Chapter 1

I reacted in disgust as I looked at the other woman’s pregnancy report on my phone.

The night before our wedding, I had done my best to make Damiano stay. However, he was already preparing his weapons to go out.

“Our wedding’s tomorrow. Do you have to pursue the traitor tonight?”

He kissed me goodbye and strapped his dagger to his waist decisively. “Darling, you know that tonight is the best time to strike.”

I was confident that dispatching the traitor would be an easy task for Damiano. Yet, I could not sleep all night as I waited for him to come home safe and victorious.

However, I received news that Damiano had perished in an explosion while trying to save one of his subordinates.

I suppressed the sorrow I felt and sent men on a search for him.

Later, I ended up receiving an email from an unknown sender. It came with a pregnancy report and a photo of Damiano gently caressing Wendy Cara’s belly.

It turned out that he had only faked his death.

He had abandoned me the night before our wedding to accompany another woman.

My heart was completely shattered. It hurt so much that it felt as if a knife had cut through me.

As the Donna of the family, my pride only allowed me to shed a single tear for my lost love.

As for Damiano, he could die for real if he enjoyed faking it so much.

As I burned our wedding invitations, I signaled to my men. “Send out funeral invitations. Make sure everyone is dressed in their best clothes when they attend it.”

Suddenly, the door opened and someone stuttered, “D-Donna Bianchi, I’m not sure it’s a good idea to hold a funeral now. After all, we still haven’t found Damiano’s body.”

Looking at the woman, whose face was in the photo I had received, I laughed to myself.

She was an orphan. Damiano’s best friend had left her in his care before dying.

When Damiano first took Wendy in as his adoptive sister, the family kept praising him for his loyalty.

No one would have guessed that he would end up taking his adoptive sister to bed.

It was a wonder that he did not seem afraid of his best friend haunting him for his actions.

In the present, many of my men gathered at the door.

When they heard about Damiano’s death, they started to panic and murmur amongst themselves.

“Poor Wendy. She may be Don Vestri’s adoptive sister, but she was an orphan before that. Such a shame to lose her family after she finally found one.”

“And Donna Bianchi’s being quite uncaring. She only looked for Don Vestri for a week before deciding to hold a funeral. What if…”

“That’s not necessarily so. We can’t be without a leader forever.”

I shot a glance at the doorway. Getting up and approaching Wendy, I forced myself to speak more softly. “Wendy, we’ve been searching for Damiano’s body for a week, but nothing has come of it. The survivors all said that they saw him die.

“In any case, we’ll find his body sooner or later. The important thing now is to let Damiano rest in peace.”

Wendy took a step back. “But—”

I interrupted her and continued, “Wendy, Damiano is dead. I’m as torn up about it as you are. You’ve lost your adoptive brother, but I’ve lost my fiance on what should’ve been my wedding day.”

At this, the men all sighed.

I moved to touch Wendy’s belly. “How many months along are you now?”

Wendy was a little dazed, and she carelessly answered, “Eight months.”

Realizing that she had made a mistake, she quickly covered her mouth.

Eight months ago, Damiano had been attacked.

While I tried to save him, I got shot in the abdomen and lost the ability to carry children.

I found everything terribly laughable.

“Who’s the father? Once Damiano’s funeral is over, I’ll throw you a wedding.”

Wendy’s gaze wavered as her body swayed. “He’s just a civilian. There’s no need for you to worry about this, Donna Bianchi. I’m not feeling too great. Excuse me,” she quickly said.

After watching Wendy scurry off, I walked into the middle of the crowd.

“Don’t worry. Although Don Vestri is no longer with us, I will lead the family to glory. It is my duty as your Donna. The families of our fallen Soldati will also receive double the compensation.”

Immediately after, someone responded, “Yes! We need your leadership, Donna Bianchi!”

“You’re a natural leader, Donna Bianchi!”

“Today, we are not only holding a funeral. The traitor is connected to Don Vestri’s death. We need to find the traitor and make him pay for his sins in blood!” I choked out.

Those who had been treated kindly by Damiano could no longer hold back their emotions. “Find the traitor! Kill the traitor! Make him pay! Donna Bianchi! Donna Bianchi!” they shouted.

I simply wore a shallow smile.

The news of Damiano’s death would soon spread through the family, but that was not enough.

He would surely show up at his own funeral if he still wanted to return and keep his position.

I needed to make sure Damiano could never do that.