Chapter 4

Chiara's POV

Luciano De Luca’s shock lasted only a moment. When he recovered, anger darkened his face.

“No.

We will not divorce.

What is the matter with you? What have you been thinking about lately? Stop these childish attempts to get attention.”

I had never heard him speak so quickly—but how could he be frantic over me, his wife, the one he had always neglected?

“This isn’t about attention,” I tried to say.

Luciano stared at me. “You’ve always been obedient, but lately you’ve been acting out, and I’m tired of it. You need to stop making trouble for me and for Silvia Romano.”

His words wounded me, but it was the mention of Silvia that sliced straight through my soul.

He wasn’t listening to reason. He wasn’t listening at all. What could I ever say to convince him? Was Caterina right—should I even bother trying anymore?

I had only one question left, and it felt like the most important one of all.

I asked, my heart lodged painfully in my throat,

“Luciano… have you ever loved me?”

He stared at me for a long moment. For just an instant, I thought I saw something soften in his eyes—but when he blinked, it was gone. Maybe I imagined it because I wanted it so badly to be there.

“Be serious, Chiara,” he said, his voice flat, polite, and completely void of emotion. “Do your housework and leave Silvia alone.”

He didn’t answer my question—and that silence felt like an answer all on its own.

After everything I had done for this marriage, the love I believed we shared over the past three years felt entirely meaningless. Luciano might be an elegant gentleman to the rest of the world, but he hadn’t shown that side to me in a long time.

He had patronized me, spoken down to me, and insulted me by choosing Silvia over me.

Softly, resentment boiling inside my chest, I asked,

“How can you care about Silvia so much when she’s being dishonest?”

“What are you talking about?” Luciano asked.

“Silvia’s foot injury is fake,” I said, explaining slowly so not a single word could be misunderstood. “She’s completely unharmed.”

Luciano frowned in confusion. “It seems genuine. How can you be so sure?”

Instead of answering, I forced a smile. “Don’t worry about it. In fact, don’t worry about anything. I’ll see myself out. I imagine that’s exactly what Silvia would want. She’s probably nearby right now, eavesdropping and enjoying every word.”

I turned toward the door, ready to storm out. When I pushed it open, I met resistance. I pushed harder—and Silvia Romano stumbled backward from the doorway, though she remained standing.

“Oh! Lady Silvia, be careful!” a nearby maid, Giulia, cried, rushing forward. “Let me help you—wait…”

Her words trailed off as her gaze dropped to Silvia’s supposedly injured ankle—the same ankle she was standing on perfectly fine.

“Miss Silvia? Your… your ankle?”

Luciano stepped past me into the hallway, shock flickering across his face as his eyes fixed on Silvia. She deliberately avoided his gaze.

With a quiet sigh, I turned and walked away.

Behind me, I could hear Luciano speaking to Silvia in a soft, comforting tone. I couldn’t make out the words, but I didn’t need to. He was still choosing her—even after I had given him proof of her lies.

I wished I could say I was surprised.

I wasn’t.

At this point, it was just another nail in the coffin of our marriage.

The evidence was so clear that even Luna, the voice in my head, fell silent.

Divorce was no longer a request.

It was a necessity—and I would accept nothing less.

Chapter 4: Divorce

In my closet, I grabbed my suitcase, dragged it to the bed, and began filling it with my clothes and personal belongings.

With the way Luciano continued choosing someone else over me, I doubted he would want to take responsibility for my child. So I decided not to tell him at all.

He would surely prefer a child born to Silvia anyway.

My child.

I could raise the baby on my own.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Next Morning

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luciano De Luca’s POV

I woke to the sound of my alarm, rolled out of bed, showered, and changed into a suit as usual. Standing in my closet, I scanned my collection of ties.

Which one would Chiara choose?

“Chiara?” I called, knowing my voice would carry through the hallways. Every time I had called her before, she would come running, eager to please.

Today, there was no response.

Perhaps she was still sulking over yesterday’s pettiness.

Still… something felt off. Her silence was unlike her.

“Something’s wrong,” my wolf, Massimo, murmured inside my mind.

After selecting a tie on my own, I carried my confusion downstairs and into the kitchen.

Silvia Romano sat alone at the kitchen table. Chiara wasn’t down here either.

Silvia ate her toast and oatmeal as I approached.

Looking up at me, Silvia gave an awkward kind of smile—the same she had worn yesterday after being caught eavesdropping at the door—something we weren’t talking about. I had to walk on eggshells around Silvia right now.

“Good morning, Luciano,” she said.

“Good morning,” I replied.

“Any updates on the search for Doctor B?” she asked.

I hadn’t yet checked my messages for the day, but I suspected they remained much as they had been: disappointing. “Doctor B has been missing for three years. There aren’t many leads left to follow. But we will find her, Silvia. I won’t rest until we do.”

Even while speaking with Silvia, my mind wandered back to thoughts and memories of Chiara.

Chiara had known right away that Silvia had been faking her ankle injury. How?

…And, did she really leave?

“Have you seen Chiara?” I asked.

“Is she angry with me?” Silvia asked. “She is, isn’t she? That’s why she doesn’t want to come down and have breakfast with us.”

I couldn’t say, so I kept quiet, though I was quickly suspecting that Chiara wasn’t even in the house.

“She won’t really go out and try to divorce you, will she?” Silvia asked.

I didn’t answer the question, just scoffed at the thought. It wasn’t polite, but it was true—that’s impossible.

A divorce case between an Alpha and a Luna would require a hefty amount of lawyer fees. Chiara, as a housewife from an orphan background, would not have enough money to retain a lawyer. At least, not one with any merit.

She’d need not just a good lawyer—but the best—to divorce the Alpha King.

How could she do this?

Yes, she’d come back soon… I was sure of it.

This was all some kind of temper tantrum. Once she worked it out of her system, she would be back, refilling her role as my homemaker.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Trusting the maids to answer, I walked to the kettle, eager to make myself a cup of tea before facing any more news of the day. A moment later, a maid walked into the kitchen carrying a letter.

“King Luciano, there was a lawyer at the door. He said to give this to you…”

Maybe it was just some random ads or a boring lawsuit, I sighed, and then the maid handed me the letter.

But when I saw the title of that pile of documents with a singular purpose, I suddenly stood up from the dining table.

“Luciano?!” Silvia gasped, startled by my reaction. “What’s going on—…”

Her voice faltered further when she saw the documents.

[Luna Chiara Bianchi had filed for divorce.]

[This application will be submitted to the Supreme Werewolf Court. Please respond within three days.]

“…Huh?!” Silvia gasped in shock.

I took a deep breath, struggling to believe it.

Chiara… filed for divorce…?!