Chapter 6
The internet is a cruel mirror, but it was my husband holding it steady.
A video had been circulating since the gala. It showed Dante and Sofia in the car, their silhouettes merging against the backdrop of fireworks that were spelling out my name.
The caption read: "True Love Wins."
I sat in the passenger seat of Dante's car on the way to the private track, watching the view count climb. Two million strangers had watched my husband betray me in 4K resolution.
Sofia sat in the back with Leo. She was weeping softly.
"I am so sorry, Elena," she sobbed, dabbing at dry eyes with a silk handkerchief. "I was just so overwhelmed. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Dante took one hand off the wheel to squeeze her knee.
"It's okay, Sofia," he said, his voice tender. "Elena understands. She knows how complex this is."
I looked out the window. The trees were a green blur. I didn't understand "complexity." I understood physics. Newton's Third Law. Action and reaction. Betrayal and consequence.
We arrived at the track. It was a Vitiello tradition to race on Sundays. It was supposed to be a family day.
Dante wanted to show off his new Ferrari. He tore through a lap, the engine screaming, but his time was slow. He was distracted.
I walked toward the pit. I saw Sofia standing near the lineup of cars. She was holding a wrench, her back to me. She slipped something into her pocket as I approached.
She turned, her smile sharp enough to cut glass.
"Why don't we race, Elena?" she asked loudly. "For Leo. He loves to see cars go fast."
Leo clapped his hands. "Yes! Race, Mama Sofia! Beat the ghost!"
Dante frowned. "Elena shouldn't drive. Her reflexes... the coma."
"I can drive," I said. My voice was flat.
I got into the silver Porsche. It smelled of leather and high-octane gasoline. I gripped the wheel. My hands were steady.
We lined up. The flag dropped.
I floored it. The G-force pressed me back into the seat, a welcome weight against my hollow chest. For a second, I was simply The Architect again. Calculating angles. Judging torque.
I was winning. I was ahead on the final turn.
Then I saw Sofia's red Lotus in my rearview mirror. She wasn't braking for the curve. She was accelerating.
She wasn't trying to pass me. She was aiming for my rear axle.
She didn't just clip me.
It wasn't a mistake. It was precision.
My car spun. The world turned into a kaleidoscope of asphalt and sky. I hit the barrier. Metal shrieked in agony. Glass shattered.
My head slammed against the steering wheel. Warmth trickled down my forehead.
I couldn't move my legs. Smoke filled the cabin.
Through the spiderwebbed fracture of the windshield, I saw them running.
Dante. Leo.
They were sprinting across the tarmac.
"Help," I whispered.
But they didn't run to me.
They ran to the red Lotus. Sofia had spun out into the grass. She was already climbing out, fussing over a broken fingernail.
Dante grabbed her face, checking her for scratches. Leo hugged her legs, sobbing.
I watched them through the smoke. My husband. My son. Checking the woman who just tried to kill me, while I bled out in the wreckage ten yards away.
The darkness rushed in then. It was kinder than the light.
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