Chapter 3

Leo’s voice chimed in, "I'm fine as long as she's happy."

Luca said, "Aren't you worried your woman will find out about it? It wasn't easy for her to finally leave the sanatorium. She might get agitated again and get sent to the sanatorium once more."

Leo replied nonchalantly, as if this were a normal situation, "It doesn't matter if she finds out. She'll calm down after making a scene. I've always wondered how she never tires of repeating this cycle."

Marco was heard speaking next. He was the one who said that I needed to be 'taught a lesson'. "She's much easier on the eye than before. At least she's keeping to herself now. Did you teach a good lesson after you brought her back, Leo? Is she still tight as before?"

"That's enough," Leo's tone sounded colder.

The study was instantly silent as I continued flipping through my book while sitting on the sofa. I did not read a word in the book, but my heartbeat and breathing remained stable. If this were a year before, I would have barged into the study and thrashed it while screaming and crying at Leo, asking for the reason why he was treating me this way.

However, all I did now was turn another page in the book.

Luca was the first to exit the study. He came to the sofa and started looking at me. A smile appeared on his lips. "You look better than before, Miss Bella. If you have any urgent needs in bed, feel free to see me."

I stayed silent.

He came next to me and sat down. "I'm serious. I still remember that night from last year."

Marco and Nico came out after him. Nico's gaze stopped at my waist, and he said to Luca with a laugh, "She looks much skinnier now. I wonder if that grip still feels as sultry as before."

This elicited a burst of laughter from Marco. "It’s no wonder Leo got bored with her body. Just look at her wooden face. She looks just like a dead fish. That must kill a man's enthusiasm in bed."

The old me would have sobbed and trembled and questioned Leo hysterically about why he would allow someone to humiliate me this way. This time, I did not even look up at them.

Leo was the last to walk out of the study. He glanced at me, and his gaze fell onto my calm expression for several seconds before saying, "There's a family alliance dinner event tonight. Prepare for it because you're coming with me as my fiancée, understand?"

"What time does it end?" I asked.

My question seemed to puzzle him slightly, as he had no idea why I would ask something like that, but he answered me in the end, "It ends at 10."

I nodded in agreement as my flight was at 11pm.

His buddies looked at each other and laughed, thinking that I was going to humiliate myself at the dinner event again by making a scene and going crazy. They had no idea that I was about to leave.

Leo brought me around the dinner event, entertaining and introducing me to his associates. It was not necessary for him to do such a thing. The debacle back then had caused a huge commotion in Novena. Everyone remembered me as the crazy woman who slept with her fiancé's three buddies, and ended up being sent to the sanatorium by her fiancé.

Everyone smiled at Leo, but I could tell they looked at me differently when they turned to me. They looked at me with sympathy, pity, or like I was a joke.

Someone started whispering, "Is that her? The one whom Don Vitaly sent to the sanatorium?"

"I heard that she slept with three of Don Vitaly's buddies for revenge because he cheated on her with her best friend."

"Tsk. She's crazy, and so is Don Vitaly. Why would he still keep her as his fiancée?"

Their words did not bother me as I continued smiling politely.

"My dear Don Vitalty," Sophia's sickly sweet voice was heard calling out to him. She was wearing a silver dress with a low cut, revealing the pink diamond necklace around her neck, which attracted a lot of attention. She sauntered naturally over to Leo and put her arms around his. "Thank you." She puffed up her chest further, and the brilliant reflection from the 70-million-dollar pink diamond necklace nearly blinded everyone who set their sights on it.

Leo's expression looked normal, but he did smile gently at her, "What matters is you're happy."

They acted as if I were non-existent. The exchange disgusted me, and I pulled my hand away, which had been holding onto Leo's arm. "I need to use the washroom."

Leo whispered in my ear, "Wait until we're home to make a scene. Watch where you are before you act, understand? Don't take too long in the washroom." He spoke as if berating a disobedient dog.

I had no idea how many times he had warned me about 'making a scene'. When I wanted him to accompany me to the movies, I was making a scene. When I wanted him to remember our anniversary, I was making a scene. When I wanted him to explain the lipstick print on his shirt, I was making a scene. When I made a fuss about not wanting to go to the sanatorium, I was making a scene. Every emotion of mine was nothing but 'making a scene' to him.

All I did was grunt in response and turn to leave for the washroom. I threw up badly inside there and became dizzy. At that moment, I was reminded of my time back in the sanatorium when the nurses' aides would force open my mouth to feed me medication to make me quiet down.

They would hold me down and grab my jaw as they poured crushed pills mixed with water down my throat. I would choke, cough, and throw up, and they would repeat the process. They kept at it until I finally learned to open my mouth obediently. Fortunately, I no longer went crazy as I did before, and no one would ever force-feed me medication again.

When I walked out of the washroom, I passed by the balcony and saw Luca and Marco. They were leaning against the rails, smoking. They started talking when they saw me.

Luca blew a smoke ring in the air. "Just look at her. Do you think she's just holding it in when she's actually feeling jealous?"

Marco laughed. "Sophia's too much. She just had to show off her necklace tonight. It's going to agitate someone soon and make her go crazy. That would cheer Sophia up."