I knew exactly why Dante didn't want me inside. The private dining room was filled with the most powerful men in the Commission's orbit, and among them sat Rosalia Valenti, wife of the Boss of All Bosses.
Every guest seated comfortably at those tables believed that Gianna Greco, his dead brother's widow, was the rightful lady of the Ferrante household.
A wife appearing out of nowhere was a problem Dante had no idea how to explain.
And that was precisely why I was here. To make sure he couldn't.
Dante stared at me, his face drained of color, scrambling for a way out.
Gianna's eyes darted, and then she stepped forward with a warm smile, reaching for my arm.
"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? You're Dante's wife, which makes you family. You and the child arrived so suddenly that Dante was simply overwhelmed with joy and didn't know what to say. He would never hide anything from you!"
She tried to steer me toward a side room off the main hall.
I pulled my arm free. "You must be the elder sister-in-law."
Gianna's smile froze for a heartbeat before she forced it back into place with a nod. Her fingers drifted to the hollow of her throat, a gesture so practiced it looked like modesty. It wasn't.
In my previous life, I had pitied Gianna for losing her husband so young. I never thought to guard myself against her. So when she led me to that side room and offered me cannoli from a silver tray, I never once suspected her intentions.
I had no idea that the poison in those cannoli was what killed my daughter and me. And the hand that placed it there was Gianna's.
"I think I'll skip the side room. Didn't my husband just mention there's a sit-down going on? My daughter and I are starving. We'll eat there. And while we're at it, my husband can introduce us to everyone."
"Serafina!"
Dante's voice dropped to a sharp growl. "You want to walk into that room dressed like that? You'd humiliate the entire Ferrante name on purpose?"
"At least change your clothes first. Gianna, would you take her to—"
Dante froze the moment the words left his mouth. When I said nothing, he rushed to explain.
"Serafina, don't misunderstand. Gianna is the only family I have left in this house. I think of her as my own sister. That's why I call her that."
"There is absolutely nothing between us!"
His frantic explanation only made my stomach turn.
I would never forget what I saw in the moments before I died.