Fifteen days until the divorce was final, and Massimo hadn’t set foot in our house once.
That night, I couldn’t stand being alone with my thoughts anymore. I ended up at La Scala, telling myself I just wanted to catch a late performance, clear my head–but I knew damn well why I was really there.
Arianna was on stage rehearsing alone, bathed in a single spotlight. God, she was breathtaking. Every movement was pure poetry, even in her worn practice clothes and scuffed pointe shoes.
She must have sensed me watching because she suddenly looked up, those luminous eyes scanning the dark theater until they found
- me.
Her whole face lit up as she glided off stage and practically ran over to me.
“Isabella!” She grabbed my hands, her touch warm and genuine. “I’m so glad I ran into you. About the other day when my boyfriend showed up… God, that was so awkward. Let me take you to dinner? I feel terrible about how that went.”
Boyfriend. The word felt like a knife twisting in my chest.
Massimo used to tell me she was different from people like us–pure, untouched by all the blood and brutality that defined our world. A fucking angel walking among demons.
I’d thought he was being dramatic. Now, looking at her guileless smile, I could see he wasn’t wrong.
“You don’t need to apologize for anything,” I said, my voice hoarser than I intended. “Come on, I know a place.”
I took her to this cozy little trattoria nearby. When our food arrived, I noticed her eyes getting glassy.
“Hey, what’s going on? You okay?”
She pulled out a small notebook–apparently she always carried one–and scribbled furiously before sliding it across to me.
I gave up everything for him, Isabella. My vows, my calling, everything I believed in. But ever since I told him about the baby, he’s been acting like I’m some kind of disease he caught.
Baby. The word hit me like a freight train.
Of course they’d been sleeping together. I’d known it was inevitable, but having it confirmed still felt like someone had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart until it burst.
“Maybe he’s just freaking out?” I managed to choke out. “You know how guys get with big news like that.”
She wrote again, her handwriting more frantic now: What if he’s married? What if I’m just some stupid side piece who got knocked
up?
Every drop of blood in my body turned to ice. The heartbreak vanished, replaced by raw, animalistic terror.
If she found out the truth–that Massimo was my husband–she’d leave him. And when his perfect little angel walked away, he’d blame me for ruining his happiness.
He’d hunt down my parents and make me watch as he tore them apart piece by piece.
I couldn’t let that happen. Not again.
03:57
Mi scusi. You Chose White Swan. I Became Black Queen
Chapter 3
“Are you insane?” I forced out a laugh that sounded completely unhinged. “Look at yourself, Arianna. You’re absolutely fucking perfect. What man wouldn’t fall to his knees for you? He’s probably just scared shitless about becoming a dad.”
The lies tasted like poison in my mouth.
“I need to use the restroom,” I mumbled, stumbling away from the table.
In the bathroom, I called my mom with shaking hands.
“Mom? Please tell me you and Dad are safe. You’re really at the vineyard in New Zealand?”
After making her confirm three times that they’d arrived safely, I finally felt like I could breathe again.
But she could hear the panic I was trying to hide. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Did something happen with Massimo?”
My vision blurred with tears I refused to let fall. I wanted so desperately to tell her everything–about the divorce, about finding out my husband had knocked up his precious ballerina, about how I’d wasted ten years of my life loving a monster who saw me as nothing more than an annoying obligation.
In my past life, after Massimo had my parents butchered, he’d thrown me in some hellhole prison. Faked my death certificate and married Arianna before my body was even cold.
I’d spent months plotting my escape, dreaming of revenge against him, against her, against everyone who’d stolen my life. Made it
out once, only to get gunned down in an alley like a rabid dog.
“Isabella? Baby, talk to me.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Really.” My voice cracked. “Just… whatever happens, I need you to know I love you both. That you gave me
everything good in my life.”
“Honey, whatever you’re going through, we’ll figure it out together. We can start over anywhere as long as you’re happy.”
“I know exactly what I need to do, Mom. I promise.”
When I got back to the table, Arianna was staring out the window, one hand unconsciously resting on her belly where Massimo’s child was growing.
She was carrying his baby. The future he’d never wanted to give me.
But this time, I wouldn’t let jealousy and rage destroy everything.
This time, I’d disappear before that monster could use my love as a weapon against the people I cared about.
03:57
