Chapter 1

On the other end of the line, Salvatore Calvetti's voice was thick with exhaustion.

"These ten years have been hard on you. Everything's arranged. Someone will meet you at the back door in five days."

Listening to Salvatore's hoarse voice, a bitter ache rose in my chest.

The night I agreed to Domenico Calvetti's proposal, Salvatore called me in for a private conversation. He looked at the hope in my eyes and sighed. "Child, if you're planning to play around with him, I won't say a word.

"But if you're certain about marrying him, I have to ask if you've thought this through? The men in the Calvetti family have never known how to cherish anything. They only need a wife who's sensible and accommodating."

I agreed without hesitation. Domenico, who made all of Cecilo tremble, was my savior. I would repay that debt with ten years of devotion.

When I was 15, my adoptive father was a monster. One night, when he was drunk, he tried to force himself on me.

My adopted sister stopped him. He beat her half to death and locked us both in a cabin on the outskirts of town for five days and nights.

I watched as the wounds on my gentle, beautiful sister's body festered and rotted into putrid flesh.

That animal of a man kicked her corpse and said, "Dead already? Can't even handle a little fun."

Those were the most agonizing days of my life. Then, Domenico appeared. He happened to pass by that cabin on the outskirts.

He knocked my adoptive father down and pulled me out. He even confessed his feelings for me.

I fell for my savior almost immediately. I fell hopelessly in love with him, and we dated for three years. What I felt for him was both gratitude and genuine affection.

However, people kept warning me. "The men in the Calvetti family only play around. No one in this world can make them stay loyal to just one woman."

Back then, I was young. I thought that as long as I stayed by Domenico's side, I could eventually warm his heart.

Salvatore's eyes held helplessness and pity that day, but no relief. Only later did I understand. He pitied my naivety, and he was helpless about my ignorance.

I hung up the phone. Behind me came a woman's coy laughter.

"Domenico, look at Lucia. She seems unhappy."

I turned around. Alice Russo raised her hand toward me triumphantly, a diamond ring glittering on her ring finger.

For a moment, the sight of it stung my eyes.

I knew that design all too well. When Domenico and I got married, I designed the wedding ring myself. I spent three months on it, engraving our initials inside.

Now, the same design sat on a mistress' finger. She looked radiant and captivating in the latest haute couture gown while I looked sallow and thin, my dress still stained with the wine she had poured on me.

Alice's gaze landed precisely on the ring on my left ring finger. It was the platinum ring Domenico had made for me when we got married, engraved with the words, 'Until death do us part', on the inside. It was the only genuine thing he had ever given me.

She shook his arm playfully. "Darling, her ring is so beautiful. Can I wear it to the gallery opening tomorrow?"

Domenico did not even glance at me, but his tone was commanding. "Lucia, take it off. Alice needs it for the gallery opening tomorrow. Let her borrow it for now. I'll get you something better later."

I froze. It felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into my chest, leaving me breathless from the pain.

That was not just any ring. It was the only witness to our ten years of marriage. It was my only comfort through countless lonely nights.

I took a deep breath and tried to explain, "Domenico, this is the one you gave me—"

"It's just a ring!" he cut me off impatiently and slammed his wine glass down on the table.

"You want a ring so badly? I'll have someone make you a dozen tomorrow!"

A dozen? Did he think everything could be measured with money?

In the past, when his lovers wanted my jewelry or my accessories, I would give them away without hesitation. However, not this. I had treasured this ring for ten years, keeping it safe. I would not even take it off to bathe.

At this moment, I no longer hesitated. I removed the ring myself, walked over to Alice, and placed it on her finger.

The moment our skin touched, Alice deliberately pinched me hard, her eyes full of provocation.

Seeing that I did not cry or fight back, Domenico quietly exhaled in relief. He assumed I was still the pushover he could manipulate however he pleased.

"There's an auction tomorrow. You should come too."

His voice came from behind me, laced with condescension. "Buy whatever you want. No limit. Consider it compensation for the ring."

I wanted to refuse, but he did not give me a chance to speak. He ended the party and led Alice into our bedroom.

That room where we had spent countless intimate nights together had become the place where he entertained other women.