More than anyone.
The man who had stood beside me through wars.
Through blood.
Through betrayal.
Through everything.
And he had been the one to betray me.
Not for power.
Not for money.
But for something far more dangerous.
Obsession. Possession.
Lust twisted into something ugly.
Sick.
His sudden concern for Violet. His insistence that Elena stay locked away. His certainty about the Spanish—before anyone else even spoke the word.
Everything clicked.
Everything.
With devastating clarity.
I stepped forward.
Slowly.
Controlled.
My voice dropped.
Quiet. Deadly.
“Ciro... you betrayed me.” I said, each word precise. “You desired my wife? How dare you.”
Ciro swallowed.
“Boss—”
But I didn’t let him finish.
“You conspired with Violet to frame her.”
Another step.
“You painted her as a traitor, knowing exactly how this family punishes traitors.”
“You watched me send her into that freezing room.”
“You wanted her dead—because if you couldn’t have her, I shouldn’t either...” I whispered, my chest aching with the weight of his betrayal.
