I don't remember how I obtained the blessed charm. All I know is that when I finally saw Cesare at the bottom, my legs gave out and I collapsed.
He caught me and gathered me into his arms.
"Serafina, you've suffered so much. I promise, even after I marry Sienna, you'll be the only one in my heart."
I closed my eyes slowly. Three days ago, I might have believed those words. Now they made my stomach turn.
"I got you your blessed charm. Let me go."
He ignored my plea and carried me back to the cottage.
"Serafina, don't be stubborn. The wedding is tomorrow. Sienna has agreed to let you keep living in the cottage afterward. You'll stay out of each other's way. Alright?"
Before leaving, he added one last instruction: "The Don's daughter may come to observe the ceremony tomorrow. Stay in the cottage and don't cause trouble."
Shortly after he left, my father's agents found me.
I looked in the direction he had gone, then at this little cottage in the Hudson Valley that had never truly been mine, and a quiet smile crossed my lips. My fingers drifted to the bare hollow of my throat where a locket once hung, then fell away.
I hope tomorrow, you won't regret this.