Silence on the other end.
Then: "You need to come home."
"No."
"Stefan—"
"I said no." My hand tightened on the phone. "I'm not coming back, Antonio. Not to Giuseppe. Not to that life. I'm done."
"You don't have a choice." Antonio's voice hardened. "The other families are asking questions. Wanting to know why Giuseppe's son is living with his enemies. Wanting to know if you're cooperating. If you're feeding them information about us."
"I'm not."
"Then prove it. Come home. Cut ties with the Vitales. Show everyone you're still a Romano."
I laughed. The sound was bitter even to my own ears. "I was never really a Romano, Antonio. I was just a pretty face at charity events. A prop to make the family look respectable. You all made that very clear."
"That's not fair—"
"Isn't it? When's the last time Giuseppe asked my opinion about anything? When's the last time any of you treated me like I mattered for more than my appearance?" My voice was rising. I forced it back down. "The family never needed me. You needed a decoration. You can find someone else to fill that role."
Matteo's eyes were on me. Steady. Supportive. I focused on him and kept talking.
"Stefan, listen to me." Antonio's tone shifted. Softer. Almost pleading. "I know Giuseppe's been hard on you. I know he doesn't value you the way he should. But you're still family. Still my brother. And right now, the family needs you to come home."
"Why? So Giuseppe can parade me around and prove I'm not cooperating with his enemies? So he can use me to deflect questions about his FBI cooperation?"
Silence.
"You know about that?" Antonio asked quietly.
"I know everything. Matteo showed me the evidence. Giuseppe's trying to flip. Trying to bury the Vitales while protecting himself." I closed my eyes. "How could he do that, Antonio? Cooperating with the feds? That's—it's unforgivable. The other families will never let that stand."
"Which is why we need you to come home and present a united front. Show everyone the Romanos are still strong. Still loyal to each other."
"Except Giuseppe's not loyal. He's not loyal to the code. He's not loyal to the other families. He's barely loyal to his own sons."My chest felt tight. "He sent me to Inferno expecting me to fail. Expecting me to die or get caught. He wanted to be rid of me, Antonio. The weak son. The embarrassment."
"That's not—Stefan, you're wrong—"
"Am I? Be honest with me for once. Did Giuseppe actually expect me to succeed? Or was this mission just a convenient way to eliminate the son who didn't fit?"
Antonio was quiet for a long moment.
"He underestimated you," he said finally. "We all did. You're tougher than any of us gave you credit for."
The admission hurt more than outright cruelty would have.
"Well, I'm not coming back," I said. "Tell Giuseppe I'm staying with the Vitales. Tell the other families I'm not cooperating—I'm not giving anyone information about the Romanos. I'm just... living my own life for once. Away from all of you."
"Stefan, you can't—the families won't accept that. They'll see you as a traitor. As someone who's choosing the enemy over blood."
"Then that's their problem. Not mine."
"It is your problem." Antonio's voice hardened again. "You think you're safe there? With Matteo DeLuca? He kidnapped you, Stefan. He's using you as leverage against us. The moment you stop being useful, he'll kill you."
Matteo's expression darkened. He could hear Antonio's raised voice through the phone.
"That's not true," I said.
