We're both broken right now. Pretending we're not.
I pull on a pair of jeans.
A text comes on my phone.
Lorenzo:Starting in 5 minutes. Pietro's office.
Luna.
Luna told him she was pregnant.
There might be a child out there.
A child that could be Lorenzo's.
The thought makes me sink onto the bed. What happens if there is a kid? A thirteen-year-old who shares Lorenzo's blood? Where would that leave us?
"You're my only love."
He said it in the car, but I couldn't push when he was already drowning in betrayal. His brothers lied to him. His first love deceived him. The family he'd die for kept secrets that cut him to the bone.
But I need to know. Am I really the love of his life, or am I just the one who's here now? The convenient wife who came with a crime empire attached?
Stop. I can't think like this. Not now.
I force myself to stand, to check my appearance in the mirror. The woman staring back looks hollow. Haunted. Nothing like the girl who knocked on Lorenzo's door a month ago, desperate for protection.
That girl is dead. Daniil killed her in Marina's apartment.
This woman—whoever she is—has to be stronger. Has to face whatever comes next.
My phone buzzes again.
Lorenzo:You don't have to come if you're not ready.
But I do have to. Because I'm his wife. Because whatever Luna says will affect our future. Because I need to see her face when she talks about the child that might exist.
Me:On my way down.
The hallway feels longer than usual. Somewhere below, voices carry—Pietro's commanding tone, Nico's sharp responses. They're all gathering for this family meeting that willeither answer everything or destroy what's left of the Sartori brothers' trust.
Pietro said every member needs to be there.
I step into the living room. Vittoria sits curled in the corner of the couch, arms wrapped around her knees. Nora stands behind Pietro's chair, one hand on his shoulder. Nico paces near the window, his movements sharp and agitated.
Lorenzo doesn't look at me when I enter. He's standing by the fireplace, staring at nothing.
I take the empty spot next to Vittoria. She reaches for my hand, squeezes it once. Her fingers are ice cold.
The door opens again. Bruno wheels himself in. Lorenzo turns away from his brother completely, facing the wall like he can't stand to look at him.
Bruno looks exactly like he always does. Fury carved into every line of his face, darkness radiating from him like smoke. But there's something else today. He's angry, yes, but it's different. He's the one who betrayed everyone, who kept Luna's secret, who helped her fake her death. He should be apologizing, begging for forgiveness.
Instead, he sits there radiating rage like we're the ones who wronged him.
I scan the room, taking in each face. Pietro's expression is stone. Nico has stopped pacing but his hands are fisted at his sides. Nora watches everything. Vittoria stares at the floor.
No one speaks.
