Chapter 4
Marco’s café was in Brooklyn, under the Williamsburg Bridge.
When I pushed the door open, Marco was behind the counter.
The moment he saw me, the rag in his hand dropped to the floor.
“Stella—”
“An espresso,” I said.
He stared at me for three seconds, then nodded and turned to make the coffee.
He set the cup down in front of me, lowering his voice.
“He’s watching you. The guy at the door—Vitale’s.”
A bodyguard Finn had sent.
He hadn’t come inside.
I took a sip. “I know.”
“What are you going to do?” Marco asked.
I set the cup down and met his eyes.
“I’m leaving him.”
Marco looked at me in silence for a few seconds, then finally said,
“I’ll help you.”
I noticed his eyes were a little red.
Isabella showed up on the third day.
I was wiping down the counter when the door opened.
She walked in, followed by two men in suits—
Not bodyguards.
Enforcers.
“Well,” she said, taking off her sunglasses as she looked around,
“the Donna of the Vitale family… wiping tables herself?”
I didn’t look up.
“Stella Scott. I’m talking to you.”
When I didn’t respond, irritation crept into her voice.
“I’m working,” I said. “Do you need something?”
She walked up to the counter, tapping her nails against the surface.
They were painted blood red, studded with tiny diamonds.
Her gaze dropped to my lower abdomen.
Her lips twitched.
“You really think having a baby will make him stay?” Isabella said, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
I froze.
How did she know?
“You’re under constant watch. Don’t forget that.”
Before I could even ask, she gave me the answer.
Then she picked up the coffee I hadn’t finished—
And threw it in my face.
The first thing I felt was heat.
The coffee ran down my hair, dripping onto my white apron.
“Don’t overestimate yourself,” she said, leaning in close, her voice soft.
“You’re just one of Finn’s toys.”
An engine sounded outside.
Finn walked in, two bodyguards behind him.
He glanced at Isabella.
Then at me.
Coffee was still dripping down my face.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
Isabella immediately moved to his side, her voice turning soft and sweet.
“Finn, I just stopped by and saw her working here. I was trying to convince her to go back—after all, she’s your wife. It doesn’t look good for her to be out here like this.”
“Then she started yelling at me—”
Finn looked at me.
“She threw coffee at me. I didn’t say a word to her,” I said.
“She’s lying!” Isabella snapped.
Finn fell silent for a moment.
Then he said “Stella. Apologize to Isabella.”
My heart sank. “What did you say?”
“Apologize,” he repeated, his voice flat.
“To Isabella.”
I looked into his eyes.
There wasn’t a trace of love left in them.
“No,” I said.
His expression darkened.
I turned to Isabella and smiled.
“From the moment you walked through that door,” I said,
“Marco has been livestreaming.”
Behind the counter, Marco held up his phone.
On the screen, the comments were flooding in.
Isabella’s face went pale.
“You—”
“Everything you said. Everything you did. Throwing coffee on me—”
I wiped the coffee off my face.
“The whole world just watched.”
The café fell silent.
Her phone rang immediately.
No one wanted to miss a scandal involving a top actress.
She answered.
Her face grew paler and paler.
Her manager.
Her PR team.
Her lawyer.
All screaming on the other end.
She hung up and looked at me, her eyes full of hatred.
“You’re going to regret this.”
“I already regret plenty,” I said.
“But not this.”
She turned and stormed out.
Finn was still standing there.
He looked at my face—
the dried coffee on my skin,
the stains on my apron.
“When did you become like this?” he asked.
“When did you stop recognizing me?” I asked, smiling at him.
He didn’t answer.
He turned and left.
Marco came out from behind the counter and handed me a towel.
“Your hands are shaking.”
I took it and wiped them slowly.
My heart was pounding.
“The video’s already everywhere,” Marco said quietly.
“She’s done.”
“Not enough,” I said.
“This is just the beginning.”
