"No." His voice is firm. "I agreed to this arrangement for one reason. And only one reason. To protect you. To ensure you had someone capable of keeping you safe. I thought Santino Marcello was that man." He turns back to Santino, and I can see the fury radiating from him. "And what did you do? You left her. For hours. While she was in danger. While she was being terrorized."
"I came as soon as I realized—"
"Not when she called you. Not when she needed you." Papa's face is dark with rage. "She had to save herself. With a gun to her head. Because you weren't man enough to be there for her when she needed you."
Santino looks at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. "Don Dominic, I understand you're upset—"
"Upset?" Papa's voice drops to that deadly quiet tone again. "I trusted you with the most precious thing in my life. And you failed her. You failed our family."
"Papa, please—" I try again, though I'm not even sure what I'm asking for.
"The arrangement is off." Papa says it simply, with absolute finality. "The marriage. The alliance. All of it. It's done. It's over. I don’t want to ever see your face again."
Santino's head snaps up. "What?"
"You heard me clearly. This alliance was predicated on your ability to protect Liana. You couldn't do that. There's no alliance now." His voice hardens further. "If she hadn't been smart enough and well-trained enough to save herself, she'd be dead right now. And you want me to reward your failure with a marriage to my daughter? With control of my business?"
"We can work this out," Santino says, and I can hear the desperation creeping into his voice. "Don Dominic, please—"
"No." Papa puts his arm around me protectively. "We can't and we won’t. Liana is coming home with me. The engagement is over. And the Marcellos can find another family to ally with."
He starts walking me toward his car, his arm firm around my shoulders.
I look back at Santino.
He's standing there frozen, his face a mixture of shock and pain and anger.
Our eyes meet across the distance.
And I see it—the moment everything breaks for both of us. The moment we both realize what we’ve done.
"Liana—" he starts, taking a step forward.
But Papa's already opening the car door, helping me inside with gentle hands.
"We're done here," Papa says. "Stay the fuck away from my daughter."
Through the window, I watch Santino. Watch his face as he processes what just happened. Watch him realize it's over.
Papa gets in the driver's seat and starts the engine. As we pull away, I keep watching through the rear window.
Santino's still standing there in the same spot, not moving.
His crew surrounds him now, talking urgently. Probably trying to figure out what just happened, what this means for the alliance.
But he doesn't seem to hear them at all. He's just staring at our car. At me. Until we turn the corner and he disappears from view.
"You did well tonight," Papa says quietly into the silence. "I'm proud of you. You kept your head. Used your training."
I don't answer, because I can't find words. Because I don't feel proud. I don't feel victorious. I feel hollow. Empty.
I got what I wanted. The engagement is off. The marriage is cancelled. I won't have to hand over my birthright to a man who doesn't trust me.
I won.
So why does it feel like I just lost everything that matters?
"Let's get you home," Papa says gently. "Your mother is worried sick. She's been calling every five minutes."
