“You’ve gone too fucking far,” your papà spat, his voice shaking with barely contained fury. “She’s not yours until the marriage. And in case your thick skull’s forgotten—that hasn’t fucking happened yet.”

Alessandro’s tone dropped, low and lethal, slicing through the air like a drawn blade. “Then let me enlighten you, Salvatore. The moment that contract was signed—she became mine.”

“Fuck the contract,” your papà hissed, stepping forward, venom burning in his eyes. “And fuck you, Alessandro.”

A slow, sardonic smile ghosted across Alessandro’s lips as he dragged a hand along his jaw, unbothered. “So you’re backing out?”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Your heart thundered in your chest, each beat a frantic drum against your ribs. This couldn’t be happening. Not like this.

Alessandro stepped closer, the air crackling with hostility. “You want to know how to start a war with me, Salvatore?” His voice was calm—terrifyingly calm. “This is how.”

Your breath caught. They were standing on the edge of something dangerous—something that, once crossed, could never be undone. The room felt smaller with every word, the tension suffocating, the silence before the storm.

“Come here,” Alessandro said suddenly. A command. A claim.

Your papà’s jaw tightened, his glare snapping to you. “You go to your fucking room. Now.”

You didn’t freeze. Not this time. Your papà’s command cut through the air, but you stood your ground, spine straight despite the tremor in your hands.

“I’m not a possession,” you said, your voice steady even as the room vibrated with tension. “You don’t get to decide for me. Either of you.”

Both men turned to you—Alessandro’s eyes sharp with surprise, your papà’s dark with fury—but you didn’t waver. Let them rage. Let them see that you weren’t some bargaining chip to be traded or hidden away.

You’d left a note before, thinking that would be enough to end this madness—to make Alessandro understand. But you should’ve known better. Alessandro didn’t accept endings. He didn’t accept anything he didn’t control. He demanded.