Chapter 1

Lucia's POV

Heavy snow suddenly drifted down the day I, Lucia Silvestri, stepped out of the punishment chamber.

Matteo Castello made his way toward me with a black umbrella in hand. The moment he reached out to touch me, I jerked to the side and recoiled from his hand like a frightened animal.

His hand stilled for a brief second. Then, he reached over and opened the car door for me.

The warmth inside the car only deepened the gardenia fragrance lingering in Gisella Castello's wake. The passenger seat still held a trace of her warmth, making it clear she'd only just left.

I lowered my head and picked at my fingers without saying a word. It was painfully obvious how uneasy I looked.

Matteo glanced at me.

"I've already reprimanded Gisella. That gift was just her idea of a joke, and she'd only written that note out of anger.

"Don't bring this matter up again when you go back. It'll only cause trouble if the Castello Famiglia hears about it," he said indifferently.

I gave a soft hum in response.

Matteo's grip on the steering wheel tightened when he saw how obedient I looked.

"I'll arrange for a rehabilitation therapist to help you recover when we've returned. When you're well enough, you'll accompany me to the banquet."

There was a brief pause as he turned to look at me.

"You'll be attending as the Donna," he continued seriously.

At those words, I finally showed a flicker of reaction. My eyes fell to the uneven bruises scattered across my arms before my gaze darkened.

"The Donna?" I echoed.

Matteo heard the sarcasm in my voice, but he couldn't care less. "Three lives aren't enough to atone for your adultery. What would the Famiglia think of me if I let you go unpunished?"

He fell silent for a brief moment as his gaze settled on me. "One year of punishment in exchange for a lifetime as the Donna. It's a fair deal," he said calmly.

With that, he casually tossed me a black card. "Go and buy something you like. Think of it as compensation."

Compensation? I laughed bitterly to myself.

Money could buy countless luxuries, but could it bring back the child I'd lost?

I thought back to that day when I'd cried and begged the guards to spare me for the child's sake. But some accused me of pretending, while the rest sneered that the baby was just a bastard from one of the three men I'd slept with.

Whips and clubs rained down relentlessly until the faint heartbeat in my womb finally fell silent.

I clutched the card tightly in my hand. My reddened eyes stared back at me from the car window, along with Matteo's calm, indifferent profile.

Everything looked the same at first glance when we returned to the villa, but the details told a completely different story.

The pink roses I'd planted in the garden had all been replaced with gardenias, and even the furniture in the bedroom had been rearranged.

I pretended not to notice and walked into the room as though nothing had happened.

Just then, my gaze landed on the sapphire necklace on the cabinet. Matteo had given it to me back then as a token of his love.

The sight of it caused my steps to falter. I was just about to reach out and take it when the door was suddenly pushed open.

Gisella rushed in and snatched the necklace away. "Oh my, I was in such a rush that I forgot to take this with me," she said.

Only then did she turn her gaze to me. "You're finally back, Lucia. It's been a year, and you look…"

She trailed off, letting her eyes sweep over me before her lips curved into a mocking smile.

"You'd better take good care of yourself. Otherwise, I doubt Matteo will ever set foot in your room again."

I watched as Gisella left smugly, swinging the necklace in her hand. Even then, I didn't feel a single trace of fury or grudge.

Every torment I'd endured during that year in the punishment chamber had worn all my emotions away.

Back then, all I could think about was how to survive. Love meant nothing in the face of life and death.

I snapped out of my thoughts and hurried out under the excuse of going shopping.

Gisella let out a mocking laugh when she saw me leaving in a hurry. "Look at her, Matteo. Anyone who didn't know better would think she'd just been let out of a cage. Why don't you send a few men to carry her bags? I'm afraid she'll buy out the entire mall."

It seemed Matteo thought her words made sense. He immediately arranged for several bodyguards to accompany me.

Before I left, he even reminded me, "Just buy whatever you like. The card doesn't have a limit."

I nodded with a smile, but inside, I was already calculating how to slip out of the bodyguards' sight.

It wasn't until I'd gotten into the car that I realized I'd been overthinking it. The bodyguards couldn't be bothered to take me seriously. I even had to open the car door on my own.

I suppose it made sense. A woman who'd been personally thrown into the punishment chamber by the Don could hardly be considered the Donna anymore.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips as I headed straight into a massage parlor inside the mall. The receptionist immediately led me to the innermost private room once I'd told them the secret code.

As the door opened, a man with a pipe between his lips slowly turned around. "It's been a while, Donna Silvestri," he said.