Chapter 2

[Isabella's POV]

There was a long bout of breathing on the other end of the line. Then, Alexander Marino's low voice sounded.

"In two weeks, I'll have everything ready."

I was frozen. I hadn't even explained why, but he seemed to have known this day would come.

"OK," I replied, trying not to show the strong feelings I had.

Because of what Alexander Marino could do and his family's power, I knew that Vincenzo would never find my trail again – even if he searched the whole world – if Alexander wanted to.

That day, my phone kept buzzing with text messages from Vincenzo, but I never responded to any of them.

Late at night, I heard his hurried footsteps as he rushed home.

He burst into the living room and saw me sitting on the sofa reading a medical journal, instantly letting out a sigh of relief.

"Isabella? Why did you come back earlier than before?"I sent you so many text messages too!"

He pulled me into his arms and held me tight, rubbing his chin on the top of my head."I'm so glad that nothing terrible happened to you. I was so scared… Isabella, I could never live without you."

The loving look in his eyes didn't look fake. I knew that he was sincerely in love with me. However, I knew for a fact that I wasn't the sole receiver of his love.

I struggled away from his embrace and said in a calm voice, "The workshop finished early., and I turned my phone off. I didn't see your texts."

Vincenzo smiled and gently touched the tip of my nose. "It's okay if you didn't see my text messages. It's not like I'd ever blame you for it."

He then shook the car keys in his hand and asked, "Are you hungry? I made a reservation at the restaurant you've been dying to go to for ages. Let's go, Princess. You can order anything you want tonight."

He then reached out toward me with his palm facing up.

I looked at his outstretched hand and suddenly fell into a daze.

I was 18 years old back then, and Vincenzo had also reached his hand out to me like this with a smile even wider than the one he was wearing now. "Let's go, Princess. You can order anything you want tonight. My treat!"

The Vincenzo back then had only loved me and me alone.

Still, I didn't want to stay hungry, so I went with him to the restaurant.

He was his same old self. He was a mafia don and never had to serve anyone else—and yet, he would roll up his sleeves like it was the most natural thing to do and serve me. He'd cut my steak, pour my wine, and also let me have the first bite of his food.

My plate was filled to the brim with food when his phone suddenly rang, and I snapped back to the present.

"Answer it," I said, looking down at the food on my plate.

Vincenzo glanced quickly at his phone, apologized, and got up to take the call outside the restaurant. When he came back afterward, he looked anxious and apologetic.

"Isabella, I suddenly have an important meeting to attend, and I need to hurry over. I'm sorry that I won't be able to finish dinner with you. I'll take the day off tomorrow and accompany you the whole day instead."

I'd already caught sight of the caller ID on his phone screen earlier. It had been a call from Claudia.

I nodded and said, "Okay. Go."

After getting my permission, Vincenzo didn't waste another second and turned immediately, leaving the restaurant. I stared at the empty space opposite me and felt as though there was a needle stabbing into my chest. The pain was numbing.

After I had eaten my meal on my own, I went back home, but then I got a video call from Claudia.

She smiled innocently at the camera and said, "Bella, did you enjoy your dinner by yourself? Vincenzo is at my place right now. Want to know what we'll do next?"

My face went blank. Claudia quickly said, "Don't hang up, Bella. Do you want to know who does Vincenzo loves more? me or you?"

My eyes blinked quickly. Claudia smiled in a playful way.

The video background changed suddenly, showing Vincenzo on the screen.

Claudia put her phone behind her back and spoke in a sexy voice.

"Vincenzo, are you still mad at me for running away with someone else back then? If I hadn't left you, you wouldn't have found Bella, right? You would've married me, right?"

Vincenzo frowned. "What's with all these 'what ifs'?"

"I was just asking for fun," Claudia said, her eyes turning red. She then asked in a softer voice, "I didn't mean anything bad…"

A few seconds of silence later, I saw Vincenzo open his mouth, his voice dry and hoarse. "Yes."

A single "yes" from him was more than enough to hollow out my chest.

So, I hadn't been the only one in his heart from the very start.

I suddenly recalled the day of our wedding.

Vincenzo had held my hand while facing the rest of our wedding guests. Then, he swore on his title as Don that he would only love me for the rest of my life.

I had cried so hard back then, thinking that I'd finally found true love.

But as it turned out, the vows he said at our wedding had been a lie too. I had never been his only love.

I had just been a convenient distraction while he and Claudia were at odds with each other. He was probably just reluctant to let me go because we'd been together for a while, and he'd finally started harboring some feelings for me. That was all.

At that thought, an ugly grin graced my lips. I began to laugh, but I also felt tears falling down my face uncontrollably.

I thought that I had at least possessed some of Vincenzo's love and affection for a short period of time, but I never had. Instead, I was a thief who took what had never been mine.

That night, Vincenzo never came home.

Yet, I received a photo of him sleeping soundly in bed. Claudia sent it to me.

I stared at his face on the screen for a very long time. Finally, sometime around dawn, my heart went numb, and I finally managed to calm down.

I called my friend, Sophia Tanner, who was a divorce attorney.

"Sophia, I need your help to draft out a divorce agreement."