Chapter 3

Dante's cold voice rang out. "Who's out there?"

By the time he chased after whoever had been outside, the hallway was empty.

When Dante returned with Isabella, I was still sitting in my original seat, quietly listening to the performance.

He led Isabella over and sat her beside me, offering a casual explanation. "The rain's coming down hard outside, and she happens to like the concert, so I let her stay."

I hummed in response, making no attempt to expose his lie.

After the concert ended, Dante had a collection of musical instruments brought out. Every single one was extremely expensive.

"You once told me you liked these instruments, so I paid whatever it took to buy them." He smiled at me. "Do you like them?"

Isabella stood nearby, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes.

Suddenly, she reached out and tugged on a decorative cord beside her.

"Don't pull that!" a staff member shouted, their face draining of color, but it was already too late.

A rumbling sounded overhead. The next second, the heavy lighting rig came crashing down!

Dante immediately yanked Isabella toward him, shielding her in his arms as they rolled out of the way.

I remained where I was, watching helplessly as the equipment came crashing down on me.

A wave of excruciating pain struck. I collapsed into a pool of blood, and the last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Dante shouting in panic, "Marie!"

But the woman in his arms was Isabella.

When I woke up again, I hadn't even fully regained my bearings before I saw Isabella throwing herself into Dante's arms, crying.

"What are we going to do? It's all my fault... I shouldn't have pulled that cord. If I hadn't, Marie wouldn't have gotten hurt... You should punish me..."

Dante wiped away her tears helplessly. "You really want to be punished?"

Isabella nodded through her sobs. "Yes. If I do something wrong and don't get punished, I can't sleep at night..."

Dante chuckled softly and pinched her cheek. "Then call me Marito."

Isabella froze. "What?"

"Call me Marito."

Her cheeks flushed red as she whispered, "Marito."

Dante stroked her hair, his voice gentle. "Now that you've called me Marito, you need to listen to me. I'll handle this matter myself. You don't need to worry about it."

Isabella had no choice but to leave obediently.

I watched the entire scene in silence. By accident, my fingers knocked over the water glass on the bedside table.

Dante whipped around. Only then did he realize I was awake.

He hurried over, his eyes full of concern. "Marie, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

He took my hand, his tone laced with remorse. "I'm sorry. Everything happened so fast back then. I mistook her for you..."

I closed my eyes without exposing his lie. "Where's Isabella?"

Dante's expression shifted. Thinking I wanted to go after her, he immediately explained, "She didn't do it on purpose... But she was still in the wrong, and I've already punished her severely."

Remembering what I'd just witnessed, I simply said, "I'm hungry."

Dante froze. He stared into my eyes, finally sensing that something was wrong.

I was too calm. Unnaturally calm.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but I repeated, "I'm hungry."

Dante could only suppress his unease and nod gently. "Okay, baby. I'll go buy you something to eat right now. Just wait here."

He grabbed his car keys and hurried out with Isabella.

The moment the door clicked shut, I could no longer hold back my tears.

It is only when there is love that one becomes entangled and keeps score.

But now, I'd lost all hope in Dante.