Chapter 3

"You're right, Mr. Moretti. I feel the same way," Eryn said. "How well a flower grows depends entirely on the person tending it. Look at this iris. I've taken care of it every single day."

Aiden and Eryn met that fall, when the irises were in full bloom.

Flowers brought them together.

And, ironically, so did I.

After that, Aiden began ordering flowers from Eryn regularly. Roses, peonies, magnolias, lilacs. More and more arrived at the estate until the garden behind our villa looked like something out of another world.

And with every delivery, Aiden and Eryn grew closer.

Then one day, Aiden told me he wanted to help Eryn and her family.

"She's young, smart, and willing to work," he said. "She's been stuck selling flowers because her family has nothing. It would be a waste to leave her there when she could do more."

Eryn stood beside him, nervously rubbing the thick calluses on her hands.

"Nina, I'll work hard. I promise. I had to leave school after my mother's accident because someone had to support my family. If the Moretti Family gives me a chance, I won't waste it."

Her face was young, but exhaustion had already settled into it.

Looking at her, I suddenly remembered Aiden at eight years old, sitting alone in that freezing stairwell with nowhere to go.

My heart softened.

So I agreed.

For a long time after that, I treated Eryn like a younger sister.

I bought her clothes, taught her how to dress for Family dinners, and explained the rules she needed to know if she wanted to survive around powerful men. I taught her which names mattered, when to speak, and when silence was safer.

She used to tell me I was the kindest person she'd ever met.

She even promised that if she ever had the chance, she would repay everything I'd done for her.

And Eryn certainly didn't disappoint me.

With Aiden's support, she eventually earned a place inside one of the Moretti Family's most important legitimate businesses.

The same night we celebrated her new position, she climbed into my husband's bed.

I'd come home early that evening, carrying a cake and planning to prepare dinner for her.

Instead, I walked into our bedroom and found them together.

Their clothes were half undone, their bodies pressed against each other.

Something inside me snapped.

I threw the cake at them.

Then I went through the house and destroyed every flower Aiden had collected. Pots shattered against the floor. Soil covered the marble. Roses, lilies, magnolias, all of them ended up crushed beneath my feet.

Aiden pulled Eryn behind him.

He didn't look guilty.

He looked at me as if I were the one embarrassing him.

"Nina, when you're finished making a scene, close the door."

His voice was ice cold.

"You might not care about humiliating yourself, but Eryn still has a reputation to protect."

Between his mistress and his wife, Aiden had chosen her without hesitation.

I demanded an explanation.

Aiden only frowned.

"Nina, you're still my wife. You're still Mrs. Moretti. As long as you behave yourself, Eryn will never threaten your position."

As though that was supposed to comfort me.

Then Eryn suddenly dropped to her knees.

"Nina, I know I've wronged you."

Tears filled her eyes.

"But Aiden and I truly love each other. We understand each other in a way no one else does."

She reached for my hand, but I pulled away.

"I'll never forget everything you've done for me. I don't need his name. I don't need to become his wife, and I'll never compete with you. I only want to stay beside him."

Back then, I was barely in my twenties.

I was still young enough to believe betrayal should have consequences.

So I took everything I knew about their affair and brought it before the Moretti Family's council.

A Don sleeping with a woman he'd personally brought into the Family while humiliating his lawful wife was more than a private matter. Our marriage had been recognized by the old families, and I wanted every capo at that table to know exactly what Aiden had done.

Reality taught me a lesson instead.

The council had no intention of turning against Aiden Moretti.

By then, he controlled too much money, too much territory, and too many men.

No one was willing to punish the most powerful Don in the room over his wife's humiliation.

Instead, I received a warning.

I was told to stop creating trouble for the Family and to keep private matters behind closed doors.

Aiden went even further.

In front of his capos and senior associates, he openly placed Eryn under his personal protection.

"From now on, Eryn Ziegler is under my protection."

His meaning couldn't have been clearer.

Anyone who touched her would have to answer to Aiden Moretti.