I Paid in Blood, He Paid in Regret

"You were with Carlotta during our engagement ceremony, weren't you?" I demanded while staring at Demetrio Farese.

He nodded, his expression showing no guilt. If anything, there was a look of relief on it.

"When I put the ring on your finger, I was just thinking how ugly your hands were. They didn't deserve a ring like that. Carlotta asked me to help her pick out a manicure style, so I just made up some excuse and left."

My heart skipped a beat, like someone had gripped it hard. But memories flooded back at that very moment.

On the day of the engagement, halfway through the ceremony, Demetrio's phone buzzed. As he looked at it, his face turned pale.

Then, he looked at me with just the right amount of guilt in his eyes and said, "There's a serious issue with the west trade route. I need to handle it personally."

I should've known something was off. That route had been a legitimate business for years. There was no way it would go wrong.

Back then, I still tried to cover for him with a smile, saying, "Family comes first."

I was left alone to face Demetrio's parents, along with the Dons and Madres of the mafia families who were present.

I walked around the crowd with a glass of wine in my hand. But my mind was wandering with worry, wondering if Demetrio would be in danger.

As the engagement ceremony was nearing its end, everyone was invited on stage for a group photo. I stood at the front, but Demetrio's spot beside me remained empty.

His mother, Ella Toriello, looked clearly displeased.

"He's not even here for the engagement photo? What will people think?" Ella muttered, about to dial Demetrio's number.

A stinging pain flared across my face. I could barely keep my head up. All I could do was explain quietly, "There's a family emergency. I told him to leave first."

Ella froze for a moment, and then her gaze softened with pity.

The guests looked at me like I was a fool trying to kid myself. But I chose to trust Demetrio and pushed through the engagement ceremony.

I accepted his absence and turned a blind eye to the strong, woodsy fragrance of the incense Carlotta Rini liked that clung to him every time he came home late.

I was deluding myself to keep our love alive.

Then, Demetrio casually shattered the last bit of illusion. "Your fingers are missing one, and they're too rough. Only hands with clean lines and nice knuckles deserve to be held by me. You can forget about me giving up other women for you."

His gaze lingered on my hand for a moment before he looked away with disgust. "Forget about the ring exchange at the wedding. If you're not happy with that, just call off the whole thing."

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone buzzed again.

Carlotta had sent a voice message. Without hesitation, Demetrio played it in front of me. "Demetrio, my new hand cream and body lotion just arrived. Come try them out for me."

He took the ring from my hand and said flatly, "Think it through. I'm going to be with Carlotta."

With that, he grabbed his blazer and walked away without a single glance back.

The store fell silent for a moment.

The saleswoman glanced at me sympathetically and asked softly, "Ms. Anzelmo, would you like to see any more rings?"

I stood there, suddenly lost in thought.

Demetrio hadn't always been this cold, ruthless Don.

The year his father died, the Farese family was torn apart by internal power struggles. During that time, he barely slept, spending days and nights in negotiations, purges, and counter-strikes. The look in his eyes grew so cold he hardly seemed human.

But with me, he was still gentle and would whisper to me not to be afraid.

When his uncle, Aladino Farese, abducted me after his failed power grab, it was the first time I saw Demetrio lose control. Demetrio, who had always been so ruthless and cold, actually had fear flickering in his eyes.

"I can give you the entire Farese family," he rasped. "Just don't hurt Lucia."

But Aladino sneered and aimed the gun directly at him.

In that split second, my mind went blank. Before the gunshot could even ring out, I threw myself in front of Demetrio.

Demetrio was unharmed, but I lost a finger.

The pain spread like wildfire through my body, but I couldn't help but smile. I thought that if I could protect Demetrio, then maybe I wasn't just a burden to him.

But Demetrio held me tightly, and his eyes were filled with unguarded guilt and heartbreak. "Lucia, why are you so stupid…"