Cassian Romano

Some betrayals don’t come from enemies. They come from blood. Aria Vendetti always thought betrayal would feel loud. Screams. Gunshots. Chaos.Instead, it felt like silence. The marble floor of the Vendetti estate was cold beneath her cheek. The metallic scent of blood filled her lungs, sharp and coppery. The chandeliers above shimmered like distant stars, blurred by the tears she refused to shed. Her family stood across the hall. Her uncles. Her cousins. Her own blood. And none looked away. *“You chose him over us,”*her uncle said, calm and precise, adjusting his cufflinks. *“We simply corrected your mistake.”* Cassian.Her chest tightened at the thought of him. Six years of marriage. Six years of quiet strength, steady hands at her waist, whispered mia vita against her hair, safety she’d taken for granted. Six years—and she had destroyed it all in one week. Because she believed them.*"He’s cheating, Aria.He’s planning to take the Vendetti throne. He’s turning your soldiers against you."* She remembered Cassian’s face the night she accused him. Not angry. Not defensive. Just wounded. That had been the first crack in her world. And she had walked away anyway. Taken Nyx. Filed for separation. Cut Cassian out before he could “destroy” her family.Only to discover too late that the only thing Cassian had ever destroyed was their enemies. Not her. Never her. A gun clicked. Her cousin stepped forward. *“You should’ve stayed loyal to your blood.”* Aria let out a broken laugh, tasting iron. *“I did,”* she whispered.And that was the problem. The gunshot tore through the hall. Pain bloomed, sharp and blinding. She fell fully onto her back, staring up at the ceiling she had run through as a child. Her vision dimmed at the edges. Cassian.Nyx, her son.If she had trusted her instincts, looked deeper, chosen the man who had never lied to her.Regret weighed heavier than the bullet.As darkness closed in, she prayed for another chance.