Chapter 1

Cristina's POV

I stood alone on the ice field until the aurora faded.

I took a flight home, and my family still wasn't back.

As soon as I took off my coat, my phone started vibrating intensely. My fiancé Ivano Dominici's name lit up the screen, sharp and glaring.

I didn't pick up right away like I usually did. Instead, I let it ring until it cut off. Only when it rang again did I slowly answer.

Before I could say anything, Ivano's slightly impatient voice came through. "Cristina Soave, can you stop trying to compete with Giada for attention? She can't handle the cold. The weather in Iberion is too much for her.

"Have you thought about how lonely she'd be spending Christmas alone? We stayed behind just to keep her company. Delete that comment now, or I won't pick you up."

Lonely?

No one knew the taste of that word better than I did.

After war broke out in the country where I was studying, Mamma begged me to drop out and return to Caldoria immediately.

That feeling never left me.

It morphed into anxiety, fear, self-doubt, and countless sleepless nights.

I looked at my cold, swollen fingers, then slowly asked, "Ivano, did you have a happy Christmas?"

Caught off guard by my response, the other end of the line went quiet.

All the lectures he'd planned were suddenly stuck in his throat.

Smiling, I said softly, "I had a happy Christmas too because I discovered a secret. The comment I wrote wasn't meant to mock you. I genuinely wish all of you well."

Without hesitation, I hung up.

The black screen reflected my face, calm and emotionless.

The secret I'd discovered was that true love didn't need to be begged for. What I begged for wasn't real love.

I exhaled into my palm, then turned and walked into the closet.

I pushed aside the luxurious dresses I'd never worn, revealing a simple suitcase in the corner.

I pulled it out and unzipped it. Inside were all my trophies, certificates of merit, and my hard-earned degrees.

I had hoped they'd be proud of me, but now… it didn't matter.

I packed my laptop and stationery. These were the only things I truly planned to take with me.

Suddenly, my phone rang again. It was Florina Cannella, my biological Mamma.

I stared at it for a moment, then let it ring until it stopped.

Next came a call from my Papa, Tatum Soave.

I declined it, then turned the phone to silent before walking into the bathroom.

Papa's message was short and commanding. As the Don of the Soave family, he was used to being obeyed.

"Giada's heart is almost giving out because of that comment of yours! Come here and apologize to Ivano now!"

I glanced at it coldly before turning off my phone.

Before I could sever ties completely, there was one last thing I had to do.

I reached into the safe in my room and pulled out two items—a Donna ring and an unlimited black bank card.

The Donna ring was worn on my finger during my engagement to Ivano, in front of both families. It was a symbol that I was to be the future Donna of the Dominici family.

The unlimited black bank card was a gift from my parents the day I returned to Caldoria.

They told me that it was a guarantee I would never be looked down on again. I had always treasured it and never used it.

I placed them side by side on the bedside table and took a photo.

Then, I opened the family group chat, where my sister, Giada Soave, was always posting selfies and interacting with them.

I tapped on the photo and sent it.

I then typed one last message in the chat. "I've never used them. You can give them to someone more suitable. From now on, I'll rely on myself."