Chapter 1

Serena's POV

The freezing wind whipped snow into my face.

I'd picked out a thin, off-the-shoulder silk evening gown for tonight, hoping to dance with Alessio Valenti at the castle.

I'd figured I'd be warm enough in the car, and the castle had heated floors, so I wouldn't have to worry about the cold. I never imagined I would end up stranded on the winding road leading up to the castle.

The road was deserted, with no streetlights for miles. Darkness stretched in every direction, threatening to swallow me whole as fear crept over me.

I turned on my phone's flashlight and stumbled downhill, struggling to keep my footing.

The wind was so strong I could barely stay upright, and I'd already lost all feeling in my exposed skin. If I didn't make it down the mountain and find a ride home soon, I knew I would freeze to death out here.

Years ago, I'd developed post-traumatic stress disorder after a car accident.

Alessio had brought in a team of the country's top psychiatrists to assess my condition. They'd concluded that it wasn't severe and that a few rounds of exposure therapy would be enough to help me recover.

But Alessio had always spoiled me rotten. He couldn't bear to see me go through something so distressing.

He'd held me close and promised, "Tesoro, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, if you need me, I'll drop everything and come straight to you."

And he'd kept his word.

Six months ago, I never would have imagined finding myself in a situation like this. Back then, Alessio would drive me wherever I needed to go. No matter how busy he was, he would make time for me whenever he could.

Even if he was stuck in negotiations worth tens of millions of dollars and couldn't leave, one call from me was all it took for him to send an entire fleet of cars to pick me up.

"My wife depends on me, and I wouldn't have it any other way!" He used to brag about it to his subordinates all the time.

But everything changed six months ago, when Bianca Moretti came back to the country.

It was my birthday that day. Alessio was driving me to our country estate for a little getaway when Bianca called.

Without a second thought, he turned the car around. "Sweetheart, some creeps have been following Bianca around. She's scared out of her mind. I have to go get her."

He sounded frantic as he floored the accelerator, pushing the car to nearly 120 miles per hour.

The sudden acceleration and violent jolting brought back the trauma of my accident. My head started spinning, and I couldn't stop gagging.

Only then did Alessio finally slow down and pull over. "I'll send a driver to pick you up. Sweetheart, go on ahead to the estate and wait for me. I'll take Bianca home, then come straight over to be with you."

Before I could even catch my breath, let alone answer him, he'd already driven off.

Remembering that day, I glanced at my phone again. The battery was down to one percent.

Shivering in the freezing wind, I called Alessio one last time before my phone died.

But Bianca answered instead. "Good evening, Donna Valenti! Looking for Alessio? I got some cake on my dress earlier, so he's washing it for me."