Chapter 20
TWENTY
The morning is soft, sunlight spilling across the living room, warm against my skin. Last night wasn’t full of tension like I expected. If anything, you could see the threads weaving together for our families.
Returning home was surreal, as Sin’s wife, as Magnolia Donati.
There are no more treaty lines, no more wars between us.
Everything is falling into place, and now that we can work together, alongside the Caputo’s and other families in New York, we will be able to tear apart the Nero’s before they rip us all apart.
I can’t believe how quickly I’ve adapted to this life, to the violence of it all. It’s in my blood, I assume. I will do anything to protect our families.
Sin is in the kitchen, humming low as he makes coffee, and Bria lounges on the couch, scrolling through her phone.
The house smells faintly of brewed coffee beans and pastries, reminding my commitment to the coffee shop.
I already talked to Victoria, who freaked out about my marriage and told me to take two weeks off.
Peace. Normalcy. A life that feels like it could belong to me.
I stretch on the sofa, a laugh escaping me as Axle nudges my hand. “Good morning, troublemaker,” I murmur.
Sin leans against the counter, smirk tugging at his lips. “Good morning, wife,” he says, voice rough but easy. “Sleep well?”
“Like a baby,” I answer, stretching again, the weight of yesterday melting slightly in the comfort of this house. Bria laughs from the couch, a funny video I assume.
For the first time in weeks, it feels like everything might actually be okay.
Just as Sin places a warm mug in my hands, the front door swings open, loud enough to make me jump. Cameron strides in, eyes blazing, holding something in his hands.
“Magnolia,” he calls, voice tight, controlled, but sharp. “We need to talk. Now.”
I shoot up, heart thudding. “What’s wrong? Is Mom okay?”
“She’s fine.” He simmers in anger. “She left for Italy this morning. I’m not here for any family matters, I’m here because you married a fucking con artist.”
Sin tenses, moving in front of me like a shield. “Get out.” His tone is low, dangerous.
“Open invitation, remember?” Cameron spits. He holds up a small folder, and against my better judgment I walk over and take it from him.
I open the yellow folder. A single sheet of paper lies inside.
Confidential Agreement
This document certifies that Sin Donati has agreed to provide the Nero family with intelligence regarding the Rusco operations in New York. In exchange, the Nero family guarantees protection, financial compensation, and the elimination of rivals as deemed necessary.
Signed,
Sin Donati
“Where did you get this from?” My voice shakes, knowing Sin’s distinct signature.
Sin peeks over my shoulder, shakes his head, and backs out of the room with a deep laugh.
“What’s so fucking funny?” Cameron shouts, but Sin is already disappearing down the hall.
“Let me see.” Bria grabs the paper, reading it over with the same confused look I have.
Sin returns, holding out a green folder. “What’s so funny, is I had the same thing left on my front step this morning.”
I step back, my pulse accelerating. “What is happening?”
“You’re lying,” Cameron spits. “You are fucking lying!”
I look to Sin, desperate. “We’re not supposed to be hiding things from each other.”
“I know.” He kisses my forehead, calm in a way that only makes Cameron’s rage sharper. “I was planning on talking to you about it after breakfast. We promised no more jumping to conclusions and that is exactly what I was avoiding. Thinking, not acting.”
“You expect her to believe that?” Cameron scoffs. His glare cuts into me before snapping back to Sin. “How do I know it wasn’t you?”
Sin advances, dropping the folder onto the ground, and he is, in fact, correct. They’re identical copies, with names switched.
The tension spikes, hot and immediate. I can feel it vibrating in the air like a live wire. Bria stands, unsure, hands balled into fists.
“I don’t want this,” I murmur, stepping between them. “Stop!”
But it’s too late.
Cameron lunges forward, shoving Sin hard. Sin slams into the counter, the coffee mug exploding against the floor. He snarls, shoving back, and then it unravels fast. Fists flying, shoulders colliding, furniture screeching across the hardwood.
“Stop! Both of you!” I scream, grabbing Bria’s arm like she can anchor me.
They freeze for half a second, breathing hard, eyes murderous. Then Sin swings. Cameron ducks and drives a fist into his ribs. The sound is sickening, raw, and the world fractures again into violence.
Axle barks, wild and frantic, circling them as they crash into the coffee table, splintering it in two. Bria pulls me back, her voice sharp in my ear, “They’re not listening, Magnolia, they never fucking listen!”
She’s right. My throat burns, begging them to stop, but my voice is swallowed in the chaos. To them, we don’t exist in this moment. Only their hatred does.
“I can’t.” my chest heaves, panic pounding in my veins. “We can’t stay. Not like this. This isn’t safe. They can’t see past their hatred for each other, but we can.”
Bria nods, eyes wide. “We’re leaving.”
I move through the halls of the Donati estate on autopilot, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs, my mind fracturing between rage and heartbreak.
Every step feels heavier than the last, like I’m sinking into something I’ll never claw my way out of.
I tell Axle to stay, leaving him with one of the kitchen staff with a parting kiss to his soft fur while Bria and I run up the stairs to quickly pack getaway bags.
The men crash into the wall, pictures shattering, curses sharp and violent. Their voices rise, an endless roar of blame and fury.
We bolt through the door, the slam cutting off the chaos behind us, but not silencing it. Through the walls I can still hear the crash of something heavy toppling, the guttural shouts of men who will never back down.
On the porch, the cool morning air hits my skin, sharp and grounding, but it doesn’t soothe. I clutch Bria’s hand, my chest still burning, and force myself to move.
I don’t look back. Not while the sounds of war rage in my living room. Not while every part of me knows that if I do, I’ll see the wreckage of two men I love destroying each other.
“They’re so caught up in tearing each other apart they probably haven’t realized we left.” I say, following Bria into the garage.
“You know we can’t take any of these right?” Bria groans.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “Sin has trackers, doesn’t he?”
“Yup.”
With a few taps on her phone, she walks away, I follow behind her. Both of us walking down the early morning city sidewalk with duffel bags. “Umm, where are we going?”
“I’ve been talking with a guy.” She giggles, the sound breaking through the tense air.
“Oh my God!” I beam, “why didn’t you tell me?”
“Things have been a little hectic, anyways it isn’t that serious. He’s letting us borrow his car. It’s like a five-minute walk to his house.”
I stop, deadpan. “It isn’t that serious, but he is letting you just take his car?”
She blushes, “Okay whatever, I don’t know! It’s probably just because I’m so hot.”
After getting introduced to mister tall, dark, and handsome by a blushing Bria in his driveway we sink into his luxury SUV and slip away, engine humming softly in the quiet morning. The city stretches out beyond us, glittering and alive. Two girls escaping its clutches.
Bria’s hands grip the wheel. “Where to?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“We have to figure out who is behind this because I sure as hell no it wasn’t my family.” She says.
“And I know it wasn’t mine.”
We nod in agreement. We both know we’re running straight into the truth… and the people who’ve been manipulating everything all along.
I shake my head. "They will always be at each other’s throats.”
“Do you believe Sin?” She asks.
“Irrevocably. Those vows changed everything; I know he wouldn’t hide something like this from me. But that doesn’t mean I’m not pissed. Not about the way they never listen to us. They would rather kill each other than talk.”
Bria exhales, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. “Well, we can’t just drive in circles.”
“I know.”
Bria sighs. “Alright. We’ll figure it out.”
“Go south.” I tell her.
I don’t look back as we drive further away.
I don’t let myself.
Because if I do, I might not have the strength to keep going.
When they calm down, we’ll be long gone.
Sin will tear the city apart looking for me.
Cameron will lose his mind.
But they won’t find me.
Because this time, I’m choosing myself.
This time, I disappear on my own terms to solve the problems neither of them could.
We just don’t know how, yet.