Chapter 2

The next day, gossip headlines exploded across the news.

"Bianchi Family Heir Moves On With New Partner, Former Lover Left Heartbroken."

Sofia hadn't even finished her shift when she received a call from Aurelio's mother, Alessia Caruso.

"Sofia, come to the house right now. If you don't get here soon, Aurelio's father is going to beat him to death!"

By the time she rushed to the Bianchi residence, Aurelio was kneeling at the entrance. His shirt had been torn open by a whip, and the bloody welts across his back were hard to look at.

Aurelio's father, Marco Bianchi, held a barbed leather whip and breathed heavily. "Break things off with that woman right now! Or I'll beat you to death myself!"

Aurelio held his head high. "Go ahead. Even in death, I'd still want to be with Elena."

Sofia stared at his back, her chest tightening.

A year ago, he had also gotten down on his knees for her in the same way. At that time, she had been three months pregnant. Marco had looked down on her ordinary background and refused to allow them to be together.

In protest, Aurelio went on a three-day hunger strike. He jumped from the second floor and limped toward her, grinning like a fool. "Sofia, I told you I'd marry you. No one can stop me."

Back then, she had told herself that once the mission was over, she would tell Aurelio everything. Then she would stay with him for the rest of their lives, never to be parted again.

Now he was kneeling again, but this time for a different woman.

Sofia rushed forward and raised her arm to stop Marco's whip. "Don Bianchi, that's enough."

The moment Marco saw her, his guilt deepened. "I failed as a father. He let you down."

Sofia said earnestly, "This is between the two of us. Please let us handle it ourselves."

Only then did Marco lower his hand.

Alessia held Sofia's wrist and spoke with tears in her eyes. "Sofia, don't worry. You're the only daughter-in-law we've ever wanted."

Sofia looked at the two elders, a bitter feeling rising within her. They had no idea that she had been a fraud from the very beginning.

She helped Aurelio sit down in the pavilion and reached to tend to his wounds, but he frowned and pushed her hand away. "I'll do it myself," he said.

Sofia's hand hung in the air for a few seconds before she slowly pulled it back.

Aurelio cut away his shirt with practiced ease, disinfected the wounds, and applied the medicine. He glanced at her and scoffed. "Don't think that winning over my parents will get us back together. I'm already tired of you."

Sofia gave a faint smile. "I know."

Her tone was so calm that it left Aurelio momentarily speechless.

She continued, "But you also know that my reputation is ruined because of you. Aurelio, you owe me compensation."

"How much do you want?" he asked.

She looked up. "Five million dollars and an invitation to the family banquet."

The banquet was a private gathering hosted by Antonio. Every lead in the serial disappearance case she had been investigating pointed there.

Aurelio frowned. "What do you want at the family banquet?"

She shrugged. "Hook a wealthy man, of course. You don't want me anymore, so I need to find someone else."

Aurelio froze for a moment, anger rising in his eyes. "Sofia, how did I never realize you were this shallow?"

She looked at him calmly. "I could never match Elena's innocence and elegance. Aurelio, you promised to compensate me. You wouldn't go back on your word, would you?"

Aurelio's eyes reddened slightly, and his words came through gritted teeth. "Once I get the invitation at the end of the month, I'll give it to you. Go if you want to. But if things go wrong, don't come to me crying."

A slight smile appeared on Sofia's face. "Don't worry. Even if it's the end of my life, I won't ask you for help."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and left.

Behind her, Aurelio's voice rang out. "Sofia, you never actually loved me, did you?"

Her steps faltered.

He went on, "If you really loved me, how could you already be thinking about finding someone else so soon after I broke up with you?"

Sofia didn't look back. How could she not have loved him?

A year ago, Aurelio had come down with a persistent high fever while they were up in the mountains. Heavy rain had cut off all routes down, so she had no choice but to support him as they walked for three hours along the muddy mountain path.

Blood ran down her legs, staining the hem of her skirt. That was how she lost the child. Afraid that Aurelio would blame himself, she lied and told him the baby hadn't developed properly and that she had chosen to end the pregnancy.

If she hadn't loved him, she couldn't have made it down that path. If she hadn't loved him, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to keep him from feeling guilty.

But those things were secrets she would never tell him.