Chapter 2

"Are you heading to the usual place? Let me drive you," Leonardo said, stepping in front of me as I snapped back to reality.

The "usual place" was my apartment outside the Corleone estate. Every time we divorced, Leonardo made me stay there for a few days.

Gia, who had just been comforted by him, instantly pouted the moment she heard he wanted to give me a ride.

"Bianca, you're not Leonardo's wife anymore. Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to have him driving you around?"

I raised my eyes and gave Leonardo a quiet look.

Seemingly feeling a bit guilty, Leonardo lightly chided Gia. "It's just a small favor. What, am I supposed to make Bianca walk all the way out?"

Gia's eyes turned red in a split second, and she began wailing and throwing a tantrum.

"Leonardo, why are you yelling at me?! What I said is the truth! You two are divorced! What will people think if they see you in the car together?

"Bianca has to get married again someday! She needs to keep her distance from her ex-husband! I'm doing this for her own good!"

She always had an endless list of excuses. And surprisingly, every single one sounded reasonable on the surface.

Leonardo gave me an awkward, helpless look. "Bianca, Gia’s just possessive of me. Don't take it to heart... you know how she gets."

He didn't finish his sentence, but I understood what he meant.

I gave a slight nod. "Fine. I'll walk out myself."

Hearing my response, Gia finally stopped crying.

Leonardo glanced at me, then leaned down to whisper something in Gia's ear. She nodded obediently and turned to walk back toward the yard.

"Hurry up, then. I'm only giving you three minutes!"

Gia always knew best how to work Leonardo, and knowing when to act obediently made him feel even more protective of her.

Once Gia was gone, Leonardo finally took my hand. His eyes were filled with guilt as he intentionally softened his voice to comfort me.

"Bianca, don't let it get to you. You know how Gia can be."

"I promise you, this is definitely the last time. As soon as I calm her down, we'll remarry, and we're never getting divorced again!"

I neither agreed nor disagreed.

He had said the same words seven times, and I had believed him each time, only to end up betrayed.

The first divorce was when Gia got dumped and needed Leonardo by her side.

The second was because Gia watched a movie and claimed the hero abandoned his sister after marriage.

The third was simply because Gia was in a bad mood on a rainy afternoon.

And this time, it was because Leonardo had bought me a gift and hadn't gotten one for her.

Every excuse was completely absurd, yet every single time, Leonardo gave me up for her without a second thought.

Over the years, I had argued, thrown fits, and even swallowed my pride to beg him. But the outcome was always the same.

Now, this was the eighth time, and I didn't even want to fight anymore.

I finally realized that you can never wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.

I stumbled back to my apartment in a daze. I had barely sat down when Gia started spamming my phone with calls.

Every time she called, I hung up again.

She kept calling, and by the seventh call, I finally answered.

Gia's voice sounded panicked over the line. "Bianca! Come back quick! Leonardo, he..."

Then, the line went dead.

I called back, but no one answered. I called again, still nothing.

Fearing that something awful had happened to Leonardo, I didn't even have time to think. Without bothering to change out of my slippers, I ran all the way back to the estate.

I burst into the living room, barely catching my breath, only to find the two of them.

Leonardo and Gia were lounging comfortably on the couch, complete with red wine and sliced charcuterie spread across the coffee table.

Seeing me standing at the door, gasping for air, Gia giggled and nudged Leonardo's arm.

"See? What did I tell you? Bianca comes running the second I call. How could she ever throw you away?"

The tension in Leonardo's brow relaxed.

"Bianca, since you're back anyway, Gia wants to eat your lobster pasta."

He paused, a faint hint of hesitation in his voice. "I originally thought you were angry and wouldn't want to cook, but Gia insisted on calling to test it out."

Leonardo had a sensitive stomach and was an incredibly picky eater. I had spent countless hours practicing my cooking skills just for him.

Gia lifted her chin, bossing me around with total arrogance. "Remember, no onions. I don't eat them."

I looked down at my feet.

Dust covered my slippers, and my toes were rubbed raw with blisters.

A sudden laugh escaped my lips.

"If you want to eat, cook it yourself. I'm done playing this game."