Chapter 1

Serena's POV

"Mom, can you not hold my hand?"

It was my son Tullio Corleone's birthday party. As we'd always planned, we took a family photo to commemorate every major milestone in his life, then added it to the photo wall we'd made especially for him.

We'd taken nine such photos since the day he was born. Over the years, Tullio had grown from a tiny bundle in my arms into a little boy with a mind of his own.

But today, just as I took his hand for our photo, he suddenly yanked it away. He pulled so hard that I stumbled, nearly twisting my ankle. "What's wrong, Tullio? Are you feeling sick?"

Tullio shook his head and gave me his sweetest, most pleading look. But what came out of his mouth left me utterly humiliated. "Can I take this year's picture with Marta instead?"

He paused before continuing as casually as if he were asking for another slice of cake. "Marta's younger than you, Mom. This picture is really important, and I want it to be perfect. We're going to hang it in the main hall where everyone who visits can see it.

"Please, Mom? Just say yes. We've already taken so many pictures together anyway."

Marta Bellandi was my husband Niccolo Corleone's childhood friend and personal assistant.

She'd returned from studying abroad and joined his staff just over a year ago. In that short time, she'd managed to drive a wedge between me and Niccolo, who had once adored me, while turning Tullio, who used to cling to my side, against me.

She'd even reduced me, the once-composed and dignified wife of Don Corleone, to someone everyone now saw as an unreasonable, hysterical woman.

Marta's eyes lit up at Tullio's request, but the moment she caught my gaze, she quickly put on an alarmed look and waved her hands in protest. "Oh, I couldn't possibly! Mrs. Corleone would never agree to that.

"I'm already so happy to be invited to Tullio's birthday party. But for such an important moment, his mother should really be the one standing beside him."

Despite her words, the disappointment in Marta's voice was unmistakable.

At that, Tullio immediately pouted and turned his head away, refusing to look at me.

Niccolo frowned. "It's just a photo, Serena. Don't make such a big deal out of it. It's Tullio's birthday. Can't you at least let him have this one thing?"

With that, he personally ushered Marta over and positioned her where I'd been standing. "It's Tullio's special day, so we should respect his wishes. He's the one we're celebrating, after all. Don't worry. If anyone decides to make a scene, I'll handle it."

As he spoke, he shot me a pointed look.

I froze, then let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. I hadn't even said a word, yet Niccolo and Tullio had already decided I was going to throw a fit.

Then again, I'd done exactly that far too many times before. But when it came down to it, all I'd ever done was cast aside my pride and dignity in a desperate attempt to save a marriage I couldn't bear to let go of.

Niccolo and I had fallen in love at first sight. Our eyes met across a crowded ballroom, and in that instant, all the noise around me seemed to fade away. All I could hear was the frantic beating of my own heart.

Despite the crowd moving between us, we both made our way through the guests toward each other, as though drawn by some invisible force.

He was Don Corleone, a powerful Mafia boss known throughout the region. I was merely a designer who had just opened her own studio.

Yet that night, my feelings overwhelmed all reason. Despite knowing how far apart our worlds were, I threw caution to the wind and accepted his advances.

Over the next six months, our love only grew stronger. We kissed beneath the Bridge of Sighs in Bellacosta. We promised to remain faithful to each other beneath the towering landmark of Montelune.

He took me on a journey across the continent, showing me one beautiful place after another. Finally, against the backdrop of a breathtaking sunset on the island of Santelira, Niccolo proposed.

But even before that, while we were still traveling, his mother had called to warn me.

"He's Don Corleone. Of course, he's going to have a few flings. That's perfectly normal for a man in his position. But don't fool yourself into thinking you'll ever marry into the Corleone family, Serena.

"In our world, family interests come before everything else. Marrying him will only end badly for you."

But I refused to believe her. I couldn't believe that a man who had rejected an arranged marriage for my sake, even enduring a brutal whipping at the hands of his own family, could be someone who cared only about power and profit.

Niccolo had cleared every obstacle standing in the way of our marriage, proving to everyone that I was the only woman he would ever marry. After everything he'd done for us, how could I not even find the courage to stay by his side?

And so, we got married. In our second year of marriage, we welcomed Tullio into our world.

Contrary to his mother's warnings, Niccolo wasn't a man who cared only about his family's interests. In fact, he often turned down social engagements just to spend more time with Tullio and me.

Whenever he was away on business, he would worry that missing our wedding anniversary would upset me. Even if it meant taking his private jet home, he would make sure he was there to share a candlelit dinner with me.

If he promised to take Tullio and me on an island vacation, he would sacrifice his own rest to finish his work ahead of schedule rather than break his word.

Every year on my birthday, Niccolo would clear his entire schedule just to spend the day with me. And whenever I worried that I was keeping him from his work, he would take my hand and press it against his chest. "In here, there's nothing more important than you."