- 5 hours ago
Contract with the Devil_Love in Shackles HD ToonShort
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00:00I watched my husband sign the papers that would end our marriage while he was busy texting the woman he
00:05actually loved.
00:06His signature signed death warrants for half of New York.
00:10Done.
00:11That was Dante Maritti, the underboss, the Reaper.
00:14He could sniff out lies from a mile away, but didn't realize that the documents were the invalid marriage judgment
00:20hidden in the logistics report.
00:24He signed them? Just like that?
00:28He was distracted at the time, and Sophia was throwing a tantrum again.
00:33He is just a devil.
00:35You help him wash blood-stained shirts and protect the family alliance, but he treats you like worthless grass.
00:42I'm merely a placeholder.
00:45He is here.
00:46The pedestrians recognized the convoy and knew who was inside.
00:50Dante didn't just walk into a room. He conquered it.
00:54He was the most lethal predator in the city.
00:56He had killed men for looking at me the wrong way, yet he couldn't look at me himself.
01:01Elena, we're leaving.
01:02My mother expects us for dinner.
01:04He didn't look at Mia.
01:05He turned and walked out, expecting me to follow.
01:09I always followed.
01:10There are expensive cologne, gun oil, and Sophia's vanilla perfume in the car.
01:16That file I signed weeks ago, the vendor contract for the shipping lines.
01:20Did you file it?
01:21Yes. It is being processed.
01:25Sophia, slow down. Where are you?
01:28I don't care who his father is. If he touched you, he loses the hand.
01:32Stay there, and don't move. I'll be right there.
01:37Change plans. Go to Meatpacking District.
01:40Dante, your mother is still waiting for us.
01:44Sophia is in trouble. I have to go save her. You take the second car back.
01:48You signed the papers.
01:50I know. You've already said it.
01:52I just want to confirm that you haven't forgotten.
01:57I opened the door. The rain was coming down harder now.
02:01I stood still, watching the taillights disappear.
02:03I suddenly realized that for the first time in three years,
02:07I hadn't shed any tears and just felt cold all over.
02:10Fine. It is time to say goodbye.
02:15Silent penthouse. A glass cage above the city like gold and dark circuit board.
02:21My phone buzzed on the marble counter.
02:23A text from Dante.
02:25I didn't reply.
02:27I deleted his chat.
02:28A number not blocked.
02:30He was nothing but a string of digits.
02:33Closet full of luxury clothes.
02:35Like a mausoleum.
02:37I opened the safe, took out a burner phone and flash drive.
02:41This was the real me.
02:42The rest was just a costume.
02:44I sat on the floor, starting digital erasure.
02:48I erased myself from the Mariti life.
02:50Bit by bit, my finger hovered over Instagram.
02:54I knew I shouldn't.
02:55I opened it.
02:57Sophia's story was on top.
02:59Yacht. Champagne.
03:01A hand I knew very well.
03:03I knew the scar.
03:04The Mariti ring.
03:07Safe and sound.
03:08My hero.
03:09He wasn't working.
03:11He was on a yacht.
03:12It was my birthday.
03:13I closed the app.
03:15Walked to the kitchen.
03:17The staff had left for the night.
03:19I had dismissed them early.
03:20Fridge was empty.
03:22He usually ordered dinner.
03:24I cooked pasta.
03:25The steam hit my face.
03:27Hot and damp.
03:28Mimicking the tears I refused to shed.
03:34I froze.
03:35He wasn't supposed to be back.
03:38Dante walked in.
03:40Smelling of sea salt and vanilla.
03:44You're cooking?
03:46I was hungry.
03:48He put a small cake on the counter.
03:50Said he picked it up.
03:53Happy birthday.
03:54He remembered, but only out of obligation.
03:57It looked like something an assistant would buy at a grocery store five minutes before closing.
04:02This for birthday?
04:04Pathetic.
04:05Get dressed.
04:06We'll go out.
04:09I saw the photo.
04:10The yacht.
04:12Sophia story.
04:13She was shaken.
04:14It was protocol.
04:16Don't start.
04:17His phone rang.
04:19It was about Sophia's security.
04:22I have to take this.
04:24I'll make it up to you.
04:25He left me alone in the quiet.
04:27I stuck the match into the center of the cake like a candle.
04:31I wish.
04:33I wish to stop loving you.
04:35I blew it out.
04:37Smoke curled into the air.
04:39Gray and vanishing.
04:41Just like us.
04:42Moritis rented the top floor.
04:44Neutral ground.
04:45It was a territorial display.
04:47This is mine.
04:48Do not touch.
04:49Celebration of a lion.
04:50Anniversary.
04:51Smoke.
04:52And clinks.
04:53Alright.
04:54Bring it out.
04:55Time capsule.
04:56A tradition by Sophia.
04:58Five years ago, I felt a prickle of cold sweat break out on my neck.
05:02I had forgotten about this.
05:03Let's see who predicted future.
05:08Sophia wants to be a movie star.
05:11Sophia wasn't here yet.
05:12She was always late.
05:14Marco reached in and pulled out another one.
05:16He unfolded it and then he froze.
05:19It's...
05:20It's...
05:21Read it.
05:22It is from Elena.
05:26My nails dug into my palms.
05:28Read it.
05:28I loved Auntie Moretti.
05:30Even if he never loves me back.
05:32The room was in absolute silence.
05:35Those words were like...
05:37A confession.
05:41Elena.
05:43His phone rang.
05:44Shattering the silence.
05:46He didn't answer it immediately.
05:48He looked at me again.
05:49Searching my face.
05:50Looking for the girl who wrote that letter.
05:52Boss.
05:53It might be urgent.
05:57Dante.
05:58Help.
05:59They have guns.
06:01I'm at Warehouse.
06:02Shock faded.
06:03Replaced by Reaper's Mask.
06:05Marco.
06:05Get the team.
06:06Now.
06:07Dante.
06:08He didn't hear.
06:09Checking his handgun fast.
06:12Stay here.
06:13Don't move.
06:14Dante left.
06:15I went to Balcony to watch him go.
06:18He heard my confession.
06:19But left.
06:20For another woman.
06:24Goodbye.
06:24Dante.
06:27I was stuffing a silk shirt into a small travel bag.
06:31Suddenly I heard the front door downstairs slam shut.
06:35And panic hit me.
06:36I quickly pretended to have been reading all along.
06:39The next second.
06:40Dante kicked open the bedroom door.
06:43Covered in blood like a demon that had just crawled out of hell.
06:46His knuckles were split.
06:48His white dress shirt hung in tatters.
06:51He stopped at the foot of the bed.
06:53His chest heaving.
06:54He stared at me.
06:55His eyes wild pupils blown wide from adrenaline.
06:59You're awake.
07:00It is hard to sleep when the house feels like a bunker.
07:04It was a trap.
07:06Rival gang.
07:07They used her as bait.
07:09Is she safe?
07:10She is at the hospital.
07:12Minor injury.
07:13Shock.
07:13He turned around.
07:15There was a long, ugly slash across his back.
07:18It was shallow, but bleeding sluggishly.
07:20A red grin across his olive skin.
07:23I sighed.
07:24Closing the book on a chapter I hadn't read.
07:26I got up.
07:28Walked to the bathroom.
07:29And retrieved the first aid kit.
07:32Sid.
07:32He obediently sat down.
07:35And I cleaned the wound with disinfectant.
07:37The smell of alcohol mixed with the smell of blood.
07:41But his face remained unchanged.
07:42Suddenly, my phone lit up with a flight confirmation notification San Francisco International Airport.
07:49One way, I held my breath.
07:51It was my own carelessness.
07:53Dante's hand shot out, grabbing the phone.
07:56San Francisco.
07:58One way?
07:59Going shopping.
08:00Approved by your mother.
08:01Searching for artworks.
08:02For the new gallery.
08:03And booking a separate return flight.
08:06Okay.
08:07He actually believed me.
08:08In his eyes, I couldn't possibly leave him.
08:11I was just a piece of furniture.
08:12The adrenaline gradually receded.
08:14And he stared at me with a strange and fiery gaze.
08:18You loved me before the marriage.
08:21I was a child.
08:23Children have foolish dreams.
08:26Do you still dream?
08:28I don't dream anymore.
08:30I just sleep.
08:34No.
08:35No?
08:36I'm tired, Dante.
08:38And you smell like her perfume.
08:40I'm bleeding.
08:42I need comfort.
08:43I stitched you up.
08:44That is maintenance, not comfort.
08:48One day, Dante, you're going to come home bleeding.
08:51And there won't be anyone here to patch you up.
08:53You should learn to do it yourself.
08:58You weren't going anywhere.
09:00He lay down next to me, the heat on his body like a furnace.
09:03His arms trapping me.
09:05And I lay stiff in bed.
09:07This was the last time he held me.
09:09And the tragedy was.
09:10He didn't even know he was holding a ghost.
09:15The next morning, my home was invaded.
09:18I was drinking coffee when Sophia came in with men and roses.
09:21Good morning.
09:22What are you doing here?
09:24Dante invited me.
09:26It is unsafe for me to stay alone.
09:31Sophia, I told you to wait in the guest suite.
09:33It is gloomy in there.
09:35Besides, I brought flowers for Elena.
09:38To say thank you for letting me borrow your husband last night.
09:42I'm allergic to roses.
09:43Dante loves roses.
09:45You filled my room with them.
09:47That was long ago.
09:48He didn't apologize to me.
09:50He didn't even look at the flowers.
09:52We're going to Catskills Resort.
09:54Pack a bag.
09:55We?
09:56You, me, Sophia, and security.
09:58I won't go with your mistress.
10:00She is a target.
10:01You are my wife.
10:02You are coming because it is safer than leaving you here alone.
10:08Three hours later, we arrived at the luxurious isolated resort.
10:12Trapped by snow.
10:15Dante, remember we snuck here at 18?
10:18I felt like an outsider.
10:22Here.
10:23It was whiskey I hate.
10:24Dante remembered Sophia's preference, not mine.
10:28Drink less wine.
10:30You're on painkillers.
10:31He cared for her.
10:32Forgot me.
10:33My hope was gone.
10:34Where are you going?
10:35To the spa.
10:37Don't wander off.
10:38Enjoy your whiskey.
10:39Your and her favorite.
10:41I went to the back exit.
10:43Texted Isabella.
10:45I saw Dante treat Sophia gently.
10:47That kind of tenderness he hadn't given me in years.
10:50Tonight, get me out.
10:53I woke up to cedar and gunpowder scent.
10:57This warmth gave me a sense of security.
11:00Dante was carrying me.
11:01He saw me sleeping on the lounge chair.
11:04He carried me without waking me.
11:06Maybe he saw me.
11:07Maybe in this quiet, snowy retreat, he remembered I was his wife.
11:13A scream broke the silence.
11:15It was Sophia.
11:16She was standing at the end of the hallway.
11:19Her face twisted in a mask of ugly.
11:21Dante stopped moving so abruptly.
11:23My head lulled against his shoulder.
11:26Put her down.
11:27You promised to watch a movie with me.
11:29Calm down, Sophia.
11:30Elena fell asleep.
11:32I'm taking her to the room.
11:33You choose her.
11:34I hate you.
11:35I'm leaving.
11:36She spun around and sprinted out the front door into the blizzard.
11:40I saw his hesitation in his eyes.
11:43He lowered me, but he didn't set me down gently.
11:46He released me before I even had my balance.
11:49Stay here.
11:50Dante.
11:50He ran without looking back, leaving me behind.
11:54I stood shivering in the corridor.
11:56Then silence fell after the engine sound.
12:01Mrs. Moretti, there has been an accident.
12:04The car slid off the road.
12:06I felt nothing, no fear, no panic, just a cold, hollow acceptance.
12:12I rode in the back of the security vehicle to the local hospital.
12:16Dante looked flustered and never glanced at me from beginning to end.
12:20The boss is losing it.
12:22Yeah.
12:23He never got over her, even after she ran off with that accountant.
12:28He loves her.
12:30The wife is just politeness.
12:32I wasn't a wife.
12:34I was a placeholder.
12:35I was the polite thing he kept around to keep his mother happy and his bed warm.
12:42The spark in my chest was gone.
12:44It had been extinguished the moment my feet hit the floor in that hallway.
12:49Dante slept in the uncomfortable hospital chair next to Sophia's bed.
12:52I slept in the hallway.
12:54When I walked into the room, he was already awake.
12:57His eyes bloodshot and dark circled.
13:00How is she?
13:01Stable.
13:02The doctor said it was a mild concussion and a sprained wrist.
13:06She is fine, Dante.
13:08Thank God.
13:09He winced when stretching pulled his stitches.
13:12The ones I sewed with my own hands.
13:15Elena, go downstairs to the gift shop.
13:17Get her a basket.
13:18Something nice.
13:20Chocolates.
13:20Flowers.
13:21She likes the expensive stuff.
13:23Buy a gift basket for your mistress.
13:25She is not my mistress.
13:26She is my childhood friend, injured because of me.
13:29Just do it, Elena.
13:30Be useful.
13:31Be useful.
13:32The words hung in the air.
13:34Heavy and suffocating.
13:36I turned on my heel and walked out.
13:38But I didn't go to the gift shop.
13:39Instead, I walked to the cafeteria and bought a black coffee.
13:43I sat there for an hour, contemplating the flight schedule to San Francisco.
13:47The door was ajar.
13:48I heard bright, mocking, lively laughter.
13:50Not a trauma victim's weak laugh.
13:52Sophia looked perfectly healthy.
13:55A Genovese family soldier.
13:56Our rival kissed her neck.
13:58You have him wrapped around your finger, baby.
14:00Too easy.
14:01I scream.
14:02He runs.
14:03I cry.
14:04He panics.
14:05He's pathetic.
14:06But you are going to marry him, eventually.
14:09Come on.
14:10No way.
14:12I just want to use him.
14:14Dante is my ATM.
14:16It is so interesting to see his little wife spinning around like a frightened mouse.
14:21She is just a servant.
14:24The coffee in my stomach turned to acid.
14:27I pushed the door open.
14:32Get home, Enzo.
14:35You don't love him.
14:37Love?
14:37Please.
14:38Power and money are love.
14:40Dante is a useful idiot.
14:42You're just his pastime.
14:43He pushed you at the lodge, didn't he?
14:46You are poison.
14:48And he drinks me up.
14:49My three years of anger erupted.
14:51I slapped her without thinking.
14:53Heavy footsteps thundered down the hall.
14:56It is Dante.
14:58No, Dante.
14:59She is hurting me.
15:01What did you do?
15:03He didn't ask for an explanation.
15:04He crossed the room in two massive strides and shoved me.
15:07It was a hard reactionary shove.
15:09I stumbled back.
15:10My balance lost.
15:12And hit the wall.
15:13My head cracked against the plaster with a sickening thud.
15:15Get out, Elena.
15:17Out of my sight.
15:18My fingers touched warm blood on the back of my head.
15:21Watching him cradle the woman who called him an idiot.
15:25I will.
15:25Then I walked out of the room, the hospital, and his life forever.
15:31The estate was silent.
15:33A heavy suffocating stillness that felt less like peace and more like a tomb.
15:38I sat on the floor of the master bedroom, marooned in a sea of black plastic trash bags.
15:43Visa approved.
15:44The identity package is in the safe deposit box at the bank.
15:47Flight is tomorrow morning, 6 a.m.
15:50Confirmed.
15:52Another buzz.
15:53Not Isabella.
15:54I knew who it was.
15:56I waited for the rage.
15:57I waited for the familiar sting of tears.
16:00But I didn't feel anger.
16:03I felt efficiency.
16:05Cold clinical efficiency.
16:07The wedding portrait loomed.
16:09The frame was a gilded cage.
16:13I swung it hard, smashing the corner against the marble fireplace hearth.
16:18I ripped the canvas out of the ruined frame.
16:22I threw it into the fireplace.
16:24I stuffed his favorite clothes and underwear into the bag, as if clearing an infectious disease.
16:31My phone buzzed again.
16:32A photo of a diamond ring.
16:34A massive yellow diamond that caught the light with aggressive brilliance.
16:39I took off the ring like removing a shackle.
16:42I went to the hidden drawer in the vanity.
16:45My journals, 10 years of unrequited love.
16:4910 years of pathetic, ink-stained longing.
16:52I watched my wedding photos and diary burn.
16:55Memories drifting away with the ashes.
16:58Mrs. Moretti.
16:59What are you doing?
17:01Are you, are you leaving?
17:05Throw these out.
17:07Donate them.
17:08Burn them.
17:09I don't care.
17:10Just get them out of this house.
17:12But Mr. Moretti.
17:13Mr. Moretti doesn't live here anymore.
17:16Only his ghost does.
17:17My phone buzzed one last time.
17:20I didn't reply.
17:21I opened my contacts.
17:23I selected Dante.
17:25My thumb hovered for a split second.
17:27Then I hit delete.
17:29I walked out of the bedroom.
17:30Leaving behind my ring and the embers in the fireplace.
17:34And walk down the stairs for the last time without looking back.
17:40Antiseptic stench chokes me.
17:42I stride to Sophia's room.
17:43Head throbbing.
17:44Regretting.
17:45Pushing Elena.
17:46Apologize to Elena when I get home and give her a diamond bracelet.
17:49She has always been reasonable.
17:51And will understand me.
17:52A leather-jacketed man hurries past.
17:54Avoiding my gaze.
17:56With a strange scent.
17:57I see a snake tattoo.
17:58The Genovese clan's signature.
18:00What is a Genovese soldier doing here?
18:02This is our territory.
18:04I reached Sophia's door.
18:05My suspicions bristling.
18:07Dante!
18:07You came back!
18:10Who was that guy?
18:11Who?
18:12Oh, just a delivery driver.
18:14He had the wrong room.
18:16Her smile, once sweet, now feels sharp and predatory.
18:19The door swung open behind me.
18:21My parents and her father Grimm.
18:23Mother looking like she is at an execution.
18:26Sophia!
18:28We heard about the accident.
18:31Si!
18:31Everyone cares about me!
18:33Her nails are perfect, while Elena's hands were red and trembling because of me.
18:39I flinch away from Sophia's touch, as if burned.
18:42Dante!
18:43We brought you some reading material, Sophia!
18:46It is a collection of photos from the last three years.
18:49The charity galas.
18:50The family dinners.
18:52The moments that built this family while you were playing house with your accountant in Miami.
18:56That is not fair!
18:57Go home, Dante!
18:58I am handling this.
19:00You're being played!
19:01While you are here, wiping her fake tears!
19:05Your wife is at home, likely packing her bags to leave you for good.
19:09She is lying!
19:11I love Dante!
19:12The Genovese man stayed two hours!
19:14Nurses heard moan, not of pain!
19:17I am not your driver, nor your bank account.
19:20Go to your wife before it is too late!
19:23I leave, Sophia screaming.
19:25I must apologize to Elena.
19:27She was right.
19:29I sped down the highway, speedometer pinned to triple digits.
19:35The fog in my mind shattered.
19:37I chased a ghost Sophia in memory.
19:39A lie.
19:40For three years, the only truth was Elena who healed me.
19:46Her words burned.
19:47I pray to wash blood from his hands.
19:50She loved me.
19:57Elena!
19:57Only silence answered me, heavy as a grave.
20:02I rushed upstairs, heart pounding.
20:04Kicked the bedroom door.
20:05The room was empty.
20:06No trace of her left.
20:11In the fireplace lay ash.
20:13A burnt frame and book.
20:15I pulled out my wedding ring.
20:17She's gone.
20:20Dante!
20:21You broke her, Dante.
20:22You chipped away at her, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but dust.
20:27I wanted you to give this to her tonight, the emerald bracelet, the one your father gave me when he
20:33became Dawn.
20:34It signifies the queen of the family.
20:38It's too late.
20:40It is never too late to grovel.
20:42But you are not chasing a wife anymore, my son.
20:46You are chasing a woman who has realized she doesn't need you.
20:49That is a much harder hunt.
20:52Find her.
20:53I held my future in failure, dialed her number.
20:57The number is no longer in service.
20:59The number is no longer in service.
20:59The number is no longer in service.
21:01Please try again later.
21:02Cold panic pierced my chest like a knife.
21:07Boss, we closed the deal with the port authority.
21:10The shipment is secure.
21:11We are celebrating.
21:13Get out.
21:14I need to find Elena.
21:15They said there is a situation with Sophia and the Genovese crew.
21:20I don't care about Sophia.
21:22They say the underboss is a coke hold.
21:24Rage hit me then.
21:26Not jealousy, pride.
21:28Cold, hard pride.
21:30Drive!
21:34The floorboards of the red velvet vibrated under the assault of the base.
21:38It was supposedly neutral territory.
21:40A place where soldiers from different families could drink without shooting each other.
21:44Usually, Luca and I walked into the club, escorted by six men.
21:47The crowd parted like the Red Sea.
21:49The music didn't stop, but the conversations did.
21:52Eyes followed me.
21:53I saw fear.
21:54I saw curiosity.
21:55And I saw mockery.
21:56I followed Luca's gaze to the VIP section.
21:58The lights were dim, flashing in strobes of red and purple.
22:01But I could see clearly enough.
22:03Sophia.
22:04She was dancing.
22:05She was wearing a dress that was more skin than fabric, clinging to her sweat-sheened body.
22:09And she wasn't alone.
22:10Enzo Gene of Ease, the snake from the hospital.
22:13He was sitting on a velvet couch, a drink in one hand.
22:16His other hand was clamped possessively on Sophia's waist.
22:19She was grinding against him, laughing.
22:21Her head thrown back.
22:22Around her neck glittered the diamond necklace I bought her last Christmas.
22:25The whispers around me grew louder, cutting through the thumping beat.
22:30Look at her.
22:31Isn't that Moridi's girl?
22:32Guess, the Reaper lost his touch.
22:34My men were vibrating with anger at my back.
22:37In our world, this wasn't just a breakup.
22:39It was an act of war.
22:40It was a public declaration that I was weak.
22:43Cut the music.
22:48The bass died instantly.
22:50The sudden silence was deafening, leaving only the ringing in everyone's ears.
22:54Turn on the house lights.
22:56The bright white cleaning lights flooded the club.
22:58The atmosphere evaporated.
23:00The shadows vanished.
23:01Sophia froze.
23:02She blinked, blinded by the sudden glare.
23:05She looked around, disoriented like a cockroach caught in a kitchen light.
23:08Then she saw me.
23:10Enzo Gene of Ease stood up slowly, smirking.
23:12He kept a possessive hand on her arm.
23:14Dante, you're ruining my party.
23:17I didn't speak.
23:18I just looked at her.
23:19She looked cheap.
23:20Under the harsh lights, without the mystery of the shadows.
23:22She just looked like a spoiled child playing dress-up.
23:25Come down here, Sophia.
23:27She laughed.
23:28It was a nervous, brittle sound.
23:30No, I don't take orders from you anymore.
23:33I have a new protector.
23:35You think he protects you?
23:37He is using you to get a rise out of me.
23:40And you are letting him.
23:41At least he pays attention to me.
23:43You were always so boring, Dante.
23:46Duty, honor, family.
23:48You and your little mute wife.
23:51I never wanted to marry you three years ago.
23:54I ran away because you were suffocating.
23:55I am glad I left.
23:57You are pathetic.
23:58I stood there, letting her words wash over me.
24:01Pathetic.
24:01She was right.
24:02I was pathetic.
24:03But not for the reasons, she thought.
24:05I was pathetic because I had let this woman dictate my life.
24:08Chasing a ghost of a relationship.
24:09While the only person who ever truly loved me sat at home.
24:12Waiting for a husband.
24:13Never came.
24:17I looked at Sophia and felt absolutely nothing.
24:21The obsession that had consumed me for years.
24:23The guilt, the need to save her.
24:25It all vanished.
24:26I looked at a stranger.
24:27She wasn't the love of my life.
24:29She was a mistake I had nurtured for far too long.
24:32What?
24:35What did you say?
24:36Thank you for telling me the truth.
24:39Do you remember three years ago?
24:41I remember, boss.
24:42Do you remember who stepped up when she ran?
24:45Do you remember who saved the Alliance?
24:47Who walked down that aisle with her head high so we wouldn't go to war?
24:50Mrs. Morizzi did.
24:52Elena did.
24:53Elena.
24:53She had saved me then.
24:54She had been saving me every day since.
24:56And I had repaid her with silence and betrayal.
24:59I turned my back on the stage.
25:01Enzo looked disappointed.
25:02He wanted a fight.
25:04He wanted me to draw my gun so he could claim self-defense.
25:07And take what was mine.
25:08Enjoy her, Enzo.
25:09She is your problem now.
25:11Sophia started screaming insults behind me, realizing I wasn't going to fight for her.
25:16Realizing she had lost her value as a pawn.
25:18I pulled out my phone as I pushed through the doors into the biting cold night air.
25:22My fingers trembled slightly as I opened the text I had drafted.
25:26I watched the screen, my breath clouding in front of me.
25:28The progress bar stalled.
25:30Then, a small red exclamation point appeared.
25:32I frowned.
25:33I tapped it again.
25:36I tried to call.
25:37One ring.
25:38A click.
25:39Then nothing.
25:40She had blocked me.
25:41Elena.
25:42The woman who had waited for three years.
25:44The woman who had never raised her voice.
25:46The woman who had written in a letter that she wanted to wash the blood from my hands.
25:49She had blocked me.
25:50Panic.
25:51Cold and sharp.
25:51Pierced my chest.
25:52It was worse than a bullet.
25:56Move!
25:57Get me home now!
26:04I stared at the phone in my hand, willing it to ring.
26:06She was gone.
26:07I knew it in my gut.
26:08The silence waiting for me in the house wasn't just emptiness.
26:10It was absence.
26:12I had to find her.
26:13I had to tell her I was done with games.
26:15But as the city lights blurred past the window, I had a terrifying thought.
26:18Maybe she was finally done with me.
26:22I didn't just tear the house apart.
26:24I eviscerated it.
26:25I wasn't searching.
26:26I was destroying.
26:27Empty.
26:27I swept the crystal jars and perfume bottles off the bathroom counter.
26:31They crashed onto the tiles in a spray of glass.
26:33It sent.
26:34Her toothbrush was gone.
26:35Her comb had vanished.
26:36I checked the safe in the closet.
26:38Her passport was gone.
26:39I stood in the middle of the wreckage.
26:41My chest heaving.
26:42The silence of the room mocking me.
26:43Sir, please!
26:44Why did she leave?
26:46Why today?
26:47Because you signed the papers, sir.
26:49She said you signed them weeks ago.
26:50I froze.
26:51My mind raced back.
26:52Weeks ago.
26:53The car.
26:54The rain.
26:54Sophia hysterically calling about a flat tire.
26:57Just a file for records, Dante.
26:59I had signed it against the dashboard while listening to Sophia cry.
27:02I hadn't read a single word.
27:06I stormed past him.
27:07I sprinted down the stairs out the front door and straight to the SUV.
27:10I opened the car door and lunged for the glove compartment.
27:14Under it was the envelope.
27:15I tore it open.
27:16The paper was heavy.
27:18Bonded.
27:18Official.
27:19Decree of annulment.
27:20I scanned the text.
27:21My eyes blurred with red heat.
27:23Irreconcilable differences.
27:24Failure to consummate.
27:25I had granted her freedom.
27:27I had opened the cage door myself.
27:33Track Elena.
27:34Check the flight manifest.
27:35Check the trains.
27:37Check everything.
27:38You think a piece of paper makes you free, Elena.
27:40You are my wife.
27:41You will always be my wife.
27:43And I was coming to get you back.
27:47The air in California smelled different.
27:49It smelled of salt and eucalyptus.
27:51It didn't smell of wet garbage and dirty slushy snow.
27:55And most importantly, it didn't smell of blood.
27:58I stood on the balcony of the apartment Isabella had arranged for me.
28:01It was perched high on the 20th floor overlooking the bay.
28:05It was beautiful and quiet.
28:07I took a deep breath.
28:08My lungs expanded fully,
28:10finally free of the tight band of anxiety
28:13that had constricted them for three years.
28:15Welcome to freedom.
28:19I turned.
28:20Isabella Vance stood in the sliding glass doorway,
28:22holding two glasses of white wine.
28:24She looked like she always did sharp.
28:26Modern and dangerous in a distinctly corporate way.
28:29She was wearing a crisp black silk suit
28:31that would be ruined in five minutes back in New York.
28:33Here, we don't worry about stains.
28:36I took it.
28:37My hand was steady.
28:38Thank you, Isabella, for everything.
28:41I like a good investment.
28:44And betting on you against Dante Moretti.
28:47That is a high-risk, high-reward play.
28:50He will come.
28:51Let him come.
28:52This is neutral ground.
28:54He has no jurisdiction here.
28:56If he touches you,
28:57he starts a war with the tech syndicates.
29:00He is arrogant,
29:02but he isn't stupid.
29:03I wasn't so sure.
29:04Dante wasn't driven by logic.
29:06He was driven by possession.
29:07For now,
29:08I was just Elena.
29:09Not Mrs. Moritti.
29:10Not the underboss's wife.
29:11Not the caged canary.
29:12Just a woman drinking wine on a balcony.
29:14I walked back inside.
29:16The apartment was modern,
29:17minimalist,
29:18white leather couches,
29:19abstract art.
29:20It was the polar opposite of the heavy dark wood
29:22and suffocating velvet of the Moritti estate.
29:24I sat on the couch,
29:25took off my shoes,
29:26and closed my eyes.
29:28I expected to see Dante's face behind my eyelids.
29:31I expected to feel the phantom weight of his arm draped heavily around me.
29:35But I didn't.
29:35I saw nothing but blackness.
29:37Peaceful,
29:38empty blackness.
29:39I fell asleep right there on the couch.
29:40I dreamed.
29:41In the dream,
29:42I was standing in a church.
29:44Dante was at the altar.
29:45He looked handsome in his tuxedo.
29:47Devastatingly so.
29:48Sophia was walking down the aisle.
29:50She was wearing my wedding dress.
29:52She reached the altar.
29:53She took his hand.
29:54I waited for the pain.
29:56I waited for the jealousy to tear me apart,
29:58to burn through my chest.
29:59But I was sitting in the back pew,
30:00and I was just checking my watch.
30:02I stood up in the dream.
30:03I walked out of the church doors into the blinding bright sunlight.
30:06I didn't look back.
30:07I woke up the next morning to the sound of seagulls.
30:10I stretched.
30:10My back was stiff from the couch,
30:12but my heart felt impossibly light.
30:14I was going to find a job.
30:15I was going to learn to drive a car that wasn't armored.
30:18I was going to buy clothes that were bright and loud.
30:20I was going to live.
30:21I didn't know that 3,000 miles away,
30:23a private jet was currently tearing through the sky,
30:26carrying a storm wrapped in a black suit.
30:28But in that moment,
30:29with the sun on my face
30:30and a hot cup of coffee in my hands,
30:32I didn't care.
30:33I was free.
30:36Isabella called me down for lunch at noon sharp.
30:38Her voice was casual,
30:40practiced,
30:41too casual.
30:42I should have known better.
30:43In our world,
30:44casual is just a rapper for catastrophe.
30:46Something's wrong.
30:47I hope I'm overthinking.
30:48The elevator opened to a concrete garage.
30:51Quiet and oppressive.
30:53Smelling of old oil and dust.
30:55This smell is terrible.
30:57I saw Isabella's silver sedan in the corner.
31:00I walked toward it,
31:01my heels clicking a staccato rhythm
31:03that echoed too loudly against the damp walls.
31:06I'm sorry, Elena.
31:07I had no choice.
31:08I reached for the back door handle,
31:10intending to toss my blazer onto the seat
31:11before climbing up front.
31:12I pulled it open.
31:13The air inside the car shifted instantly.
31:15It wasn't empty.
31:16A figure sat in the shadows of the back seat.
31:18Dark suit.
31:19Broad shoulders that took up too much space.
31:21A scent that hit me like a physical blow sandalwood.
31:24Gunpowder.
31:25And expensive scotch.
31:26Dante!
31:27I froze.
31:28My hand was still on the door handle.
31:29My body half in, half out.
31:31He looked.
31:32Wrecked.
31:32The Dante Moritti I knew was hewn from marble and ice.
31:35He was pristine.
31:36Untouchable.
31:37This man had shadows under his eyes
31:38that looked like bruises.
31:40His tie was loosened.
31:41The top button of his shirt undone.
31:43His jaw was covered in a shadow of stubble.
31:45But his eyes were the same.
31:46Dark.
31:47Tense.
31:47Burning straight through me.
31:49Hello, Elena.
31:50Panic flared in my chest.
31:52Hot and sharp.
31:53Isabella!
31:54What have you done?
31:55He is an investor.
31:57Elena, a major one.
31:59He bought 40% of the new tech venture this morning.
32:04We didn't have a choice.
32:05I looked back at Dante.
32:07He hadn't moved.
32:07He was just watching me.
32:09Like a predator.
32:10Watching a bird that had forgotten how to fly.
32:12I'm sick.
32:13I need to go back.
32:15Run.
32:15Get away from him.
32:17Dante's hand shot out.
32:18He didn't grab me.
32:19He just slammed his hand against the open door frame.
32:22Preventing me from closing it.
32:23We need to talk.
32:24I stared at his hand.
32:26Large.
32:27Scarred.
32:27The hand of a man who killed for a living.
32:29There is nothing to talk about.
32:31I sent the papers.
32:33I know.
32:34He leaned forward.
32:35Out of the shadows.
32:36The harsh garage lights hit his face.
32:38He looked dangerous.
32:39Not because he was angry.
32:40But because he was desperate.
32:42And a desperate Reaper is the most dangerous thing in the world.
32:45Get in the car, Elena.
32:46We are going to negotiate your freedom.
32:48The restaurant wasn't just expensive.
32:50It was suffocating.
32:51It was one of those sanctuaries of wealth.
32:53Where the menu didn't deign to list prices.
32:55And the water tasted like minerals.
32:57And pretension.
32:58Isabella had vanished the moment the hostess seated us.
33:01A sudden, urgent call.
33:03She had claimed.
33:04Clutching her phone like a lifeline.
33:06Coward.
33:06I sat across from him.
33:07The silence between us louder than the clinking of crystal around us.
33:11I refused to look at him.
33:12I refused to give him that satisfaction.
33:14Instead, I studied the Damask tablecloth.
33:16I looked at the heavy silver silverware.
33:18I looked at the view of the Golden Gate Bridge looming in the distance.
33:21Wishing I was on it.
33:22Driving away until the fuel ran dry.
33:24Dante picked up his napkin.
33:26He hesitated.
33:27Then offered it to me.
33:27As if he noticed the moisture gathering in my lashes before I did.
33:30I ignored it.
33:31I wouldn't let him care for me.
33:33Not now.
33:33Why are you here?
33:34I didn't recognize my own voice.
33:36It was cold.
33:37Detached.
33:37It sounded like him.
33:39Dante lowered his hand.
33:40The linen napkin falling uselessly to the table.
33:43I came to take you home.
33:44I laughed.
33:45It was a dry, brittle sound.
33:47Like dead leaves scraping against pavement.
33:49I don't have a home, Dante.
33:51I have a gilded cage that you simply forgot to lock.
33:53He flinched.
33:54I saw it a tiny tightening of his eyes.
33:56Crack in the marble mask.
33:58Good.
33:58I am sorry.
33:59I looked up then.
34:01I stared right into his eyes.
34:02Daring him to look away.
34:04You're sorry.
34:05I am sorry.
34:05I didn't read the file.
34:06I am sorry I wasn't present.
34:08Present?
34:09You weren't absent, Dante.
34:11Dante, you were physically there.
34:14You were just with her.
34:15He opened his mouth to defend himself, but I cut him off.
34:19An apology doesn't fix a broken vow.
34:21You stood at the altar and promised to cherish me, but you cherished her ghost instead.
34:26I picked up my purse, my knuckles, white against the leather.
34:30File the papers.
34:31Dante, let me go.
34:32Why?
34:33His voice cracked.
34:34Just a fraction.
34:35But I heard it.
34:36Why, Elena?
34:38We can fix this.
34:40I can fix it.
34:41Because I don't love you anymore.
34:43The words hung in the air between us.
34:45Heavy final.
34:46Irrevocable.
34:47I watched the light die in his eyes.
34:49It extinguished instantly, leaving behind a hollow darkness.
34:51It was the first time I had ever hurt him.
34:54Truly hurt him.
34:55It didn't feel good.
34:56It felt like cutting off my own limb with a dull knife.
34:59But it was necessary.
35:00I stood up, ignoring the trembling in my legs, and walked out of the restaurant, leaving
35:04the most powerful man in New York staring at an empty chair.
35:09I didn't stop running until I reached Isabella's office.
35:12I slammed the door shut and twisted the lock.
35:14I collapsed into the leather chair, shaking.
35:17Isabella walked in a minute later.
35:18She didn't ask how it went.
35:20She knew.
35:20He is gone.
35:21I nodded.
35:22I lied.
35:23My phone buzzed against the mahogany desk, the sound distinct and jarring.
35:27It wasn't Tia text.
35:28It was a notification from the secure banking app Isabella had set up for me.
35:32Transfer received.
35:33Fifty million dollars.
35:34I stared at the screen.
35:36The zeros blurred together.
35:37A string of meaningless loops that amounted to a kingdom.
35:41Then, another notification.
35:42A secure message request.
35:43I accepted it.
35:45My fingers were numb, clumsy with adrenaline.
35:49I don't want your money.
35:52He would do it.
35:54I knew he would.
35:55He wasn't speaking metaphorically.
35:56He would literally pile fifty million dollars in a courtyard and light a match just to prove
36:01he could.
36:01Why?
36:03I looked at the screen, my chest tightening.
36:06He was trying to buy my safety.
36:08He was trying to be the provider, even from three thousand miles away.
36:11It was manipulative.
36:12It was controlling.
36:13I sent a revised agreement back.
36:15I kept the money, but I added a clause of shield.
36:17Full separation of assets.
36:19No contact.
36:20He signed it digitally within seconds.
36:22He didn't care about the money.
36:23He just wanted the connection.
36:24He wanted to see my name on a document next to his, even if it was a divorce decree.
36:29Isabella looked over my shoulder at the phone.
36:31He is persistent.
36:32It is blood money.
36:34It is leverage.
36:35Now you have it.
36:38Two weeks bled by.
36:39The money sat in the account.
36:41Untouched.
36:41I threw myself into work to drown out the noise.
36:44Isabella gave me a position as a consultant for her new tech merger.
36:47It was busy work.
36:49Spreadsheets.
36:50Logistics.
36:51Numbing.
36:52Distractions.
36:54Come to my office.
36:56Important meeting.
36:56Then came the meeting that shattered the peace.
36:59Sit down.
37:00We have something to talk about.
37:02We have a problem with the New York expansion.
37:04My stomach dropped to the floor.
37:05New York.
37:06The local partners are stonewalling us.
37:08They want a face-to-face liaison.
37:11Someone who knows the territory.
37:13Someone they trust.
37:14She slid a file across the mahogany table.
37:16I opened it.
37:19I looked up at her.
37:20My heart hammering against my ribs.
37:23Dante?
37:23I asked.
37:24The name tasting like ash.
37:26It was a condition of the investment, Elena.
37:30He didn't ask for you explicitly.
37:33He just said he needed someone who understands family protocols.
37:38He is pulling me back in.
37:40He is giving you a job.
37:42A legitimate job.
37:43You're the only one who speaks their language, Elena.
37:46You know the code?
37:47I stood up and walked to the window, staring out at a skyline that wasn't his.
37:51I remembered the last time I was in New York.
37:53The rain.
37:54The humiliation.
37:55Sophia's laughter echoing in the hallway.
37:57He thinks I'll break.
37:59He thinks if he gets me back in his orbit, I'll fall right back into being his silent little wife.
38:03Will you?
38:04No.
38:05I thought about the girl who used to wait up for him.
38:07The girl who wrote love letters in a locked journal, desperate for a scrap of affection.
38:11She was dead.
38:12I was his furniture.
38:13I was a placeholder.
38:16I'll go, but strictly as a consultant.
38:20I stay in a hotel.
38:21I have my own security.
38:23And if he crosses the line, the deal is off.
38:26Good.
38:27Pack your bags, Elena.
38:29You're going to the lion's den.
38:31Let's wait and see.
38:34JFK was a grey, sprawling beast.
38:37It was raining.
38:37Of course it was raining.
38:39New York was crying for me.
38:40Or maybe it was just spitting on me.
38:42I walked out of the terminal, pulling my collar tight.
38:44I was wearing a white trench coat and sunglasses.
38:47It wasn't just an outfit.
38:48It was armor.
38:49Isabella had offered a car, but I had declined.
38:51I wanted to take a cab.
38:52I wanted to feel normal.
38:54I stepped onto the curb, ganning the line of yellow taxis.
38:57The rain was coming down in sheets, bouncing off the pavement in a relentless rhythm.
39:01Suddenly, the rain stopped.
39:02Or rather, it was blocked.
39:04A large black umbrella appeared over my head.
39:06I smelled him before I saw him.
39:08That damn sandalwood.
39:09I turned slowly.
39:10Dante stood there.
39:11He was holding the umbrella over me, letting the rain soak his own left shoulder without
39:15a care.
39:15He looked tired, but he also looked sharp.
39:18Dangerous.
39:18Welcome home.
39:19I didn't step back this time.
39:21I stood my ground.
39:22I'm here for work, Dante.
39:24This isn't home.
39:25It is a business trip.
39:26He looked down at me.
39:28His eyes were hungry.
39:29Not for food.
39:30For me.
39:30My driver is here.
39:31Let me take you to the hotel.
39:33No.
39:34I turned away, lifting my hand to hail a cab.
39:36Helena.
39:37I ignored him.
39:38A taxi pulled up, blashing water onto his polished shoes.
39:41He didn't even blink.
39:42I opened the taxi door.
39:44Dante reached out.
39:45He grabbed the top of the door frame, preventing me from getting in.
39:48You can run to California.
39:49You can sign all the papers you want.
39:51You can pretend you hate me, but you will always be part of my world.
39:54I shivered.
39:55I couldn't help it.
39:56Watch me leave it.
39:58I yanked the door out of his grip.
40:00Slammed it shut.
40:01Drive.
40:01I didn't look back, but I knew he was standing there in the rain, watching the taillights fade,
40:06planning his next move.
40:07The game had changed, and this time I wasn't playing by his rules.
40:11Mia screamed.
40:13Fifty million.
40:14You are sitting on fifty million dollars, and we are drinking house wine.
40:19It is not for spending, Mia.
40:21It is a severance package.
40:23Severance is for when you get fired from a marketing gig, Elena.
40:26This is an empire.
40:28You took half his liquidity.
40:30You realize you basically castrated the underboss of New York.
40:33I didn't smile.
40:35I didn't feel like smiling.
40:36The weight of the check in my bag felt heavier than lead.
40:39I didn't take it.
40:41He forced it on me.
40:43Mia waved a manicured hand, dismissing my moral dilemma entirely.
40:47Details!
40:48The point is, you have the power now.
40:50You are not the poor little orphan girl anymore.
40:52You are a powerhouse.
40:54Bring us the bottle.
40:55The expensive one.
40:56I tried to protest, opening my mouth to argue fiscal responsibility, but Mia kicked me sharply under the table.
41:03Let me enjoy this.
41:04My best friend just divorced the devil and won the lottery.
41:08The wine came.
41:09We drank.
41:09For the first time in weeks, the knot of anxiety in my chest loosened just a fraction.
41:14Then, the air in the restaurant changed.
41:16I felt it before I saw her.
41:17I felt the silence that rippled through the room like a cold wave.
41:20I turned my head toward the door.
41:22Sophia Rossi stood at the entrance.
41:24She looked different.
41:25Now she looked sharp, brittle.
41:27She scanned the room, her gaze predatory.
41:29Then, her eyes landed on me.
41:31Her lips curled into a sneer.
41:33Look who decided to crawl back to the city.
41:35Mia groaned, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.
41:38Don't engage.
41:40Too late.
41:40Sophia was already stalking toward us.
41:42I heard you were in California, Elena.
41:45Washing dishes for that tech woman.
41:48Consulting, actually.
41:49Is that what they call it?
41:50When you run away with your tail between your legs because you couldn't keep a man?
41:54At least she didn't have to fake a pregnancy to keep him.
41:57The restaurant went dead silent.
41:58You could hear a pin drop.
42:00Excuse me.
42:03We all heard.
42:04You are not the queen, Sophia.
42:05You are just the ex who wouldn't leave.
42:07You shut your mouth, you civilian trash.
42:10Or what?
42:10You'll call your daddy.
42:11I hear even he is tired of your drama.
42:13Sophia looked at me.
42:15And Mia was too sharp, too quick.
42:17She needed a target she could break.
42:19You think you won, Elena.
42:20You are just the gold digger who cashed out.
42:23The money was a gift, Sophia.
42:25I didn't ask for it.
42:26Just like I didn't ask for him.
42:28Her face twisted.
42:29Her hand closing around the handle of the silver turin.
42:31The waiter had just placed on the serving tray next to us.
42:34With a guttural cry, she swung the heavy vessel toward me.
42:37I tried to duck, but panic had welded me to the chair,
42:40trapping me against the table.
42:41The shadow moved.
42:42The impact never hit me.
42:44Dante stood in front of me.
42:45His broad backer fortress between us.
42:47Sophia gasped in shock.
42:48She finally realized she had caused trouble.
42:51Get out.
42:51I didn't mean she was provoking me.
42:54Get out before I kill you, Sophia.
42:56She scrambled back.
42:57She fled the restaurant without daring to look back.
43:00Are you hurt?
43:01Your arm.
43:02I'm fine.
43:03He reached out with his good hand to check for splashes.
43:06I flinched away, the adrenaline still spiking in my blood.
43:10We need to go to the hospital.
43:12I'm fine.
43:13Get in the car.
43:14For the first time in our lives, the Don obeyed me without question.
43:17The ride was silent.
43:19Dante hissed in pain while peeling his jacket.
43:21I gripped the steering wheel until my fingers ached.
43:24Why did you do that?
43:25He didn't answer for a long time.
43:27Because it was meant for you.
43:29I pulled up to the emergency entrance.
43:31I turned to look at him.
43:33You are not my shield anymore.
43:34I will always be your shield, Elena.
43:37Whether you want me to be or not.
43:40The doctor confirmed second-degree burns.
43:43He wrapped Dante's arm in thick layers of sterile white gauze
43:47and scribbled a prescription for painkillers strong enough to knock out a horse.
43:50I need clear head.
43:52I didn't argue.
43:53I just drove him back to the estate.
43:55I hadn't been here in months.
43:56The iron gates groaned as they swung open.
43:58The house loomed ahead.
43:59I pulled up to the front steps, killing the engine.
44:02The front door flew open before the car had even settled into silence.
44:06Giovanni, the head butler, rushed down the stone steps.
44:09Mr. Dante, what happened?
44:11An accident.
44:12Make sure he takes these and change the dressing every four hours.
44:16Infection is the biggest risk right now.
44:18Giovanni looked at me.
44:19Then, recognition dawned.
44:21Mrs. Moretti, you are home.
44:23I am just dropping him off.
44:25Dante had stopped halfway up the stairs.
44:27He didn't turn around.
44:29It has been like a tomb since you left.
44:31He doesn't eat.
44:33He sleeps in your study.
44:34He walks the halls at night, looking for you.
44:37I felt a pang of pity.
44:38But it was dull.
44:39Distant.
44:40He doesn't miss me.
44:41He misses the silence.
44:43He misses the wife who waited.
44:45Take care of him, Giovanni.
44:47That is your job now.
44:49Not mine.
44:49I turned and got back into the car.
44:51Dante turned around then.
44:53He stood on the top step, looking down at me.
44:55His bandaged arm hung uselessly by his side.
44:57He looked like a king, standing in the ruins of his own making.
45:00I put the car in reverse.
45:01I didn't wave.
45:02I just drove away, leaving him alone in his castle of echoes.
45:07The project in New York dragged on, stretching from weeks into two agonizing months.
45:13The leaves on the trees in Central Park turned brown and fell, leaving behind skeletal branches
45:19that seemed to claw at the gray sky.
45:21I worked.
45:22I slept.
45:23I rigorously avoided the places where the outfit operated.
45:27I thought I was safe.
45:28Then, I came home one evening to find movers cluttering the hallway of my high-security apartment
45:36building.
45:37They were carrying a black leather sofa.
45:39A very specific black leather sofa that I knew intimately.
45:44I stopped dead in my tracks.
45:46The door to the penthouse opposite mine was open.
45:50Dante walked out, stripped of his armor.
45:53He looked younger, less like the Reaper, more like a man.
45:57Hi, neighbor.
45:58I dropped my keys.
46:01You bought the apartment.
46:03I bought the floor.
46:05I stared at him, my heart hammering against my ribs.
46:09This is stalking, Dante.
46:11It is security.
46:12The neighborhood has been unstable.
46:14I want to make sure my investment is safe.
46:17You are the unstable element in this neighborhood.
46:20I ignored him.
46:22I brushed past the movers, went into my apartment, and locked the door.
46:26I engaged the deadbolt.
46:27I wedged a chair under the handle.
46:29He didn't try to come in.
46:31He didn't knock.
46:32But every morning, there was coffee waiting outside my door.
46:35My specific order.
46:37Hope milk.
46:37Two pumps of vanilla.
46:38Every evening, I could smell his cigar smoke drifting from his balcony to mine.
46:44He was haunting me, not with fear, but with a suffocating presence.
46:49Then came my birthday.
46:50I had forgotten about it.
46:52Buried under a mountain of spreadsheets until 10 p.m., there was a knock on the door.
46:58I looked through the peephole.
46:59Dante.
47:00He was holding a small cake.
47:02I opened the door, but I kept my hand on the frame.
47:05I didn't invite him in.
47:06Happy birthday, Elena.
47:08Make a wish.
47:09I wish for you to let me go.
47:11I can't grant that one, Elena.
47:14Asked for anything else.
47:15I stepped back and closed the door in his face.
47:18I heard him stand there for a long time.
47:20I heard the silence of a man who realizes that no amount of sugar can fix the bitterness he himself
47:26had brewed.
47:31The snow began at dawn.
47:33By the time I finished packing, the city was buried under a white shroud.
47:38The project was over.
47:40My flight back to California was booked.
47:42I went downstairs, my grip tight on the handle of my suitcase.
47:47Dante's black SUV was idling at the curb.
47:50The windows were tinted obsidian, impenetrable.
47:53He got out.
47:55As soon as he saw me, he took the luggage from my hand before I could even form a protest.
48:00I'm driving you to the airport.
48:03I opened my mouth to argue.
48:06Please, just the drive.
48:08Then I walk away.
48:09I got in.
48:10The car was warm.
48:12It smelled of him.
48:13Leather, sandalwood, and the sharp crispness of winter air.
48:16He drove slowly, much slower than usual.
48:19He took the long way to the private airstrip, winding through the snow-covered park,
48:23as if trying to stretch the minutes into hours.
48:26Do you remember?
48:27The first winter after we married, you slipped on the ice on the front steps.
48:33I caught you.
48:34I looked out the window, at the blurring, white world.
48:37I remember you yelling at me for being clumsy.
48:40I was scared you were hurt.
48:42I didn't know how to say it.
48:44You didn't know how to say a lot of things, Dante.
48:46We arrived at the tarmac.
48:49The private jet was waiting, its engines whining against the wind.
48:53He parked the car, but didn't unlock the doors.
48:55He turned to me.
48:56He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box.
49:00Inside lay the Moretti Emerald, a bracelet of green fire and diamonds.
49:05It was an heirloom, the crown jewels of the outfit.
49:08It belonged to the Don's wife, the Queen.
49:11Beat my Queen.
49:12Elena, come back.
49:14We can start over.
49:15I will burn the world for you.
49:17I will give you everything.
49:18I looked at the bracelet.
49:19It was beautiful.
49:21It was heavy.
49:22It was a shackle made of precious stones.
49:24I looked at him.
49:25I saw the desperation swimming in his eyes.
49:27I saw the love that had arrived too late to save the patient.
49:30I don't want a crown, Dante.
49:32I want a life.
49:34I opened the door and stepped out into the snow.
49:36The cold air bit my cheeks.
49:38It felt like freedom.
49:39Elena!
49:40I left the bracelet in the car.
49:42I left the title.
49:43I left the man who thought he could buy a heart with a stone.
49:45As we taxied down the runway, I looked out the window.
49:48A lone figure stood next to the black SUV.
49:51A dark silhouette against the blinding white snow.
49:54He was watching me leave.
49:56For the first time, the Reaper was the one who was haunted.
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