Chapter 2

Sofia's POV

Whenever Camilla was involved, it took Domenico barely 15 minutes to get from the city center to the villa on the outskirts. Clearly, he had returned because of the comment I left on the family's private network.

For a possessive man like Domenico, having his wife publicly embarrass him was no different from betrayal. He didn't even glance at the battered suitcase by my feet.

He strode toward me, still carrying the faint trace of Camilla's perfume. "Sofia, what the hell are you doing?"

His thumb brushed against my chin. "I told you Camilla is only my secretary. She's one of the family's most hardworking members. As the Don, it's my responsibility to train my people in shooting and self-defense."

I turned my head, avoiding his touch. "Leave me alone."

Domenico's hand fell away. He paused, then casually slipped an arm around my shoulders. "The elders were already prejudiced against you because of your background."

He sighed, his warm breath brushing against my neck. "Don't spend all day obsessing over whether you're getting enough of my attention, okay?"

My stomach churned at his words, yet I couldn't help laughing.

This was how Domenico had controlled me all these years. He always knew how to say the cruelest words in the gentlest voice.

"You think this is about your attention?"

I stepped back and slipped out of his embrace. "Looks like you've been really busy, huh? So busy that you haven't even noticed that your secretary is strutting around the family like she's the Donna."

Domenico's smile stiffened.

"Sofia, since when did you become so difficult? It's not easy for a young woman like Camilla to find her place in this family. You're the Donna. You should be more understanding, not listen to rumors.

"The last time you made a scene before the elders over the seal, Camilla cried all night. And she was still defending you."

He looked at me with open reproach, as if I were the villain in all this.

"I gave you the best life possible. You have everything you could ever need. But if you keep targeting Camilla like this, I'll be very disappointed. And besides, you're pregnant. Stop obsessing over things that don't matter all day."

I burst out laughing. Pregnant? Me? That was rich coming from the very person who had given up on his own child.

Right in his face, I yanked open the zipper of the battered suitcase at my feet. "The best life possible? Everything I could ever need? Domenico, is this what you call love?"

The suitcase lay open, empty. Only a few T-shirts, washed so many times that the colors had faded and the collars had gone loose, lay inside. They were the old clothes I owned before coming to the Vitale family.

"I'm leaving, and this is all I have to take with me. After being your so-called wife all these years, I don't even own a single decent dress. I have to ask your precious secretary just to buy a pair of underwear. Even the maids in this villa have more spending cash than I do!"

Domenico frowned. "You're exaggerating here, Sofia…"

I ignored him, grabbed the sleeve of his expensive custom-made suit, and dragged him to the closed door of the walk-in closet. I pointed at the red light blinking on the electronic lock.

"Go ahead, Don Vitale. Tell me, how do I open this? I need a password or a fingerprint. In the end, I still need authorization from our hardworking Camilla!

"The woman you claim to love lives no differently than a beggar. I have to wag my tail at her just to get anything done!"

Domenico stared at the electronic lock, looking genuinely baffled. He turned to me in disbelief.

"All this… over this? Tesoro, you make such a scene and even threaten to leave because you think it's inconvenient to access family funds? Or are you just jealous of Camilla?"

My heart went cold at his words. All my anger and grief were nothing but the tantrum of a petty, materialistic wife.

I let go of his sleeve and took two steps back, my gaze empty. "Forget it, Domenico. It doesn't matter what you think anymore. Let's get divorced."

The resolve in my voice only made him chuckle. His face was so full of arrogance, as though he had finally figured me out.

He pulled me into his arms. "Fine. I admit I didn't think it through. Tomorrow, I'll have the finance department issue you a black card with no spending limit. Buy whatever you want. No applications, no approvals. Happy?"

He lowered his head and tried to kiss my forehead. "As for the seal, I'll have Camilla bring it to you. You can play with it for a few days. Since you care so much about it, I'll let you have it.

"From now on, I'll personally approve all your medical expenses. We'll charge everything to my private offshore account. So, is this enough? I'm exhausted, Sofia. I've already spent too much time pleasing you today. As long as you listen to me, I'll give you whatever you want."

For the past three years, this trick had worked on me every time. But now, it was too late. The baby was gone. I no longer wanted his money or the seal Camilla had handled countless times.

Having Domenico this close to me only made me feel suffocated now.

"I don't want anything, Domenico."

I turned my head to avoid his kiss, my voice calm. "I just want a divorce."

He froze. For the first time, he realized I wasn't throwing a tantrum or playing hard to get. I really was leaving.

The mask of tenderness finally cracked, revealing the cold arrogance underneath. His demeanor turned sharp and menacing.

"Stop being difficult, Sofia. Where do you think you can go without me? You're a woman from an ordinary background, and you're pregnant.

"Once you lose my protection, there's no difference between you and some homeless woman on the street. It's dangerous out there. Without our private doctor and specialized medication, our baby will be at risk."

He stroked my long hair. "I'm only doing this for your own good. Don't make me lock you up. Let's talk when you're calmer."

Of course, everything he did was for my own good. That was why he handed my power over to someone else and let my baby die before it was even born.

Frankly, I would rather die free out there than live like a caged songbird, watching him be happy with another woman.

I zipped up the battered suitcase, grabbed the handle, and walked toward the front door without looking back at him. "Then I'll die out there."

Domenico stood frozen. He had never imagined that the obedient, dependent woman would actually dare to walk out that door.

He didn't chase after me, though. The pride of a Don told him this was nothing more than one of my tantrums.

…

Third-Person POV

It wasn't until the sound of the door closing echoed through the villa that an inexplicable frustration settled over Domenico.

He slipped a hand into his pocket without much thought and brushed against something cold and hard.

It was the pendant Sofia had given him for his birthday the year before. She had carved it herself, hoping it would protect him and bring him home alive from every battle.

Compared to the luxury watch Camilla had given him, the pendant was practically worthless. Still, he kept it with him at all times.

He rubbed the stone between his fingers and remembered the messages Camilla had sent him earlier.

"Don Vitale, Donna has obviously been spoiled rotten. She's just putting on this little show about leaving home to get your attention.

"I know all these tricks too well. Whatever you do, don't go after her. Let her stay out there and taste how hard life is without you.

"I'm sure in a day or two, she'll come crawling back, crying and begging for your forgiveness."

Domenico clenched the pendant in his fist, his irritation simmering.

"Camilla is right. Sofia can't live without me."