Chapter 2

The moment I walked back into my room, I saw our engagement photo on the mantel. Memories flooded in, damp and relentless.

Victor was the orphaned son of one of my father's fallen men. Don Enzo Lombardi took him in and raised him in the family. He was close to me in age.

He was born hard, cold by nature, and ruthless in the way he handled things, a mad dog no chain could hold. Yet that same cold-blooded man gave all his gentleness to me.

I was allergic to wool blends, so every autumn, the hands that held a gun knitted me a pure cashmere scarf.

Later, my father was assassinated, and the burden of the Lombardi family fell onto my shoulders.

The capos under us grew restless. Other families circled like wolves. Luca was still too green to hold the family together. In the middle of the crisis, I stepped in and became the Donna.

Victor went door to door with a gun in his hand, crushing every man who dared challenge me.

He told me, "Don't worry. I'll stand in the wind and snow for you. Whatever happens, your brother's here."

That was the moment our heartbeats fell into rhythm. We loved each other for five full years.

Then the accident happened.

That day, the Vitali family ambushed us. Victor took three bullets protecting me, the last shot hitting his head.

I lost my mind. I brought in every brain specialist I could find and kept him alive for a full month. They issued three critical condition notices, and I still refused to believe he would not wake up.

Then I waited another six months. In the end, I did not get relief. I got his amnesia. The first thing he said after opening his eyes was Demira's name.

By the time I came back to myself, my face was already wet with tears.

I closed my eyes and told a maid to take down the engagement photo and throw it into the fireplace. Then I opened the safe, took out an old Colt revolver, and began wiping it down.

A cold voice cut through the silence. "Donna Lydia…"

I turned around.

Victor and Demira stood in the doorway. I had not heard them come in.

My face darkened. "Victor, where are your manners? Since when do you walk into my room whenever you feel like it?"

His sharp brows drew together. "I'm sorry, Donna. I need to speak to you about something important."

I already knew what it was. "Go ahead."

"I've decided to leave the family and go back to the fishing village with Demira. We're getting married." His tone was hard.

As he spoke, he kept Demira's hand locked tightly in his. She leaned into him and spoke in a small, timid voice. "Please, Donna. Let us be together."

I set down the cloth I had been using to clean the gun and walked toward them with the revolver in my hand. "Fine. But this—"

Before I could finish, Demira shrieked. Her face went white. "Don't kill me!"

Victor moved in front of her at once, shielding her with his body. At the same time, he pulled his own gun and aimed it at me. "Lydia, what are you doing? You're not keeping me here again."

My heart bled, but my face stayed calm. "This gun was a gift from you. It's not loaded."

Victor froze for a second.

When he was 19, he completed his first assignment for the family and personally killed my father's greatest enemy. The old Don rewarded him with that Colt, the one he had carried through blood and fire for years.

That same night, Victor handed it to me. "The Don used this to acknowledge me. I'm giving it to you now. If I ever hurt you, if I ever betray you, use it to kill me. I will not fight back. But I know you'll never need it."

Later, I did use it. In my previous life, this was the gun I used to force Victor to marry me.

Victor went quiet, then lowered his weapon and rubbed his brow in irritation. "Throw it away. I don't want anything you've touched."

"Victor, I want that." Demira spoke up suddenly. She was no longer afraid. She tugged on his arm, pouting. "I want a gun too. For protection."

"Fine. It's yours." Victor took the Colt from my hand without hesitation and gave it to her. Then he gently patted her head. "I'll teach you how to use it later."

Demira smiled like a child who had just been handed a treasure. "Then I'll use it to protect you."

His gaze softened further. "All right."

My hand was empty now. So was something inside my chest. My fingers curled tight. I forced back my tears, turned away from them, and ordered coldly, "You can go. Just make sure you hand over your businesses and territories properly before you leave."

Victor had expected me to make this difficult. He had not expected me to agree so easily.

He stood there for a moment, stunned. When he spoke again, his tone had softened. "All right. Give me ten days. Once the handover is done, I will leave."

'Ten days. What a coincidence.' I fought to keep my face composed.

"Hand everything to Luca directly. He will be taking over the family," I said.

Victor's expression changed. "Luca is too impulsive. He's not suited for—"

"He will mature." I cut him off. "What happens in my family is not your place to comment on."

Victor went stiff. The color drained from his face, then returned darker than before. After a long moment, he forced out a single word. "Fine."

Then he took Demira's hand and turned to leave.

"Lydia, something big happened!" Luca rushed in without warning. He caught sight of Victor and Demira, paused for a beat, then went on, "Mr. Alessandro says the wedding preparations have already begun!"

Victor stopped mid-step. He turned back to me, his brows drawn tight. "The man who proposed to you 99 times is already preparing for a wedding? With whom?"