Chapter 2

If I was leaving, I was taking everything that belonged to me.

I reached out to several of my old business contacts.

Over the years, I had quietly built a network and secured exclusive overseas supply channels.

These were the fruits of my labor.

I was taking all of it with me.

After making my calls, I pushed through the pain and showed up at the banquet looking my best.

But two people in the crowd made me hold back.

Lily was clinging to Dario's arm, carrying herself like the lady of the house.

The cross pendant that was supposed to hang from Dario's neck was now around Lily's.

I had given him that pendant after completing my first deal. I had crafted it myself.

I had closed the deal beautifully, and for the first time, he looked at me with genuine respect.

When he saw my blistered hands and the hopeful look in my eyes, he kissed me for the first time.

He swore he would never take the pendant off for the rest of his life.

To outsiders, it was just a plain, even slightly ugly pendant. They couldn't understand why the Don kept wearing something that looked so cheap.

But I knew what it meant. It was Dario's promise to me and his reward for what I had accomplished.

Now, he had broken that promise.

The guests knew how to read the room.

Seeing the Don and Lily arm in arm, they immediately sensed the shift in power.

Vincenzo Russo, the Family's advisor, scanned the room and casually made his way to Dario's side.

He spoke in a low voice.

"Don, if you keep ignoring your wife, people will start to talk. It could damage the Family's reputation."

Dario shot him an irritated glance and ignored the warning.

The first half of the banquet passed, and I stood in a corner like a ghost.

People around me whispered.

I knew that after tonight, I would be the laughingstock of the entire Family.

Near the end, Dario finally came over to me.

"You showed up on time, I see. So stop using things like car accidents to get my attention.

"Back when you handled our deals, you cut into plenty of other people's business and faced every dirty trick desperate men could throw at you. You've survived injuries far worse than this. A scratch like this is nothing."

I almost laughed.

In his eyes, every injury I sustained was just a ploy for his attention.

Shortly after marrying Dario, I had volunteered to handle business negotiations for him.

My family was ruined. I refused to be a useless woman in his eyes.

As I closed more and more deals, Dario began to value me.

He started to worry about me.

He would bring me a glass of milk when I stayed up late.

He would hold me and talk through strategies when a deal was giving me trouble.

He would gently and patiently coax me to sleep when I couldn't rest.

I thought I had earned his love. I was dead wrong.

I looked Dario straight in the eye.

"What if I died?"

His expression darkened instantly.

He crowded into my space.

"Don't joke about that. Your life belongs to me. If I don't allow you to die, then you don't get to."

For as long as I had known him, Dario had been like this: absolute control over everything.

Behind him, Lily was calling his name.

He gave me a warning look and went back to her.

I flagged down a nearby waiter, wanting a glass of wine.

But my grip slipped, and the wine spilled all over me.

The waiter panicked, apologizing profusely.

In his haste, he instinctively reached out to brush the wine off my dress.

Before I could react, Dario grabbed the waiter's hand first.

"Who said you could touch her?"

Dario's face was murderous. Everyone in the room froze and fell silent.

The waiter looked like he was about to drop to his knees, trembling from head to toe.

I grabbed Dario's arm.

"He didn't touch me. He was just trying to wipe the stain off my dress."

Dario turned his sharp gaze on me.

"You're defending him? Don't forget your place."

"I haven't."

Lily rushed over.

"Come on, Lucia, don't say things you don't mean. The waiter crossed a line. Stop fighting Dario on this."

Before I could answer, Dario continued berating the waiter.

"Keep your hands to yourself. Don't let me see that again."

The waiter nodded frantically, cold sweat running down his face.

Dario's voice dropped to a snarl. "Get out."

After the banquet, the guests all left.

Dario tilted his head slightly and spoke to Vincenzo, who was standing behind him.

"Fire that waiter. Send him to a remote outpost at the border for hard labor. I don't want to see his face again."

"Yes, Don."

Then Dario hauled me into the car.

The speeding vehicle tore through intersection after intersection, nearly hitting people several times.

When we got home, Dario dragged me into a room and threw me to the floor.

He pinned me down.

"How much longer are you going to keep this up? You even used a waiter just to spite me. Is this what you wanted?"

I fought back with everything I had.

"You're insane."

"Nobody touches you but me. I've told you that. Since you can't behave, from now on, you're not going anywhere without my permission."

Dario stepped back, walked out of the room, and locked the door from the outside.

I lay on the floor. Tears slid from the corners of my eyes and seeped into my hair.