Three days passed, but for the Romano family, those three days felt like years. The mansion that was once filled with laughter, teasing, and endless noise had become painfully silent. Every corner carried memories of Enzo. Every room reminded them of him. Every breath felt heavy.

As Enzo's family was Catholic, his funeral prayers were held at the church. Everyone attended. The church was filled with grief. Lilli sat in the front row, dressed in black, her hands trembling as she clutched the small cross hanging around her neck. Tears never stopped falling from her eyes. She looked broken beyond words.

What shattered everyone even more was the fact that there was no body. No coffin. No final goodbye. Nothing. Only prayers for a son who was believed to be gone. A mother was forced to mourn an empty grave. Aravi stayed beside Lilli the entire time. She held her hand through every prayer, every tear, every painful moment. More than once, Lilli broke down completely, and Aravi had to hold her together.

Even Donato, who had not cried in front of anyone since that night, stood motionless during the service. His eyes remained fixed on the altar, but his mind was somewhere else. With Enzo. Always with Enzo. Albert stood beside him like a silent pillar, though the pain in his own eyes was impossible to hide.

When the prayers ended and everyone returned home, Aravi refused to let Lilli go back to her house alone. "You are staying here with us," she said softly. Lilli did not argue. She simply nodded. Because the truth was she was terrified of returning to an empty house. A house where her son's laughter still echoed in her memories. where every room would remind her that he was no longer there.

But the person who worried everyone the most was Elana. She had completely shut down. After returning from the church, she quietly walked upstairs and locked herself inside her room. She did not cry. She did not scream. She did not speak. She simply disappeared into herself. Hours passed. Then an entire day. She refused to eat. Refused to open the door. Refused to answer anyone.

It was as if a part of her had died alongside Enzo. The entire family took turns standing outside her room. Aravi begged. Albert begged. Donato begged. Even Sofia, Rose, Kavya, stood outside her door, pleading with her to open it. Nothing worked. No answer ever came. The silence from inside was more frightening than tears.

It felt as though Elana was physically present inside that room, but her soul was somewhere else entirely. Only once did the door finally open. And it happened because of Lilli. On the third evening, Lilli sat outside Elana's room for almost an hour. Nobody disturbed her. Everyone watched from a distance.

They could hear her crying. Softly at first. Then harder. "My son is gone, baby," she sobbed through the door. "I already lost my son." Her voice broke completely. "Please don't make me lose my daughter too." Silence followed. A long silence. Then suddenly The lock clicked. The door slowly opened. Everyone froze. Elana stood there. Pale. Weak.

Her eyes swollen from sleepless nights. She looked like a ghost of herself. The moment she saw Lilli crying on the floor outside her room, her own eyes filled with tears. Without saying a word, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Lilli immediately broke down. She held Elana as if she were holding the last remaining piece of her son.

Both women cried in each other's arms. "I can't do this anymore," Lilli sobbed. "I miss him so much." Elana's body trembled. Tears rolled silently down her face. Then she tightened her hold around Lilli and whispered through her own broken voice, "You will never be alone, Mom." Mom the word brake something more in her Lilli looked up at her.

Elana gently cupped her face. "If your son isn't here..." Her voice cracked...then I will stay in his place." Fresh tears streamed down Lilli's cheeks. "I am your daughter too." The words shattered everyone standing nearby. Aravi covered her mouth and cried. Albert lowered his head. Donato had to look away.

Elana gently wiped the tears from Lilli's cheeks before slowly raising her left hand between them. The diamond ring still rested on her finger. The ring Enzo had placed there himself. The sight of it made Lilli's breath catch. A fresh wave of tears filled her eyes. Elana looked down at the ring for a moment. Her fingers trembled slightly as she touched it.

Then she looked back at Lilli. "Look..." she whispered softly. "I am still wearing his ring." Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue. "I am still his... and he is still mine." More tears rolled down her face. Her hand slowly moved from the ring to her chest. "H-he is here, Mom." The word slipped out naturally. Not Aunt Lilli. Mom. "He is here with us."

She pressed her palm against her heart. "Maybe I never got the chance to officially become his wife." A painful smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe I never got the chance to walk beside him as Mrs. Morro." Her eyes filled with tears again. "But in my heart..."Her voice trembled. "...he is everything." The room became completely silent.

Nobody dared interrupt her. dared move. Elana looked down at the ring once more. "The Elana Romano who dreamed of becoming Elana Morro..."She swallowed hard."...became a Morro the day she gave her heart to him." Lilli broke into fresh sobs. Elana immediately wrapped her arms around her. Holding her tightly. Protectively.

The same way Enzo would have. "I will take care of you." Her voice was soft but firm. "I know he would never forgive me if I left you alone." She closed her eyes. "He loved you more than anything." A tear slipped down her cheek. "And now... everything that belonged to him belongs to me too." She tightened her embrace around Lilli.

"You are my family." "I will take care of you." "I will take care of his home." "His memories." "His dreams." And you." Lilli cried against her shoulder like a mother who had lost her entire world. And Elana held her without letting go. The sight shattered everyone watching. Aravi quietly broke down again. Albert lowered his head and wiped his eyes. Even Donato felt his chest tighten painfully. Because they all understood something that Lilli herself was too heartbroken to see.

Elana was not talking about surviving this loss. She was accepting it. Accepting Enzo as the love of her life. Accepting him as her husband in her heart. Accepting a future where there would never be anyone else. That realization terrified them. Because they knew Elana. When she loved, she loved completely.

And the look in her eyes told them something they never wanted to admit. She wasn't trying to learn how to live without Enzo. She was trying to learn how to live with his memory. Forever. As she sat there holding Lilli, wearing his ring against her chest, she looked less like a grieving fiancée and more like a widow mourning the husband she never got the chance to marry. And that thought broke every heart in the room.

Not because her love wasn't beautiful. But because it was so deep that they feared she would never allow herself to love again. To Elana, Enzo was not her past. He was still her present. And in her heart, he would remain her future too.

_____

The library had always been Kiara's favorite place in the mansion. When she had first arrived after her marriage, frightened and unsure of her place in the Romano family, Donato had given her this room. "It's yours," he had told her. A simple sentence. Yet it had meant everything.

This was where she read for hours. Where she hid whenever the world became too loud. Where Donato would sometimes find her asleep among piles of books and silently carry her back to their bedroom. This room had always felt warm. Safe. Loved.

But now it felt like a prison. A hollow space swallowing her whole. For three days Kiara had barely left it. The moment Donato had thrown her out of Elana's room and told her to leave, she had walked here without a word. She had not gone to their bedroom. She couldn't. Every corner of that room belonged to them.

To their laughter. Their arguments. Their late-night conversations. Their love. And right now, that love felt dead. So she locked herself inside the library instead. At first, she had waited. She had truly believed Donato would come. He was grieving. angry. broken. She understood that. So she sat by the window and waited.

An hour. A day. Then another. Then another. But he never came. Not once. Not even to ask if she was alive. Not even to ask if she had eaten. Nothing. The silence hurt more than the slap. More than being pushed out. More than the hatred she had seen in his eyes. Because silence meant he didn't even want to look at her.

Kiara sat curled up on the couch now, staring blankly at the bookshelves. Her eyes were swollen. Her face pale. Her hands resting lifelessly in her lap. The only person who had come during those three days was Kavya. Of course she had. No matter how angry she was, Kavya could never completely abandon her niece.

Every few hours she would quietly enter the library carrying food or tea. She would sit beside Kiara. Make sure she ate at least a few bites. Then leave. But Kiara had seen it. The anger. The disappointment. The hurt. Kavya had tried to hide it. Yet it was there. Burning behind her eyes. On the second day, she had finally asked the question everyone wanted answered.

The question hanging over the entire mansion. Kavya had sat beside her in silence for several minutes before speaking. "Tell me one thing honestly." Her voice had been calm. Too calm. Kiara had already known what was coming. "Was Rose telling the truth?" Kavya looked directly into her eyes. "Were you really stalking Donato?"

Kiara's chest tightened. Kavya continued. "And his ex..."Her voice trembled slightly. "Did you really kill her?" The room had fallen silent. Kiara couldn't even breathe. For a moment she wanted to explain everything. To tell her why. To tell her how. To tell her about the years she had spent loving Donato from afar. About her obsession. Her mistakes. Her sins.

But no words came out. Only guilt. Only shame. So she lowered her head. And whispered a single word. "Yes." That was all. One word. One confession. Kavya closed her eyes. A painful expression crossed her face. As if she had hoped until the very last second that Rose was lying. That there was some misunderstanding.

But there wasn't. When Kavya opened her eyes again, disappointment filled them. "You did wrong, Kiara." Her voice was firm. "No matter how much you loved him." "No matter what your reasons were." "What you did was wrong." Kiara had simply nodded. Because she knew. She knew better than anyone. But despite her anger, Kavya hadn't left. She still returned every few hours. Still brought food. Still checked if Kiara was sleeping.

Still made sure she wasn't alone. Because anger could not erase years of love. And family could not stop caring overnight. Now, sitting alone in the dim library, Kiara finally understood something that made her stomach twist. Donato had already known. Before the warehouse. Before Lucas exposed her.

Before she had the chance to explain. Donato had already known. And everyone else knew too. Rose had told them. The realization felt like another knife twisting inside her chest. Her fingers clenched tightly around the fabric of her dress. Her head throbbed painfully. Everything was falling apart. Enzo was gone. Elana was shattered. Lilli had lost her son.

Donato hated her. And the truth she had hidden for years had destroyed whatever remained. first time in her life, Kiara felt completely alone. And the library that had once felt like home now felt like a tomb built from memories she could never return to.

____

Three more days passed. For Kiara, each day felt longer than the one before. The library had become her prison, but stepping outside it wasn't any easier. The first time she gathered enough courage to leave the room, she immediately regretted it. The mansion felt different now. Colder. Heavier. As if the walls themselves blamed her.

She walked quietly through the hallway, hoping to see someone anyone who might speak to her. Instead, she was met with silence. Painful silence. Aravi was the first person she saw. The woman who had once called her daughter. The woman who had embraced her, protected her, and loved her as if she had been born into the family.

For a brief second, hope flickered inside Kiara's chest. "M-Mom..." she whispered. Aravi looked up. Their eyes met. And then Aravi looked away. Just like that. No greeting. No smile. Nothing. The small hope inside Kiara died instantly. Her chest tightened painfully. A few minutes later she crossed paths with Nonna. The elderly woman stopped when she saw her.

Disappointment filled her eyes. The kind that hurt far more than anger. Nonna slowly shook her head. "Unbelievable," she muttered. "I never expected this from you." Then she walked away. Leaving Kiara standing there alone. Frozen. Humiliated. Even Sofia, who had always been polite and affectionate toward her, pretended not to see her.

She simply walked past without a word. As if Kiara no longer existed. That hurt more than any insult could have. By the end of the day, Kiara had run back to the library. The hatred. The disappointment. The disgust. She couldn't bear it. Not from strangers. And certainly not from the people she loved. But the worst encounter came the next day.

She had stepped out again, hoping desperately hoping to find Donato. Just one conversation. One chance. One opportunity to explain. That was all she wanted. Instead, she found Elana. The younger woman stood at the end of the hallway. Pale. Fragile. Still drowning in grief. But the moment she saw Kiara, something dark flashed through her eyes.

Something Kiara had never seen before. Hatred. Pure hatred. "What are you doing here?" Elana shouted. The sudden anger startled Kiara. Everyone nearby froze. Elana's eyes filled with tears. "Why don't you just leave?" The words hit Kiara like a slap. "Elana..." she whispered. But Elana wasn't finished. "Everywhere I look, I see the reason he's gone."

Her voice cracked. "You took him from us." Kiara's throat closed. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't defend herself. Couldn't explain. Because every time she looked at Elana, all she saw was a young woman whose entire future had been stolen. So she lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry." The words came out as a broken whisper.

Then she turned and fled. Back to the library. Back to her prison. to the only place where no one looked at her with hatred. Days continued passing like that. And with every passing day, Kiara became more desperate to speak to Donato.

She didn't care if he screamed at her. She didn't care if he hated her. She didn't care if he never forgave her. She just wanted him to listen. Once. Just once. So one afternoon she finally gathered the courage to go to their bedroom. Her heart pounded with every step. Her hands trembled. She stopped outside the door and raised her hand to knock. But before she could touch it "Where do you think you're going?" Kiara froze.

Rose. She was standing nearby. Arms crossed. Eyes sharp. Watching her. Kiara lowered her hand. "I want to talk to Donato." Rose laughed bitterly. The sound made Kiara flinch. "You still have the nerve to say that?" Rose stepped closer. "What exactly do you want from him now?" Kiara remained silent. Rose's expression hardened. "Do you have any shame left?"

The words struck like knives. "After everything you've done." "After destroying this family." "After what happened to Enzo." "You still have the courage to stand here?" Kiara lowered her head. Her fingers curled into trembling fists. She accepted every accusation. Every insult. Because part of her believed she deserved them.

Rose took another step closer. "Don't even try to go inside." Her voice became colder. "Donato is already angry." hurt "If you want to see how much he hates you, then go ahead." A cruel smile appeared on her face. "But one thing is clear, Kiara." She leaned closer. "So clear that everyone can see it." "He will never forgive you." The words landed directly in Kiara's heart.

She felt her chest ache. Still, she said nothing. Rose's eyes narrowed. Then she whispered near Kiara's ear. "And even if he ever thinks about forgiving you..." Her voice dripped with bitterness. "I will never let him." Kiara finally looked up. Rose's eyes were shining with unshed tears. Not from anger. From grief. "We lost our brother." Her voice broke. "Our Enzo." "And it happened because of you."

A tear rolled down Rose's cheek. "You selfish woman." The accusation hung heavily between them. Rose stepped back. "Go away." Kiara stared at her for a moment. She could have argued. Could have defended herself. Could have revealed the truth about Lucas. Could have explained everything. But she was too tired.

Too exhausted to fight. So she simply lowered her eyes once more. she want to hold rose head and slammed her on the wall, but she can't do that she know, so Turned around. And walked away. Back toward the library. The one place left in the mansion where she didn't have to see the hatred in everyone's eyes.
____

Kiara wanted only one thing. Not forgiveness. Not sympathy. Not even understanding. She just wanted to talk to Donato. Just once. Just five minutes. Five minutes where she could look into his eyes and tell him everything herself. But those five minutes felt more impossible than touching the sky.

A week had passed since Enzo's death. Seven days. Seven endless, suffocating days. And Kiara had not seen her husband even once. Every time she gathered enough courage to leave the library and search for him, something stopped her. Sometimes it was the hatred in people's eyes. Sometimes it was Rose. Sometimes it was her own fear. The library had become her prison. The same library Donato had built for her.

The same place where she had once felt safest. Loved. Protected. Now it felt like a dark cave. The curtains remained closed. Books lay scattered across the floor. The coffee on the table had long gone cold. And Kiara sat in the middle of it all, looking like a ghost. Her hair was tangled. Her face pale. Dark circles had formed beneath her eyes.

She barely slept. Barely ate. Barely existed. The migraines had become unbearable. Every day the pain grew worse. It felt like someone was hammering nails into her skull. Sometimes the agony became so intense that she would fall to her knees and clutch her head. Other times she would throw whatever she could reach. Books. Cushions. Frames. Anything.

The room changed little by little. Not because someone cleaned it. But because Kiara destroyed it. Whenever the pain became too much. Whenever Donato's cold eyes replayed inside her mind. Whenever she remembered the hatred. Whenever she heard Enzo's name. Whenever she imagined Donato believing she had betrayed him.

Something inside her snapped. And she would scream. Scream until her throat burned. Scream until her body shook. Scream until she collapsed. But nobody ever heard. The soundproof library make sure that. The walls swallowed every broken cry. Every desperate plea. Every shattered sob.

Outside the room, the mansion continued breathing. Inside it, Kiara was dying a little more every day. The only person who still came to her was Kavya. Even that had become difficult. The day Albert discovered Kavya bringing food to Kiara, he lost his temper. "You need to stop helping her!" His voice had echoed through their bedroom. "She deserves this punishment."

Kavya had stared at him in disbelief. "She's still family."

Albert's jaw tightened. "No." His eyes had filled with grief. "Family doesn't destroy family." The argument ended there. But Kavya never listened. Every night she sneaked into the library. Sometimes carrying food. Sometimes carrying medicine. Sometimes carrying nothing at all. Just herself. Just her presence. She would sit beside Kiara in silence.

Neither speaking. Neither knowing what to say anymore. One evening Kavya found Kiara sitting on the floor beside the bookshelf. Her eyes were fixed on nothing. A half-eaten plate of food sat untouched beside her. Kavya's heart broke. She crouched down beside her. "Kiara..."No response. "Come with me." That finally made Kiara look up.

Kavya swallowed hard. "I'll call arav or ayush." Her voice softened. "You can go india and stay there for some time." Kiara stared at her. For a long moment she said nothing. Then she slowly shook her head. "No." Her voice was barely audible.

Kavya frowned. "Why?" Kiara lowered her eyes. Because the answer was simple. Painfully simple. Because she didn't want India. She didn't want her family. She didn't want comfort. She didn't want escape. She wanted Donato. Only Donato. "I can't leave." The words came out broken.

Kavya's eyes filled with tears. "Kiara-"

"I just want to talk to him." Her voice cracked. For the first time in days. Raw emotion finally surfaced. "I don't care if he hates me." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't care if he screams at me." Another tear followed. "I don't care if he never forgives me." Her lips trembled. "But he has to hear me first." A sob escaped her.

"He has to hear the truth." Kavya felt her own heart shatter. Because this wasn't the Kiara she knew. The fearless woman who could walk into a room and command everyone's attention. The stubborn woman who never backed down. The woman who fought the whole world for love. That woman was gone.

All that remained was a wife desperately waiting for her husband to look at her one more time. Kiara pressed her palms against her eyes. Trying to stop the tears. to stop the pain. to stop herself from breaking completely. But she was already broken. "I just need five minutes."

Her voice came out as a whisper. A broken whisper. "Just five minutes with him." Then she looked toward the closed library door. As if expecting Donato to walk through it. As if hoping. praying. But the door remained closed. And the silence that followed felt louder than any scream.

___

Morning sunlight poured through the large glass windows of the mansion, painting the living room in soft gold. The house was unusually quiet. No laughter. No conversations. No warmth. Ever since Enzo's death, the mansion felt more like a grave than a home. Kiara stepped out of the library slowly. She had barely slept. Just like every night for the past week.

Yet today, for the first time in days, a tiny spark of hope flickered inside her chest. Maybe today she would find him. Maybe today Donato would finally listen. or she could explain everything. Her eyes immediately landed on a familiar figure standing near the entrance. Donato. Ready to leave. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. For a second, relief flooded through her.

She found him. finaly after a two weeks tourture, A small smile appeared on her lips. Then it disappeared. when she saw his face. Her heart clenched painfully. He looked terrible. Not like Donato Romano. Not like the powerful man who could make an entire room fall silent with one glance. He looked exhausted. Broken. His face had become noticeably thinner.

Dark shadows sat beneath his eyes. His skin looked pale. shoulders seemed heavier than before. As though grief had physically weighed him down. The commanding aura that always surrounded him was gone. In its place stood a man drowning in pain. Kiara's chest tightened. The first thought that entered her mind wasn't about herself.

It wasn't about the accusations. wasn't about the hatred. It was him. Has he been eating? Has he been sleeping? Why does he look so weak? The sight alone nearly brought tears to her eyes. Without thinking, her feet carried her forward. Donato turned slightly, sensing movement. Their eyes met. The entire room seemed hold their breath. For one brief moment, neither moved just look at eachother.

Kiara's eyes immediately filled with emotion. "Ro..."The nickname escaped her lips like a prayer. Then she rushed toward him. Before anyone could react, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. Holding him as if she could somehow put all the broken pieces back together. As if she could protect him from the pain consuming him. if she could erase the last terrible week.

For a moment, Donato froze. His eyes closed. And God...He missed her. He missed her so much it physically hurt. Every night he found himself staring at the empty side of the bed. Every morning he woke up instinctively reaching for her. He missed her scent. Her voice. Her warmth. Her presence. Everything.

But grief was stronger. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Enzo. He saw his younger brother calling for him. Begging him. Waiting for him. he start to have nightmare. In every nightmare, Donato reached out. Every single time save him. And every single time, before he could touch him The explosion came.

The fire swallowed him. And Donato woke up drenched in sweat. Broken all over again. His jaw tightened. The nightmare instantly returned. And with it came the thought that had been poisoning him for days. that stoping him to look at kiara. If Kiara had never become his stalker...Lucas would never have targeted her. If Lucas had never targeted her...Enzo would never have gone after him. And if Enzo had never gone there...He would still be alive.

The thought stabbed through him like a knife. Donato took a slow, painful breath. Then gently but firmly pulled Kiara away from him. The warmth disappeared immediately. Kiara's smile faltered. Donato turned his face away. Unable to look at her. to look at the woman he loved. Because loving her and blaming her at the same time was destroying him.

The room had gone completely silent. Everyone watching could feel the tension. Could feel the heartbreak hanging in the air. Kiara swallowed hard. The hope inside her began slipping away. "Ro..." she whispered. Her voice trembled. "Please look at me." Nothing. Donato kept staring somewhere else. His jaw clenched tightly. "Talk to me." Still nothing. Tears gathered in her eyes. "Please."

Donato finally spoke. But he never looked at her. "just go from here Kiara." The words landed like a knife straight through her heart. His voice wasn't angry. That would have been easier. It was exhausted. Broken. Empty. "Please leave." Kiara stared at him. Unable to believe she was hearing those words from the same man who once couldn't go a day without seeing her.

A tear slipped down her cheek. "I will leave." Her voice shook. "But first look at me." Nothing. "Please, Ro." Still nothing. "I just need five minutes." Her hands trembled as she reached toward him. "Five minutes. That's all I'm asking." Donato's fingers curled into fists. Because if he looked at her... If he saw her crying...If he saw the woman he loved standing there broken...He wasn't sure his anger would survive. And right now, anger was the only thing holding together the pieces of his shattered heart.

"R-Ro, please..." Kiara whispered through her sobs. "Just look at me once."

Donato didn't turn. not even glance at her. His entire body remained rigid as stone. "Just get out of my sight," he said coldly. "I don't want to see your face." Then he started walking away. Something inside Kiara finally snapped. A week. A whole week of isolation. A whole week of guilt. A whole week of being hated. A whole week of trying to reach him. And now he was walking away again.

"NO!" Her voice echoed through the mansion. Everyone froze. Kiara herself seemed shocked by how loud she had become. For the first time since Enzo's death, she wasn't crying quietly. She was angry. Desperate. And Donato knew exactly what that looked like. Nobody else had seen it before. But he had. He knew how Kiara became when pushed too far. How her emotions burst out all at once.

Still, he didn't stop walking. He took another step. Another. That was enough. Kiara's eyes landed on a decorative vase sitting on a nearby table. Without thinking, she grabbed it. And threw it. CRASH! The vase shattered against the wall. The sound echoed like gunfire. Everyone jumped.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE LIKE THAT!" Kiara screamed. Tears streamed down her face. "YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!" Her voice cracked under the weight of her pain. That did it. Donato stopped. The entire room went still. Slowly...He turned around. The look on his face made several people step back. It wasn't just anger. It was rage. The kind of rage born from grief. The kind that destroyed everything in its path.

He crossed the distance between them in a few long strides. "WHAT?" he roared. The sound shook the room. Kiara flinched. Everyone did. "WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO, KIARA?" His chest rose and fell violently. His eyes burned. "TELL ME!" He pointed directly at her. "SHOULD I LISTEN TO HOW YOU PLANNED TARA'S DEATH?"

The room froze. Kiara's face drained of color. "OR SHOULD I LISTEN TO HOW YOU STALKED ME FOR YEARS?" His voice rose higher. "HOW YOU WATCHED MY EVERY MOVE?"

"Ro, I"

"NO!" The shout cut through her words like a knife. "YOU DON'T GET TO INTERRUPT ME THIS TIME!" His voice echoed against the walls. Everyone stood frozen. Nobody dared move. dared speak. Donato laughed bitterly. The sound was completely devoid of humor. "Do you know what the funniest part is?"

His eyes filled with tears. "THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU." Kiara's breath hitched. For a moment his voice broke. Then his anger returned. Stronger. "I SPENT YEARS LOOKING FOR MY STALKER." "YEARS!" "I HATED THAT PERSON. I WANTED TO FIND THEM. I WANTED ANSWERS." "And all this time..." His voice dropped. Dangerously low. "...it was you, my wife."

Kiara lowered her head. Unable to meet his eyes. That only fueled him more. "YOU WERE FUCKING SO OBSESSED WITH THE THOUGHT OF HAVING ME THAT YOU KILLED SOMEONE!" The words hit the room like a bomb. Lilli covered her mouth. Aravi closed her eyes. Nonna remained silent. Donato stepped closer. "DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF?" His voice shook.

"YOU THREATENED WOMEN. "YOU USED MEN TO SCARE THEM. "YOU DESTROYED LIVES. "ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T ACCEPT THE POSSIBILITY OF ME BEING WITH SOMEONE ELSE." Kiara's tears fell harder.

"Please, let me explain-"

"EXPLAIN WHAT?" He laughed again. Broken. Bitter. "EXPLAIN HOW LOW YOU WERE WILLING TO GO?" His eyes were bloodshot now. Filled with pain. with betrayal. Filled with questions. "So tell me, Kiara." His voice became frighteningly calm. And somehow that was worse than the shouting. "How much of our life was real?"

Kiara looked up. Her heart stopped. Because she saw something in his eyes she had never seen before. Doubt. Pure doubt. Donato swallowed hard. Then spoke the words that shattered her completely. "AT THIS POINT..."His voice trembled. "I'M STARTING TO WONDER IF EVEN OUR MARRIAGE WAS PART OF YOUR PLAN."

The entire room went silent. Absolute silence. Kiara froze. As if someone had ripped the air from her lungs. Her eyes widened. Her lips parted. But no words came out. Because out of everything he had said...That was the one accusation she could never bear. The thought that Donato believed her love wasn't real. That their marriage wasn't real. yes its was plan. but she love him truly her love wasn't plan.

The tears stopped falling. Not because the pain was gone. But because it had become too much to even cry through. The living room remained trapped in heavy silence after Donato's accusation. Kiara stood motionless. Her face had gone pale. Inside her head, the familiar pain had started again. A sharp pounding. Like someone was hammering against her skull from the inside.

The voices. The pressure. The unbearable ache. It had been with her for years. A reminder. A punishment. A scar she carried every single day. But she didn't let anyone see it. Not even Donato. Especially not Donato. Because every time the pain came, it reminded her why she had it. It reminded her of the choices she had made. The sacrifices. The blood.

The darkness she had walked through. All for one reason. Him. To protect him. To save him. To keep him alive. Kiara slowly lifted her eyes and looked at Donato. Despite the tears. Despite the pain. A small smile appeared on her lips. A heartbreaking smile. As if she had already accepted whatever punishment he wanted to give her. Because if suffering was the price for loving him...She had paid it before. And she would pay it again.

Suddenly "It was your plan, wasn't it?" Aravi's voice cut through the room. Everyone froze. Kiara's eyes lifted toward her. Donato frowned. "What are you talking about, Mom?" he asked. Aravi stepped forward. Her eyes never left Kiara. For the first time since this nightmare had started, she wasn't looking at Kiara with anger.

She was looking at her with realization. A realization that had been forming inside her mind for days. "Donato," Aravi said quietly, "do you remember why I went to India before your marriage?" Donato frowned. "Because you had a business meeting with Singh Group."

"Exactly." Aravi nodded. "The Singh Group." She looked around at everyone. Then continued. "I was called there for a business meeting." "The deal was finalized successfully." "Everything was done." She paused. "But after the meeting..."Her eyes darkened with memory. "Mr. Singh Rajput asked to speak with me privately."

Everyone listened carefully. Aravi looked directly at Donato. "He gave me a marriage proposal." Donato froze. Aravi nodded slowly. "A proposal for you." The room fell silent. "He proposed his daughter." Slowly...Aravi turned toward Kiara. "Kiara." Everyone's eyes followed hers. "I already knew the Rajput family." "We had been business partners for years."

"They were respected." "Powerful." "Trustworthy." "So when he suggested the possibility of a marriage between his daughter and my son..."She sighed. "I liked the idea." Donato's expression slowly changed. Aravi continued. "I won't lie." "I agreed." "At least enough to consider it seriously." "Then I met her."

She pointed gently toward Kiara. "I saw her for the first time at Rajput Group." A faint smile appeared on her face. "I remember it clearly." "She was handling an entire conference room full of executives." "Half of them were twice her age." "And yet nobody dared interrupt her." For a brief second, pride entered Aravi's voice.

"She was intelligent." "Confident." "Strong." "I liked her immediately." Kiara's eyes filled with tears. Aravi looked back at Donato. "That is why I called you to India." The room became quiet again. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Donato stared at his mother. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Aravi took a deep breath. Then finally said the thing that had been bothering her for days. "Because if what you're accusing her of is true..." Her eyes moved toward Kiara. "Its means it was come from her not from her father she arrange this"She shook her head. Aravi's words settled over the room like a storm cloud. Nobody spoke.

Aravi looked at Donato before continuing. "I told you at that time that I had met Kiara and liked her. I told you I wanted you two to meet because I thought she would make a good partner." Donato remained silent. Aravi sighed. "But that wasn't the whole truth." Everyone's attention shifted back to her. "The marriage proposal came from Mr. Singh first then I considered."

Her eyes moved toward Kiara. "He was the one who approached me first." She paused. "I didn't tell you that back then because you already hated the idea of meeting a businessman's daughter." A bitter smile appeared on her lips. "And because the last time you met a woman through a business connection..." Her voice softened. "It was Tara."

Donato's jaw tightened instantly. The mention of Tara's name still bring back the memory of her dead body. Aravi noticed it. "That is why I hid that part from you." "I didn't want you rejecting the idea before even meeting her." She took a deep breath. "But now..." Her eyes slowly landed on Kiara. Now I understand something."

The room became tense again. Aravi stared directly at her. "Mr. Singh was unusually determined." "He wasn't simply suggesting a marriage." "He wanted it." "He pushed for it." "Again and again i was confused that why mr singh want her doughter married to you that badly." Her voice lowered. "And now I finally understand why." Everyone looked toward Kiara.

Including Donato. Aravi's next words hit like a hammer. "It was all part of your plan, wasn't it, Kiara?" The question hung heavily in the air. Kiara lowered her head. Her hands trembled. For several seconds she said nothing. Then...Slowly She nodded. A small movement. Barely visible. But enough. Enough to make everyone freeze.

Donato felt something inside him crack. Not loudly. Just another fracture in a heart that was already breaking. His eyes remained fixed on her. "You knew?" His voice came out rough. Broken. "You knew everything from the beginning you knew me before marrige and still you pretend not to know?"

Kiara couldn't lift her head. She nodded again. The room felt colder. Donato laughed once. A short, hollow sound. There was no humor in it. Only disbelief. Only pain. He took a step back. As if standing near her suddenly hurt. As if looking at her hurt. As if breathing hurt and then, one by one, the memories started replaying inside his mind.

The day he told her he was a mafia leader. She hadn't been shocked. Not even a little. At the time, he had thought she was simply brave. Now...Now he know why becsue she already knew. The day he told her about his stalker. The person he had spent years searching for. The person who had destroyed relationships. Threatened women. Killed Tara.

Kiara had listened quietly. Comforted him. Held his hand. Looked into his eyes while he talked about his pain. And all this time... She had known. Because she was the person he was talking about. His chest tightened painfully. His breathing became uneven. Every memory that once brought him comfort now felt poisoned.

Every smile. Every touch. Every moment. Every confession. Everything suddenly felt suspicious. His eyes slowly lifted toward her. For the first time, there was something terrifying in them. Not anger. Not hatred. somthing tat he couldn't name it. The kind thing that destroys love from the inside.

"You knew." His voice barely rose above a whisper. "You knew who I was." Kiara's tears fell silently. "You knew about me being the mafia." Another tear rolled down her cheek. "You knew about Tara." Silence. "You knew about the stalker." His voice cracked. "And you stood beside me while I searched for them." he looked at the woman he loved more than his own life.

And for the first time since meeting her...He no longer knew which parts of her were real. The thought destroyed him. Because if the beginning was a lie...If the proposal was planned.... if its not a arrange marriage but a plan marrige, plan by her. if she had known everything all along...

Then a question began tearing him apart from the inside. A question he was terrified to ask. Was there anything between them that wasn't part of her plan? Or had he simply been a target she wanted so badly that she built an entire life around obtaining him? And that question hurt far more than any truth he had learned so far.

"Ro, please listen to me." Kiara's voice trembled. Tears streamed down her face as she took a small step toward him. "I never did anything to hurt you. I did everything because I loved you. I had reasons for all of it. Please... just listen to me." She was barely holding herself together. Inside her head, chaos had already begun. The pressure. The pounding. The constant buzzing that felt like thousands of voices screaming inside her skull.

For days she had been carrying everything alone. Enzo's death. The hatred of the family. The isolation. The guilt. Donato's rejection. And now this confrontation. Her body was reaching its limit. She could feel it. The warning signs were all there. Her breathing was becoming uneven. Her vision was blurring. The nausea twisting violently in her stomach.

She knew what was happening. She had fought it before. Many times. Whenever her emotions became too much, whenever her mind was pushed beyond its limit, she would force herself to release it somehow. She would scream. Cry. Break things. Anything. Anything to stop herself from losing control. But now she couldn't. Not here. Not in front of him. Not when she finally had a chance to tell him the truth.

Just five minutes. She only needed five minutes. five minutes to explain everything. five minutes to tell him why she had done what she had done. five minutes to make him understand. But Donato wasn't looking at her condition. He wasn't seeing the woman struggling to remain standing.

He was drowning in his own pain. "Shut up." His voice cut through the room like a knife. "Not another word." Kiara flinched. "I can't listen to you anymore." His eyes burned with anger and heartbreak. "I don't even know how many more lies you're hiding." Every word struck her harder than the last.

"I feel like I'm looking at a stranger." His voice cracked. "I don't know who you are anymore, Kiara." The room remained silent. Everyone watched. Nobody interrupted. "How could you do this to me?" The pain in his voice was impossible to miss. "You call this love?" He laughed bitterly. "No." He shook his head. "No, this isn't love." His voice rose. "THIS ISN'T LOVE." Kiara's legs trembled. Her vision blurred further. The buzzing in her head became louder. "IT'S A FUCKING OBSESSION."

Those words hit her harder than everything else. An obsession. Not love. Obsession. The woman who had spent years loving him. Protecting him. Waiting for him. Sacrificing everything for him. Was now being told that her love was nothing but obsession. The floor seemed to shift beneath her. No. No. Stay standing. Just stay standing. Tell him the truth. Just tell him the truth. "I-I..." Her lips moved.

But the words never came. The room spun. The buzzing became unbearable. Her knees gave out. And suddenly She collapsed. Her body hit the floor. The sound echoed through the room. Everything stopped. For one terrifying second nobody moved. Nobody breathed. Donato froze. Only Kavya reacted.

"KIARA!" She ran forward immediately and dropped beside her. Carefully lifting Kiara's head onto her lap. Her hands were shaking. "Kiara!" No response. "Kiara, open your eyes." Nothing. Kavya's heart dropped. Because she had seen this before. Two years ago. The same symptoms. The same terrifying sight.

The same unconscious still shaking body. The same struggle to breathe. Fear exploded inside her. She looked up at Donato. And shouted. "DONATO!" The panic in her voice snapped everyone out of their shock. "If we don't do something right now, she won't survive this!" The room froze. Those words hit Donato harder than anything else.

She won't survive. She won't survive. She won't survive. The sentence repeated inside his head. Over and over. Suddenly nothing else mattered. Not the lies. Not the betrayal. Not the anger. Not the arguments. Nothing. Because despite everything...Despite how broken he was... Despite how angry he was...He still loved her.

And the thought of losing her made his blood run cold. "No." The word escaped his lips instantly. "No." He dropped to his knees beside her. His hands trembling. His heart hammering violently. "Kiara." For the first time in days, his voice sounded terrified. Not angry. Terrified. He touched her face. Her skin was pale. Too pale.

"Kiara." No response. Fear exploded inside him. Without another second of hesitation, he slid one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back. Then lifted her into his arms. As if she weighed nothing. As if letting go would kill her. And maybe kill him too. The entire family sprang into motion. But Donato wasn't waiting. Holding Kiara tightly against his chest, he turned and ran toward the exit.

His heart was pounding. His breathing was uneven. His mind consumed by one terrifying thought. No. Not her too. He had already lost Enzo. He couldn't lose her. Not her. Never her.

That's it bye bye🫡