Chapter 4

On the day of the coronation ceremony, it rained nonstop.

I dragged my suitcase downstairs, giving the house one last look. I planned to leave as soon as the ceremony was over.

As I passed through the living room, I ran into Cindy, who was fully made up and ready to go. She glanced at the suitcase in my hand, froze for a second, then curled her lips into a mocking smile. "Aw, where did this stray dog come from? How pitiful. How does it feel to watch your own husband have a child with and marry another woman?"

When I didn't respond, she directly blocked my path. "Luca promised me that after the ceremony, he'll send you abroad. After all, I can't tolerate an eyesore."

I had no patience for her shenanigans. I reached out to push her aside and walked past. But she suddenly fell backward, her expression instantly shifting to panic. "Xandra, why did you push me?"

Before I could react, Luca's furious voice came from behind. "Xandra, what are you doing?"

Cindy's face turned pale at once, tears welling in her eyes as she clutched her stomach. "Luca, my wedding dress… Someone cut it up. I just wanted to ask about it, but she…"

Hearing that, Luca looked at me with disappointment. "Xandra, I didn't think you'd do something like this. Apologize to Cindy."

I looked at them coldly. "I don't know anything about the dress. And I didn't push her. Check the surveillance footage if you don't believe me."

Cindy hadn't expected there to be surveillance cameras. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes. As she pretended to stand unsteadily, she accidentally knocked over my suitcase. It flew open, revealing a pair of scissors inside.

Luca's expression, which had just begun to soften, turned icy. "Not admitting to your mistakes? Xandra, you've truly disappointed me."

Cindy tugged at his sleeve, acting generous. "Luca, forget it. Xandra must be upset that I'm marrying you. I'm fine anyway. Today is your coronation. We should go to the Salvatore residence."

I knew she was afraid that I'd actually pull up the footage. And sure enough, Luca's expression softened as he looked at Cindy with approval. "You're too kind."

He then shot me a look of disgust. After a brief hesitation, he turned to a maid and ordered, "There's no time. Take the wedding dress off Xandra and put it on Cindy. Hurry."

I stared at him in disbelief. But he turned away, refusing to meet my eyes.

Before I could resist, two bodyguards pinned me down. Under the unrestrained gazes of the men around us, several maids stepped forward and began unfastening the buttons of my dress. With the men's intrusive "help", the wedding dress was stripped cleanly from my body and presented to Cindy.

Luca took it himself and put it on her. Then, he said to me, "Stay here and reflect. You're not to step out of the villa until the ceremony is over."

Without another glance, he led everyone away to the Salvatore residence. The front doors slammed shut and were locked from the outside. I was left alone, sitting on the cold floor in my underwear.

Not long after they left, the villa doors were blasted open, and Quentin stormed in with a group of men. It was the time we had agreed on.

When Quentin saw me, his eyes reddened. He immediately took off his coat and wrapped it around me. "Principessa, we're late. The Capreses will remember this."

I wiped my tears, turned to look one last time at the house I had once shared with Luca, then pulled off my wedding ring and threw it to the ground.

"Let's go. Burn this place down for me." With that, I got into the car and never looked back.

At the same time, Luca's coronation and wedding were held at the Salvatore residence in grand fashion, attended by distinguished guests. Cindy wore the wedding dress that had once belonged to me, her face brimming with undisguised triumph.

Luca went through the motions absentmindedly. His mind was replaying the dead, empty look in my eyes when the dress had been stripped away. A trace of regret crept in. He thought that after the ceremony, he would give me a wedding of my own as compensation.

A commotion suddenly broke out outside the banquet hall. Guests began whispering, pointing toward the windows. "Something's on fire in the south side of the city. The flames are lighting up half the sky."

A sudden sense of unease gripped Luca. The house he shared with me was in the south.

At that moment, the butler rushed in through the side door, his face pale. "Don Salvatore, something's wrong! Your villa in the south. It's on fire! The flames are too strong and can't be contained at all!"

Luca felt like the blood in his veins had frozen. He grabbed the butler by the collar. "Where's my wife? Where's Xandra? Was she rescued?"

The butler's lips trembled, his face ashen. "Mrs. Salvatore is still inside!"