“I don’t care about his money or empire,” I said. “I just want to be free of him!”
“Do you?” Vito challenged. “Or do you want to make him pay for every lie, every broken promise?”
His question hung in the air. I hesitated, the idea both terrifying and strangely exhilarating.
“You don’t understand,” I said, “I’m not like Marco. I’m not…”
“You don’t have to be like him to beat him. You just have to want it.”
“Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Why do you care?”
Vito hesitated, then spoke, his voice steady. “Because Marco doesn’t deserve to win. He thinks he’s erased you, but he’s wrong. You can take back what’s yours—your power, your dignity. You can make him regret everything.”
His words wrapped around me like a vice. The thought of Marco—his betrayal—sent a fresh wave of anger through me.
“Even if I wanted to do something,” I whispered, “how? What could I possibly do to hurt him?!”
“I’m offering you a choice,” Vito said smoothly. “You can let Marco decide your fate, or you can take control of it yourself.”
“This is just the beginning, Celia. With my help, you can rebuild your life—but not as Marco’s discarded wife. As the woman who destroyed him.”