The admission hangs between us. No excuses. No justification. Just truth.
"And now you show up half-naked expecting what? Forgiveness?"
"I'm not here for forgiveness. I'm here because Sofia has been carrying guilt that was never hers. And I can prove it."
"I'm listening. That's more than you deserve."
Marco looks at Sofia, something shifting in his expression when he sees how she's watching us. Not moving to stop him. Not defending me. Just waiting. Then his attention snaps back to me.
"You have five minutes. Inside. One wrong move and you're dead."
"Naturally."
He turns to his men. "If he tries anything, shoot his kneecaps first. I want him alive long enough to scream."
Guards flank me as we move inside. Their guns never waver, and I feel crosshairs on my spine with each step. The marble floor is cold under my feet, shocking after the hot concrete. Everything about the Rosetti compound screams old money and power, so different from my functional fortress.
But I don't care about any of it. I only care about the woman walking beside her brothers, not looking at me but not leaving either. Five minutes to change eleven years of wrong belief.
Five minutes to set her free.
The family room feels like a courtroom. Me in the center, surrounded by men who'd celebrate my death. Someone throws me a blanket. Nico, surprisingly. I wrap it around my waist. Not much dignity, but some. The papers are damp with sweat but still tucked against my hip where I'd folded them carefully, knowing I'd get one chance at this.
Sofia huddles in the corner, watching everything with those vacant eyes. Marco takes his seat at the head of the table, finally filling the empty chair that spoke volumes about their fracture. The Don holding court over what might be my execution.
"Talk."
I pull the folded papers from my waistband. They're damp with sweat but legible. My hands stay steady as I unfold them, though my heart pounds hard enough to crack ribs.
"My father knew about Mikhail and Sofia. From the beginning."
I pass the first documents to Marco. Surveillance reports, each one dated, stamped with my father's seal.
The brothers crowd around Marco's chair, reading over his shoulder. I see Dante's expression change first, understanding dawning. Then Alessandro. Nico's jaw tightens. Luca just looks confused, then angry.
"Why?" Marco's voice is deadly quiet.
I hand him the memo. The one that made me destroy my father's study.
Marco reads aloud, his voice getting rougher with each word: "M has become compromised. Emotional attachment to Rosetti girl presents operational liability. Options: (1) Eliminate the girl. (2) Redirect M's loyalty through traditional methods. (3) Allow situation to resolve naturally. Recommendation: Option 3. M will likely attend meeting to warn the Rosettis. Acceptable collateral for larger operational success."
Marco's hands tighten on the paper until it crumples at the edges. "Acceptable collateral." The words come out like he's choking on broken glass. Behind him, Luca's gone completely still. Never a good sign.
The room goes silent. Even Luca stops moving.
I pull out the security logs. Point to the highlighted entry. "He ordered the perimeter team to stand down. Made sure no one would prevent Mikhail from walking into that slaughter."
I pull out the final document. Viktor's letter to me, the one that broke something fundamental in my understanding of the world.
I read it myself, each word tasting like poison: "Mikhail's death made you pakhan. It hardened you into the weapon our family needed. Every great leader is forged in loss. Consider his sacrifice my final gift to you. You're welcome. V"
Sofia makes a sound. Small, wounded, like something breaking inside her chest.
"Your father wrote 'you're welcome' about his son's death?" Dante signs, Nico translating with disbelief in his voice.
The silence stretches until Luca breaks it, voice sharp with leftover rage. "This doesn't change what she did. She still stayed silent. Our father still died."
"Your father died because Viktor Volkov wanted him dead," I counter. "If Sofia had warned you, Viktor would have simply changed the plan. Found another way. The massacre was happening regardless."
