Chapter 5

Carolina had clearly never imagined that I, the woman who'd been regarded as the Donna of the Moretti Famiglia, had never actually been Adriano's wife.

Just then, I received a photo. In it, Viviana leaned back on a couch in the VIP lounge, wearing a ruby tiara with a gold-plated Beretta at her waist.

Then I received a voice message. Her sickly sweet voice rang through the speaker.

"Donna, Don Moretti said that this gun and tiara are more suitable for someone young and ambitious.

"Oh, right. He just remembered tomorrow's your 19th wedding. He sent his men to get you a necklace from a jewelry store around the corner as an apology. I do hope you won't find it lacking."

I casually closed the chatbox and deleted the entire conversation.

Adriano might think tomorrow would be our 19th wedding ceremony. But to me, tomorrow would be the day I buried our pathetic seven-year relationship.

The rain on the eve of our wedding day stopped only at dawn.

The bedroom door swung open. Adriano walked in, bringing in the cold, damp air. He placed a velvet box bearing the logo of a random jewelry store on the dressing table.

"Emma, this is for you. You can wear it at the wedding."

I opened the box to see a diamond bracelet. It was similar to the one he'd given me last year to pass off as my birthday present, identical down to the diamond cut.

He hugged me from behind and rested his chin on my head. In a deep voice, he said, "We'll be getting married at the church in a few hours. But I want you to sign the agreement transferring control of the smuggling operations at Morfhugen Docks No. 3 to Viviana.

"She's young and needs real authority to establish herself. You should step back and just focus on being my Donna."

I met his gaze in the dressing table mirror. Then, I nodded obediently. "Sure, as you wish."

Adriano seemed surprised. He planted a kiss on my forehead.

…

At noon, the archbishop stood before the altar, holding the tray with our wedding rings. He'd been waiting in the cold for three hours. The 12 Capos were sitting on the benches, murmuring among themselves.

Just then, someone barged into the church.

As everyone stared at her in surprise, Viviana strode in. She took the wedding ring from the tray, the one meant for a Donna, and put it on her ring finger without hesitation.

Turning around, she showed me her right hand, which was covered in blood. A smug smile bloomed on her face as she said, "Oh, it fits just fine. Donna, you know the Don. Only those who are willing to sacrifice for him deserve the best. I'm taking this. You won't mind, will you?"

There was an uproar. The more senior Capos sprang to their feet, their hands moving to their holsters.

Adriano walked in briskly, leaving bloody shoeprints behind him. His gaze fell on the wedding ring on Viviana's finger, but he didn't tell her off.

Instead, he walked to me and straightened my veil. In a calm, gentle tone, he said, "Viviana shielded me from a knife just now, so I have to give her whatever she wants. I can't have my men lose faith in me.

"I know you'll understand. You should head home first. Next month, I'll make it up to you by preparing the most magnificent wedding you've ever seen."

The Capos were all looking at me. Their gazes held a mixture of sympathy and indifference after years of watching me give in.

I took off my veil and casually cast it aside. I replied, "That's not necessary, Don Moretti."

The look in his eyes changed. I dodged his hand as he attempted to grab me and walked out of the church.

Half an hour later, a transoceanic cruise ship sounded a long blast on its horn as the gangway was retracted. The ship then pulled away from Morfhugen International Cruise Terminal.

I stood by the railing on the top deck. I figured the Council of Elders must have handed Adriano my obsidian seal by now.

The next moment, the air raid sirens and the port's highest-priority alarms blared across the entire coastline.