Chapter 1

Everyone in the Moretti family was standing up for Mia Colombo.

Not a single person bothered to ask whether I had actually come close to dying in that car accident.

Vito had clearly seen my post as well.

Soon, an encrypted call came through.

I hesitated for two seconds before answering.

But the voice that greeted me was Mia’s soft sobbing.

“I’m sorry, Serafina. I had no idea you were in such danger just now. If I’d known, I never would have asked Vito to stay with me.”

Vito snatched the phone from her hand, his voice suddenly gentle.

“It has nothing to do with you, Mia. Serafina is just putting on an act on purpose.”

Then his tone changed completely, turning cold.

“Serafina, I’m warning you for the last time. If you ever message me again while I’m with Mia, then we’re done.”

“Okay.”

I answered quietly.

Silence instantly fell on the other end.

A moment later, Vito’s disbelieving voice came through.

“Okay? What did you just say? Done?”

“Serafina, you’re becoming more and more unreasonable. You make a huge deal out of everything, and now you won’t even let anyone call you out on it?”

“Mia had another anxiety attack because of your text! Get to the family’s private medical facility right now and apologize to her!”

I lowered my eyes and ended the call without another word.

I sat in the car by the roadside for a long time.

Eventually, the driver impatiently tapped on the window.

“Ma’am, have you made up your mind? Where exactly are you going?”

I gave an embarrassed little tug at the corner of my lips and finally gave him the address of the estate.

After all, in this city, other than the estate owned by Vito, I had nowhere else to go.

I had barely been home for long when Vito returned.

Between his fingertips was an exquisite silver necklace set with tiny diamonds.

When he handed it to me, he was completely different from the cold man I had heard on the call.

“I brought this especially for you. Stop being angry.”

“I know I’ve been neglecting you lately. Once things settle down, I’ll go with you to see your family.”

I stared at the familiar necklace.

My heart sank inch by inch into an icy abyss, leaving not even the slightest trace of warmth in my eyes.

This limited-edition matching necklace had been the token of our love—the necklace Vito himself had clasped around my neck seven years ago.

But just last month, when Mia complained that her chest hurt, he had casually taken it from my jewelry box and worn it around Mia’s neck every day just to make her happy.

Now that Mia had stopped making a fuss, he had simply picked up the old token that someone else had already worn and casually brought it back to placate me.

My gaze turned cold.

I raised my hand and pushed his away.

“No need.”

Vito’s hand froze in midair.

The next second, his expression darkened.

“What are you throwing a tantrum about now? You know Mia has always been in poor health. What’s wrong with me staying with her? Do you really have to make an issue out of everything?”

I said nothing.

He took my silence as acceptance.

Then he suddenly flung the necklace onto the marble floor, his tone turning harsh.

“Tomorrow morning, you’re coming with me to the family’s medical facility to apologize to Mia.”

I stood up, stepping around the scattered glints of the broken chain, and poured myself a glass of ice water at the bar.

Thinking about what he had just said about the family meeting, I could only find it absurd.

So Vito still remembered that the reason I was leaving the city this time was to meet my father and formally finalize the marriage alliance between our two families.

But on the eve of my departure, all it took was one tearful phone call from Mia for him to abandon me without a second thought.

Remembering everything that had happened between us, I looked calmly at the Mafia Don standing before me, a man with power over the entire city.

Every word I spoke was clear and certain.

“I’m not going.”