Chapter 4

When I walked out of the clinic, the sky was gray.

Lee was waiting at the entrance. When he saw me come out, he handed me a coat.

“Mrs. Stanton, the Don asked me to drive you back.”

“No need.”

“He told me I must. I have to listen to him.” Lee paused and lowered his voice. “He said if anything happens to you, I’ll be the first to die.”

I looked at Lee. He had followed Luciano for ten years, loyal to the core.

“Fine.” I got into the car. “To the law firm.”

Lee froze for a moment. “Now?”

“Now.”

Lawyer Thompson pushed the divorce agreement toward me. “Luciano has already signed.”

Without even looking at it, I signed my name on the last page.

“It’s effective now.” Lawyer Thompson gathered the documents, hesitated, then said, “Emily, I don’t know if I should tell you this. When Luciano signed, his hand was shaking. I’ve worked with him for years. It’s the first time I’ve seen him like that.”

I said nothing, picked up my bag, and left.

As I stepped out of the building, the cold wind hit me, and a dull pain spread through my lower abdomen.

A message from an unknown number came through: “Mom, Dad bought me a diamond ring. It’s a whole size bigger than the one you had back then. He said anything you’ve worn brings bad luck, so he threw it away.”

There was a photo attached. Sara was waving her finger, the diamond ring glaringly bright.

In the background was the headboard of the bedroom Luciano and I once shared.

She was no longer my daughter, yet she still called me “Mom.” The irony was almost laughable.

I deleted the message and went to pick up Jenny from school.

She skipped out happily. “Mom, Dad said he’s taking me and my sister to the estate this weekend.”

“Your sister too? Do you want to go?”

My daughter thought for a moment. “I want to go take a look. I haven’t seen Dad and my sister in a long time. I miss them.”

I ruffled her hair. “You decide.”

On the weekend, Luciano’s car stopped downstairs right on time.

A black Mercedes, the license plate number known throughout New York’s underworld, conspicuous even in a crowd.

Sara came as well. She rolled down the window and smiled at me. “Mom, why do you look so pale? Can’t afford skincare anymore?”

Jenny tugged at my sleeve, puzzled by Sara’s contemptuous tone.

I left Jenny where she was and stepped closer to Luciano, speaking quietly. “Have her back before six. And—” I looked at Sara. “From beginning to end, Sara can only ever be Jenny’s sister. Keep up the act properly.”

Sara’s face darkened.

Luciano frowned, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “I know what I’m doing.”

They drove off.

That evening, Jenny returned on time, holding a lipstick.

“Sara was acting weird. She insisted on giving this to me.” She pouted. “I’m still little. I don’t want this. It seems more suitable for Mom.”

I looked at the lipstick and realized it was the one I had left at the house. So she had used Jenny to return it to me.

Jenny added, “Mom, Dad’s estate is huge, but it’s not as warm as where we live now. Uncle Lee secretly told me Dad’s been drinking every day lately, smoking more than before, and losing his temper several times. Did you and Dad have a fight?”

Faced with Jenny’s question, I didn’t know how to answer.

So I pulled her into my arms. After a long while, I finally said softly, “He has your sister with him. Don’t worry.”

I found a job in event planning. An ordinary job, ordinary salary, ordinary life.

My boss handed me an invitation. “Weekend cruise summit. Go oversee it. Big shots will be there. Don’t mess it up.”

The cruise ship was brightly lit. As I was checking the schedule on deck, I ran into Luciano.

He had his arm around Sara, laughing and talking at a gambling table. Lee and several other men stood behind him.

“Oh, working now?” Sara looked me up and down in my uniform. “It suits you, Mom.”

I ignored her and turned to leave.

Luciano called out to me. “Since you’re here, want to play a round? Ex-wife.”

I found it childish. “Not interested.”

He smiled and said to a man across the table, “Richard, my ex-wife has quite the temper. Back then, she was famous in New York’s circles for her beauty. Care to make a bet?”

The man named Richard lifted his eyes and looked at me without speaking.

His gaze was calm, but there was something Luciano lacked—breeding.

Luciano pushed his chips forward. “I bet on her. If I lose, she’s yours for tonight.”

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

Sara giggled. “Luciano, you’re so bad.”

I turned and stared at Luciano. “Say that again?”

Ten years. I knew him too well.

He was testing me—testing my bottom line, testing whether I would still lose control over him.

The cards were revealed across the table. “Blackjack. Luciano, you lost.”

Richard placed his cards face down and stood up.

He walked toward me. He was tall, his shadow falling over me.

“Are you Emily?” His voice was steady. “I’m Richard DeLuca. Don’t worry. I just need a female companion to deal with the old men in my family. Paid by the hour. Are you willing?”