Chapter 3

Seraphina POV:

I forced a smile onto my face, the muscles in my cheeks feeling stiff and unnatural. "Congratulations," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. It was the voice of a Moretti, loyal to the family, even as it was being torn apart from the inside.

A few of Dante's Capos approached, their faces slick with sycophantic grins. "Ah, Seraphina," one of them said, clapping Dante on the back. "We'll miss your charming little designs. But a Don needs a real woman by his side, eh?"

They all laughed. Dante just stood there, a tight, uncomfortable smile on his face. He didn't defend me. He didn't say a word. That silence was louder than any insult. In his silence, I understood. He had tolerated my existence for Leo's sake, for the bond between our families. Now, with Isabella, he didn't need that bond anymore. He needed me gone.

I slipped away, finding a quiet corner by a large window overlooking the city lights. I just needed to breathe.

Isabella found me moments later. "I am sorry for your pain," she said, her voice a soft lie. "But you have to understand. Dante was tired of the weight of your devotion. He felt guilty. You were a burden to him."

Her words were meant to wound, but I felt a strange sense of detachment. It was like watching a play, and I was no longer one of the actors.

A sudden gasp rippled through the crowd. I looked up. A massive, ornate metal fixture on the ceiling, a symbol of Mancini power, was swaying violently. People started to panic, scrambling to get out of the way.

My eyes found Dante. His instincts, his so-called protective nature, flared to life. He moved with that same speed I remembered from the gala years ago. But this time, he wasn't moving toward me.

He grabbed Isabella, pulling her into his arms and shielding her with his body as he dragged her out of the danger zone. He didn't even glance in my direction. I was invisible. A piece of furniture in the path of destruction.

The fixture crashed down with a deafening roar of twisting metal and shattering glass. A searing pain shot through my leg, and another, sharper agony exploded in my collarbone.

Then, everything went black.

I woke up in a hospital room. The air smelled of antiseptic. Leo was sitting by my bed, his face ashen.

"He left you, Sera," Leo's voice was raw with a rage I'd never heard from him before. "He just... left you there. He broke every code. He failed his duty as a guardian."

I looked at the white ceiling, a strange calm settling over me. Dante had made his choice. He chose Isabella. He chose power. The knowledge didn't hurt anymore. It was just a fact. A fact that set me free.

My decision was no longer a choice. It was a necessity. I would go to Florence. This wasn't an escape. It was a rebirth.