Chapter 4

After that, as though a string tethered me to him, I was forced to remain by Matteo—forced to watch as he slept with Isabella, tried on their wedding attire, and discussed the details of the ceremony.

It was only then that I discovered that the cold and aloof Matteo I had known could actually be so gentle and thoughtful.

Back when we got married, the Costa family was still relatively weak, so we had only set up a simple feast at home. I hadn't even received a ring.

At the time, I had asked him, "Could we have a wedding ceremony in the future? I want to wear a wedding dress."

He had furrowed his brow as he extinguished his cigar. "Francesca, we live on a knife's edge, and surviving to see another day is already a blessing. Why bother with all that pointless nonsense? Don't let yourself be taken by such pretentious and fanciful thinking."

As it turned out, it wasn't that he couldn't give me a ceremony—he just didn't want to do it for me. He didn't think I was worthy of the effort.

…

On the day of the wedding, the Costa manor was so bright it seemed a thousand suns were illuminating it. Luxury cars crowded the venue, some even parked all the way to the middle of the mountain.

Matteo was dressed in a pure-white suit, his arm wrapped around Isabella, who wore a million-dollar designer wedding gown. They were greeting the guests who came and accepting the congratulations from all the city's elites.

It was a stark contrast to my wedding, where only a few MadeMans had toasted me in congratulations.

Those same MadeMans—the ones who had gone through hell and high water with me, and the ones who claimed that they would only ever accept me as the Donna—were now all smiles as they addressed Isabella as the Donna.

"Congratulations, Don! Congratulations, Donna!"

Luciano Rinaldi raised his glass in a toast as he added sincerely, "You two really are a perfect match for each other!"

Luciano used to be my right-hand man. Years ago, I was nearly stabbed to death when trying to save him.

Isabella's lips curved into a shy smile. "Grazie, Luciano, but I'm with child, so I can't drink."

"That is truly the greatest blessing for the Costa family!" Luciano's eyes shone with even more respect. "Indeed, only you are worthy of being the Donna of the Costa family. Unlike that crude Francesca, who monopolized the position for so many years yet couldn't even perform the most basic duty—to carry on the lineage.

"What an embarrassment to the family she was!"

Everyone else raised their glasses in fervent agreement.

Isabella smiled, her hand coming up to caress her abdomen.

However, I was utterly dumbfounded at this news.

Isabella was pregnant? That meant the Costa family had a new heir.

I hovered there, watching as they chatted and smiled. I took in the absolute delight on Matteo's face at being a father, yet all I could think of was my own child, of the pitifully small bones that had been crushed and left to rot in the dirt.

"Since the Donna can't drink, you should drink on her behalf, Don Costa!"

Drunk off the alcohol, Luciano couldn't stop congratulating my ex-husband and my murderer before he went off on another tirade.

"Don Costa, forgive my impudence, but it's been two years since that traitor Francesca disappeared. It's about time to capture her and drag her back here! Once we have her, I'll personally punish her, let her have a taste of all the torture methods at our disposal! This shall be my wedding gift to our new Donna!"

The crowd nodded and roared in furious agreement.

"Si! However, even putting her through all that torture isn't enough to wash away her sins!"

Matteo smirked, his silence leaving me breathless with the pain of my heart breaking.

Isabella waved her hand, feigning magnanimity, yet her eyes shone with a triumphant gleam. "Forget it, Luciano. Today is a blessed day, so let's not bring up Francesca… Maybe she has her reasons."

Hearing that, Luciano scoffed and sneered, "What reasons could she possibly have? She's nothing but a greedy and wicked woman! Your kindness knows no bounds, Donna. If it had been anyone else, they would've hated her and cursed her to the depths of hell after what she did!"

An adoring expression painted Matteo's face as he stroked Isabella's hair gently. "Alright, let's not talk about that traitor anymore. It'll just bring bad luck. In a way, her leaving was one of the best things to happen to me. Otherwise, how could I have been able to marry such a wonderful wife as you?"