LOGIN“You're wasting my time!” Dominic yanked the dress off her violently, causing her body to jolt forward. She almost bumped into Dominic, but he quickly dodged her, causing her to stumble and fall onto the floor with a thud. Belladonna cried out in pain as her knees hurt from hitting the floor, as did her hands, which had to support her body abruptly. She writhed in pain, but Dominic just stared at her without any pity. “It hurts. Can you not treat me so harshly?” she pleaded. “It hurts? You’d better endure the pain because you will get more pain after this. Don’t blame me, blame yourself for agreeing to replace Bianca. You’re just an unwanted bride for me. So I will never treat you as my wife!” ************************************ Belladonna Marino was forced to replace her runaway sister on her wedding day, marrying Dominic Costa, the man who was supposed to belong to someone else. She had no choice but to agree. She did it out of gratitude to the family who raised her, never expecting that the price would be her dignity. Dominic never wanted her. He despised her. He humiliated her, tormented her, and reminded her every day that she was nothing more than an unwanted replacement. Living as his wife was hell— until the day his true bride returned, claiming she was finally ready to marry him. Knowing her role was over, Belladonna chose to leave. But what happens when the man who once hated her realizes too late that the woman he broke is the only one he ever loved?
View MoreThe wedding that was about to take place turned into chaos. It was all because the bride mysteriously disappeared, and the commotion caused the Marino family to be in a state of frantic panic.
“You have to replace your sister and get married, Bella,” said Veronica, her adoptive mother.
“Why me, Mom?” she looked at her adoptive mother with a sorrowful gaze.
“You can’t refuse in a situation like this because there’s no one else but you who can replace Bianca to be Dominic Costa’s bride.”
“But Mr. Costa only wants Bianca. How could he possibly want to marry me?” She felt like her adoptive mother had gone mad for asking her to replace her sister in marrying Dominic Costa, who clearly wanted Bianca as his bride.
“I’ve already told you, you can’t refuse, Belladonna. I’m the one who raised you and took care of you. So you have to repay me by marrying Dominic Costa. Show your devotion to me as my daughter. If you don't marry him, our family business will be ruined!"
“But Mom? Isn't that fraud?”
“We will talk to Dominic Costa, so just do it. You must remember that I am the one who raised you, and if it weren't for us, you would have been dead on the streets at that time.”
Belladonna merely lowered her head and forced herself to hold back her tears.
Their first daughter, her older sister, was supposed to marry. But she unexpectedly left, claiming she wanted to pursue her career, and because of her disappearance, the Marino family was forced to find a replacement bride. Tragically, it was Belladonna who had to sacrifice herself to take her place.
She was only an adopted child of the Marino family. During a heavy snowfall, Phillip Marino found her in a thick pile of snow when she was still a baby. If her adoptive father hadn't found her, she would most likely have died.
Belladonna was a lovely twenty-two year old with slightly curled blonde hair and teardrop-shaped emerald green eyes. Her gaze was always melancholy, and she was a gentle girl. However, no one knew that she had a rare disease.
She never told anyone about it. She only found out a few weeks ago, when she went to the hospital for a checkup, that her illness was causing her to lose her memory. Her memory would deteriorate every day, and if she did not receive proper treatment, she would forget everything, even herself.
“Do it, Bella. Do it for this family. Bianca and Dominic Costa's wedding is coming up soon. So you have to replace her, as she will likely leave to pursue her career,” her mother added. “You have to show your devotion as the daughter I raised, and you have to repay me in this way.”
Belladonna lowered her head again upon hearing her mother’s words. She did owe a debt of gratitude to that family, even a debt of life. However, marrying Dominic Costa was not a good choice, especially since that man would surely turn her down.
She and Bianca were polar opposites. They had different body types. Bianca was drop-dead gorgeous, with long, straight hair. She also had a perfectly proportional body; after all, she was a model. Perhaps that was why Dominic Costa wanted Bianca. As for her, she and Bianca were like night and day.
“Do it, Bella. You have to save our family business by marrying Dominic Costa,” her adoptive father demanded this time. Of course, there was no way she could refuse his order.
“But I’m sick, Dad!” she pleaded weakly. She had to tell him about her illness so he would understand the rare disease she suffered from.
“Don't lie and pretend that you're sick, Belladonna!” Veronica went over to her daughter and grabbed her hand. “There's no time left, you have to get dressed right away because the wedding is about to start. Don't let Dominic arrive before you're ready.” She dragged her daughter to a room right away so she could get dressed for the wedding.
“I'm not lying, Mom. I'm really sick!”
“Enough!” her mother shouted, stopping in her tracks.
"Just this once, Bella. I beg you to replace your sister and marry Dominic. If it weren't for our family business being on the brink of bankruptcy, Bianca would never agree to marry him. Everyone knows who he is. You should understand why your sister ran away from this marriage, and I hope you are willing to take her place to save our family business."
“Dad?” Belladonna turned, looking at her father. She seemed to be asking her adoptive father for help. Still, he couldn't do anything and remained silent because now everything depended on Belladonna. Whether she was willing or not to replace Bianca and marry Dominic Costa.
“Belladonna!” her mother shouted again because they didn't have much time left.
She had no choice but to replace her sister and marry Dominic, even though she didn't want to. However, she owed a debt of gratitude to that family, and as a child they had saved, she was obliged to repay the Marino family.
The wedding dress that was supposed to be worn by Bianca now clung to her body, despite the dress not being quite right for her, as it had been specially designed for her sister, who had a perfect figure. However, it didn't look bad on her either.
She shouldn't have done it, as she knew that she was bound to face big problems in the future because of the marriage. But for the sake of repaying the debt, she was powerless and couldn't refuse her father and mother's wishes.
“Madam, Master requests Miss Bella to hurry, as the groom has arrived.” When a servant delivered the news, Belladonna swallowed the lump in her throat hard. If she were honest, she was extremely scared.
*****
Outside, a man stepped inside, looking dashing in his black tuxedo. He wasn't coming to a funeral, but to his own wedding.
Dominic Costa stared intently around him, making anyone who looked at him dare not look back for long. All heads bowed as he walked across the room, and no one dared to speak. His men followed behind him, no less intimidating than Dominic himself.
As soon as he arrived, the atmosphere became tense. Everyone felt an overwhelming pressure, and no one dared to speak because they were all afraid of him.
Dominic was the most influential businessman in the city. He controlled all business, both in high society and the underworld. He was known as the most notorious mafia boss of the Costa family, so no one dared to challenge him.
Phillip Marino was deeply in debt to Dominic. He couldn't pay back the millions of dollars he owed him. Therefore, Dominic offered a marriage proposal, but what he truly desired was Phillip's biological daughter, Bianca Marino, whom he secretly admired. But what happened?
Ever since those bitter words rolled off Dominic’s tongue, Belladonna’s attitude had changed drastically. She no longer defied him or argued with him. Instead, she had become quiet and barely spoke. Every time Dominic spoke to her, he received nothing but a sweet smile. Whatever that smile meant, it deeply upset him.She normally used to argue with him and fight back whenever Dominic asked her to serve him. But after those hurtful words were spat out, there was no fighting back at all. He should have been happy, as he preferred a docile woman who didn't defy him. Yet, for some reason, he found himself scowling.Just as he had guessed, something was off with him. Something he did not want was seemingly happening to him.Dominic was sitting in his office, looking rather glum as Belladonna had brushed him off that morning. After serving him, she had slipped back into the warehouse, hiding herself away.Usually, she would sleep with him in his bed, but not this time. She chose to head bac
Just to watch over Belladonna, Dominic handled all his work from home. He felt like he was losing his mind, doing things he shouldn’t have. An important meeting he was supposed to attend was pushed back until tomorrow, all because of a woman. He actually had no intention of doing that, but the memory of her clinging to him for hours, refusing to let go, kept him anchored there. Once she recovered, he’d make sure she paid a steep price for every second of his precious day that had been wasted.The sick Belladonna, lost in the haze of her fever, had no idea what had been done. She slept for what felt like an eternity until her condition got better. When she woke up, Dominic was not in the room. Her hand felt the damp compress on her forehead and tossed it aside, her eyes looked around at a room that seemed a bit unfamiliar to her. It took a few agonizing minutes to piece together where she was and why she was there. She also had to recall who she was. Since no one else was there, she d
Dominic shouted her name. He rushed over swiftly as he caught her limp body mere seconds before she hit the floor.Once again, he cursed himself for his rash actions and impulsiveness. He shouldn’t give a damn about her, but his actions and urges were at odds. Gritting his teeth, he bellowed for Helena to help him.Helena dashed over to Dominic, breathless, finding him in a state of controlled agitation. She looked distracted when he asked her to tend to the ailing Belladonna. Dominic had already carried Belladonna into her room and left her in Helena’s care.As Helena moved to change Belladonna’s clothes, Dominic paced back and forth beside the bed. His gaze flickered toward the bed once or twice, sharp and lingering, before turning on his heel and striding out of the room.At first, he had thought Belladonna was faking being sick so she could avoid her duties. But he was wrong— she wasn’t faking it at all.A few minutes later, Dominic entered the room again, making Helena shake her
If Estelle wouldn't help her, then she would find extra work on her own. No matter how that would cut into her break time, she didn't care. All she wanted was to scrape together enough money quickly so she could break free from the Marino family— and from Dominic. She didn't want to be his sex plaything anymore. She had to live her own life through her own merits. Though miracles didn't just happen on their own, she knew that. That's why she had to bleed for it.It sounded impossible, but it was her only way out. As long as she is still tied to the Marino family and Dominic Costa, there’s no way she’ll ever find happiness in her life.Belladonna went back to work, serving the guests who entered the bar as her break was over. As she served drinks to the guests, she felt a bit under the weather. After she expressed her intention to look for another job, she really did it, even without Estelle’s help. Though it was a bit hard to find one where she could work just a bunch of hours, she d
Belladonna screamed in horror. She rushed to the door, trying to escape from the house, but Dominic quickly caught up with her, trapping her so she couldn't run anywhere.She cried out in desperation, begging for mercy. But he was blinded by rage and would not let her go, violently throwing her ont
“What? What kind of illness do you have?” Estelle stared at her puzzled, as Belladonna smiled faintly.“I have a rare illness that causes me to lose my memory gradually. If you hadn’t called me earlier, I might not have made it here because I forgot about this restaurant.”Once again, Estelle was s
“Bella, what took you so long?” Estelle walked up to her as Belladonna entered the restaurant.“Sorry, I ran into my mom outside. So I talked to her for a few minutes.”“Okay... are you feeling okay?” Estelle stared at her, looking concerned. To be honest, she couldn't sleep all night long, thinkin
Dominic was quite satisfied upon hearing what Helena had to say. He would not let Belladonna have his child when all he ever wanted was Bianca. However, he couldn't help but dwell on what Belladonna had said about Bianca not wanting to marry him. He wondered if he had been deceived by Marino's fami






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