Chapter 9

Tony stepped forward instinctively, his voice soft. "Samantha, please come down. It's not safe."

"Don't come closer!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. They shimmered in the morning light. "Everyone's calling me a homewrecker, tony. I wish I were dead."

"No, don't say that. I'm here for you." His voice softened even more. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course, I trust you. You're the only one I do. But I can't live with this kind of shame."

She was sobbing, completely broken. Every word was a plea for him to make her official.

Tony cared for her, but she was done being a woman with no title.

He looked troubled, lost in thought.

Then a cold voice cut through the air. "If you're that ashamed, jump. End it. You won't have to hear them anymore. Maybe they'll feel guilty and make you famous. Years from now, you'll be some sad icon."

Amore came into sight, her heels clicking against the floor. Her red gown, flawless makeup, and bold lips made her look like she'd just stepped out of a ballroom.

She smiled brightly, as if she hadn't realized how cruel her words were.

"Stop it," tony hissed, frowning. "She's not in any state to handle this!"

Samantha was shaking, pounding the railing with her fists. "Amore, you vicious bitch! You already killed my sister, and now you want me dead too? You won't get away with this."

Amore kept smiling, unfazed. "Don't worry about me. None of that is happening. You overplayed your part, and now it's falling apart. That's on you."

Samantha's heart skipped a beat, and her voice turned sharp. "What are you talking about? You ruined my reputation, and now it's my fault?"

"Well, the evidence speaks for itself," amore said coolly. "You're smart, Samantha. But the people you hired did a poor job. I called my dad. His team dug everything up already."

She pulled a stack of papers from a brown envelope and held them out. "Want to see how sloppy your setup was?"

"You're lying! I planned everything perfectly. There's no way you could trace it back to me!" Samantha screamed, then froze.

She'd just given herself away.

"I didn't trace it to you," Amore said, smirking. "Not because I couldn't. Because I didn't have to."

She let go. All those blank sheets scattered into the wind.

"The truth is out," Amore declared.

Samantha hadn't expected the bluff. She panicked, lost her grip on the railing, and fell.

Her scream cut through the sky. The crowd below shouted in terror.

Amore lunged to catch her, but it was too late.

The rooftop exploded into chaos, with voices shouting from every direction, but Amore couldn't hear any of it. Her mind had gone completely blank.

And suddenly, she was back in that summer when she was eighteen.

School had just let out. The campus was empty in the rain.

On her way back from the library, Katarina cornered her in the pavilion.

The softness in Katarina's face was gone. She looked smug, almost cruel. "Amore, I have to admit your family is impressive. But you're not smart. If you think you can use that to keep me from Tony, you're delusional. Today you're going to learn what happens when you mess with me."

Katarina backed off until her legs touched the railing. She smirked. "Let's see if Tony still wants a childhood friend who hurt his girlfriend."

Then she leaned back slightly, daring Amore to react.

One wrong move and Tony would think Amore pushed her.

Things between Amore and Tony were already on the edge. This would end it.

But Katarina hadn't seen the brick in the grass.

She fell back and hit her head. Blood spilled fast, staining the rainwater a vivid red. The sight was blinding, the smell nauseating.

"Mrs. Powers." The voice snapped Amore back.

She was still shaking, her eyes wide with fright.

Samantha had just fallen to her death.