I Took the Fall, He Took His Life

At exactly 8:00 am, there was a knock on the door.

Standing outside were two Soldati, their expressions cold and hard, here to escort me to court to plead guilty.

The Timoteo who once promised to protect me for life wouldn't even see me one last time.

As I walked through the living room, I saw Nadia curled up in his arms, feeding him cake.

He never touched sweets, yet he ate them with a smile—a smile so genuine it reached his eyes.

I had never seen Timoteo so gentle.

I lowered my eyes, fighting to suppress the emotions threatening to rise inside me.

It was my fault. I should've realized my place long ago. I was just a blade Timoteo had forged, nothing more.

The nights we spent together were just a matter of mutual need. Those words that made my heart race were just fleeting moments of his affection, nothing deeper.

…

The courtroom was colder than I had imagined.

I was led to the defendant's stand. The cold steel of the handcuffs bit into my wrists, the hard metal chafing my skin raw.

The spectators filled the room. Their eyes were locked on me with various expressions.

I searched the crowd but didn't see Timoteo, but I did see Nadia.

From a distance, I could almost see the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

The prosecutor began reading out the charges, each one a crime I'd committed for Timoteo.

The lawyer assigned by the Panno family was barely doing the bare minimum, just going through the motions.

The judge's voice was deep as he asked, "Defendant, do you admit to the charges?"

All eyes turned to me.

I was about to speak when suddenly, a gunshot rang out, followed by a deafening explosion.

A group of masked men stormed into the courtroom, and their leader rushed straight to me, shielding me with his body.

My mind went blank, and an uninvited hope rose up. Perhaps Timoteo couldn't bring himself to let go of me.

"Ms. Liberi, we're here to save you! We'll kill Nadia as you instructed!"

The spark of hope was snuffed out in an instant, and a cold shiver ran through me.

I stared at the masked man in disbelief.

I hadn't hired anyone to save me, let alone ordered Nadia's death.

I tried to explain, but the masked man silenced me with a tight grip over my mouth and nose.

Amid the chaos, a gunshot rang out.

The man behind me collapsed with a loud thud. Blood splattered onto my chin, warm and wet.

Timoteo rushed forward and pulled Nadia into his arms, calming her with soft reassurances. Not once did he spare me a glance.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the cold barrel of a gun pressed against my forehead first.

"You tried to hurt Nadia?"

I never imagined Timoteo would point a gun at me.

When our eyes met, he lowered the gun. Then, he slapped me hard across the face.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth instantly.

"How dare you think of hurting her?"

I raised my head with difficulty and squinted through swollen eyes to look at him.

Timoteo's eyes were like pools of ice, cutting deep into my soul.

"It wasn't me."

When I spoke, my voice was a ragged rasp. My throat was thick with the copper taste of blood.

His expression hardened, as though he was hesitating.

Nadia walked over and wrapped herself around him, then looked up at him with teary eyes. "Timoteo, I'm scared…"

The conflict in his face disappeared, and he began to remove his gloves.

I knew that gesture all too well. It meant Timoteo was about to deal with someone who didn't obey.

My throat tightened, and my heart sank. "Don Panno, please believe me."

He gripped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Serafina Liberi, you've been with me for 12 years."

My jaw ached from his grip, but it was nothing compared to the pain that twisted inside.

Timoteo's voice was almost calm. "I taught you to get things done cleanly without leaving any traces. But I never taught you to use such underhanded tactics to hurt my woman."

Nadia had only been back for three months, yet she was already enough to make him trample over 12 years of history with me.

A bitterness surged in my throat, but I fought it back.

"Don Panno, I've been with you since I was ten! For 12 years, I've given you my life. How could I betray you?"

He stared at me for a long time, as if measuring whether there was any truth in my words.

Suddenly, Nadia clutched her chest and coughed violently. Her face was drained of color.