Chapter 3

Lucia's POV

"Lucia Marino, as the Donna of the Ricci Famiglia, you went as far as to hurt Don Ricci's woman. You've disgraced our Famiglia. According to the seventh rule of our Famiglia code, you are to receive 30 lashes."

The iron whip in the disciplinary hall was no ordinary whip. It was as old as the Ricci Famiglia and was used exclusively to punish core members who violated the Famiglia code.

A single blow from that iron whip was more than the human body could take. I had heard that some people couldn't even get out of bed for three whole months after being whipped with it.

I slowly looked up and saw a black chair right in front of me.

I recognized it immediately.

Five years ago, I had been strapped to a chair just like that. On that fateful day, Pietro himself had picked up an iron rod and smashed it to pieces, shattering the symbol of the Famiglia's authority.

But now, the Ricci Famiglia had made another chair.

"Pietro wouldn't let you do this to me!" I fought to keep my trembling voice steady and did my best to stay calm.

But Leonardo simply chuckled and gave me a pitying look. "Without the Don's permission, how could the bodyguards possibly take anyone from his turf?"

His words sent a chill through me.

I shook my head in disbelief as panic filled me. "No! You must be mistaken! Pietro would never do this to me…"

The bodyguards dragged me mercilessly toward the chair and secured my wrists and ankles with cold metal restraints. My whole body went weak, and I slumped against the chair.

The moment the iron whip struck, I didn't seem to feel the pain at all. A searing numbness washed over me, briefly robbing me of my senses.

But the next moment, the pain hit me all at once. My vision went black, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe.

The pain had barely subsided when the second lash came down. The wound split open all over again, and the pain was so intense that I almost blacked out.

The third lash. Then the fourth…

My consciousness was starting to slip away, but my eyes remained fixed on the door. Even when the last lash fell, the door never opened.

I spent six whole months recovering in a VIP room at the Ricci Famiglia's private hospital. Even so, Pietro never came to visit me.

Still, I kept hearing about him.

Pietro personally accompanied Antonia to a charity gala, where he placed a blue diamond necklace worth tens of millions around her neck.

To make her feel secure, he even renovated the entire estate and transformed the garden that had once been mine into a rose garden she loved.

Finally, he took her to the highest viewpoint in Nabola and promised to give her the wedding of the century.

That was where Pietro had once asked me to marry him. But now, he was holding another woman's hand, making the same promise all over again.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, Pietro's stretch limousine was waiting at the hospital entrance. Inside, he lazily beckoned me over with one finger.

"Get in the car. You're coming with me to the bar."

I hesitated for a moment before quietly sliding into the seat next to Pietro.

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. All he asked was, "Are you going to make a fuss?"

I shook my head. "Never."

I only dared to make a scene because I knew Pietro loved me. But now that I knew he didn't, I had learned to behave.

Pietro let out a chuckle. "I knew it. You needed to learn a little lesson so you'd behave. I promised Antonia I'd give her a grand wedding. She wants you to be there too, so you have to be there for the wedding tomorrow."

I lowered my gaze and meekly replied, "Okay."

Pietro looked at me in surprise. "Are you really not going to make a fuss anymore? This isn't like you."

I shook my head. "Never again."

It was true. I would never make a fuss again. I no longer had it in me to love Pietro.

That night, I went to the Ricci residence. Once Leonardo gave me his word, I immediately booked a flight.

Pietro didn't know that I wouldn't be attending his wedding to Antonia. I would be gone by then.

On my last day in Nabola, I walked slowly into the airport, suitcase in hand.

Pietro and Antonia's wedding was being broadcast live on the huge screen in the center of the terminal. She was wearing a one-of-a-kind custom wedding dress inspired by a swan. She stood next to him, a radiant smile on her face.

I didn't look at the screen again. I pulled out my boarding pass and boarded the plane.

Before I could switch off my phone, it rang. It was Pietro.

I didn't answer his call and let my phone ring until he ended the call. He then sent me a message.

"Be here in five minutes."

I didn't respond and blocked his number immediately. Then I switched off my phone without hesitation.

From that moment on, I would no longer be anyone's Donna. I would no longer be bound by the Riccis' strict Famiglia code.

My future was finally my own.