Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 10

They only remembered what they wanted to remember. They remembered that I stood too close to Dante, close enough to start rumors, close enough to be labeled desperate and delusional.They decided I was the shameless one who harassed Dante and foolishly dreamed of becoming his Donna. From the very beginning, Dante had been the one who pursued me.Every invitation, every late‑night phone call, and every step forward in our relationship came from him. He valued his privacy and security, so he never made our relationship public.That turned him into the innocent victim of my so‑called harassment.He was the youngest Don in the northern territory, brilliant, ruthless, and magnetic. In their eyes, I was only a woman who trailed half a step behind him at social events. I was an out‑of‑place accessory.Still, that did not give them the right to tear me apart with their words.I turned to face them with a blank expression.“If your tongue is good for anything besides drinking,” I said qu

The jokes grew more vulgar with each passing minute. Every burst of laughter stripped away another layer of decency from the room.Someone suggested sending for sex toys. Another volunteered to be the timekeeper.Laughter echoed through the hall.I closed my eyes and wished I could sink into the ground and disappear.My phone buzzed again. I looked down at the screen.Dante: [I am only tying up some loose ends.]Dante: [You are still my wife.]Dante: [We are only talking. It does not mean anything.]Dante: [Our marriage is not shaken by this.]I stared at the screen until the words blurred. Even as he sent that message, Dante and Viviana whispered close together, and her hand rested on his chest.He could not acknowledge me as his wife in public, yet he expected me to believe this nonsense.I did not reply. I only drank, glass after glass.The bourbon burned like fire, and at least it numbed the pain in my chest.I drank until nausea overtook me, then stumbled into the res

I ignored her confusion and let my gaze fall on the ring on my left hand. It was a simple platinum band with a large diamond set in the center, and our initials were engraved on the side.Dante had bought it for me during the first year he built his empire.Back then, he worked eighteen‑hour days, used borrowed money to bribe dock inspectors, and slept three hours a night on the office couch.He nearly bankrupted himself to buy it.After he paid, he had sixty dollars left in his wallet. He laughed when he told me that number, then kissed me in our tiny kitchen.“Sixty dollars is enough for pasta, cheap wine, and a future that is ours.”He said, “One day, I will give you everything. Tonight, I am giving you this ring and myself.”I pulled him close and kissed him. “I believe you. As long as you love me, as long as I am by your side, we can do anything.”I meant every word back then. Now, standing in that boutique with the cold ring in my hand, all I felt was how foolish I had be

Dante froze in place, and his heart twisted painfully.Regret flooded through him. He should never have lost his mind at that banquet and done those horrible things.Viviana sat on the floor and watched the panic in his eyes, a panic she had never seen before. She was terrified.She pushed herself up from the ground, her voice shaking. “Don Fumagalli, what is wrong?”Dante did not look at her. His fingers traced the ring, and his voice turned hoarse.“You do not know what it was like when I took over the family. Every step was life or death. I lived on the edge of a blade.“Tessa stayed with me through the hardest years.“When my enemies hunted me down and I hid in an abandoned warehouse, she risked her life to bring me medicine and food.“She stayed by my side and told me I was not alone. I promised I would protect her for the rest of her life, but I—”He stopped mid‑sentence. His throat tightened. Tears welled in his eyes, and he could not finish.Viviana stared at him in s

I knew, of course. Not only that, but he had also made the details of our relationship public. He told everyone that he had been the one who pursued me.I never imagined the dream I had held for five years would come true the moment I left.On countless sleepless nights, I had hoped he would take my hand openly and tell everyone I was his wife. After waiting five years, all I received was him letting people humiliate me at that banquet and denying me himself.Now that I no longer wanted it, he offered it to me with both hands.It was ironic. Because of this, everyone who had wronged me started sending apologies.They could not bear Dante’s wrath, although they did not believe they had done anything wrong.I did not want my mood ruined by them, so I deleted every message.Just then, Lorenzo’s phone rang. He said quietly, “It is Dante.”He glanced at my expression before answering.The moment the call connected, Dante’s exhausted yet anxious voice came through.He had not slept