ella

Dante's arrogant defiance. I needed a weapon, a physical proof to shatter the illusion Eva had so carefully woven arou

in rapid, hushed Sicilian, a language Dante barely understood. "Prendi il portagioie d'argento intagliato sotto la sua

a curt, imperceptible nod and slipped out of the room. I turned back to my mother, letting my features soften int

looking like a fragile lily battered by a violent storm. Her almond eyes

va." They exchanged a look so thick with

with trembling hands to grasp mine. "Izzy," she whispered,

my voice ringing clear and cold across the silent study. "Now, prove it. Swear it before my father, the Don of the Moretti family. S

ornered, forced to gamble the very loyalty that kept her under my father's roof. The silence stretched, heav

d, pressing a delicate lace handkerchief to her mouth. A series of harsh, breathle

rm around her shoulders, instantly distracted from the o

. Sofia..." she choked out, her voice trembling with a sicken

d still. "What?"

the alliance. To protect the honor of the Moretti family. I canno

ofound, selfless devotion. They were ready to burn the world down to protect th

the study, her face an unreadable mask. In her hands, catching