Chapter 6

The three of them had barely reached the gravel forecourt beside the Castellano racing stables when an engine roared behind them. Serafina turned and saw a black sedan speeding toward the gates. Its driver had lost control, and it was swerving straight at them.

Everything happened in seconds. Lucian grabbed Celeste and pulled her into his arms, turning his body to shield her the way a made man shields his Don. Serafina stood several steps away, frozen, watching him choose her again without hesitation.

The car came straight at her.

Serafina barely had time to move before it slammed into her body.

Pain exploded through her. Serafina was thrown several feet and crashed onto the stones. Her vision blurred and the world spun while she struggled to breathe. Somewhere far off, soldiers were shouting, and she heard the hard click of weapons being drawn too late.

The last thing Serafina saw was Lucian holding Celeste tightly.

Again, he chose her.

Then everything went black.

* * *

When Serafina woke up, she was in her own bed at the villa, and her back was still burning. A soldier stood posted outside the door. Lucian sat beside her, and the moment her eyes opened, guilt flashed across his face.

"Sera, you're awake. That car came out of nowhere and hit you. My men are already looking for the driver. Everything happened too fast. I only reacted because Celeste was closest to me. I'm sorry. Please don't think I deliberately left you behind."

Serafina closed her eyes and turned her face away. What was there to explain? She knew exactly what had happened. There was a time when it didn't matter how far away she was. If she was in trouble, Lucian would come looking for her without hesitation, and the whole Family knew better than to stand in his way. He'd always been the first person to stand between her and danger.

That man was gone.

The heart that once seemed to belong only to Serafina was now divided between Celeste and the children he had with her.

During her recovery, Lucian seemed determined to make up for it. He cancelled sit-downs to stay beside her whenever he could, brought her meals, checked her wounds, and kept asking if Serafina needed anything.

Serafina barely spoke to him.

Soon it was time for the twins' sixth birthday. Lucian held a lavish banquet at the villa. His parents came from the Castellano Estate, along with relatives, capos, silent partners, and every associate eager to pay respects to the Castellano heirs. Black cars lined the drive, and soldiers watched the gates with their jackets unbuttoned.

Serafina stood quietly to the side, watching his parents fuss over the twins. The boys were spoiled and wild, and they clearly knew they could get away with anything. They ran around the villa, laughed when they shoved the staff, and knocked into her more than once on purpose.

"Move, poor woman," Matteo said, looking her up and down.

Nico glanced at his brother, then laughed. "Papà said you're not important anyway."

Serafina looked at the two boys calmly. So this was how the future Castellano heirs treated people. She almost smiled. If they only knew who they were bullying.

Watching Lucian's parents shower the boys with affection reminded her of the first time he'd brought her to the Estate to meet them. Back then, the moment they heard about her supposed family background, their smiles vanished. Don Aurelio had not offered her his hand. They treated her like a nobody who'd wandered into their house by mistake.

Today, they were all smiles.

The difference was almost laughable.

Lucian walked over and handed Celeste an exquisite ruby necklace, a gift to mark the twins' celebration. Celeste covered her mouth in surprise.

"Luca, this is far too expensive. You didn't have to."

"You gave me three children," he said softly. "I wanted to give you something worthy of the occasion."

His mother brought out a beautiful ruby pendant and handed it to Celeste. "Celeste, this belongs to the Castellano Family. It has passed to every woman who married into it. You're the one we've always considered our daughter-in-law, so you should have it."

Celeste acted embarrassed. "Mamma, I'm not officially married to Lucian yet. I don't think I should accept it."

Livia smiled warmly, then touched her pearls and glanced toward Serafina. "Nothing to be shy about. Some women simply aren't meant to belong in a family like ours."

Her words were clearly meant for Serafina. Celeste's smile stayed on her face a half-second after Livia turned away, and in that half-second it curdled.

Lucian noticed her expression and stepped closer, his thumb turning the heavy signet ring on his finger. "Sera, don't let that get to you. My parents have always had their own ideas about who I should marry, but that doesn't change how I feel about you. You know you're the woman I chose."

The woman he chose? Then what was Celeste? And what were the three children he'd given her?

Serafina said nothing, but the room suddenly felt suffocating. Lucian saw her pale face and frowned. "Are you uncomfortable? Stay here. I'll get you something to cover your shoulders."

He'd barely walked away when Celeste gasped and touched her neck.

"My ruby pendant."

Every head turned toward her. The quartet stopped playing.

"The heirloom Mamma just gave me. It's gone."

The banquet erupted into chaos. One of Celeste's closest friends pointed at her.

"I saw Sera Lane near Celeste earlier. She must've taken it."

Another woman agreed at once. "I saw her too. She's obviously jealous of Celeste."

Before Serafina could respond, several women rushed toward her. The soldiers along the walls didn't move. Nobody stopped them.

"We need to search her."

One grabbed her arm, and another reached for her clothes. Her anger surged as Serafina fought them off.

"Get your hands off me."

In front of everyone, her dress ripped open in the struggle. Humiliation burned through her, but Serafina forced herself to stay calm. She wasn't going to cry in front of these people. She had spent six years pretending to be a poor, harmless girl, and she knew exactly how to keep her face blank when people tried to humiliate her.

Then someone shouted, "I found something."

A ruby pendant was pulled from the lining of her underwear, and the room fell silent for a second before it exploded.

"She really stole it."

"How shameless."

"I knew she was jealous of Celeste."