Vincent froze on the spot, his body turning ice cold even as sunlight bathed him.

He wanted to run after her, to shout her name, to grab her and never let go, but his legs refused to move an inch.

He had countless ways to force her to return to him.

But she had made it clear. If he kept pushing, she would end him.

He feared no death himself, yet he could not bear to see her stained by such a sin.

He realized he had lost far more than a wife. He had lost the Claire who once loved him wholeheartedly, who would stand by his side through anything. He had lost every precious memory they shared.

Head hanging low, he stumbled out of the town like a defeated stray dog, returning to New York in utter disgrace.

He stepped into his cold, empty Long Island Private Estate. The place held no trace of Claire’s presence, no sound of Lily’s laughter, and the air felt thick and suffocating.

Vincent locked himself inside. He drank day in and day out, letting himself waste away. The once feared Don of the Vitelli family was now nothing but a hollow shell consumed by regret.

Before long, Natalie showed up after finishing her prison sentence. She still refused to accept defeat, clinging to him in a vain attempt to regain her lost wealth and status.

“Vincent, I’ve changed. I truly love you. Let’s start over.”

Vincent stared at the woman who had ruined everything he held dear, his eyes filled with loathing and mockery.

“Get out. If it weren’t for you, my family would still be whole. I would never have lost Claire and Lily. The sight of you disgusts me.”

Crushed by his rejection and stripped of her last shred of dignity, Natalie snapped. She pulled a pocket knife from her bag, her face twisting with rage as she screamed.

“If I can’t have you, no one can! If you won’t be with me, we’ll die together!”

The sharp blade drove deep into Vincent’s chest. Blood gushed out instantly, soaking his shirt.

He sank slowly to the ground, his vision growing blurry.

In his final moments, anger was gone. Only overwhelming regret and longing filled his mind.

He thought of the first time he met Claire as a young man, the joy of her standing with him while he built his empire from nothing. He pictured Lily clinging to him on the Ferris Wheel, and the promises he had made to protect his wife and daughter forever.

“Claire… Lily… I’m so sorry…”

He whispered the words with his last breath. A hot tear rolled down his cheek, and then his life faded away completely.

Thousands of miles away in the small town, Claire leaned against Jack and watched the blooming flowers in their yard.

A short news alert popped up on her phone. She glanced at it briefly, then looked away without a hint of emotion and bent down to pet the kitten at her feet.

No joy, no sorrow, no stirrings in her heart.

All the tangled love, hate and agonizing pain had drifted away with the wind, never to trouble her again.

They would never meet again, for all time.

Vincent was gone from her world for good. She had gentle winds, warm sunshine, her family and her lover. Peace and contentment would stay with her for all the years to come.