Chapter 1

Caterina's Point-of-View

I stood there like a senseless puppet, unable to move. I suffered through the slow destruction of what I believed in over the past five years, and with every stroke, raw flesh and blood were torn away.

Luigi Sartori, my husband, said with a sigh, "I mean, Caterina dropped out of school without hesitation because of your illness, and she even agreed to marry me to satisfy my specific fetishes. I'll have someone clear out and renovate the room tomorrow."

Simone Novello, my younger brother, chuckled. "You've been waiting for Maria for five years—and she's finally back. Do you really intend to get rid of that room, Luigi?"

Luigi swirled the wine in his glass. "I don't need that room anymore—I can't bear to do those kinds of things to Maria."

I felt my heart hammering against my chest after hearing that, my face immediately turning pale. I could still feel my body aching from his rough handling in that room full of torture devices, but that physical pain was nothing compared to the sharp sting in my chest.

It felt like my heart had been gouged out, leaving a bloody void.

I realized then that when Luigi truly loved someone, he couldn't bear to hurt her. I had been foolish enough to believe that enough physical intimacy would bring our hearts closer, thinking that his cruelty was just the way he showed his love.

I smiled wryly and shook my head, listening as Simone went on.

"I don't want any of you helping Caterina until Maria returns. You are to disregard her even if she's dying in front of you. Maria has depression, and it took five years of being abroad for her to get it under control.

"If Caterina is punished for even one day less than those five years, Maria might get upset and jump to her death."

Luigi smiled faintly and said, "Those who provoke Maria's unhappiness provoke mine as well."

Those present exchanged glances, caught between envy and disbelief.

They envied how Maria Natale, just an adopted daughter of the Novello Famiglia, was protected and adored by two powerful men. They also found it hard to believe that those two men actually treated me like garbage, despite the fact that I was Simone's biological sister and Luigi's lawful wife.

It was then that someone spoke up awkwardly, offering a reminder. "Aren't you guys worried about Caterina leaving upon discovering the truth?"

Simone burst out laughing after hearing that. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm Caterina's darling brother! She cares about me more than her own life. She wouldn't leave me if her life depended on it, certainly not over being taught a minor lesson."

He then turned to Luigi and said, "Caterina has given Luigi her whole heart and has been happily married for five years. She isn't going anywhere."

He issued a warning after that, saying, "You guys better keep this in mind—if anything said in this private room today gets back to Caterina, I won't show you guys any mercy."

I leaned against the wall as my limbs went numb. It turned out that the five years I had spent risking everything were nothing but a worthless joke. I realized then that my life, my autonomy, and my very health were all forfeit the moment Maria felt the tiniest bit slighted.

It turned out that all the suffering that I had endured had been reduced to something Simone and Luigi could dismiss with a casual remark. I immediately broke down, my tears falling uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string.

It was then that a phone went off inside the private room just as someone started walking toward the door. I couldn't get away in time. I had just turned to run, but I slammed right into Carmelo Rossi, my manager, instead, causing the expensive bottle of wine I was holding to hit the floor and smash into pieces.

Carmelo's expression hardened as he knocked me down with a slap.

Simone rushed out of the private room, passing us quickly to embrace Maria, who rushed into his arms. He then asked, "Why did you come back alone, Maria? Didn't I tell you that I was going to pick you up?

"Do you feel tired? I've actually set up a professional care team for you so that you can have a full-body wellness treatment the moment you return home, Maria."

Maria laughed heartily. "I missed you, so I wanted to give you a surprise!"

I wore a mask and remained kneeling just a few feet away from them, not daring to move or speak.

I merely stared at the diamonds encrusting Maria's high heels, shimmering so brightly that my bloodshot eyes throbbed with pain. I knew that a single diamond from her shoe was worth enough to cover a year's worth of the imported medicine Simone needed.

Carmelo said softly, "I'm so sorry, sir—this clumsy idiot just smashed your bottle of wine."

Simone furrowed his brow and gestured toward me. "I don't care, but since you're the one who broke it, clear these shards from the hallway with your bare hands. I'll make you swallow them if Maria so much as steps on a single shard."

That hallway was lined with thick, muffled carpeting, so the shards of glass were buried deep in the fibers and hard to spot.

I had to stay on my knees, using my bare palms to crawl and feel the surface to find them.

Maria narrowed her eyes as she stared at my back. She then looped her arm through Simone's and whined to Simone and Luigi, "I'm so tired."

"I'll carry you, then; after all, it's too dangerous for you to walk here," Simone said as he planted his black leather shoe on the back of my hand and ground his weight into it.

He finally stepped over me as if I weren't even there, with Luigi trailing right behind him.

I stayed on my knees, staring at the glass embedded in my palm. I started out crying, but eventually ended up laughing.

Carmelo was terrified by my appearance. "What's the matter with you? Why do you have a nosebleed?"

I stumbled to my feet and wiped my face messily with my sleeve. "It might be because I'm dying soon."