PROLOGUE
ISABELLA
The plane touches down in New York at midnight and I'm home for the first time in months.
Home.
I feel… different.
At least that's what I tell myself as I walk through the private terminal with my suitcases trailing behind me and my heart doing something complicated in my chest.
Matteo is waiting by the car.
He sees me and his whole face transforms, relief and joy and something that looks like he might actually cry, and then I'm running and he's catching me and we're holding each other inthe middle of the terminal like we're the only two people in the world.
"You're home," he says into my hair. "You're actually home."
"I'm home," I confirm, and my voice is thick with tears I'm trying not to shed.
He pulls back and looks at me, really looks at me, taking inventory like he needs to confirm all the important pieces are still attached.
"You look good," he says finally. "Older. More—" He stops. "Just good."
"You look tired."
"I am tired." He picks up my suitcases. "Running this family is exhausting. Come on. Let's get you back to the house, Luca can’t wait to see you. We have a lot to talk about."
The drive through the city is quiet at first. I watch the familiar streets pass and try to reconcile the girl who left with the woman who came back, and somewhere in the silence Matteo starts talking.
"Things have changed since you left," he says carefully. "The situation with the O'Rourkes has gotten worse. Declan is making moves. Taking territory. Making threats. We've been holding him off but it's getting harder."
"I heard some of it from Alessia. The calls weren't always clear on details."
"I didn't want to worry you while you were away." He glances at me. "But now that you're back, you need to know everything. Including—" He stops.
"Including what?"
He's quiet for a long moment.
"We made an alliance," he says finally. "With the De Luca family. Salvatore De Luca. It's the only way to keep the O'Rourkes from destroying us."
Something cold settles in my stomach.
"What kind of alliance?"
"The permanent kind." His hands tighten on the steering wheel. "Isabella, I need you to understand that I didn't make this decision lightly. I explored every other option. But this is the only way to keep everyone safe. The only way to end the war before it starts."
"Matteo." My voice comes out steady even though my heart is racing. "What kind of alliance?"
He takes a breath.
"A marriage," he says quietly. "Between you and Vittorio De Luca. Salvatore's son."
The words hang in the air between us and I feel something crack in my chest, some small hope I didn't even know I was still carrying.
"What? When?" I ask.
"Two months. The wedding is already planned. Salvatore has been very—" He pauses. "Eager."
