Chapter 3

Luca didn’t notice the change in my mood. Instead, he kissed my hair again and said softly, “Then I’ll go pick up Vivian and get her out of the Marino Family.”

I turned away, intending to go back to the bedroom and rest, but just as Luca was about to leave, he suddenly turned around and handed me a jewelry box.

“Mero just released a new bracelet. I thought you might like it.”

I accepted it without much reaction. “Thank you.”

With Vivian still on his mind, Luca didn’t say anything more before leaving.

Once his car disappeared from sight, I casually tossed the bouquet of roses out the window. It hit the ground below, scattering red petals across the pavement.

As I reached to close the window, my eyes caught the gold lettering embossed on the jewelry box.

It was Vivian’s name.

I understood immediately. Luca must have ordered two of the bracelets, one for her and one for me, only to bring me the wrong box.

I wondered what expression he would make when he realized his mistake.

Without giving it another thought, I dropped the bracelet into the trash.

Just then, my phone screen lit up with a message from my father.

“Diana, I’ve already booked your flight. Spend the next few days saying goodbye to your old friends without worrying about anything else.”

Over the next two days, I personally visited the major Families across Italy to say my goodbyes.

Meanwhile, Luca kept sending me updates every ten minutes.

“Diana, I met with the Cross Family’s underboss today. He had nothing but praise for you.”

“I brought Vivian to Balzac Gardens. It’s beautiful here. I’ll bring you someday.”

“Where did you go today?”

I didn’t reply to a single message, but he continued sending me little details about the time he was spending with Vivian.

For a moment, I found myself lost in thought.

Throughout our seven years together, Luca and I had shared the smallest details of our lives every single day, as though we were still caught in the first rush of falling in love. There had never been a day when that habit stopped.

Now, even while pretending to be Vivian’s boyfriend, he still told me where they went and what they did.

Some habits had simply become too deeply ingrained to break.

Perhaps my silence finally bothered him, because a question mark appeared on my screen, followed by another message.

“Diana, are you angry?”

I was quiet for a moment before replying, “No. Just focus on being with her.”

As I sent the words, I felt nothing at all.

Luca didn’t answer.

It wasn’t until that evening that another message finally arrived.

“Diana, you’re the only woman I’ll ever marry.”

I believed him.

The difference was that I no longer loved him, and I had no intention of marrying him anymore.

With only one day left before my departure, Luca came home.

I hadn’t expected him back so soon, and I certainly hadn’t expected him to bring someone with him, Vivian Marino.

“Miss Norelli, it’s been a long time.”

I remembered the first time I had met Vivian. She had worn a striking red dress and bold makeup, speaking and acting exactly as she pleased, like a wild gust of wind that refused to be restrained.

The woman standing in front of me now could hardly have looked more different.

Vivian wore a long dress and a hat that concealed half her face. Even her voice was soft and restrained as she politely asked, “May I come in?”

The change in her surprised me, but I nodded and let her inside.

Vivian wandered casually through the nearly empty villa.

Over the past few days, I had shipped away everything I wanted to keep and given the rest to friends, leaving behind only a few insignificant decorations.

Luca clearly noticed it too. His brows drew together as he looked around.

“Diana, why is so much stuff missing from the house?”