Chapter 11 The room was dim and heavy with silence - except for the faint static hum of the hidden receiver echoing through the walls . Matteo's voice spilled from the speakers , calm and collected , like he wasn't orchestrating someone's ruin . Like he wasn't talking about me . " Don't worry , Marian . We'll blame it all on that Ivanna and her bitch of a mother . " I didn't move . I couldn't . I stood by the window , the glass cooled against my fingertips . Outside , the city lights blinked like a million tiny lies , pretending they didn't see any of this . My chest tightened . My nails dug into my palms until I felt them break skin . Even after my death ... they're still trying to destroy me . " They're really going all in , huh ? " Sam said behind me , his voice unsure . " Your family's a mess . This is like ... a full - blown melodrama . " I didn't answer . Lothario didn't say anything either - at first . When I turned slightly , I saw his expression : stone - cold . No surprise , only fury burning low in his eyes . " When I get my hands on that bastard , " he muttered , voice rough and dangerous , " Don Matteo will beg for death before I'm through with him . " I turned fully then , and the weight of everything hit me at once . My face felt calm , too calm - but inside , something was splintering . " Lothario , " I said , my voice barely holding steady . " You looked into my past ... like I asked . What did you find ? " My throat tightened . " I know my mother wouldn't have done what they claimed . I saw it - the paint in her eyes before she died . What they're saying ... it can't be true ." He didn't speak at first . Instead , he reached for a black folder sitting on the coffee table and slid it toward me . His expression was unreadable , but I could feel the weight in the gesture . " Your mother didn't cheat , " he said softly . " She was raped ." Dading | Remember 1/3 22.0 % 7:06 Mon , Sep 15 Everything inside me went still . My breath caught . My fingers trembled as I reached for the folder , like it might explode in my hands . I flipped it open . And then I saw it . Medical reports . Police statements . The details I never wanted - but needed . I covered my mouth , choking on a gasp . My knees nearly gave out , and I collapsed into the nearest chair. " She ... she didn't ... " I whispered . " Oh my God . " Lothario's voice was steady , detached , like he had to be the one who didn't fall apart . " Matteo never believed her . He accused her of lying . Said she was just trying to cover up an affair . That's when he started seeing someone else again - an old flame . Marian's mother . " I stared at the pages with blurred vision , but I kept flipping through them anyway . Each page felt colder than the last . " She saw him again before my mother died ? " I asked . " The report says they reconnected shortly before the incident , " he said . " But they'd met once before - years ago . Quietly . Briefly . I don't think it was by chance . I think she wanted back into his life ." My jaw clenched . My fingers tightened on the edge of the paper . " So Marian's mother ... " I swallowed . " She could've been involved in what happened to mine ." Lothario nodded , slowly . " It's possible . But she died before Matteo ever found out about Marian . There's no way to confirm anything now . " The silence that followed was different . Heavier . Final . I looked up , and I knew something inside me had shifted . Hardened . " I didn't know my mother went through all of this ... " My voice cracked - then steadied . " They're truly heartless . " I pushed the folder aside . can " They think this is over ? That they just erase her like that ? " I stood slowly , each movement deliberately . " I'll make them pay , twice what we originally planned ." 2/3 7:06 Mon , Sep 15 70 Behind me , Sam made a sound . A sharp breath . He looked like he was about to say something , but didn't . Even he was afraid . " They want to play the victims now ? " I murmured , mostly to myself . " Let them ." I walked to the bar , uncorked a bottle - Marian's prized vintage , the one she smiled over like it meant something - and poured it into a glass . The wine shimmered under the light , dark and rich , like blood in a storm . I held the glass in my hand , swirled it once , then met their eyes . And drank . " If they insist on blaming me , " I said quietly , " I'll give them something real to blame . " I set the glass down with care . " This isn't just my revenge anymore ." I looked at Lothario . He stood beside me without a word , but that was enough . " This is for my mother . " Sam shifted nervously , rubbing his hands together . " So ... do we move on to Phase Two ? " I turned to face him . And smiled . But there was nothing warm in it . " No , " I said . " We escalate . " A beat passed . " Launch Phase Two and Phase Three - at the same time . " Chapter 11 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!