The note felt heavier than any diamond Angelo had fastened at my throat. Its jagged letters seemed to pulse against my palm, the warning searing itself into me. The fire was only the beginning.
I burned it in the hearth before dawn, watching the flames curl the paper to ash, but the words lived on in my skull. Sleep never came. I sat awake in Angelo’s room, the necklace pressing into my skin like a collar, the weight of his empire pressing into my bones.
By morning, I wore exhaustion like a veil. The wives were already in the grand hall when I entered, each one perched like a vulture on silk cushions. Camilla’s smirk was razor sharp. Zara’s eyes flicked to my throat, to the necklace gleaming there, and her lips curled. Sarah’s disdain radiated like perfume.
“Looks like someone has earne
