and saddened look.

But I didn't. I met his gaze with an expression as blank as an empty canvas, drained of any emotion.

His amusement faded when he realized there was nothing left for him to destroy. Irritated, he turned to a nurse hovering near the wall. "Where's the baby? Boy or girl? Bring it to me."