Chapter 3

It had been raining in Sicily for days. The sky had finally cleared, but the roads were still covered in puddles.

He had pushed me into one of them, soaking my clothes in muddy water.

I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't hold me. Matteo did not even bother to get out of the car.

He looked at me through the open door, mockery in his voice.

"Do you understand now, Elena? Without me, you can't even get off the ground. So tell me, how are you supposed to survive if you leave?"

Then he shut the door. The car sped through another puddle, spraying muddy water over me before driving away.

Only when the taillights disappeared did I force myself to my feet.

Three years ago, Luca's emotional abuse and betrayal had left me severely depressed.

The first time I tried to take my life, Matteo was the one who found me.

He took me to the hospital, stayed with me the whole time, and removed every blade from the villa.

When I went night after night without sleeping, he had the bedroom fitted with a glass dome.

Whenever I couldn't sleep, he held me beneath it. We counted the stars while he sang softly to me.

When I refused to eat, he cooked meal after meal, trying everything he could to get me to take even a few bites.

For a whole year, he made me believe I was safe.

When he proposed, he went down on one knee and swore on his honor as Don that no one would ever betray me like that again. Least of all him.

I did not know then that some promises only lasted until people got what they wanted.

People passing by had begun taking pictures of me.

I tried to hail a taxi from the side of the road.

The driver saw the mud all over me and demanded the fare up front, plus a €200 cleaning deposit.

I pulled out the supplementary card linked to Matteo's account, but the driver told me it had been canceled.

Then the rain started pouring again. Within minutes, I was soaked through.

I walked along the coastal road toward the estate. By the time I reached the villa, the gravel had torn my feet raw.

I opened the door with my fingerprint. A pair of red heels sat beside the shoes Matteo had worn that morning.

A black lace bra, a pair of panties, and an off-the-shoulder cropped shirt were strewn across the hallway.

I followed the trail into the living room and froze. Matteo had Ilaria pinned against the window, his mouth on hers.

Three years ago, I had stood in a doorway just like this and watched Luca cheat with her.

My stomach twisted. A scream tore out of me before I could stop it.

Then my knees gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.

Matteo looked over his shoulder. There was no guilt on his face. No panic at being caught. Just irritation.

"Don't act like it's the first time you've seen a man cheat. You've seen this exact thing before."

Ilaria covered her exposed body, but there wasn't a hint of shame on her face.

"Hey, Elena. I have to give your man credit again! Matteo is even better than Luca. At least he had the decency to tell you beforehand that he'd be sleeping with me tonight."

The hotel. They were supposed to go to a hotel. He had brought her here instead. Into our home. How could he?

Matteo clearly enjoyed her answer.

"You really do know how to please a man better than she does."

He kissed Ilaria on the cheek, then walked toward me.

The thought of him touching me made my stomach turn. When he reached for me, I doubled over and vomited.

Matteo looked down at me, and his face darkened instantly.

"My cheating makes you sick? What if it were Luca? Would you have forgiven him?"