Chapter 1

My wife was the Marchetti Family's saint, the face they put on their pretty stories. In the three years of our alliance marriage, she only allowed hugs, kisses, and sleeping in each other's arms.

She always said true love meant resisting temptation, that it tested my sincerity.

But then, at my birthday sit-down, everything changed. She was pressed against the sink by her foster brother, gasping for breath.

She whispered, "Don't worry, brother. I've never let him touch me. My heart has always been yours."

Her foster brother's grip tightened around her waist, his breath ragged, and somewhere below his ear the muscle in his jaw was already working.

"Then isn't he useless as a man? Girl, you're wicked."

Adrian Marchetti chuckled softly. "He deserved it. He pushed me into this marriage, angered you into running out of territory."

The sting cut deep. I killed the screen on my phone, walked out of the hotel quietly, no sound to mark my exit. The doorman didn't so much as glance up.

On the drive home, I called Salvatore Marchetti, her father. The Don.

"Don Salvatore, the three years are up. Can I walk away now?"

——

"It's been three years, Rocco. Are you really telling me you haven't developed any feelings for Adrian?"

A long, weary sigh came down the line, the kind of sigh a Don doesn't let just anyone hear.

I stayed silent.

How could I not?

In the three years of our pact, even though she never shared my bed, everything she did had been the work of a woman deeply in love.

She bought us matching things, pouting playfully and saying, "One for you, one for me."

Even though the Family's business kept her moving, she never came back from a run out of territory without something for me.

She never missed a holiday, always throwing a grand party for my birthday, the whole inner circle watching her play the devoted wife.

Her kindness was the talk of every social club in Marchetti territory.

And that's exactly why, even though I knew this marriage was a transaction sworn under the Don's seal, I couldn't help but give her my heart, piece by piece.

But now I saw it all for what it was: nothing but a well-played game, a calculated act of revenge.

If that was the case, then I would take back what I had foolishly given her: my heart.

I remained silent, and Don Salvatore took my silence as confirmation. After a long, heavy pause, he sighed again.

"Alright. Since you insist, I keep my word. I'll arrange your leaving in half a month. But this stays between us. There's no walking away from the Family without my seal, and I'll grant it quiet. She's so taken with you right now, if she learns the truth, I fear she'll lose her mind."

I curled my lips into a faint, ironic smile.

Adrian? Lose her mind? Her heart had never truly belonged to me.

She had deceived everyone at that table, everyone who kissed the ring and called her the family's pride. But I had no intention of breaking her omertà for her.

When I got home, I sank onto the sofa, the hours slipping by until nightfall, the harbor lights coming up across the water.

Adrian returned, her arms slipping around me from behind the back of the sofa. Her voice was soft and playful, like a kitten coaxing affection.

"Hubby, why did you leave so suddenly? You didn't answer my calls. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I just suddenly felt a bit…"

As I spoke, I turned my head to look at her, only to freeze. My eyes caught the dark red marks on her neck and my breath hitched in my throat.

Adrian didn't notice anything unusual. She nuzzled her cheek against mine, her voice soft.

"Hmm? You just felt a bit what?"

I forced a smile, my words barely escaping.

"A bit unwell."

She tensed, pulling away from me instantly. Her hand flew to my forehead, her gaze scanning my face with concern.

"How come you're suddenly sick? What's wrong? I'll take you to the doctor."

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed my hand, ready to drag me out the door.

I gently pulled her back toward the couch. "No need. It was just a headache. I'm feeling better now."

"Really?"

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Under the table, her thumbnail pressed a slow crescent into the pad of her ring finger.

Seeing the reassurance in my smile, she leaned in to kiss me, her lips brushing close.

"I have a surprise for you tonight, okay?"

I turned my head slightly, avoiding her kiss. My thumb found the band on my finger and turned it a half-turn, the way it always did when something old was bleeding again.

She paused, looking at me in confusion. I offered a faint smile in response.

"Did you drink a lot tonight? Go take a shower."

Adrian sniffed her sleeve, then chuckled as if trying to cover up something she hadn't quite caught.