Chapter 1

Luca Romano still acted like the devoted husband who loved his wife more than anything. He approached me quietly, speaking softly, "Did you sleep well, tesoro? I'm sorry I had to go last night."

He lowered his head to kiss me, but the lingering scent of roses on him made my stomach turn.

I lowered my gaze, avoiding his touch, and got up to head to the bathroom.

In the mirror, my eyes were slightly swollen.

After he left last night, I spent the entire night crying until dawn.

I cried just like this once before, when we lost our first child in an accident.

But Luca had noticed my distress almost immediately. He held me in his arms all night, whispering words of comfort.

He told me that he loved me more than life itself.

That was why I'd noticed the moment his heart first began to stray.

Luca followed me and leaned against the bathroom doorway, exasperation written all over his face as he apologized.

"My love, are you still upset with me?"

He instinctively reached out to pull me into his arms.

I was just about to push him away when I caught sight of the vivid red hickey on his neck. My entire body stiffened.

As the head of the family, Luca had always been particular about his image. For the sake of maintaining his authority, he'd only ever allowed me to leave marks on his body.

Now, he'd given even that privilege to another woman.

The last lingering shred of hope in my heart vanished in an instant.

I almost laughed at myself for nearly letting him soften my resolve.

He smiled and swept me into his arms, carrying me downstairs. That's when I noticed the enormous bouquet of red roses sitting on the living room table.

Back when my father was cheating on my mother, he'd come home every night reeking of roses.

What followed were my parents' hysterical arguments and endless screaming matches.

Ever since then, I've hated the smell of roses.

I clenched my fists, doing everything I could to hold myself together. Yet, Luca didn't notice a thing.

"Tesoro, this is to make up for breaking my promise last night. I swear, it won't happen again."

He lowered his head and inhaled the roses' fragrance deeply, a faintly intoxicated expression on his face.

I struggled to push him away gently. Only when I reached the foot of the staircase did I take a breath.

"Luca, I hope you'll remember your promise."

Luca's body stiffened slightly, a flicker of guilt passing through his eyes.

However, he was far too confident in himself. He thought he could keep me in the dark forever while pursuing his exciting affair.

I turned and returned upstairs. Just then, the maids' voices drifted over from behind me.

"Mr. Romano is as romantic as ever. The gifts he's gotten for Mrs. Romano could fill the entire estate by now!"

"I'm so envious of Mrs. Romano. Everyone in Vardessa knows that she's the crown jewel of the Romano family!"

In the past, I used to think so too.

I thought I'd found a love that would last until death, a faithful husband who would never betray me. I thought I'd finally escaped the childhood trauma of growing up with two unfaithful parents.

But now, the very man who had pulled me out of that darkness had torn apart the happy life I'd thought we'd built together.

Standing before a floor-to-ceiling window, I watched Luca's car drive out of the estate.

By then, an employee from Vesper Group had arrived.

I dismissed all the household staff to meet him privately in the living room.

"Ms. Parisi, I'm here to get your final confirmation. Unless you've changed your mind, we'll arrange a fire at your birthday celebration in two days.

"You'll be consumed by the flames in front of all your guests."

I pursed my lips and added another service to the arrangement.

"After my staged death, I don't want anyone to know that I'm still alive."

The employee seemed somewhat surprised.

"Of course. We pride ourselves on our professionalism. But are you sure you don't want anyone to know the truth?"

When I was 16, after both my parents remarried, I was locked in the attic of our home for half a month.

It was Luca who'd searched for me like a madman. In the end, he broke down the attic door just before I starved to death.

On our wedding night, he promised me that he'd never abandon me.

But now, his vows were no more substantial than sea foam, dissolving at the slightest touch.

I signed my name without hesitation.

The employee collected the documents with a polite smile.

"We'll take care of everything at your birthday celebration three days from now. Afterward, you'll be able to start a new life under a different identity. Until we meet again, Ms. Parisi."

Two days. That was more than enough time to put my affairs in order.

As I saw the employee out, Luca just happened to come back and saw our exchange.

"Laura, who was that?"