“What are you talking about?”
“Your ex–husband isn’t just some failing businessman,” Marco’s hand dropped to his side. “He’s been working with the Kabbaros and Riccis for years.”
The room spun. “That’s impossible. Alex hated anything to do with the mafia. He-”
“He played you.” Marco pulled out his phone, showing me surveillance photos. Alexander shaking hands with Antonio Ricci. Meeting with Shanya in dark alleys. “He knew exactly who you were when he married you. The affair, the abortion – it was all calculated to drive you away from your family.”
“No.” I stepped back, bile rising in my throat “You’re lying.
“The Kabbaros wanted intel on your family. Alexander was their way in.” Marco’s voice hardened. “And now that
Antonio and Shanya are married, they’re pushing for more. Your ex–husband isn’t desperate because his business is failing – he’s desperate because he failed his mission to destroy your family from the inside.”
The truth hit me like a physical blow
“He never loved me.” The words came out hollow.
“No, he didn’t” Marco stepped closer “But he underestimated you. And he definitely underestimated who he was really dealing with.”
I stared at the photos on Marco’s phone, each one driving another nail into my heart. But through the pain, a
question surfaced – one I should’ve asked the moment he started revealing these secrets
“Wait.” I looked up at him. “How do you know all this? Alexander?, the abortion…” My voice cracked.
Marco’s jaw tightened “Remember when you rejected my proposal five years ago?”
“When I ran away with Alex, you mean?”
“Yes.” He slipped the phone back into his pocket. “After you left, something didn’t sit right. A woman like y choosing someone like him? It made no sense.”
“So you had me followed?”
“I had him investigated Thoroughly” Marco’s eyes met mine. “That’s when I discovered his connections to the
Kabbaros. The meetings, the payments, everything. Including what he did to you.”
My fingers curled into fists. “You knew about the abortion all this time?”
“I found out three years ago. He’d arranged it through one of Shanya’s private clinics.” Marco’s voice dropped
lower. “I wanted to tell you, but you’d cut ties with everyone. Changed your number, moved addresses.”
“I thought I was protecting myself.” I laughed bitterly. “Turns out I was just making it easier for him to isolate
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about business. I needed to know you were safe.”
The intensity in his eyes made me look away. Five years. He’d been watching over me for five years, while I’d been living a lie with the man who betrayed me.
“Why didn’t you send someone to warn me?”
“I did.” Marco’s words hit me like a thunderbolt. “I sent Vanessa.”
My mind went blank. “What?”
“Your ex–husband’s assistant? I placed her there.” Marco’s expression remained steady. “After discovering his plans, I needed someone on the inside. Someone who could dismantle his operation from within.”
I gripped the edge of the table, steadying myself. “So the affair…”
“Was orchestrated, Vanessa’s mission was to seduce him, gain his trust, and then systematically destroy everything he built.” Marco stepped closer. “That’s why his company’s failing. That’s why he’s desperate to get you back. He thinks reconnecting with the Romano family is his only way out of the hole Vanessa helped dig.”
The room felt too small suddenly. That night I’d cried over Alex’s betrayal, the humiliation of being replaced by
his assistant – it had all been an elaborate plan
“You manipulated my life.” My voice shook. “You played with my emotions-”
“I exposed a man who was using you as a pawn in a deadly game.” Marco’s tone hardened, “Alexander wasn’t just gathering intel anymore, Isabella. The Kabbaros were planning to use him to eliminate your entire family. I had.
to act”
“By breaking my heart?”
“By showing you his true colors before it was too late.” He reached for my hand but I pulled away. “Everything Vanessa did – the obvious affair, making sure you caught them – it was to force you to leave him before they could
execute their plan
The worst part? It made sense. Alex’s sudden desperation to reconcile, his failing business, the timing of it all coinciding with Antonio and Shanya’s marriage…
“So Vanessa works for you?” I asked, my mind racing through every interaction, every moment I’d witnessed
between her and Alex.
“She’s one of my best operatives.” Marco’s admission hung in the air between us. “And she’s still feeding me
information about the Kabbaros‘ movements through Alexander.”
I stared at Marco, my mind reeling with this new information. The careful manipulation, the orchestrated betrayal
– it was almost too much to proceso
“So what now?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt. “You expect me to thank you for orchestrating the destruction of my marriage?”
“No.” Marco moved to the window, his silhouette stark against the city lights. “I expect you to understand why I’m telling you this now. The Kabbaros and Riccis aren’t done. They’re regrouping, planning something bigger.”
“And let me guess – marrying you is my only protection?” The words came out sharper than intended.
He turned, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m not Alexander. I don’t need to manipulate you into marriage. But you need
to know what you’re up against”
“What I’m up against?” I laughed, the sound hollow “I’ve been up against lies since the day I met Alex. At least he
was obvious about it in the end.”
“Isabella-‘
“No.” I held up my hand. “You don’t get to play the hero here. You watched me suffer for years, knowing the truth.
You could have found another way.”
© Mila Queen Engaged to The Don
“There wasn’t time.” Marco crossed the room. “The Kabbaros were closing in. If you’d stayed with him even a month longer-
“Stop.” My palm pressed against his chest, keeping him at distance “Just stop. I need time to process this.” “Time isn’t something we have much of.” His hand covered mine, but he didn’t try to close the gap between us “Alexander’s meeting with Antonio tomorrow night. Whatever they’re planning, it’s happening soon.”
I pulled my hand away. “And Vanessa will tell you all about it, won’t she?”
“She’s already confirmed they’re moving weapons into the city.” Marco’s voice dropped lower. “Big shipments. The kind you don’t need unless you’re planning a war.
