“Believe me or don’t. It’s your problem, not mine. And just so we’re clear — that same father of yours was one of my father’s favorite clients. He paid good money to violate my sister too.”
His jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle jump.
“You will be hated for the rest of your life.”
He leaned in slightly, voice dropping into something lethal.
“And when Violet has her child... you will raise it as your own.”
The air was ripped from my lungs.
It felt like a fist had punched straight through my chest, collapsing everything inward.
My ribs constricted around nothing, desperately trying to hold together something that had already shattered.
The room tilted violently.
For a few terrifying seconds, I couldn’t focus on anything except the roaring in my ears.
Vincenzo had a sister.
And my father — the man whose blood ran in my veins — had not only brutalized Vincenzo... he had violated his sister too.
The realization sliced through me like broken glass dragged across raw skin.
My heart felt torn open.
There was a sharp, physical pain behind my sternum that had nothing to do with the injuries already on my body.
Guilt surged immediately after.
I hadn’t known.
Couldn’t have known.
But that didn’t change the truth of it.
We shared the same blood.
The same name.
And Vincenzo—he had carried that pain for years.
Decades.
While I had lived with a name that, to him, meant nothing but destruction.
He shifted in his chair, crossing one leg over the other with a calm, controlled ease that made the threat behind his words hit harder.
“As you know, Violet has a heart condition that makes her fragile. Now that she is pregnant, the risks are even higher—she is more delicate than you realize.”
“For the time being, I will not deny her request to visit me as often as she wishes. That means you may see her here more than you’d like.”
“During her visits, you will not confront her, you will not raise your voice, and you will not stress her or the child she carries.”
“I warn you, Elena: do not behave like those unstable wives who lash out in jealousy. There is no love in this marriage, and there will never be any. Jealousy has no place here.”
“Do I make myself clear?”
