"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I have no problems with you being here," he said. "But I am begging you—give me one reason to divorce you. Give me one reason to go to war with your family. Just one. That’s all I need, and I will take it like my life depends on it because, believe it or not, it does." He was a man trapped within the suffocating confines of duty, loyalty, and a marriage forged from political necessity.
Bianca’s composure faltered for a fleeting moment before she gathered herself. "Luca, I’m... really, I have no idea whatsoever what you are talking about," she said softly. "Yes, I admit the last time I was here, I lost control." Her eyes flickered with regret as she continued. "And just like I told Don, I am a new wife. I am allowed some mistakes, am I not?"
Luca’s jaw tightened, his patience fraying. "One," he snapped. "Not some. And you have used up your quota."
Bianca inhaled slowly, absorbing the sting without retaliating. Instead, she chose vulnerability over confrontation. "Luca, believe me," she said. "I did not come here for trouble. I have accepted what you want, how you want this marriage to go, but it doesn’t mean I will not stop trying to fix my marriage."
"Is that what you were trying to do when you blackmailed Ricardo? You were trying to fix our marriage?" Luca asked, his voice low and dangerously calm.
Bianca met his gaze without hesitation. "Yes."
"And tell me," he continued, "where has that gotten you?"
Bianca’s lips parted slightly, but she did not immediately respond. "I do have a question," she said at last. "If you already know that Ricardo gave me information you didn’t sanction, why is he not dead?"
Luca’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking visibly as he held her gaze. "None of your business." His dismissal seemed to embolden her.
"Oh, it is my business," she replied. "She has made you soft, surrounding you with betrayers and enemies."
Luca’s eyes darkened, but he remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"First, it was Marco, now Ricardo. How many more people will she turn against you before you realize what’s happening?" Bianca’s tone sharpened slightly, though it never rose above a refined calm. "How many more will you spare because of her?"
It was a calculated attempt to challenge his authority and judgment.
"You are a Don, it doesn’t matter if the title hasn’t been bestowed on you yet Luca," she added softly. "Your strength lies in your ability to act without hesitation. Yet with her, you hesitate. You forgive. You protect. These are not the decisions of the man I married."
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, his presence imposing and unmistakably dominant. "Bianca," he said, "none of your business."
The finality in his tone left no room for further argument. His gaze locked onto hers, unwavering and resolute, making it clear that the subject was closed.
"You may not love me," Bianca said, her voice steady despite the storm raging beneath the surface, "but I am your wife." She stood tall, shoulders squared, clinging to the one truth that could not be denied—her legitimacy.
Luca’s eyes flashed with a dangerous intensity. "And she is my Donna!" he thundered. "Tell me, which one carries more weight?"

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