Chapter 38
The mansion was alive with tension. Guards whispered in corners, avoiding Carmen’s gaze as she passed through the halls. The estate felt colder than ever, the warmth it once held long buried beneath distrust and betrayal. Carmen moved with purpose, her steps quick and deliberate as she made her way to the study. Luca’s words still echoed in her mind—proof that Arianna’s lies were beginning to crack.
But Carmen’s fragile hope was shattered when Sergio Montini’s name hit her ears.
The news had come like a dagger: an attack.
Sergio’s warehouses—the very ones Carmen had relied on as part of her growing network—had been set ablaze in the middle of the night. Dozens of men had been killed, and witnesses reported attackers bearing Vincent Rossi’s mark.
Carmen knew better.
Her heart pounded as she pushed the door to Marco’s office open without knocking. He was seated behind his desk, a drink in his hand, but he looked up sharply at her intrusion.
“Carmen,” Marco said, his voice already hard, “what the hell is this?”
Carmen didn’t flinch at his tone. “You know damn well what it is.”
Marco’s brow furrowed as he sat forward, his free hand sweeping toward a report on the desk. “One of your allies—Sergio Montini—is dead, and Vincent’s name is all over it. You have nothing to say for yourself?”
“Vincent didn’t do this,” Carmen snapped, her voice fierce. “You know he didn’t.”
Marco’s expression darkened, a bitter smirk curling his lips. “You expect me to believe that? The same Vincent Rossi you ran to when you left me? The same man who’s been circling my empire like a vulture for years?”
“I told you before,” Carmen shot back, stepping closer, her eyes blazing. “I went to Vincent because I didn’t have a choice. Because Arianna left me with no way out. And now she’s framing him—framing me—and you’re falling for it again.”
Marco rose to his feet, his jaw tight. “And what proof do you have this time, Carmen? Another story? Another ‘gut feeling’?”
“This isn’t a story!” Carmen cried, slamming her hand on the desk, the sound echoing through the room. “This attack has Arianna’s fingerprints all over it! She orchestrated this to turn you against me—again! Don’t you see what she’s doing?”
Marco’s silence was deafening, his eyes locked onto her as the anger between them filled the space like a fire.
“She knew Sergio was one of my allies,” Carmen continued, her voice trembling with frustration. “She knew his loyalty would tip the scales in my favor, so she took him out. And instead of seeing the truth, you’re letting her use this to push me further away.”
“Do you ever stop?” Marco’s voice was quiet but dangerous, like the calm before a storm. “You’ll say anything to save yourself, won’t you?”
Carmen’s breath caught in her throat, stunned. “You don’t believe me?”
“Why should I?” Marco stepped around the desk, his gaze cold. “Everything you say comes back to Arianna. Every mistake, every failure—it’s never you, is it? It’s always someone else.”
Carmen recoiled as though he had struck her, her chest rising and falling with anger she couldn’t contain. “I have done everything I can to save you from her, Marco. I’ve risked my life. I’ve risked everything. And all you’ve done is throw it back in my face.”
Marco stared at her, his silence heavy, his eyes unreadable.
“Do you want the truth, Marco?” Carmen asked, her voice low and fierce. “Here it is: Arianna has you exactly where she wants you. She’s been tearing this family apart piece by piece, and you’re too blind to see it.”
Marco’s fists clenched at his sides, but he didn’t respond.
“You let her turn you against me,” Carmen continued, stepping closer. “You let her make you doubt me, question me—hate me. And for what? To protect your pride? To punish me for leaving when you gave me no choice?”
Marco’s face hardened, his jaw working as he fought to maintain his calm. “You left. That was your choice.”
“You’re right,” Carmen said, her voice trembling with both anger and heartbreak. “I left because I didn’t trust you to protect me anymore. And I was right not to.”
Marco flinched, his eyes flickering with something she couldn’t place—hurt, regret, or maybe just anger he didn’t know where to aim.
Carmen took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she forced herself to stay steady. “I’m done, Marco. I’m done trying to save a man who doesn’t want to be saved.”
His eyes snapped back to hers, sharp and searching. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying this is it,” Carmen said coldly. “Either you open your eyes and see Arianna for what she is, or I’m gone. For good. I’ll take our child, and I’ll leave this empire behind. I will not let you drag me—and our baby—down with you.”
Marco’s face went pale, his anger flickering into something closer to disbelief. “Our child?”
“Yes,” Carmen said fiercely, her voice unwavering. “The baby you were so quick to doubt is yours, Marco. Yours. And you’re about to lose us both if you don’t wake up and see the truth.”
The silence that followed was deafening, the words hanging in the air like smoke. Marco’s expression faltered for just a moment, his eyes searching hers as though looking for a lie. But Carmen stood tall, unflinching, every ounce of her resolve shining through.
“I can’t keep fighting you and her,” Carmen said softly. “You have to choose, Marco. Because I won’t stay here and watch you destroy yourself.”
Marco didn’t respond. He couldn’t.
Carmen turned on her heel and walked toward the door, the sound of her footsteps echoing like gunshots in the quiet room. As she reached the doorway, she paused, glancing back at him one last time.
“I hope you figure it out, Marco,” she said quietly. “Before it’s too late.”
The door closed behind her, leaving Marco alone in the heavy silence. He stared at the empty space where she’d stood, her words ringing in his ears like a cruel melody.
“I’ll take our child, and I’ll leave this empire behind.”
For the first time, Marco felt something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in weeks—fear. Fear that he was losing everything. Fear that Carmen was telling the truth. Fear that he had been blind for too long to stop it.
He turned toward the desk, his hands braced on the edge as he hung his head. The papers, the reports, Arianna’s assurances—none of it seemed as clear now. None of it seemed right.
But Carmen’s words echoed louder than anything else.
“You have to choose.”
And for the first time, Marco wasn’t sure he could.
