Chapter 3

After speaking with her brother for a little while longer, Elena ended the call.

Silence settled over the room once again.

Her gaze drifted to the medical report lying on the coffee table. After staring at it for a long moment, she carefully folded the document and locked it inside a small mahogany box, as though hiding it from sight could delay the fate it carried.

Sebastian returned to the Vieri estate a week later.

He did not come home alone.

Celeste was with him.

Instead of arranging a hotel or one of the family's countless safe houses, he had her settled into the mansion next door—a luxurious estate that Valentino had given Elena as a wedding gift when she married into the Vieri family. Although the property had been transferred to her name years ago, she had never lived there, sending only a housekeeping staff every few weeks to maintain it.

Now another woman would be calling it home.

Throughout their marriage, Elena had rarely challenged Sebastian's decisions. Whenever disagreements arose, she was always the one to compromise, believing peace was worth far more than winning an argument.

For the first time, she wanted to ask whether he truly thought this was appropriate.

The question reached the tip of her tongue...

...then quietly disappeared.

She had already decided to leave.

There was no point arguing over a house she no longer intended to keep.

Without another word, she returned to packing the books that lined the shelves, arranging them neatly inside wooden crates.

Perhaps noticing how distant she seemed, Sebastian finally broke the silence.

"It's only temporary. Celeste was discharged this morning, but the doctors insisted she stay somewhere secure while she recovers. The estate next door has the best security perimeter outside the main compound."

Elena offered a faint smile without looking at him.

"She's welcome to stay," she said calmly. "Just let her know the property won't be mine for much longer. I'm transferring ownership. A few families have already expressed interest, so there may be brokers coming and going over the next few weeks."

A slight crease appeared between Sebastian's brows.

"Why would you sell it? Are you short on money?"

She slipped another book into the crate before answering.

"No. It was my brother's wedding gift, but it's been empty for years. I'd rather see someone live there than let it gather dust."

Sebastian studied her in silence.

Between the Ravenwoods and the Vieris, they owned more estates than either of them could count. He knew perfectly well that money had nothing to do with it.

Still, something in her expression told him she had no intention of explaining herself.

As he turned toward the door, his eyes landed on the stack of wooden crates.

"I thought you were reorganizing the library. Why are you packing everything?"

Elena closed the lid of one box.

"I've been meaning to donate most of these to the university library. They're only collecting dust here."

He accepted the explanation with a small nod before another thought crossed his mind.

"I almost forgot. What did the specialist say the other day? Everything happened so suddenly that I never got the chance to ask."

Elena's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the edge of the crate.

The doctor's warning echoed through her mind with painful clarity.

The poison.

The treatment that could no longer be delayed.

The husband whose signature had been needed... but who never came.

She lowered her gaze.

"It wasn't anything serious."

Sebastian accepted the answer without pressing further.

"Celeste's condition is more complicated than we expected. The attack left her badly shaken, and she's still afraid someone will come after her. I'll be staying next door for a while until she's fully recovered."

Elena simply inclined her head.

"Take good care of her."

There was no bitterness in her voice.

No accusation.

No disappointment.

Her calm acceptance unsettled him far more than anger ever could.

For a brief moment, Sebastian found himself waiting for her to ask him to stay.

She never did.

Without another word, he left.

Elena remained where she was, watching through the tall windows as he crossed the courtyard toward the neighboring estate, where Celeste was waiting.

A faint, sorrowful smile touched her lips as her vision slowly blurred.

Every corner of the Vieri mansion held pieces of the future she had once imagined. She had chosen the antique furniture in the living room, the paintings lining the hallways, the wine collection in the cellar, even the spare suits hanging untouched in his dressing room, believing that one day this house would truly feel like their home instead of the headquarters of a crime empire.

Now every memory felt like a quiet reminder of everything she had failed to keep.

After sealing the last crate, she reached for her phone, intending to call Clara and ask if she wanted to have dinner together.

Before she could dial, the screen lit up with Clara's name.

Elena answered immediately.

"Elena," Clara said, her voice tight with worry. "Don't open the family group chats. And whatever you do... don't look at the news."

A knot formed in Elena's stomach.

Instead, she opened the encrypted messaging channel used by the Vieri organization.

Hundreds of unread messages flooded the screen.

Photos.

Videos.

Rumors repeated so many times they had already become accepted as fact.

According to everyone in the syndicate, Don Sebastian Vieri had finally gone back to the woman he had loved before his marriage.

Celeste Moreau was no longer being treated as an honored guest.

She was already being spoken of as the woman who truly belonged by his side.