Chapter 1

Today marked the third anniversary of my marriage to Giorgio Vitoriano, the Don of the Vitoriano famiglia.

I had personally prepared everything, and just as I was about to have dinner with Giorgio, the piercing ringtone rang out again. The name flashing across Giorgio's screen—"Lili"—was an unbearable eyesore to me.

Liliana Vitoriano was the daughter of the former Don, Clemente Vitoriano. After Clemente passed away, he entrusted her to Giorgio, her adoptive older brother.

Since then, no matter how big or small the matter was, Liliana would call Giorgio regardless of the occasion or time.

Giorgio glanced at me for a moment. But in the end, he frowned and answered the incessantly ringing phone.

"I'm busy," he hissed.

"Gio, hurry and come to the Darkcrow Club! They're all ganging up on me! If you don't come…"

Liliana's spoiled voice came from the other end of the line. It sounded as though she was still thinking of how to threaten him into coming.

But the moment Giorgio heard the words "ganging up", he had already taken the coat handed to him by one of his men.

Compared to me, his wife, even the slightest disturbance involving his adoptive sister would immediately draw his full attention.

I tightened my grip on the knife and fork in my hands as I looked at Giorgio, who was about to leave.

"Today is our wedding anniversary," I said.

Giorgio raised his hands to massage his temples, turning around to avoid my pleading gaze. "Liliana needs my help."

"You know how she is. Most of the time, she's just messing around..." As my eyes met Giorgio's icy ones, my voice gradually grew softer.

Giorgio sighed, sounding somewhat apologetic. "I'll be back soon. It'll only take an hour at most."

Back soon?

I had heard that line far too many times. When it came to Liliana, I always had to give way.

"Okay," I said softly.

Giorgio seemed to let out a sigh of relief. He hurriedly pressed a kiss against the side of my face before striding out the door.

I stared at the cold dishes on the table until the clock on the wall rang once more. Then, I grabbed my coat and got into my car. Without delaying a second, I drove straight to the Darkcrow Club.

But the moment I pushed open the door to the private room, the scene before me made my blood run cold.

Liliana was straddling Giorgio's lap, clutching his tie tightly. Their lips were pressed together as cheers erupted around them. The lights flickered and danced around. They kissed passionately as though they were the married couple.

The instant our eyes met, Giorgio's face stiffened. The intense shock in his eyes was unmistakable.

The private room instantly fell silent.

Giorgio frowned and walked toward me, ignoring the alcohol that had soaked his pants. It was the first time he had overcome his germophobia for my sake, but I couldn't bring myself to feel happy about it.

I forced the corners of my lips upward, trying to plaster on a polite smile.

"Bella, it's not what you think. I—" Giorgio tugged irritably at his tie.

"I know." I looked at the bright red lipstick mark on his neck. "I'm your wife. I won't argue with her over this. She's just being childish."

That was what Giorgio always said to me.

Whether it was Liliana barging into our bedroom in the middle of the night, suddenly deciding to shave my head bald as a prank, or cutting up my dress before a banquet…

Giorgio always thought it was just childish mischief. He believed that since I was already his wife, no one could take him away from me. So, he assumed I would still feel secure about our relationship as I tolerated her antics.

"But I'm getting tired of this, Giorgio," I lamented inwardly.

Giorgio parted his lips slightly, as though he wanted to say something. But soon, he calmed himself down and regained his composure.

Well, that much was expected. He had always hoped I would tolerate Liliana unconditionally. Now that I didn't seem to mind, he was over the moon. So, how could he possibly bother to distinguish whether it was genuine indifference or true generosity?

A cloyingly sweet female voice cut through the silence and sounded from behind him. "Gio, what are you doing? You lost your round when we were playing Truth or Dare. Of course, you had to kiss me! Everyone's watching."

She rested her head against Giorgio's shoulder, her tone filled with innocent arrogance and a hint of barely concealed provocation. "Don't be so petty, Bella. It was just a game."

I said nothing and just stared at Giorgio's wrinkled tie.

I had given him that tie for our wedding anniversary. But now, it was stained with Liliana's smeared lipstick.

"Giorgio, I won't wait for you anymore," I said softly.

I turned and walked away, ignoring Liliana's tearful complaints coming from behind me and Giorgio's perfunctory attempt to stop me from leaving.

He said, "Fine, don't wait up. It's probably better if you head home first. I'll make it up to you for our anniversary celebration tomorrow."

Upon hearing his response, I suddenly found it all so laughable. This was the man I had loved for seven years—the man I had once been willing to give my life for.

In these seven years, hadn't I waited enough already?

On my birthday, because Liliana said she was afraid of the dark, Giorgio left me to wait alone in the restaurant until midnight. On the day he proposed, Liliana locked me inside a freezer room, but he spent the entire night comforting her while I waited.

On the day I was kidnapped by our enemy, Carlotta D'Angelo, he chose to rescue Liliana first despite knowing how deeply Carlotta hated me.

As he left, he repeated those same words that he always used on me.

"Just wait a little longer."

But this time, I didn't want to wait anymore.

I dialed a number. "Come pick me up. I agree to come home and reunite with my family."

After hanging up, I got into the car and watched the scenery fly backward outside the window.

I took a deep breath, thinking wistfully, "There's something I haven't had the chance to tell you yet, Giorgio. I found my family. I'm not an orphan anymore."