---- Chapter 7 Katarina POV: As Alex led Aria away, | slipped out of the dining hall and down a quiet, tapestry-lined corridor. | could hear their voices echoing from a nearby antechamber. "It's real, Alex," Aria was saying, her voice a saccharine whisper. "You and me. Everything we're doing... it's for us. For our children." *Our* children. The lie was so complete, she was starting to believe it herself. A strange sense of detachment washed over me. | wasn't a participant anymore; | was a spectator at the magnificent implosion of my husband's life. The truth was finally being laid bare at the very heart of the De Luca empire. A heavy wooden door opened behind me. "Katarina." It was Donato. He beckoned me into his study. The room smelled of old leather and cigar smoke, the scent of power. He sat behind his massive desk, looking smaller and more fragile than ever, but his eyes were sharp, missing nothing. He slid a sheaf of papers across the polished wood. "These are the separation papers. Alex has already signed them." ---- | blinked, confused. "How?" "| told him they were new territory agreements for the dockworkers' union," Donato said with a grim smile. "He's so distracted by that girl, he doesn't read what he signs anymore. A fatal flaw in a leader." He saw Alex's weakness, his emotional liability, and he was cutting it out like a cancer. This was not for my benefit; it was for the good of the family. He was cleaning house. "The family will provide you with a generous settlement," he continued, naming a figure that was staggering. "A new identity. A new life. We require only your silence and your complete disappearance." | picked up the pen. My hand was steady. | signed my name -Katarina De Luca-for the last time. "I'll be leaving the country," | said, my voice cold and final. "You will never see or hear from me again." Just as | finished, the door opened and Alex walked in, looking smug and self-satisfied. He saw the papers in front of me and then looked to his father. "Everything handled, Dad?" he asked, assuming it was the "territory agreement" he'd been told about. "Yes, Alessandro," Donato said, his voice like gravel. "Everything is handled." ---- Alex signed the last page without even glancing at the text. He was a puppet, so blinded by his own desires he couldn't see the strings. | felt nothing for him anymore. Not love, not hate. Only a profound and weary contempt. "| have a headache," | said, standing up. "! think I'll go home." "I'll come with you," Alex offered, the dutiful husband. But then, on cue, Aria appeared in the doorway, a hand pressed to her brow. "Alex, honey, | feel faint again." His attention snapped to her instantly. "Go on ahead, Kat," he said dismissively over his shoulder, already moving toward Aria. "I'll be there later." It was the last time he would ever be careless with me. The last time he would choose her over me. | walked out of the De Luca mansion and didn't look back. | knew | would never set foot in that house again. My heart was a block of ice, but for the first time in years, | felt the sharp, clean air of freedom on my face. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!