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A powerful full drama movie filled with love, secrets, and unexpected twists.

Follow a powerful story where relationships are tested, hidden truths are revealed, and lives change forever. From romantic moments to shocking surprises, this drama keeps you engaged from beginning to end.

Featuring stories about CEO, billionaire lifestyles, family connections, and life-changing decisions, this movie delivers strong emotions and unforgettable scenes.

Watch the full movie and discover what happens in the end.

New full drama movies uploaded regularly. Stay tuned for more captivating and trending stories.

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00:00¡Gracias!
00:30At the mention of her name, he smiled.
00:32Bianca and I got married at City Hall this morning.
00:34I'm someone else's husband now, Catalina.
00:37Having another wedding with you would upset my wife.
00:39You understand that, don't you?
00:41Bianca Winters.
00:42She was the lead dancer in the VIP lounge at the Mancini family's newly opened nightclub.
00:4722.
00:47Always dressed to provoke after she first performed.
00:50Kevin always went to the new nightclub to inspect the property.
00:54But now I knew what he'd been inspecting was something else entirely.
00:57I couldn't speak.
00:58I just watched as Kevin hummed a tune and sat back down in the driver's seat and sighed as he
01:03looked at me.
01:05Baby, you're still the one I love most.
01:08But a young body is so alluring.
01:10If you can't bear to let the wedding go to waste, just find some man to stand in as the
01:14groom.
01:15Don't deprive yourself.
01:17I'd hate to see you suffer, my sweetheart.
01:19As he said this, he pressed a kiss against my temple.
01:23You should know how stubborn young girls are these days.
01:25Won't let you touch her unless you marry her.
01:27It took me nearly half a year.
01:29Last night I finally got her.
01:30He leaned back into his seat, his voice thick with lazy satisfaction.
01:33A dreamy, satisfied smile curved his lips.
01:37She's right where you're sitting, like a little wildcat, scratching and biting.
01:41But it only took a few moves from me to have her melting into a puddle.
01:44My gaze followed his to the windshield.
01:46Two handprints lingered on the glass.
01:48One large, one small, overlapping.
01:51A scalding wave of nausea churned up from my stomach.
01:54My nails were digging into my palms.
01:56My eyes burned and swelled, but not a single tear would come.
01:59He looked at me and furrowed his brow, as though genuinely baffled.
02:03Why are you crying?
02:05You'll always be the Donna of the Mancini family.
02:08It won't change.
02:09What man doesn't have a few women?
02:12Don't worry.
02:13You're the one I love most.
02:16Bianca won't take your place.
02:17As he said this, he leaned in to kiss me.
02:20I instinctively turned my head away.
02:22Faint look of anger flashed across his face.
02:24And just as he was about to snap,
02:28his phone rang.
02:31The ringtone had gone off many times during those late nights over the past few months.
02:36Kevin always said,
02:37It was just a business call.
02:38I had never once doubted him.
02:40Only now did I understand how stupid I'd been.
02:43He didn't answer right away.
02:45First he sighed and said to me,
02:49Why make a big deal out of a plaything?
02:51That was just a piece of paper.
02:53You're not young anymore, Catalina.
02:56No family, no connections.
02:58Without me, you'd be nothing.
03:00Stop being childish.
03:02He pressed the button, and the car door popped open.
03:04Two bodyguards courteously dragged me out.
03:07Get yourself a ride home.
03:09I need to go pick up Bianca.
03:10Think about what I said.
03:11The black sedan quickly merged into traffic
03:13and disappeared around the corner.
03:15I crouched on the curb and retched until my tears streamed down my face.
03:19Ten years.
03:20From the shipping containers on the docks
03:22to the fastest rising crime family in New York.
03:25I'd been with him through every miserable day.
03:27We didn't even have enough money for an abortion.
03:29I'd fallen down a flight of stairs in the dead of winter,
03:32biting my lip bloody as I tried to end two pregnancies.
03:34Kevin had knelt at my bedside,
03:36covered my eyes with his hand,
03:37and driven a knife into his own stomach twice.
03:48And now, all of it had been shattered effortlessly
03:52by a stripper he'd known for six months.
03:54Kevin was wrong about one thing.
03:56Nobody will marry a plaything.
03:58That marriage certificate I'd waited ten years for and never received.
04:02He'd handed it to someone else,
04:03but he was right about one thing.
04:05I shouldn't deprive myself.
04:06I pressed the pregnancy test report back into my pocket.
04:09I'd been about to show him.
04:10Then I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.
04:12The line connected.
04:13My voice was eerily calm.
04:16It's me.
04:18Send someone for me in three days.
04:20I'm coming home.
04:21When I arrived back at the estate,
04:23Kevin's black Bentley was already parked beneath the portico.
04:26The window was cracked open.
04:27Heavy male breathing drifted out,
04:30tangled with a young girl's syrupy moans.
04:33Kev?
04:34What do you call me?
04:36Daddy.
04:36Good girl.
04:38You're gonna kill me.
04:39I stood motionless on the front steps.
04:42New York in July was suffocating,
04:44but I felt ice seeping out from between my bones.
04:46An hour later,
04:47Kevin walked into the foyer
04:48with the petite blonde on his arm,
04:50Bianca Winters.
04:51The moment she saw me sitting on the sofa,
04:53her eyes reddened instantly.
04:55Her lower lip quivered,
04:56wounded and wronged.
04:58Why is she still here?
05:01You told me this was our home.
05:03Her voice trembled.
05:04You lied to me.
05:05You didn't let her go.
05:07I don't care how much I love you,
05:09I won't degrade myself by being someone's mistress.
05:11I'm leaving, right now.
05:12Kevin yanked her back in one swift motion,
05:15locked both arms around her waist
05:16and rested his chin on top of her head.
05:18Don't be ridiculous.
05:20The marriage certificate says it all.
05:22You're my wife.
05:23Of course this is our home.
05:25She's only here to pack her things.
05:27He looked at me.
05:28Catalina,
05:29the villa out in the suburbs is empty and quiet.
05:31You'll move there.
05:35My chest heaved as I struggled to hold back my sobs.
05:38Three years ago,
05:39Kevin carried me over this very threshold.
05:41His eyes had been red-rimmed,
05:42his voice raw.
05:43Catalina,
05:45this is our home now.
05:47You,
05:47me,
05:48and someday our children.
05:51We're gonna live here,
05:52happy,
05:53together.
05:53And now,
05:54the man who'd promised me this home
05:56and wanted to throw me out of it,
05:57he watched me remain silent,
05:58still smiling.
05:59But when he spoke,
06:00his voice dropped.
06:01Catalina,
06:02my wife is unhappy now.
06:04Don't make me say it twice.
06:05My throat closed up.
06:06After another long silence,
06:08I nodded,
06:08voice stripped raw.
06:10Fine.
06:10I stood to leave,
06:11but just as we passed each other,
06:12Kevin suddenly stepped forward
06:14and caught my wrist,
06:15his tone softening a fraction.
06:16Wait,
06:17there's a family banquet tonight.
06:18Come with me.
06:19I was about to refuse,
06:20but he'd already cut me off.
06:22It's Bianca's first time
06:23at one of these events.
06:24Hold her train for her
06:25so she doesn't get too nervous.
06:26I nearly laughed out loud.
06:28Absurd.
06:28But thinking of the little time
06:30I had left,
06:30I said nothing more.
06:31That night,
06:32Bianca entered the banquet hall
06:33on Kevin's arm.
06:34She wore a one-of-a-kind kuchar gown
06:36that Kevin had spent millions
06:37at auction in Paris
06:39to acquire my birthday present.
06:40And I bent down,
06:41held the trailing hem of her gown,
06:43and followed two steps behind
06:45under the blaze of a hundred chandeliers.
06:47Snickers and mockery
06:48clung to me like shadows.
06:51Don really knows
06:51how to train a woman.
06:53Madonna carries the mistress' train
06:54and doesn't dare say a word.
06:57What dona?
06:58Boss already married
06:59that little beauty.
07:00Catalina?
07:00She's just a whore
07:01who got fucked for free
07:02for ten years.
07:03She might as well be dead.
07:05I held out until
07:05halfway through the banquet,
07:07then fled to the restroom.
07:08I splashed water
07:09on my face frantically.
07:10Then I heard voices
07:11outside the door.
07:12Marco,
07:12the underboss,
07:13was laughing,
07:14his tone teasing.
07:16Boss,
07:17you really married that stripper?
07:18Kevin's voice was unhurried.
07:19Young girls want security.
07:20After all the amazing nights
07:22she's given me,
07:23isn't this one little wish
07:25worth granting?
07:26The men nearby
07:26let out excited cheers.
07:28That little girl
07:29must be pretty tasty, huh?
07:31But aren't you afraid
07:32Catalina will leave you?
07:33My heart seized.
07:35Through the crack in the door,
07:36I saw him take a leisurely puff
07:38on his cigar.
07:40Catalina's been with me
07:41ten years.
07:42She is no different
07:43from a dirty old rag.
07:45Who else but me
07:46would want her?
07:46I know her too well.
07:48Once I've had my fun,
07:49I'll go back and sweet talk her
07:50with a few words.
07:51That's all it'll take.
07:52I couldn't make out
07:53anything after that.
07:54I clamped my hand
07:55tightly over my mouth
07:56and watched water
07:58and tears
07:59drip one by one
08:00the white porcelain basin.
08:02Teeth clamped down
08:03on the flesh
08:04between my thumb
08:05and forefinger
08:05so I wouldn't make a sound.
08:07Kevin Mancini,
08:07you bet wrong.
08:08Again,
08:09this dirty rag you despise
08:10won't be waiting
08:11for you anymore.
08:12I straightened up
08:13and pushed open
08:13the restroom door.
08:14A slap cracked
08:15across my face.
08:18I pressed my hand
08:20to my cheek
08:20and turned my head
08:21in disbelief.
08:22Bianca was flicking
08:23her wrist.
08:24Her face was twisted
08:25with sharp contempt.
08:28You heard every word,
08:29didn't you?
08:30And you're still
08:31clinging on.
08:32Are you really
08:32that pathetic?
08:33If you like getting
08:34fucked for no money
08:35so much,
08:36why not go stand
08:37in the red light district?
08:38The cheap trash
08:39like you
08:39probably only deserves
08:41to end up
08:41with some smuggled-in
08:42dock rat.
08:43The fury surged up,
08:44my nails biting
08:45into my palms.
08:47I was about
08:47to slap her back.
08:48Bianca suddenly
08:49let out a piercing scream.
08:51Claude opened
08:52the neckline
08:52of her dress
08:53with both hands
08:54and threw herself
08:55backward onto the floor.
08:56Less than a second later,
08:57Catalina!
08:58The dark voice
08:59exploded behind me.
09:00Kevin came striding over
09:02and scooped Bianca
09:03up off the ground.
09:04She was trembling
09:05all over,
09:05tears appearing on command.
09:07Kevin,
09:08it's my fault.
09:09I'm the other woman here.
09:10I'm the one
09:11who ruined things
09:12between you and Catalina.
09:13It's all my fault.
09:14I never should have
09:15come into your life.
09:16I'm a terrible,
09:17terrible person!
09:18As she spoke,
09:20she slapped herself
09:20hard across the face.
09:22Twice,
09:22Kevin seized her wrist,
09:24jaw clenched so tightly
09:25a muscle began to twitch.
09:26Who said those things to you?
09:28Bianca bit her lip,
09:29both hands clutching
09:30at her own collar.
09:31Please,
09:32don't ask.
09:32When her gaze swept toward me,
09:34she shook her head
09:35in exaggerated terror,
09:36her voice rising a full pitch.
09:38Kev,
09:38just let me go.
09:39I'm not worthy of you.
09:41I don't want to disappear
09:42one day and turn up dead.
09:43Kevin's gaze turned
09:44slowly toward me,
09:45heavy and dark.
09:46Explain.
09:46I lowered the hand
09:47from my cheek,
09:48swollen purple.
09:49Maybe you should ask her
09:50what she said to me first.
09:52Catalina!
09:53Bianca suddenly shrieked,
09:54yes,
09:55I hit you,
09:57but only because
09:58you threatened
09:58to kill my parents.
10:00They're ordinary people.
10:01They've done nothing wrong.
10:03If you're still angry,
10:04hit me back.
10:06But please,
10:07don't hurt them.
10:08My eyes were bloodshot
10:09with rage.
10:10You're lying!
10:11You're the one!
10:12Enough!
10:13Kevin looked at me
10:14with disappointment.
10:15Catalina,
10:16I've spoiled you.
10:18You actually used
10:19a little girl's family
10:19to threaten her
10:20into leaving me?
10:21You think being an orphan
10:22means I have nothing
10:23to hold over you?
10:23The next second,
10:24two men immediately
10:25stepped forward
10:26and grabbed me.
10:27Kevin walked to me,
10:28ripped my hand tightly,
10:29and yanked the ring
10:30off my finger.
10:31She stole my wife's jewelry.
10:33We caught her red-handed.
10:35Lock her in the isolation room.
10:36The shock and pain
10:37left me speechless.
10:39It was the one
10:39he'd made with his own hands
10:41when he earned
10:41his first real money,
10:42a rough silver band.
10:43The inside scratched
10:45with a line of hasty letters.
10:46C and K.
10:48Forever.
10:48Tears blurred my vision.
10:50Kevin.
10:50Lena.
10:51He interrupted me.
10:51You haven't been listening lately.
10:54Stay in isolation
10:55and think about what you've done.
10:56When you come out,
10:57I can give the ring back.
10:58I looked at him
10:59and pulled my hand
10:59from Kevin's grip.
11:00In that instant,
11:01he frowned slightly.
11:03He stared at my retreating back,
11:04something flickering
11:05in his eyes
11:06as though he dimly sensed.
11:07He was about to lose
11:08hold of me for good.
11:09He lifted his foot
11:10to follow.
11:10Bianca caught his arm first.
11:13In the end,
11:14Kevin didn't chase after me.
11:15Kevin,
11:16thank you for standing up for me.
11:18I was so scared just now.
11:19Her voice dripping sweetness.
11:21He lowered his head
11:22and pinched her cheek indulgently.
11:24What can I do
11:24to make it up to you?
11:25Bianca giggled,
11:26took the ring from his palm
11:27and tossed it
11:28into the trash can.
11:29Bianca.
11:29She reddened her eyes immediately.
11:31Was it important?
11:32I'll fish it out then.
11:34After all,
11:35you've loved her for ten years.
11:37She made as if
11:37to dig through the trash.
11:39Even if she hit me?
11:41I don't want to put you
11:42in a difficult position.
11:43Kevin caught her around the waist.
11:44Alright,
11:45it's just a ring.
11:46Don't get your hands dirty.
11:47It could never be
11:48more important than you.
11:49Bianca threw herself
11:50into his arms
11:51and gave him several kisses.
11:53I love you the most, Kev.
11:55They returned to the banquet
11:56while Kevin went to speak
11:57with the elders.
11:58Bianca turned back
11:59and whispered a few words
12:00to a maid beside her.
12:01An hour later,
12:02I was dragged
12:02from the solitary confinement cell
12:04to a room filled
12:05with torture instruments.
12:07Before I could even
12:07ask a question,
12:08they came at me with fists.
12:10Scoots,
12:11whips,
12:11salt water,
12:12branding irons.
12:13Throughout it all,
12:13I curled in on myself,
12:15both arms locked over my stomach.
12:16Finally,
12:17my voice was hoarse
12:18and inaudible.
12:18Someone grabbed my neck.
12:20Still feeling cocky, bitch?
12:22The Don built everything
12:23from nothing.
12:24Nothing disgusts
12:25is him more than a thief.
12:26If Donna hadn't been merciful
12:28and spared your life,
12:29do you think you'd still be alive
12:31after three days?
12:32With that,
12:32she kicked me to the ground
12:33for the next 72 hours.
12:35I was locked up
12:36with the family's
12:36most dangerous prisoners.
12:38Endless darkness and cold,
12:39punctuated by fists
12:40and boots
12:41at rammed intervals.
12:42I hadn't dared
12:43close my eyes.
12:43Three days later,
12:44I was taken out
12:45of solitary confinement.
12:46Completely dazed
12:47and barely able to stand,
12:49I was dragged
12:49to the family club's
12:50private lounge.
12:51When the door opened,
12:52Kevin was sitting
12:53in the middle of the sofa,
12:54sharing a grape
12:55with Bianca.
12:55A grape fell
12:56from Bianca's mouth
12:57and Kevin kissed her fiercely.
12:59Marco sighed
13:00a handful of coppers
13:01and their dates.
13:02The catcalls nearly
13:03blew the roof off.
13:04Kevin finally noticed
13:05me standing in the doorway.
13:06His gaze landed
13:07on the dried blood
13:08at the corner of my mouth
13:09and his brow
13:09nodded instantly.
13:10What happened?
13:12Where did those bruises
13:13come from?
13:16Before I could get
13:17a word out,
13:17Bianca laughed first.
13:19Classic Catalina,
13:20always knows how to play
13:22on a man's sympathy.
13:23Who would dare
13:24lay a finger on you?
13:25Those marks
13:26must have taken
13:26some effort,
13:27didn't I?
13:28Kevin went still
13:28at her words.
13:29He lit a cigar,
13:30his eyes brimming
13:31with barely contained
13:32impatience.
13:33Come over and apologize
13:34to Bianca
13:34and we'll consider
13:35this matter settled.
13:36Bianca sat curled
13:37against him,
13:38one hand wrapped
13:39around a glass
13:40of neon-colored liquor.
13:41I don't really want
13:42to make things hard
13:42for you,
13:43but you insulted
13:44my parents.
13:45Who could take that?
13:45And she let out
13:46an exaggerated gasp.
13:47Sorry, I forgot.
13:49Your parents threw you
13:50away when you were little.
13:51You have no idea
13:52what it even feels like
13:53to have parents.
13:54I said nothing.
13:55She set the glass
13:55in front of me
13:56and smiled.
13:57Drink it.
13:58It's 120 proof
14:00and maybe I'll accept
14:01your apology.
14:02My eyes went
14:02instinctively to Kevin.
14:04All those years,
14:05I'd helped him close
14:05one business deal
14:06after another
14:07over dinner.
14:08That time,
14:08I'd been in the ICU.
14:09Nearly died
14:10on the operating table.
14:11Kevin had been
14:12so terrified,
14:13he hadn't slept
14:14for three days
14:15and three nights.
14:15He'd sworn I would
14:16never touch alcohol again,
14:17but now,
14:18the man sitting
14:18in front of me
14:19only exhaled
14:20a lazy ring of smoke.
14:22His tone casual.
14:23Catalina,
14:23it's just one drink.
14:25Stop playing the victim.
14:26I'd already stopped
14:26expecting anything,
14:27but my heart still
14:28clenched against my will.
14:30I touched my lower belly.
14:31Inside,
14:31it was a life
14:32barely eight weeks old.
14:33I won't drink it.
14:34The room went quiet
14:35for a beat.
14:36Bianca instantly
14:36turned to Kevin,
14:37a picture of wounded innocence.
14:39The next second,
14:40Kevin gave his command.
14:41Marco,
14:42make her drink.
14:43Before I could step back,
14:44men on both sides
14:45of the sofa
14:46were already moving.
14:47Marco and another enforcer
14:48pinned my arms
14:49from either side.
14:50A third man clamped
14:51down on my jaw,
14:52forced my mouth open.
14:53The rim of the glass
14:54struck my teeth.
14:55Lipstick poured
14:56down my throat
14:57to the sharp,
14:58dragging,
14:58cramp and tore
14:59through my lower abdomen
15:00and I choked violently.
15:02Not enough.
15:03Bianca pointed at the row
15:04of brightly colored shots
15:05lined up on the table.
15:06Drink all of those too.
15:07I shook my head desperately.
15:08Tears poured out
15:09beyond my control.
15:10I looked at Kevin,
15:11begging.
15:12His eyes met mine.
15:13I saw his expression
15:14waver for a split second.
15:15But Bianca was quicker.
15:16She clung to him.
15:17Kev,
15:18she called me a whore
15:20and threatened
15:20to throw my parents
15:21in the river.
15:23All I'm asking for
15:24is this tiny bit
15:25of compensation.
15:26Is that so unreasonable?
15:29Kevin closed his eyes.
15:30That hesitation
15:30was swiftly sealed
15:31over with indifference.
15:33Make her finish.
15:35The next step
15:35was pinned down
15:36on the sofa,
15:37a hand gripping
15:38the back of my skull,
15:39forcing my head back.
15:40One glass,
15:40two,
15:41three,
15:41I thrashed,
15:42picked,
15:42my nails
15:42flowing streaks
15:44into the leather
15:44upholstery,
15:45but it was no use.
15:46When the last
15:46shop was emptied,
15:47they let go
15:48and I slid off
15:48the sofa
15:49and collapsed
15:50to my hands
15:50and knees
15:51on the carpet.
15:52Vomiting up
15:52a mouthful
15:53of blood streaked
15:53while Bianca recoiled
15:55several steps
15:55in disgust.
15:56Catalina,
15:58that wasn't even
15:58a full bottle.
15:59Do you really
16:00have to make
16:01such a scene?
16:01Kevin frowned
16:02with undisguised
16:03irritation.
16:04Enough.
16:04How long are you
16:05going to keep up
16:05this act?
16:07Bianca's been
16:07more than merciful
16:08to you.
16:09Stop embarrassing
16:10yourself.
16:11Get up.
16:12I couldn't speak.
16:12My vision was dimming.
16:14Something warm
16:14flooded between my legs.
16:16Papo's wife
16:17nearby went pale.
16:18Blood.
16:19There's blood.
16:19She's...
16:20She's miscarrying!
16:21I lifted my head
16:22and met Kevin's gaze.
16:24His face suddenly
16:25went white.
16:25I smiled.
16:28Now you've
16:28sacrificed your own
16:29child for her.
16:31Is that enough?
16:33Kevin and I
16:34both understood
16:35what this meant.
16:36Years ago,
16:37he'd driven a knife
16:37into his own
16:38lower abdomen.
16:39The doctor's diagnosis
16:41had been cold
16:42and clinical.
16:43The damage was
16:43permanent.
16:44The odds of him
16:45ever fathering
16:45another child
16:46were virtually
16:47non-existent.
16:48The day I found
16:49out I was pregnant,
16:50I'd sat alone
16:50in the clinic hallway,
16:52laughing and crying
16:53at the same time,
16:54half convinced
16:55I was dreaming.
16:55I'd folded
16:56the test results
16:57and tucked them
16:57into my pocket.
16:58I wanted to tell
16:59him in person.
17:00The day I tried
17:01on the wedding dress,
17:02give him the greatest
17:03surprise of his life.
17:04I'd imagined his reaction
17:05a thousand times over.
17:07He would freeze.
17:08Then his eyes
17:08would go red.
17:09Then he'd lift me up
17:10and spin me around.
17:11We'd set up the nursery
17:12together,
17:13go shopping for
17:14impossibly tiny
17:15clothes and shoes,
17:16flip through a baby
17:17named book page
17:18by page,
17:19searching for the one
17:20with the most
17:20beautiful meaning.
17:21The child would
17:22toddle toward us,
17:23would tumble into
17:24our arms,
17:24would call out
17:25daddy and mommy
17:26in a tiny,
17:27baby soft voice.
17:28I'd thought of
17:29everything,
17:30except betrayal.
17:31Before I ever got
17:32the chance to tell
17:33him about the baby,
17:34he betrayed me,
17:34and now I was
17:35giving it all back
17:36to him,
17:37the child,
17:37along with those
17:38ten laughable years.
17:40The private room
17:41erupted.
17:41Kevin knocked
17:42the hockey table
17:43flying and nearly
17:44threw himself to the
17:44floor,
17:45landing on his knees
17:46in front of me.
17:47The blood beneath me
17:48had soaked through
17:48my clothes and
17:49seeped into the
17:50pale carpet,
17:51blooming outward
17:52in a sickening
17:53spread of deep red.
17:54His mouth hung open.
17:55His entire body
17:56shook violently.
17:57He raised a hand,
17:58then pulled it back.
17:59He didn't dare
18:00touch me.
18:00His eyes were so red
18:02they looked ready
18:02to bleed.
18:04I didn't know.
18:05I swear I didn't know.
18:07Catalina,
18:07our baby,
18:08the baby.
18:12Get,
18:13get,
18:14get help!
18:15Call for help!
18:16Call for help!
18:18Before he could
18:19make the call,
18:19the phone was
18:20snatched from his
18:21grip and switched
18:22off in one
18:22clean motion.
18:25Are you out
18:26of your fucking
18:26mind?
18:27Kevin's bloodshot
18:28eyes snapped
18:29toward Bianca.
18:30Bianca calmly
18:31slipped the phone
18:32into her pocket,
18:32her face a mask
18:34of sincerity.
18:34Kevin,
18:35have you forgotten?
18:37I studied nursing.
18:40Let me help her.
18:41He froze for two seconds,
18:42like a drowning man
18:44clutching at the last
18:45piece of truth.
18:46His body moved aside
18:47on instinct.
18:48Bianca crouched down,
18:49her gaze sweeping
18:50over me,
18:51cold,
18:52clinical.
18:52She made a show
18:53of examining me.
18:54Then,
18:55hidden from everyone
18:56else's view,
18:57she drove her thumb
18:58hard into the spot
18:59that hurt most.
19:00Again,
19:01and again.
19:01Pain so blinded,
19:03the world went black.
19:05No sound would
19:06leave my throat.
19:06The warm flow
19:08beneath me surged
19:09and surged.
19:10Breathing became
19:11difficult.
19:12She leaned down
19:13to my ear,
19:14her voice so low
19:15only I could hear it.
19:16One little bastard
19:17isn't enough.
19:19I prefer two
19:20for the price of one.
19:21Then she stood,
19:22pushed me aside,
19:23and shook her head
19:24with a look
19:24of utter disbelief.
19:25Catalina,
19:26this is too much.
19:27With that amount
19:28of blood loss,
19:29a normal person
19:29would already be dead.
19:31Do you think
19:31everyone here
19:31is an idiot?
19:33What the hell
19:34do you mean?
19:36Kevin,
19:37she's been playing you.
19:38She was never pregnant.
19:39She's perfectly healthy.
19:41This whole dying act
19:42is fake.
19:43God knows how many
19:44bags of stage blood
19:45she's got hidden on her.
19:47Kevin's gaze moved
19:48back and forth
19:49between her and me.
19:50I lay on the floor
19:50and used the last
19:51shred of my strength
19:52to grab his pant leg.
19:54He crouched down,
19:55took my hand.
19:57Catalina,
19:58you've disappointed me
19:58beyond words.
20:00Do you love
20:01performing so much?
20:03Go ahead and perform
20:04all you want.
20:05Alone,
20:05he put his arm
20:06around Bianca's shoulders
20:07and as I watched
20:08in utter despair,
20:09walked out the door.
20:10I lay in the wreckage
20:11and the past ten years
20:12flashed before my eyes
20:14like a dying reel.
20:15The warehouse,
20:16the instant noodles,
20:17the rainy night
20:17under the bridge overpass,
20:19his blood-soaked bow,
20:20kneeling at my bed,
20:21all of it,
20:22gone like smoke.
20:23Tears slid past my temples
20:25just before I slipped
20:26into darkness.
20:27The door to the room
20:27was flung open.
20:28A group of people
20:29rushed in.
20:30I heard a voice.
20:31Hurry!
20:31Save her!
20:32Outside the club,
20:33a woman whispered behind them.
20:35What if she really
20:35was miscarrying?
20:36Then she...
20:37Kevin's jaw flexed.
20:38He looked straight
20:39at the woman.
20:40Her husband clapped
20:41a hand over her mouth.
20:42Boss, forgive her.
20:43She doesn't know
20:44what she's saying.
20:45Kevin didn't react.
20:46For a moment,
20:47Catalina's bloodless face
20:48flashed through his mind.
20:50Her shaking hand,
20:51that broken whisper
20:52for a doctor,
20:53something uneasy
20:54stirred in his chest.
20:55Boss,
20:56should I call someone
20:57to check on her?
20:58Just in case?
20:59Then Bianca slipped
21:00her arm through his.
21:01Kev,
21:01you believe me,
21:02don't you?
21:03Kevin's jaw tightened.
21:04For a second,
21:05he said nothing.
21:06Of course I do.
21:07The answer came too quickly.
21:08The moment he finished speaking,
21:09he wrapped an arm
21:10around Bianca.
21:11Catalina knew exactly
21:12what would scare me.
21:13His voice came out
21:14harder than he intended.
21:15She's always been stubborn.
21:17Now she's just learned
21:18how to make a scene.
21:19And walked away,
21:21as if he couldn't get away
21:22fast enough
21:23from a truth
21:23he didn't want to face.
21:25In the days that followed,
21:27Kevin buried himself
21:28in Bianca
21:28and the life
21:29she'd built around him.
21:30By day,
21:31he escorted her
21:31to family gatherings,
21:33auctions,
21:33and private parties.
21:35By night,
21:35the two of them
21:36were inseparable.
21:37Half a month
21:37of indulgence
21:38stretched on
21:39in one long hangover.
21:41He'd all but forgotten
21:42that the rest of the world
21:43still required his attention
21:44until someone
21:45at a cocktail reception
21:46dropped a piece of news
21:47in passing.
21:48Have you heard?
21:49The Valenti family,
21:51one of the five,
21:51their long-lost eldest daughter
21:53has been found.
21:53You mean Viterio Valenti?
21:55He and his wife
21:56refused to have another child
21:57while they were still
21:57searching for her.
21:58Now that she's
21:59finally been recovered,
22:00they're treating her
22:01like the most precious
22:02thing on earth.
22:03Word is they spent
22:03over 50 million
22:04on her Welcome Home Gala.
22:06Everyone in Westchester
22:07is talking about it.
22:08Bianca stood a few
22:09steps away,
22:10champagne flute in hand.
22:12Lost for 20 years?
22:13God knows how many men
22:14have had their hands on her,
22:16parading that kind of
22:16damaged goods around
22:17like a treasure.
22:18The Valenti should be embarrassed.
22:20Kevin's brow
22:20furrowed involuntarily
22:22a few days in high society,
22:23and she'd apparently
22:24forgotten that not long ago
22:26she'd been a bottom-tier
22:27club dancer,
22:28grinding through shifts
22:29for a few thousand dollars.
22:30The pride and self-respect
22:32she'd shown when she first
22:33resisted his advances
22:34had been ground to nothing
22:35in under a month
22:36by the steady stream
22:37of jewelry and luxury goods.
22:39Now she had the audacity
22:40to publicly insult
22:41one of the five families.
22:42For the first time,
22:43he found Bianca exhausting.
22:45He sighed.
22:46Catalina.
22:48Once the novelty wore off,
22:50his mind instinctively
22:51turned to Catalina.
22:52Catalina's origins
22:53were even humbler
22:54than Bianca's.
22:55Or at least,
22:55that was what
22:56he'd always believed.
22:57She was raised
22:58in an orphanage
22:58from childhood.
22:59No roots.
23:00No connections.
23:01Yet she never talked
23:02behind people's backs
23:03or started spending recklessly
23:05once the money
23:06began pouring in.
23:07She managed everything
23:08with quiet precision,
23:09understood his struggles,
23:11and handled the brutality
23:12of his world
23:13without complaint.
23:14Kevin pressed a hand
23:15over his faintly aching chest.
23:17Only then did he remember
23:18the wedding he'd destroyed
23:19with a single sentence.
23:21Catalina had been
23:22looking forward to it
23:23for the better part of a year,
23:24the way the color
23:25had drained from her face.
23:27Only now did the memory
23:28begin to hurt.
23:29He couldn't imagine
23:29how desperate
23:30she must have felt,
23:31but the wedding date
23:32had come and gone,
23:33and he hadn't heard
23:34a word about it
23:34from anyone.
23:35A powerful swell
23:36of unease
23:37and guilt
23:38churned through him.
23:39He pulled out his phone
23:40and dialed Enzo.
23:41Have that ruby necklace
23:42we acquired at the auction
23:43the other day
23:43sent to the suburban villa
23:44give it to Catalina.
23:45After the words
23:46left his mouth,
23:47he hesitated,
23:48then added,
23:49Wait, forget it.
23:50I'll go myself.
23:52That stunt
23:52she pulled in the lounge,
23:54faking a miscarriage,
23:55pissed me off.
23:57She's probably still sulking,
23:59but it's been long enough.
24:01She should have cooled down
24:02by now.
24:03I'll go smooth things over.
24:04Bianca was standing
24:05barely two steps away
24:07and heard every word.
24:08A flicker of panic
24:09crossed her eyes.
24:11Kevin, you promised
24:11you'd only love me.
24:14I'm the woman you married.
24:15I'm your legal wife.
24:17I won't allow you
24:18to go to that suburban villa
24:19to see that bitch.
24:20Kevin's gaze turned cold.
24:23Watch what you call her.
24:29If we're keeping score
24:30on who wronged whom's,
24:31we're the ones who owe her.
24:32Don't let me hear you
24:32say another bad word about her.
24:34Kevin fixed his gaze on Bianca,
24:36his expression as dark as could be.
24:38Bianca's face tightened
24:39with jealousy.
24:40But the moment she saw
24:41that arguing would get her nowhere,
24:43the anger vanished from her face.
24:45Her lower lip trembled
24:46and tears gathered in her eyes.
24:47Don't be mad at me, baby.
24:50I said those things
24:51only because she insulted me last time
24:52and threatened to kill my parents.
24:55I was upset.
24:56I wasn't thinking.
24:57But please,
24:59don't go see her, okay?
25:01Once you leave me for a second,
25:02I'm terrified you won't come back.
25:03In the past,
25:04that pitiful little routine
25:06worked on Kevin every time.
25:07But now,
25:08watching her guilty,
25:09evasive eyes
25:10and her repeated attempts
25:12to block him,
25:13he finally sensed
25:14that something was wrong.
25:15Before he could press the point,
25:16the phone in his hand
25:17rang sharply.
25:18Enzo's voice burst
25:19through the receiver,
25:20urgent in a way
25:21Kevin had rarely heard.
25:22Boss,
25:23there's no one
25:23at the suburban villa.
25:24I went myself,
25:25not even a single servant.
25:27Judging by the dust,
25:28no one set foot
25:28in that house
25:29in at least a month.
25:30I've checked every informant
25:32and look out in the area.
25:33Not one of them
25:33has seen Catalina.
25:34The phone slipped
25:35from Kevin's hand.
25:38Whatever Enzo said next,
25:39he didn't hear a word.
25:41Catalina hadn't gone
25:42to the suburban villa.
25:43Then where had she gone?
25:44A full two weeks,
25:45not a trace.
25:46He remembered the way
25:47she'd looked in the lounge
25:48that night,
25:49drenched in a pool
25:50of her own blood.
25:51His heartbeat accelerated
25:52faster and faster
25:54until it threatened
25:55to crack his ribs apart.
25:56Kevin grabbed Bianca
25:57by the collar
25:58and hauled her up
25:59to face him.
26:00You said Catalina's miscarriage
26:02was fake that night.
26:03Are you sure about that?
26:04The look in his eyes
26:05drained the color
26:06from Bianca's face,
26:07but she steeled herself
26:09and nodded.
26:09Of course it's true.
26:11She was putting on
26:12an act that night.
26:13All that blood
26:13was from blood packs.
26:16No!
26:17The realization
26:17struck Kevin
26:18like a freight train.
26:19The tremor in his voice
26:20was beyond his control.
26:22Catalina was wearing
26:23fitted clothes that night.
26:24There was nowhere
26:24to hide blood packs.
26:27The blood,
26:28the blood on the floor,
26:29it was all real.
26:32She really did have
26:33a miscarriage because...
26:35His face went pale
26:36in an instant.
26:38Because I had someone
26:39force her to drink
26:40all that alcohol!
26:43His knees buckled.
26:45He nearly collapsed
26:46where he stood.
26:46The next second,
26:47a slap cracked
26:48across Bianca's face
26:49with such force
26:50that she staggered
26:51back two full steps.
26:53You'd better pray
26:54Catalina's alive.
26:56Otherwise,
26:57I'll throw you
26:57to the wolfhounds!
27:00Kevin lost count
27:01of how many red lights
27:02he ran.
27:03The black Bentley
27:03screeched to a halt
27:05outside the iron gates
27:06of the suburban villa.
27:07Enzo was already
27:07waiting at the entrance,
27:09his face ashen.
27:10He immediately
27:11stepped forward
27:11to report.
27:12Boss,
27:13I've got the full picture now.
27:14You might want
27:15to brace yourself.
27:15The two men assigned
27:16to guard the isolation room
27:17were dragged over.
27:18Before Enzo could say a word,
27:20they'd already crumpled
27:21to the floor
27:22like wet clay,
27:23spilling everything
27:23in a panicked torrent.
27:25Boss,
27:26it wasn't our call.
27:27It was Miss Bianca.
27:28She used the Donna's authority
27:30to issue the order.
27:31Said Catalina was a thief.
27:32That she was the person
27:33you despised most.
27:34That we were to make her suffer
27:36and show no mercy.
27:38That's why...
27:39That's why we put her in
27:41with the worst of them.
27:42The color drained
27:43from Kevin's face,
27:44but the truth
27:44was far more brutal
27:46than he'd imagined.
27:47Enzo handed over
27:47a video file,
27:48his expression grim.
27:50Boss,
27:50this is surveillance footage
27:51from the corridor
27:52outside the restroom
27:53the night of the banquet.
27:54The image was projected
27:55onto the wall.
27:56The first scene
27:56that caught his eye
27:57was Bianca
27:58slapping Catalina
27:59across the face.
28:00In the entire video
28:01from start to finish,
28:02there was not a single word
28:03from Catalina
28:04insulting Bianca.
28:05No threat against her
28:06or her parents.
28:07Don,
28:08it was Bianca.
28:09She'd struck
28:10Donna Catalina first.
28:11Donna,
28:11she...
28:12Kevin raised his hand,
28:14cutting Enzo off.
28:15He saw it.
28:15It was Bianca.
28:16She'd struck Catalina first,
28:18then unleashed a torrent
28:19of vicious,
28:19contemptuous abuse,
28:21and finally
28:21ripped open her own dress
28:23and thrown herself
28:24to the ground.
28:24Then she'd turned
28:25the entire story
28:26on its head
28:26and pinned everything
28:27on Catalina,
28:28and he believed her.
28:29The face contorted
28:30with malice in that footage
28:32was a Bianca
28:32Kevin had never seen.
28:34This woman,
28:34he'd actually believed
28:35she was innocent,
28:36believed she was virtuous,
28:37and because of her,
28:39he'd sent Catalina
28:39into that lightless pit
28:40with his own hands.
28:42Alongside the video,
28:43in the medical report
28:44pulled from hospital archives,
28:45Enzo's voice
28:46dropped lower still.
28:48Boss,
28:49this is from
28:49the hospital's records.
28:51Donna Catalina
28:52was indeed
28:52eight weeks pregnant.
28:57Kevin stared
28:58at the results
28:59and the date
28:59on the report.
29:00From deep in his throat
29:01came a sound
29:02that barely resembled
29:03anything human.
29:04That night,
29:05when he'd walked
29:05out of the lounge,
29:07Catalina had been
29:07clinging to his pant leg
29:09in desperation,
29:09and he'd pried
29:10her fingers off.
29:11One by one,
29:12the final look
29:13of absolute desolation
29:15in her eyes.
29:15It seared into his brain
29:17now like a white-hot brand.
29:19His tall frame
29:19swayed once,
29:20then crumpled.
29:21He collapsed to his knees
29:22on the cold tile floor.
29:24Kevin finally understood.
29:25Catalina's resolve
29:26hadn't been a tantrum.
29:27She wasn't waiting
29:28for him to come
29:29crawling back
29:29with apologies.
29:30She was truly
29:31done with him,
29:32and their child
29:33was gone too
29:34because of him.
29:37No,
29:38Lena.
29:39No,
29:40I just,
29:40I was just tricked.
29:43Don't go,
29:44Catalina.
29:45The sobs broke
29:46free from his throat
29:47beyond all control.
29:48One hour later,
29:49inside the estate,
29:50Bianca had been
29:51flung to the floor
29:52like a bag of garbage.
29:53Her face was swollen
29:54and bruised,
29:55finger-shaped welts
29:56clearly visible
29:57around her throat.
29:58There was a deep red mark
29:59around her neck
30:00and she was gasping
30:01for air.
30:01Tears and snot
30:03smeared across her face,
30:04still desperately clawing
30:05at Kevin's pant leg.
30:07Baby Kev,
30:08Daddy,
30:08please don't do this to me.
30:09I know I was wrong.
30:11I only did it
30:12because I love you too much.
30:13Please forgive me this once.
30:15Catalina's gone,
30:16but you still have me.
30:17Let's just pretend
30:18none of this ever happened.
30:19Let me take her place
30:20by your side,
30:21okay?
30:22Kevin looked down at her.
30:23He remembered that night.
30:24Catalina had clung
30:25to his pant leg
30:26the same way
30:27and he'd peeled
30:27her fingers away
30:28one by one
30:29and pushed her
30:30into the abyss.
30:31Cold, savage fury
30:33rose to the surface
30:34of his eyes.
30:35He crouched down,
30:36staring at that
30:36tear-streaked face
30:37and felt nothing
30:38but revulsion.
30:39You should never
30:40have touched her.
30:42My Catalina
30:43and my child are gone.
30:45Now you should
30:46disappear too.
30:47He kicked her aside
30:48and turned away.
30:49Bianca was dragged
30:50toward the door
30:50by his men,
30:51thrashing
30:52and screaming hysterically.
30:53The moment she was
30:54hauled past the threshold,
30:55she lost her mind
30:56completely.
30:57Her voice shredded raw
30:58as she shrieked.
30:59Kevin Mangino!
31:00Kill me and Catalina
31:01still won't come back!
31:02With that much blood loss,
31:03she and that bastard
31:04are long dead!
31:05You're the one
31:06who didn't believe her!
31:07You killed them
31:07with your own hands!
31:08You deserve to die childless!
31:09To lose the one
31:10you love forever!
31:11The door slammed shut,
31:12but her voice hung
31:13in the air like a curse,
31:14every syllable carved
31:16into Kevin's skull.
31:17After that day,
31:18everyone in New York's
31:18underworld knew
31:19Kevin Mancini
31:20had lost his mind.
31:23Kevin searched for me
31:24at any cost.
31:25He burned through
31:26every resource
31:26the Mancini organization had,
31:28cash flow collapsed,
31:29debts mounted,
31:30and he didn't so much
31:31as blink.
31:32But all of it
31:33had nothing to do
31:33with me anymore,
31:35safe at the Valenti
31:36estate on Long Island.
31:37I was the daughter
31:38the Valenti family
31:39had lost 20 years ago.
31:40When I was small,
31:41one of my father's rivals
31:42had bribed our household nanny
31:44and smuggled me
31:44out of the estate.
31:45But the woman
31:46eventually lost her nerve
31:47halfway through
31:48and abandoned me
31:49on the doorstep
31:50of an orphanage.
31:51It was the dead of winter.
31:52I'd burned with a fever
31:53that nearly killed me.
31:55When I woke,
31:55my memories were shrouded
31:57behind a thick veil.
31:58I couldn't recall a thing.
31:59Not until six months ago,
32:01when that veil was lifted,
32:02inch by inch.
32:03I finally remembered
32:04that I wasn't
32:05some parentless orphan.
32:06At my request,
32:07my parents had kept
32:08our reunion completely private.
32:10I wanted Kevin to hear
32:11the truth from me
32:12on our wedding day.
32:13My parents,
32:14Vittorio and Helena,
32:15had already prepared
32:16a wedding gift
32:17worth billions.
32:18They wanted to witness
32:19their daughter
32:20walk down the aisle
32:21to pour 20 years
32:22of absent love
32:23back into a single moment.
32:25But all of it
32:26had turned to ash
32:26because of Kevin's betrayal.
32:28Three days earlier,
32:29I told my father's men
32:30to come for me
32:31when I failed to meet them
32:32as planned.
32:33They started looking.
32:34By the time they tracked me
32:35to the club that night,
32:36I'd already gone into
32:37hemorrhagic shock.
32:38The baby didn't survive.
32:40I spent two weeks
32:40in a hospital bed
32:41before they managed
32:42to drag me back
32:43from the edge.
32:44After surviving
32:44that brush with death,
32:46I thought I'd never
32:47see Kevin Mancini again
32:48for the rest of my life.
32:49I was wrong
32:50at my welcome banquet.
32:51He stormed in
32:52like a caged animal
32:54driven mad,
32:55flanked by the last
32:56handful of men
32:57still willing to follow him.
32:58The two sides clashed
32:59in the corridor
33:00outside the ballroom.
33:01Gunshots,
33:02shouted orders,
33:03the dull thud
33:04of bodies colliding.
33:05All of it bled
33:06through the heavy walls
33:07into the glittering
33:08hall beyond.
33:09Catalina!
33:12My father had long
33:13since reached his limit.
33:15Drag him out.
33:16Beat him until
33:16he can never stand again.
33:18Six men pinned Kevin
33:19to the ground.
33:20Fists and boots
33:20hammered into him
33:21in a relentless rhythm.
33:23He coughed up
33:23a mouthful of blood
33:24and still screamed
33:25my name
33:26with everything
33:26he had left.
33:27Catalina!
33:29Let me see her!
33:30Just once!
33:32That's all I'm asking.
33:34A bodyguard grabbed
33:35a fistful of his hair
33:36and ground his face
33:37into the marble floor.
33:38My mother stepped
33:39in front of me,
33:40blocking my view.
33:41But I'd already heard him.
33:42I rose to my feet,
33:43moved past my mother's
33:45outstretched arms,
33:46and pushed open
33:47the door to the corridor.
33:48The storm of blows stopped.
33:50Kevin lay face down
33:51on the cold floor,
33:52drenched in blood.
33:54The instant he heard
33:54the door open,
33:55he forced his head up
33:56with everything he had.
33:58Those eyes,
33:58at once so fierce,
34:00so untamable,
34:01were now shot through
34:02with red.
34:02So wretched
34:03they turned my stomach.
34:04He saw me.
34:05His lips began
34:06to tremble violently.
34:07Instinct drove his hand
34:09toward the hem
34:09of my dress.
34:10But the moment
34:11his gaze met mine,
34:12that hand froze
34:13in midair
34:13and withdrew.
34:15I've cut Bianca off.
34:17Completely.
34:18His voice was so ravaged.
34:20Lena, I was wrong.
34:23I was too arrogant.
34:25Too certain you loved me.
34:28Too certain you'd never leave.
34:30But it wasn't until
34:32you were actually gone.
34:34That I realized
34:36the one who can't live
34:38without the other
34:38is me.
34:39He drew a ragged breath,
34:40blood and tears
34:41mingling across his face.
34:43He looked like a beaten stray
34:44left out in the rain.
34:49I'm losing everything.
34:52I'm exactly where I was
34:53ten years ago.
34:55Can we start over?
34:57This time,
34:58I'll cherish you
35:00with my life.
35:02Everything I have,
35:05everything I am,
35:06all of it yours.
35:10Only yours.
35:11I looked down at him
35:12and then I smiled.
35:13Why would I take back
35:14secondhand garbage?
35:16His pupils contracted sharply.
35:18That cheap,
35:19disgusting love of yours,
35:20those worthless promises,
35:21save them for Bianca.
35:23I stepped back,
35:24undisguised contempt in my eyes.
35:25If there were any justice
35:26in this world,
35:27you'd already be
35:27rotting in the ground.
35:29This is the last time,
35:30the only time.
35:31Stay away from me,
35:32Kevin.
35:33I don't want to see you again.
35:34His mouth hung open.
35:35His whole body shook.
35:37He tried to say something more.
35:38His lips moved.
35:39Once.
35:40Twice.
35:41But under my cold,
35:42absolute gaze,
35:43he could no longer find
35:44a single trace of the devotion
35:46that once lived there.
35:47Something in his face changed,
35:49as if he'd finally understood.
35:50The Catalina who had once loved him
35:52with her whole heart was gone.
35:54He'd killed her with his own hands.
35:55He collapsed in the corridor's pool of blood,
35:58weeping until his chest
35:59threatened to crack apart.
36:00The bodyguard stepped forward,
36:02seized his collar,
36:03and dragged him toward
36:04the dark alley beyond.
36:05He was still calling out to me.
36:07Catalina, don't,
36:07don't leave me.
36:09I was wrong.
36:10I really was wrong.
36:11I can't live without you.
36:13I frowned and waved my hand.
36:15A bodyguard in a black suit
36:16immediately stepped forward respectfully.
36:20Yes, ma'am.
36:21Shut him up.
36:22I never want to hear my name
36:23come out of his mouth again.
36:24Understood.
36:25He nodded and went after them,
36:26and I turned and walked back
36:28into the brilliantly lit ballroom.
36:29Behind me,
36:30that grating,
36:31broken wailing,
36:32along with those filthy,
36:34wasted ten years.
36:35I shut the door on all of it.
36:37For days afterward,
36:39the rain came down in sheets.
36:40Kevin dragged his shattered leg
36:42to the iron gates
36:43of the Valenti Estate.
36:44Day after day,
36:45he knelt in mud
36:46where the standing water
36:47rose past his knees,
36:48hair plastered to his forehead,
36:50his clothes so waterlogged.
36:52They seemed to drag him
36:53into the earth
36:54every few hours.
36:55The bodyguards came out
36:56to clear the area.
36:57He was kicked face first
36:58into the muck
36:59and crawled back up,
37:00dragged to the curb,
37:02and fought his way back.
37:03His broken right leg
37:04traced a long furrow
37:05through the muddy water
37:06behind him.
37:06He refused to leave.
37:08Tell Catalina,
37:09I'm out here.
37:10If she's willing to see me,
37:12even just one word.
37:15My father sat in his study,
37:17watching the wretched figure
37:18outside the gates
37:19through the security feed.
37:20He set his teacup down
37:21on the desk
37:22with a sharp crack.
37:23He had the nerve
37:24to do this to my daughter.
37:25He should have been prepared
37:26to face the consequences.
37:28My mother placed her hand
37:29over my father's,
37:30her voice steady,
37:31though her eyes burned
37:32with a hatred
37:33like molten iron.
37:34Make him regret
37:35the day he was born.
37:36The Valenti family's reckoning
37:38wasn't a sudden storm.
37:39It was a slow blade.
37:40My father rallied
37:41the other four
37:42of the five families
37:43and launched
37:43a systematic annihilation
37:45of the Mancini operation.
37:46First, the money.
37:47Every underground bank
37:48froze Mancini's account
37:50simultaneously.
37:51Then the partnerships,
37:52allies who'd once
37:53fallen over themselves
37:54to court Kevin's favor,
37:55turned on him overnight.
37:57Projects were seized,
37:58supply lines severed,
37:59territory devoured
38:00piece by piece.
38:01The most lethal cut
38:02came from within.
38:03His underboss,
38:04Marco Moretti,
38:05the right hand
38:06who'd been at Kevin's side
38:07for seven years,
38:08defected on a rainy night,
38:09taking two-thirds
38:10of the inner circle
38:11with him to the Valenti camp.
38:12He left without
38:13a single word.
38:14Kevin's empire
38:15fell like a row of dominoes.
38:16Once the first tile toppled,
38:18the rest crashed down
38:19in an unstoppable cascade.
38:21Debt piled up like mountains.
38:23The hitmen kept coming.
38:24The men who'd once bowed
38:25and scraped
38:26before Don Mancini
38:27now couldn't wait
38:28to climb over his corpse.
38:29He plummeted from his tower
38:31into the abyss so fast,
38:32he didn't even have time
38:33to scream.
38:34And then,
38:35the once-untouchable
38:36rising dawn,
38:37New York's youngest,
38:38most vicious,
38:39most formidable power broker,
38:41Kevin Mancini,
38:42vanished from everyone's sight.
38:45Six months later,
38:46I formally took over
38:47my father's operations
38:48in New York.
38:49The day I inspected the docks,
38:50the motorcade rolled
38:51slowly along the coastline.
38:53Early autumn winds
38:54slipped through the cracked window,
38:56carrying the briny smell
38:57of the sea.
38:58On the wharf,
38:59workers hauled heavy cargo crates
39:00under the blistering sun,
39:01the foreman's shouts
39:03and the clang of chains
39:04tangled together
39:05in a harsh, grating din.
39:07The car slowed
39:07as we passed an unloading zone,
39:09and my gaze snagged
39:10briefly on a figure,
39:11a man with a limp,
39:12spine curved,
39:14clothes in tatters.
39:15He was struggling
39:16to lift an iron crate,
39:17his broken right leg
39:18making his body list
39:19uncontrollably to one side.
39:21The crate slipped
39:22from his grip
39:22and crashed to the ground,
39:24its contents scattering everywhere.
39:26A foreman charged over
39:28and drove a boot
39:29straight into the back
39:30of his knee,
39:30the broken one.
39:31He crumpled forward,
39:32forehead striking
39:34the rough concrete.
39:35Useless piece of shit!
39:36Can't even carry a crate
39:37and you think
39:37you deserve to eat?
39:38A second foreman
39:39grabbed him
39:40by the scruff of his neck
39:41and hauled him upright
39:42like a dead dog.
39:44Please, please,
39:46give me one more chance.
39:48The voice was so ravaged
39:49it was nearly unrecognizable,
39:51but I still knew
39:51who it was.
39:52That was Kevin Mancini.
39:54Once,
39:54all he had to do
39:55was lift his chin
39:56and every underworld power
39:58in New York
39:58would clear the way.
39:59Now,
40:00he knelt on the docks,
40:01under a merciless sun,
40:02kicked to the ground
40:03because he couldn't
40:04carry a single iron crate,
40:05so degraded
40:06that even his right
40:07to beg was slipping away.
40:08I looked for two seconds,
40:10then I turned my gaze away,
40:11indifferent,
40:12beside me.
40:13Alexander's low,
40:14gentle voice
40:14broke the silence.
40:15Tired?
40:16He extended his hand.
40:17I placed mine in his palm.
40:19The car window glided up,
40:20sealing away the noise,
40:22the dust,
40:22and that hunched,
40:23broken figure.
40:24All of it shut out
40:25behind the glass.
40:26The motorcade merged
40:27onto the main road
40:28and headed toward
40:29the open horizon ahead.
40:30I didn't look back.

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