Chapter 1

Sofia's POV

When I arrived at my husband Domenico Vitale's office, he was reading a report from his secretary, Camilla Marino. He didn't even look up when I told him I wanted a divorce. Instead, a cold chuckle escaped him.

"Another tantrum? Sofia Moretti, is this because I didn't come home for dinner last night? Don't joke about things like this. It's not funny."

I lowered my gaze, swallowing the hollow ache in my chest, and enunciated, "I'm not joking, Domenico. I want a divorce."

At last, Domenico looked up at me. He came around his desk and reached for my hand, his touch gentle and familiar. I pulled away. His hand froze in midair.

A barely perceptible frown creased his brow before his expression smoothed over again.

"I know you're upset about what happened with the pregnancy, but you're carrying our baby. You shouldn't be taking so many medications. Camilla was only carrying out my orders. You shouldn't have gone after her.

"Besides, I restored your access to the family funds yesterday. Tesoro, my time is valuable. I have an entire family to run. Don't make me waste more of it trying to calm you down, alright?"

Before I could respond, he glanced at his watch. "I have a meeting. I'll bring you your favorite cake tonight. Be a good girl and wait for me at home."

Domenico was certain I couldn't live without him. He thought that if he gave me the slightest bit of affection, I would bow my head and be grateful.

After all, that was how I had always been. No matter how cold he was to me, all it took was one "I still love you" from him, and I would wipe away my tears and go home to him.

But now, our baby was gone. Whether he restored my medical allowance or not no longer mattered.

If he had believed me three days ago, I might still have loved him like the fool I had always been. I had begged him not to hang up and to hear me out.

None of it had mattered against Camilla's soft, coaxing advice. "Don Vitale, if she really needs the money urgently, why not make an exception just once and approve it for her?

"I'm only worried that if the elders find out later, it might damage your reputation…"

By then, Domenico had already been convinced. He completely forgot about how I had begged him.

"See, Sofia? Camilla is so considerate. She's always thinking about what's best for me. Can't you learn a thing or two from her? Stop being so impulsive and breaking the rules. Listen to Camilla. Everything has to be done by the book."

Every time I needed Domenico, it was always the same.

"I'm at the docks. If you need anything, talk to Camilla."

"Do whatever Camilla arranges."

"Whatever Camilla says, you do."

I was his Donna, the rightful lady of the Vitale family, yet I lived without even the slightest shred of dignity.

Forget having the freedom to come and go, even for family dinners which the Donna was expected to attend or the Feast of San Giuseppe, where I was supposed to stand at his side, I had to submit an application to Camilla to get a dress and jewelry.

Every time, she would reject it with the same sweet smirk. "Donna, this dress isn't Don Vitale's favorite color. And this ruby necklace doesn't befit your position. Please submit a new request."

"Oh, Donna, you submitted your request too late. All the custom gowns are already taken. Why don't you wear this one from last season instead? You're naturally beautiful. Don Vitale won't mind."

"Donna, why do you always do this? Look at the list you submitted. Didn't I tell you to make sure everything was in order before bringing it to me for approval?"

She always waited until the very last second to approve it. That way, she could watch as I stood beside the impeccably dressed Domenico in an outdated gown that didn't even fit properly, painfully aware of every eye on us.

Once, at a family dinner, Camilla deliberately arranged a purple gown for me. In local tradition, purple was the color of mourning and bad omens. It was the kind of color you wore to a funeral.

At that time, Domenico slipped an arm around my waist and leaned close to whisper in my ear, "Sofia, why are you wearing this again? I don't mind you being frugal, but don't embarrass the Vitale family like this.

"You can't even handle something this simple without making Camilla clean up after you. When are you going to grow up?"

Little did he know, the only reason I couldn't handle these supposedly simple tasks was because of his trusted secretary. He didn't care enough to find out the truth.

Just as he knew my pregnancy was unstable and that I couldn't afford to stop my medication and delay treatment, he still expected me to go through Camilla as if that were the right thing to do.

After leaving Domenico's office, I went straight back to the villa.

While packing my things, I came across a post Camilla had shared on the family's private network. In the photo, Domenico stood beside her, guiding her hands as he taught her how to shoot.

I calmly liked the post and left a comment. "Camilla is truly dedicated. She holds the Donna's seal and takes such good care of my husband. What devotion."

The next second, Domenico called me.

I declined once, then twice when he called again. In the end, I switched off my phone.

For the first time, the world felt a little quieter.