---- Chapter 1 My mafia husband, Vincent Santoro, was born a monster, incapable of loving anyone. But one day, I discovered he was hiding a 'forbidden fruit'. A girl from the slums, Claire Murphy. Scarred by life, yet as beautiful as a wildflower growing through concrete. For a man who'd waded through blood his whole life, she was a fatal attraction he never saw coming. He thought he'd covered his tracks. He was wrong.
At the Santoro family's annual dinner, I confronted him about Claire, tears streaking down my face. ---- He just lightly frowned, then had his consigliere slide the divorce papers across the table to me. "Isabella. Sign it. The three North Side docks and the shipping lines are yours." I tore the papers to shreds. He just kept raising the offer. He had me thrown into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan. He blew up my family's distillery-the Romano family's legacy. Finally, he took my parents.
Tied them in an abandoned warehouse and made one watch as he set the other on fire. "Sign, or watch them burn. Your choice." I begged him on my knees, but a roar of flames consumed the world- The heat seared my skin, the ash of my parents clinging to my face. ---- "No... NO!" When I opened my eyes, I was back. Back on the day I first learned about Claire. This time, no tears, no drama. That night, I called my family in Sicily and set my escape in motion.
But the moment I vanished from his world... Vincent Santoro went insane. In the life I lived before, I'd only ever seen a photo of Claire in Vincent's study. This time, I wanted to see for myself what was so special about this girl... what kind of magic she possessed to make a soulless man feel something. "Uncle Tony, I need you to get my parents to Sicily. This week. Make sure there's no trace. I'll follow when I can." After the call, I had the family lawyer draw up