Three days later, Achilles contemplates an uneasy sense that he hasn’t given Tierney true agency to decide whether she wants to be with him. He is distracted by plans to lure Tristan Hale (the assassin Vello hired to kill Tierney) to New York and get revenge. To help with this plan, Achilles calls Alex “Lyosha” Rasputin, the head of the Bratva, and asks him to lure Hale to New York. Alex agrees in exchange for Achilles’s custom Porsche and a month’s supply of drugs delivered free of charge to one of his compounds.

Later, Tierney suggests they go to the movies to experience a normal activity as a couple. Although worried about public scrutiny of his facial scars, Achilles agrees when he sees how important it is to her. After he agrees, they discuss Tyrone’s recent death and Tierney reassures him that she is not distressed, as she never loved or felt close to her father.

At the movie theater, two young women loudly mock Achilles’s scars. Angered, Tierney confronts them, but Achilles prevents a fight by carrying her out of the theater. He explains that he would never change the past because the scars he received from the fire are a permanent reminder that she was once his. Tierney tells him she doesn’t deserve him, to which Achilles replies that she will have him forever.

Achilles prepares to meet with Tristan Hale and Alex Rasputin (the latter has come to New York). Privately, Tierney is uncomfortable because she hasn’t seen Alex since they were children and has made an intentional effort to avoid him. Achilles insists that he needs to know why Hale intentionally missed the shot meant to kill her. 

Achilles and Tierney go to the exclusive club where the meeting will take place. When Achilles leaves her to attend to business, Tierney catches sight of Sofia and Jeremie and senses the growing intimacy between them. She interrupts, breaking up the moment. As she wanders the club by herself, Tierney is startled to see Agent Tom Rothwell. She observes a tense, charged encounter between Enzo and Rothwell, sensing a mutual attraction between the two adversaries. Later, she runs into Luca and notices that he seems flushed; she asks if he is having an affair. Luca refuses to give her any information and threatens her, making it clear that he still disapproves of the relationship between Tierney and Achilles.

Tierney joins the dinner hosted in a private room; the guests include Tiernan and Lila, Sofia and Luca, Enzo and Katya, Jeremie, and Alex Rasputin. Tristan Hale will join them later. During the dinner, Enzo asks Luca why Rothwell was allowed into the club and Luca explains that he is trying to lure Rothwell into working for them as a double agent. 

After the meal, Alex pulls Tierney aside. He reveals that Achilles told him she was in the market for a no-strings-attached hookup. Alex explains that he is the ideal choice, stating, “I’m discreet, can take rejection like a man, and will never judge you” (399); Tierney concedes privately that she is attracted to him. Reflecting that Achilles watching her with Alex will be an important step forward in their relationship, she tells Alex that she will have sex with him but only if Achilles also participates. Alex hesitates, but agrees, stipulating that he and Achilles will not touch one another. 

Since Hale is not going to join them after all, Achilles, Tierney and Alex slip away to the club’s private indoor pool. The three of them have sex together, with both men focusing on Tierney’s pleasure. Afterward, Alex leaves. Tierney and Achilles share a moment of quiet understanding. She thanks him for proving he has changed.

The next day, Achilles is angry that Tristan Hale reneged on their meeting. He is determined to meet with Hale before the latter leaves New York. He goes to the pub owned by Tiernan, guessing correctly that Alex will be there (and can provide information on where to find Hale). When Achilles confronts them about Hale’s whereabouts, Tiernan retorts that Hale did come to the club the previous night, but by the time he arrived, neither Achilles nor Alex could be found. They summon Hale, telling him that Achilles is now ready to meet with him. 

Before Hale can enter the pub, Achilles ambushes him at gunpoint, demanding to know why he spared Tierney. Hale is reticent and to provoke him, Achilles reveals that Vello is on his deathbed and no longer lucid. Enraged, Hale attacks, but Achilles quickly overpowers him. As Achilles prepares to kill him, Hale stops him by revealing his true identity: He is Vello’s illegitimate son and Achilles’s secret half-brother.

Achilles summons his brothers, Luca and Enzo, to the pub. Tristan Hale explains that his mother was a sex worker and he is approximately the same age as Luca. Hale grew up in a remote village in Georgia (the Caucasus region), with Vello checking in a few times a year and carefully concealing the existence of an illegitimate son. His real name is Gurgen Ferrante. Unlike the other Ferrante brothers, Tristan/Gurgen seems to have genuine affection for Vello and has long harbored ambitions of being named successor. He admits he spared Tierney to keep Achilles preoccupied with her, thereby removing him as a rival. 

Tristan/Gurgen demands to be named the new head of the Ferrante family. Luca dismisses this claim, but given Tristan’s immense skill as an assassin, he is open to considering a role for Tristan in the family. He demands a DNA test to confirm the claims but agrees that Tristan can have a private meeting with Vello. Enzo and Tristan depart and Luca and Achilles discuss this unexpected development. They concur that Tristan will never be allowed to become head of the family and Achilles privately reflects that “being don [leader] was no longer my chief objective, but if it played into my hands, I damn well wasn’t going to hand it over to him” (424).

While these events are unfolding, Tierney is at home and becomes panicked when Achilles does not respond to her texts. This uncharacteristic behavior on the day after their threesome with Alex leads her to surmise that Achilles is hurt, angry, and possibly planning to leave her. When Achilles finally returns home, he is oblivious to her distress and explains his absence: He has just discovered that Tristan Hale is his half-brother. 

As he recounts the day’s events, Achilles finds the missed calls and panicked texts that Tierney sent. Moved by her emotional display, Achilles takes her into the bedroom and insists that they are finally going to have emotionally intimate sex. Tierney initially resists but soon gives in, weeping as she finally allows herself to be vulnerable. They share a tender, intimate experience that solidifies their bond. Afterward, Tierney expresses her love but reminds him she cannot have biological children. Achilles assures her that she is enough for him.

Achilles goes to Tierney’s old apartment to pack her belongings for their move to Naples. Tiernan helps while expressing his concern that he and Lila will miss her. When Tiernan questions what he will do if Tierney declines to marry him, Achilles states with absolute certainty that she will accept. He explains that he knows she loves him because of the immense sacrifices she has made for him in the past.

Achilles surprises Tierney by blindfolding her and taking her on a private jet to Naples. He leads her to a stunning villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and removes the blindfold, telling her he can give her the quiet, peaceful life she has always wanted. He will manage the Ferrante family interests in Naples, and she can be as involved or uninvolved as she wishes to be. He proposes and Tierney joyfully accepts.

Achilles and Tierney marry days later, in a small ceremony at the city hall in Naples. They settle into their peaceful new life, with Achilles assuming a quieter leadership role within the Ferrante clan and content to prioritize his wife’s happiness and healing. Their idyllic routine is shattered after a few weeks when Enzo calls to inform them that Vello is dead. Luca will be crowned the new head of the family. Tierney confirms that she and Achilles will return to the US for the funeral. Acknowledging their peaceful life is over, Achilles tells her to pack a red dress, anticipating that they are “walking into a bloodbath” (446).