The day arrived too fast and too slow simultaneously.
Rio woke knowing this was it. The last morning before everything collapsed. The final hours of pretending.
He spent them carefully. Deliberately. Like a man preparing for execution because that's exactly what it was.
Avilio was gone early. "Final preparations," he'd said. Cold. Focused. Pure Angelo now. No trace of humanity remaining.
Rio dressed with precision. The clothes Nero had bought him weeks ago. Quality fabric. Perfect fit. Wearing the gifts while planning to destroy the giver.
The irony wasn't lost on the fragments.
They whispered: This is it. The moment everything built collapses. The betrayal executes. Choose how you face it.
Rio chose numbness. Because feeling would make it impossible.
---
The Vanetti mansion was transformed for the dinner.
Formal. Elegant. The entire family gathering to mark the war's end and the family's survival. Don Vanetti's idea—solidarity, strength, unity displayed through ritual.
Rio arrived early. Was immediately intercepted by Nero.
"There you are." Nero's smile was genuine. Happy. "I was starting to worry you'd changed your mind about tonight."
"About dinner?"
"About everything. About us. About leaving." Nero pulled him into a private corridor. "Tomorrow morning. That's when we go. I've made all the arrangements. Tickets. Money. Everything we need. We leave at dawn. Together."
Tomorrow morning. When the truth would already be out. When Nero would already know everything. When Rio would already be running or dead.
"Nero—"
"I know what you're going to say. That it's too fast. Too risky. Too something." Nero's voice was intense. "But I don't care. I love you. You love me. That's all that matters. Everything else we can figure out."
Rio wanted to tell him. Wanted to confess everything before the dinner. Give Nero a choice. A chance. Something.
But the fragments reminded him: Confession changes nothing. He'll still be destroyed. He'll just be destroyed with warning instead of surprise.
"Tomorrow morning," Rio agreed. Another lie. The last one, probably.
Nero kissed him. "I can't wait. To wake up somewhere else. To just—be us. No family. No obligations. No violence. Just—" He smiled. "Normal life. Whatever that looks like."
The dream was beautiful and doomed in equal measure.
"It'll be good," Rio said. Because what else was there?
---
The dinner was formal. Seated arrangement. Don Vanetti at the head. Family members by importance. Rio was placed near Nero—his official position as personal security granting proximity.
Twenty-three people total. The core Vanetti family. Key associates. Everyone who mattered.
Everyone who'd witness what came next.
Rio scanned the room. Ganzo to the don's right. Frate to his left—unusual position, but the don was acknowledging his younger son more lately. Nero beside Rio. Vanno across the table, smiling at some joke.
And Avilio. Positioned near the door. Casual placement. Except Rio knew better.
Avilio's eyes met his. Cold. Certain. Tonight. It happens tonight.
The dinner began. Courses served. Wine poured. Conversation flowing. The celebration of survival and victory.
Don Vanetti stood to toast. "To family. To loyalty. To survival. We've weathered the storm. The Orco family is destroyed. Lawless is ours. And we stand stronger than ever."
Glasses raised. Agreement chorused.
"But victory came at a cost," the don continued. "Good men died. Sacrifices were made. We honor them by remembering why we fight. For family. For each other. For the bonds that make us more than just criminals. That make us—" He paused. "A family."
The word echoed. Family. The concept Rio was about to destroy.
The don sat. Conversation resumed. Rio felt tension building. Avilio was waiting for something. A signal. A moment.
Then it happened.
Frate stood. "Father. Before we continue. There's something you need to know. Something I've discovered." His voice was calm. Cold. "About threats to this family. About infiltration. About betrayal."
The room went silent.
Don Vanetti's expression darkened. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Rio Ceriano and Avilio Bruno. About their real identities. Their real purpose here." Frate pulled out documents. "I've been investigating. Following the inconsistencies. The mysteries. And I found the truth."
Rio's stomach dropped. This wasn't the plan. This was Frate. Frate had figured it out.
The fragments screamed: ABORT. ESCAPE. SURVIVE.
But Rio was frozen. Watching his world collapse ahead of schedule.
"Explain," the don ordered.
"Rio Ceriano and Avilio Bruno aren't who they claim. They're not associates seeking opportunity. They're survivors." Frate spread photographs on the table. Old photographs. From seven years ago. "These are from the Lagusa family massacre. The one we ordered. The one that killed everyone." He pointed. "Except three children. Three survivors who disappeared that night."
More photographs. Rio felt his blood run cold.
"Angelo Lagusa. Age thirteen. Survived." Frate pointed at Avilio. "That's you. That's who you really are."
Avilio didn't deny it. Just stood there. Cold. Waiting.
"Corteo. Age thirteen. Survived. Was here in Lawless, running a brewery. Conveniently left three days ago." Frate's finger moved. "And Rio Ceriano. Age fifteen when the massacre happened. Also survived. Changed his appearance slightly. Adopted a new background story. But—" He placed another photo down. Side by side comparison. "That's you."
The room erupted.
Soldiers standing. Hands on weapons. Ganzo moving toward Rio. Nero frozen, staring at the photographs.
"They've been planning this from the beginning," Frate continued. "Infiltrating. Gaining trust. Getting close. All for revenge. For the massacre we ordered seven years ago."
Don Vanetti's face was stone. "Is this true?"
Avilio smiled. "Every word."
Then he moved.
Gun drawn. Fired. Not at the don. At Ganzo.
Chaos exploded.
Rio's fragments took over. He moved without thinking. Grabbed Nero. Pulled him down as gunfire erupted. Protected him even now. Even during the betrayal.
Avilio wasn't alone. Three soldiers—plants, clearly—opened fire on the family. Coordinated assault. The room became a war zone.
Rio's body moved on instinct. Shielded Nero. Returned fire. Fragments guiding every action while his mind screamed.
The don was down. Shot. Bleeding. But not dead. Not yet.
Vanno was fighting. Protecting the don. Wounded but functional.
And Nero. Nero was staring at Rio. At the gun in Rio's hand. At the reality of everything.
"Rio?" Nero's voice was broken. "Is it true? Are you—"
Rio couldn't answer. Because any answer was confession.
Avilio was advancing on the don. "Seven years ago, you ordered my family killed. Ordered children murdered. Ordered my life destroyed. Now—" He raised his gun. "Now you pay."
Ganzo, wounded, threw himself between them. Took the bullets meant for the don.
The room was carnage. Bodies. Blood. Smoke. Screaming.
Rio's fragments whispered: Escape. Now. While there's chaos. Survive.
But Rio looked at Nero. At the betrayal in his eyes. At the moment when everything Rio had built shattered.
"I'm sorry," Rio said. Meant it. "I'm so sorry."
Then he ran.
Not toward Avilio. Not helping the assassination. Just—away. Toward survival. Toward escape. Toward whatever came after this.
Behind him, gunfire continued. Shouting. The collapse of everything.
Rio ran through corridors. Past guards rushing toward the chaos. Out into Lawless night. Into darkness.
The fragments guided his path. Escape routes memorized. Survival protocols engaged.
But nothing could guide him away from the memory of Nero's face. The betrayal. The heartbreak. The moment when love transformed into hatred.
Rio ran until his lungs burned. Until distance and darkness provided minimal safety.
Then he stopped. Collapsed against a wall. Let the reality sink in.
It was done. The betrayal executed. The truth revealed. Everything destroyed.
Avilio had gotten his revenge. Partial, at least. The don might survive. Might not. But the family was fractured. Trust was shattered. The Vanetti empire was collapsing from within.
Mission accomplished.
And Rio had lost everything.
---
Hours later, Rio made it to a safehouse Avilio had prepared. Abandoned building. Industrial district. Neutral territory.
Avilio was already there. Wounded but functional. "You made it."
"Barely."
"Did you help? Or did you run?"
"I protected Nero. Then I ran." Rio met his eyes. "Did the don die?"
"Don't know. Chaos was total. I got out before confirmation." Avilio's voice was cold. "But it doesn't matter. The truth is out. The family knows they were infiltrated. Betrayed. That destroys them regardless of whether the don survived."
"You're satisfied then."
"I'm closer to satisfied. The revenge isn't complete until I know Vincent Vanetti is dead. But—" Avilio smiled without warmth. "The Lagusa family has been avenged. Partially, at least. That's more than I had yesterday."
Rio said nothing. Because what was there to say?
"You compromised the mission," Avilio said. "Protected Nero. Saved him instead of helping execute the don. You chose him over revenge."
"Yes."
"That makes you a traitor. To me. To the mission. To Angelo Lagusa's memory."
"I know."
"I should kill you for it."
"Go ahead." Rio was too tired to care. Too destroyed to fight. "I don't care anymore."
Avilio studied him. Then shook his head. "No. Living with what you've done is worse than dying. Living with Nero's face when he learned the truth. Living with knowing you destroyed the man you love. That's punishment enough."
He was right. Death would be mercy. Living was the torture.
"Where do you go from here?" Rio asked.
"After I confirm the don's fate? Disappear. New identity. New city. The revenge is done. Angelo Lagusa can finally rest." Avilio moved toward the door. "What about you?"
"I don't know."
"You should leave Lawless. Tonight. Before they hunt you down. Before Nero—" He stopped. "Before you have to face what you've done."
"I can't run."
"You have to. Staying is suicide."
"Maybe that's what I deserve."
Avilio looked at him with something almost like pity. "You really fell for him. Completely. I thought you were just compromised. I didn't realize you'd destroyed yourself."
"Neither did I."
"Then you're a fool. A sentimental fool who sacrificed everything for temporary feelings." Avilio opened the door. "Goodbye, Rio. I don't think we'll see each other again."
He left.
Rio sat alone in the safehouse. Listening to distant sirens. Distant chaos. The sound of Lawless reacting to what happened.
The fragments whispered: Leave. Escape. Start over. You'll reincarnate eventually anyway. This life is over. Begin the next.
But Rio couldn't move. Couldn't think past Nero's face. Couldn't process beyond the destruction he'd caused.
He'd infiltrated the Vanetti family. Gained their trust. Fallen in love with the heir. Betrayed them all. And survived to live with it.
The mission was complete. Avilio's revenge executed. The family shattered.
And Rio had lost everything that had started to matter.
The fragments offered no comfort. No solutions. No way forward.
Just the certainty that surviving this was worse than dying.
And the knowledge that he'd have to live with it forever.
Literally.
---
Dawn broke over Lawless.
Rio watched the sun rise from the safehouse window. The city looked almost peaceful. Like the violence of the previous night hadn't happened.
Illusion. All of it.
His phone rang. Unknown number.
Rio answered. "Hello?"
Silence. Then breathing. Then: "Rio."
Nero's voice. Broken. Devastated. Furious.
"Nero—"
"Don't. Don't say anything. I just—" His voice cracked. "I need to know. Was any of it real? The things you said. The way you looked at me. The—" He stopped. "Did you ever actually love me? Or was it all lies?"
Honest answer. The only truth Rio had left.
"I loved you," Rio said quietly. "I love you. That was real. Everything else was lies, but that—that was real."
"How?" Nero's voice was anguished. "How can you love someone and destroy them? How can both be true?"
"I don't know. But they are." Rio's voice broke. "I'm sorry. For everything. For the lies. For the betrayal. For—" He stopped. "For hurting you. That was never supposed to happen."
"But it did. You destroyed—" Nero's breathing was ragged. "My father's alive. Barely. In surgery. Ganzo's dead. Three soldiers dead. The family's falling apart. Everyone's questioning everything. And it's all—" His voice turned hard. "Because of you. Because I let you in. Because I trusted you. Because I loved you."
"I know."
"Is that all you have to say? 'I know'?"
"What else is there? I can't undo it. Can't fix it. Can't—" Rio's voice was hollow. "I destroyed everything. Including us. I know that. And I'm sorry. That doesn't help. But it's true."
Silence. Long silence.
"Don't come back to Lawless," Nero said finally. "Don't contact me. Don't—" His voice broke again. "Don't exist in my world anymore. Because if I see you, if you're anywhere near me, I'll—" He stopped. "Just go. Disappear. Let me pretend you never existed."
"Nero—"
"I loved you." Past tense. "I would have done anything for you. Given up everything. The family. The business. My name. All of it. For you." His voice was anguished. "And you were never real. You were just—a weapon. Aimed at my family. Aimed at me."
"That's not—"
"Goodbye, Rio." The line went dead.
Rio sat with the silent phone. Feeling the weight of everything.
Nero was right. About all of it. Rio had been a weapon. Had destroyed everything. Had broken the man he loved.
And love didn't make it better. Didn't excuse anything. Just made it worse. Made the betrayal unforgivable.
The fragments whispered: Leave. Now. While you can. Start over. New city. New identity. New life.
Rio should. Should disappear. Should let this life end and begin again elsewhere.
But leaving meant abandoning Nero to deal with the aftermath. Meant letting him suffer without—
Without what? Without Rio's presence making it worse? Without the reminder of betrayal?
Leaving was the kind thing. The right thing.
Rio stood. Grabbed what little he had. Prepared to disappear.
One last look at Lawless. The city that had become something like home. The place where he'd found something like love. The world he'd destroyed.
Then Rio walked away.
Into whatever came next.
Carrying fragments and regrets and the memory of Nero's voice saying "I loved you" in past tense.
The fragments mourned.
So did Rio.