The Last Goodbye

PART 3 — THE MAN WHO BEGGED TOO LATE

By noon, the Moretti family had received an invitation.

Not to a business meeting.

Not to a peace negotiation.

But to a private reception at the Rosetti estate, announcing my official return as the family’s heir.

Diego arrived twenty minutes early.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, but his expression was anything but composed.

Sophia accompanied him, dressed in an elegant red gown.

“Why are we here?” she whispered.

“To bring my wife home.”

But when the grand doors opened, Diego forgot how to breathe.

I stood at the top of the marble staircase.

I wore an ivory silk gown, my hair falling in soft waves over my shoulders. A diamond necklace rested against my collarbone.

Beside me stood my father.

Behind us were several senior members of the Rosetti family.

Diego stared at me.

“Kora…”

I descended the staircase slowly.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Moretti.”

His jaw tightened.

“Don’t call me that. I’m your husband.”

“Not for much longer.”

He reached for my hand, but I stepped back.

“Can we talk privately?”

“There is nothing left to discuss.”

His eyes moved toward Sophia.

Then back to me.

“She means nothing to me.”

Sophia’s expression changed.

“Diego!”

I almost smiled.

“How interesting. A few hours ago, you told me she was staying with you. Now she means nothing?”

He lowered his voice.

“I made a mistake.”

“No, Diego. You made a choice. Repeatedly.”

My father stepped forward.

“Mr. Moretti, I suggest you remember where you are.”

Diego ignored him.

“Kora, I didn’t know who you were. If I’d known—”

I interrupted him.

“That’s exactly the problem.”

He frowned.

“What?”

“You loved the woman you believed was poor, helpless, and dependent on you. But you never bothered to discover who she really was.”

His expression softened.

“I loved you.”

“Then why did I have to beg you for five minutes of your time?”

He had no answer.

I continued.

“I wanted to tell you the truth because I trusted you. I wanted you to know my family, my past, and everything I had hidden. But you were too busy running after another woman.”

Sophia suddenly stepped forward.

“This is ridiculous. Diego and I have a future together.”

My father turned toward her.

“Then you should be happy to hear that my daughter is ending hers with him.”

A few guests exchanged surprised glances.

Diego looked furious.

“Kora, don’t do this. We can fix our marriage.”

I took the emerald necklace from my handbag and placed it on a nearby table.

“You gave me this for our anniversary. I kept it because I wanted to remember the man I married.”

I looked directly into his eyes.

“But I don’t recognize that man anymore.”

Then I handed him an envelope.

Inside were divorce papers, already signed by me.

“Sign them, Diego.”

He stared at the documents.

“You’re really leaving me?”

I nodded.

“Yes.”

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“What if I tell you I can’t live without you?”

For a moment, my heart ached.

Because once, those words would have been everything I wanted to hear.

But I had waited too long.

“You should have thought about that before you made me feel like I was the easiest person in your life to lose.”

I turned and walked toward my father.

Diego didn’t follow.

For the first time, he watched me walk away without knowing whether I would ever return.

Outside, the Nevada sun shone brightly across the estate.

My father offered me his arm.

“Are you all right, sweetheart?”

I took a deep breath.

“I think I will be.”

He smiled.

“Then welcome home, Kora Rosetti.”

Behind us, Diego remained standing in the grand hall, holding the divorce papers.

He had spent years building an empire that everyone feared.

But he had lost the one woman who had loved him without fear.

And that was a loss no amount of money or power could ever repair.