"Know your place." His eyes narrowed, cold and reptilian. "I won't have a hysterical lunatic as my wife. This ends now."
His phone rang. He glanced at the screen—and just like that, his face lit up like a boy on Christmas morning.
"A gift? From you? That's so thoughtful. Honestly, those associates only signed on because of you."
"What? No ride? Don't worry, I'm coming to pick you up right now. Just stay put, bella."
He didn't even look back at me as he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the corridor like a death knell.
I stared at the door as it closed behind him. My tears burned down my cheeks like acid.
Fine. If this is how it's going to be—so be it.
I just stood there, staring after the man I used to love, tears searing tracks down my face. Fine. If that's how he wanted to play it—then so be it.
I turned to pack my bags, my hands steady despite the trembling in my chest. But then the phone rang again.
"Miss Giordano," the consigliere's assistant said cheerfully, his voice dripping with false courtesy, "since you've dropped the charges in your mother's case, we're closing our investigation. Just letting you know."
The line went dead.
I hadn't dropped anything.