Chapter 1

I stood in stilettos, forcing myself to keep my back straight.

Then I stepped into the ballroom.

Luca's expression changed. He spread his arms to shield Ivy completely.

"Sienna, know your place."

"Whatever you're feeling, we'll discuss it in private. This is my engagement party. Every important family on the East Coast is here, and so are the reporters..."

A sharp pain tore through my chest, knocking the breath out of me.

The reporters turned, and every camera swung toward me.

"Ms. Rinaldi, you and Don Marchetti were childhood sweethearts, and now he's marrying someone else. How do you feel about that?"

"Ms. Rinaldi, is this calm act just for show?"

"Ms. Rinaldi, are you—"

"I'm here to offer my congratulations."

I cut the reporter off.

Luca and I had grown up together, and our families had arranged our marriage years ago.

He had grown up as the heir to the Marchetti family. I was the Rinaldi heiress, sent to New York to represent my father on the Commission and handle our family's business. I was more than a match for him.

That was why everyone said I was hopelessly in love with Luca. The heirs of the Five Families were all in New York, yet I never gave any of them a second glance.

And whenever another woman showed up at Luca's side, I did whatever it took to make her disappear.

But I never imagined he'd fall for an ordinary girl.

I knew that girl.

She was an orphan Luca had sponsored while he was in college.

He said she'd had a difficult childhood but was smart, quick-witted, and as innocent as they came.

Back then, I felt just as sorry for her as Luca did. I even helped her quite a bit behind the scenes.

I never dreamed I was letting a wolf in the door.

The reporters were waiting for me to explode, just as I always had, and tear the place apart.

But this time, I forced myself to smile.

"Congratulations, Don Marchetti. I'm happy for you," I said softly. "We were just kids when our families arranged our engagement. It doesn't have to mean anything now. I really did come to congratulate you. Look what I brought."

With that, I took a gift box out of my bag and handed it to Ivy.

"This is the Twin Serpent bracelet, a Marchetti family heirloom. It's set with dark green emeralds, and Luca wears the matching one. Now that you're joining the family, this one belongs to you."

When the box opened, the entire room fell silent, and Luca's face darkened.

Then the comments in front of me went wild again.

"Sienna, are you crazy? You're the heroine of this sweet romance! Ivy is the villainess. Luca doesn't really care about her at all!"

"Luca's only marrying her as a cover. His power is growing, and a lot of people think you're secretly supporting him, so they want you dead. That's why he's putting on this show! He doesn't actually like her. Whatever you do, don't do anything rash!"

"You're the love of Luca's life! When you got shot saving him, he sat by your hospital bed for three days and nights without sleeping. He would've drained every drop of blood from his body for you! Please don't let your temper take over!"

The dense stream of comments drifted past. For a moment, my resolve wavered.

But when I looked at Luca, all I saw in his eyes was impatience and coldness.

Suddenly, Ivy spoke. "This Twin Serpent bracelet is just a token of your arranged marriage. Luca and I are marrying for love. We don't need it."

Then she pointed to the sapphire pendant hanging around her neck.

"Luca says this is the Marchetti family's most precious heirloom, their most treasured protective charm."

My heart sank.

It was the Madonna's Tear, an heirloom passed down through generations of the Marchetti family.

Only a woman the Marchetti family truly accepted as a daughter-in-law was worthy of wearing it.

I'd always believed that being given the Twin Serpent bracelet meant the Marchetti family had already accepted me as their daughter-in-law.

But now, the pendant resting against Ivy's pale throat and the smug smile on her face struck me like a slap, leaving my head spinning.

"Sienna, take your bracelet back. I don't need it."

But when she handed it back, she knocked the box over.

"Oops..." she gasped with feigned surprise as the bracelet hit the floor with a sharp crack.

The emerald serpent head shattered.

I stared at the emerald fragments scattered across the floor, and memories came flooding back.

When we were 18, Luca slipped the bracelet onto my wrist and said with a playful scowl, "Once you put this on, you're stuck with me for life."

I immediately threw my arms around his neck, and we kissed like crazy.

In all our years together, he rarely said much, but he once flew all the way to Belgium just to bring me a piece of chocolate.

Once, at a museum, I paused for a moment in front of a ruby crown in a display case. The next day, an exact replica arrived. Thrilled, I kissed him, but he wouldn't admit a thing. "I just wanted to give the jeweler some practice."

Another time, I had nothing more than a low fever, yet he canceled every important meeting and stayed by my side without sleeping until his eyes turned red. When I teased him that he did know how to spoil his wife after all, he kept a straight face and said a Don had a duty to look after family members.

It wasn't until Ivy showed up that the look in his eyes changed.

He smiled at her and spoke to her gently.

If the male lead in those comments could be stolen so easily by the "villainess," then he had never been mine to begin with.

I crouched and gathered the broken bracelet, fighting back the tears threatening to spill.

Before I could confront Ivy, Luca spoke first. "Sienna, Ivy didn't mean to. Don't do anything rash."

Ivy nestled against his chest, her eyes wide and innocent.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. How much is this worth? I've saved 30,000 dollars from my job... I can pay Ms. Rinaldi back..."

I gritted my teeth and forced back my tears.

"It's fine. The love is already gone, so the bracelet doesn't matter. If it's broken, it's broken."

Then I told the staff, "Clean up this garbage before somebody cuts themselves."

As I turned to leave, someone grabbed my wrist.

It was Luca.

"You're... still hurt. Go home and get some rest."

I nodded obediently.

In my last life, I had believed the comments and thought I was the heroine of the story. I made a huge scene at the engagement party and forced Luca and Ivy to break up.

Luca had no choice but to call off his engagement, and he became my husband.

Throughout our 10-year marriage, he remained cold and distant. Then one day, he was badly wounded while protecting me in a fight.

Before he died, he said to me, "Sienna, if there's a next life, please let Ivy and me be together..."

My heart lurched.

Even after 10 years, Luca had never forgotten her.

Grief and humiliation swallowed me whole.

The moment news spread that Luca was dead, someone set fire to the villa where I was staying. I almost made it out. Then Ivy stepped out of hiding and shoved me straight back into the flames. I never made it out alive.