No Stars Left to Wish On

On the day of Elena Shaw's second wedding anniversary, she was sorting through her old belongings when she pulled out a dusty box. Inside the box was a scented candle purported to be an adult toy as well as a set of seductive lingerie.

She'd prepared these before her wedding. They were the "secret weapons" she prepared to surprise her husband, Henry Leone, on their wedding night.

Two years had passed. Everything was still brand new and untouched.

Elena and Henry, the current head of the Monraven-based Mafia family in Newshire, had never done it before.

On her wedding night, she'd knocked on the door of Henry's study with a bottle of vintage red wine in hand. The two had chatted while sipping on the wine. After a few glasses, she mustered up the courage to take off her bathrobe, revealing the black lace lingerie she wore beneath. Then, she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Darling, tonight—"

At the very next second, Elena had been shoved to the floor.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me."

Henry's gaze was icy as he declared, "If you crave the touch of a man, go find someone from the club. Don't come and disgust me."

Elena turned pale. She didn't understand why expressing her love for her husband was something disgusting.

…

That night, after being reminded of the past, the teary-eyed Elena sat on the couch, drinking wine as she recalled everything that happened throughout the last two years.

Once she was a little drunk, she decided to confront Henry about everything. Wobbling as she walked, she arrived at the study only to find that the door was slightly ajar. She vaguely heard a voice coming from inside the study.

When Elena drew nearer, what she saw through the doorway made her blood turn cold.

Henry, the man who'd avoided all intimate contact with her for the last two years, was currently pleasuring himself. Even with his eyes closed, it was clear he was lost in his desire. A recording of a woman's voice was playing beside him.

The voice belonged to Irene Shaw, Elena's "adopted" younger sister, who was once Henry's fiancee.

Dazed, Elena returned to her room and sat down on the bed before picking up the iPad by the side of the bed to draft out a divorce agreement. Upon realizing it was Henry's iPad, she was just about to turn it off when she accidentally tapped on his Facebook Messenger application.

Instantly, she saw messages from a chat group named "Commemoration of 777".

"Is Henry still saving himself? He's basically a saint at this point."

"With that body of hers, Elena can probably sell herself for 100 grand a night, but Henry belongs to Irene!"

"Irene would never have left if not for Elena. Henry needs to divorce her and have her kicked out of elite society! That's the only way to avenge Irene."

"That's vicious. But Henry, now that you're in charge of the Leone family, isn't it time for you to put an end to everything?"

The last message came from Henry's account.

"It'll be another three months, at most."

Elena felt as though someone had ripped her heart open. She was the daughter of the Shaws, a prominent family from the Upper East Side of Newshire that dabbled in both business and politics.

But when she was little, her family's enemies kidnapped her. They abandoned her abroad in Etolia, where her adoptive parents took her in. She had only returned to the Shaws five years ago.

However, her birth parents, Frank Shaw and Molly Thurman, couldn't bear to send away Irene, who'd taken Elena's place for almost two decades.

The Shaws and the Leones had set the marriage between the two families years ago. Therefore, after returning to the Shaws, Elena became Henry's fiancee.

Initially, she didn't care much for the marriage alliance, but it was Henry who made the first move and pursued her.

When Elena couldn't get used to the food in Newshire, Henry took a private jet to Solvale, a city in Etolia where she grew up in, and imported the local produce for her. While she was studying, he would accompany her after he got off work.

Once, both Elena and Irene had been abducted by the Shaw family's enemies. Frank and Molly only chose to save Irene. It was Henry who attacked the abductors and risked his life to save Elena. Thinking that she'd met the right man for her, she fell in love with him and married him.

Yet, after the wedding, he suddenly began treating her coldly and never once slept with her.

Elena finally knew why. He was saving himself for Irene.

As she stood out on the balcony, her tears streamed down her face. It wasn't as though she'd tried to steal Irene's place and marry Henry on purpose. What did she do to deserve this? Why had she suddenly become the target of his revenge?

Just then, Elena's phone rang with a call from Gianna Ricci, her adoptive mother back in Etolia.

"Hey, sweetheart. The gala auction we're organizing this year is happening the day after tomorrow. I specifically picked out some interesting items that I know you'll love. Do you want to come back and take a look?" Gianna asked.

The familiar tone of affection in Gianna's voice made Elena break down in tears.

"Mom, I want to go back to Etolia."

After a brief silence, Gianna's frantic, angered voice rang out.

"Don't cry, sweetheart. Are the Shaws mistreating you? Come home at once! With your dad and I here, we won't allow anyone to hurt you anymore!"

Elena's adoptive parents, Anthony Gallo and Gianna, ran the oldest Mafia family in southern Etolia. The family's influence ran deep with both the business world and the criminal underworld of the entire continent of Anarone.

Gianna's voice hardened as she continued over the phone, "Two days from now, the family jet will be there to pick you up and bring you home. You're my daughter, the Principessa of the Gallo family. You're not a pawn who can be used and discarded at will. No one has the right to humiliate the daughter I raised myself!"