On the day of my wedding to Alessio, his lover, Sofia, was critically injured in what was framed as an assassination attempt.

Alessio called off the wedding on the spot.

"Only you and I knew the security route for the wedding. How could you leak it? How could you put Sofia in danger?"

My friends and family condemned me as a traitor.

I tried to carve out my own heart with a letter opener to prove my innocence.

Alessio's men swarmed me, pinning me to the ground.

That very day, I was exiled to the family's isolated estate on an island in Lake Michigan for five years of brutal "rehabilitation."

When I was finally released, Alessio clutched the medical report confirming my "accidental" and permanent blindness, pulling me into a tight embrace.

"Isabella, the Council of Elders has approved our marriage. We can finally be wed."

Sofia sobbed quietly beside him.

"It's all my fault Alessio worries so much. Now that I'm better, I… I have to learn to let go."

They thought I couldn't see them holding hands behind their backs, their fingers intertwined.

They had no idea my blindness was a lie.

Five years. I would make them pay in blood.

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1

Sofia's fingers gently traced the curve of Alessio's brow.

"If this is all we're ever meant to have, then let this moment last forever."

A bitter smile touched her lips as a single tear escaped, tracing a path down her cheek before she abruptly pressed her lips to Alessio's.

But just as suddenly, she pulled away, her eyes darting around frantically, her face a mask of terror.

Panic seized Alessio, and he pulled her into his protective embrace.

"Sofia, what's wrong? I thought your PTSD was getting better."

Sofia's best friend, Elena, stood nearby, her eyes red-rimmed.

"What do you mean, getting better? The doctor clearly said—"

Before she could finish, Sofia cut her off sharply.

"That's enough, Elena. Don't say any more."

"This is my punishment… for keeping you and Isabella apart all these years. I deserve it."

Seeing Sofia, so stoic and stubborn, made Alessio's heart ache.

"Let her speak. What is going on?"

Her friend took a deep breath and revealed the so-called truth.

"Sofia, stop hiding it. The doctor said your PTSD could relapse at any time. It can never be completely cured!"

Sofia shook her head frantically.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He turned to me, his expression grim. "Isabella, I will marry you. But I can't abandon Sofia. I have to protect her—I'll protect her with my life."

Alessio kissed Sofia again, this time roughly, as if punishing her for her dishonesty.

I could even hear their ragged, breathless sighs.

I'm only blind, not deaf.

Then again, even when I had my sight, Alessio never gave a damn about my feelings.

Just like that day, after our wedding was called off, when he had furiously screamed at me, "Why wasn't it you who got shot?"

"Of course. I have no objection."

My answer seemed to satisfy him.

"You've certainly learned some obedience in these past five years."

My sunglasses reflected their tangled forms. After a muffled gasp, Sofia finally pulled away, her face flushed.

"I got a little too excited and couldn't catch my breath."

Hearing her excuse, I sneered inwardly.

And he fell for such a clumsy act.

But back then, when I had been screaming for help, my body a canvas of bruises and cuts, he had called me defiant and untamed.

Such is the difference between being loved and being tolerated.

But I didn't care. I hadn't clawed my way out of hell for his trust.

Sofia moved into the house, openly and without shame.

After five years, the password to the master bedroom had been changed from my birthday to hers.

The worn cushions of the sofa told me everything I needed to know about their wild nights over the past five years.

That night, however, a strange sound drifted from my room.

"She's asleep."

It was followed by the rustle of clothing and the suppressed moans of passion.

The absolute nerve. Did they really have to do it in my room?

At the height of their passion, Alessio bit Sofia's ear.

"Keep it down. You'll wake her."

The sound of their ragged, desperate gasps was driving me insane. Unable to bear it, I pretended to wake from a nightmare, fumbled for my white cane, and swung it wildly in their direction.

The two of them froze. Alessio hissed at Sofia to get out.

In her haste, Sofia knocked over a crystal glass, shattering it on the floor. Alessio spoke, his voice strained.

"A cat ran in."

The next morning, Alessio held me tenderly.

"Isabella, it's been a long time since we've been like this, hasn't it?"

Then, a flurry of kisses landed on my neck.

He kissed me absently, his eyes darting to the antique clock on the wall every few seconds.

Since I was blind, he didn't even bother to hide his distraction.

I knew what he was waiting for.

So I played along.

After half an hour, I shoved him off me.

"I need to go to the Council meeting."

He glanced at the time, sighed in relief, and finally let me go.

"I'll take you."

I stumbled into the bathroom and retched violently. When Alessio had held me, he reeked of Sofia's cloying perfume.

It was utterly revolting. I scrubbed my hands until they were raw before emerging.

Alessio took my white cane and carried me downstairs to the car.

Five years is a long time. Long enough for empires to fall.

The once most sought-after architect of the Family was now a blind woman.

When I walked into the meeting room, my former subordinate, Marco, was sitting smugly in my old seat.

Marco strode over and chastised me, his face a stony mask.

"You're half an hour late to a Council meeting. According to the rules, you are to be stripped of all duties."

Someone whispered, "What can a blind woman do, anyway?"

But when he saw Sofia enter right behind me, Marco’s face transformed, his expression melting into that of a fawning lapdog.

"Miss Sofia, here are the materials for today's meeting. All prepared for you."

The surrounding Elders also scrambled to flock around her. "Principessa, your favorite espresso."

While I rotted on that island, Sofia, who was once just an Associate with a token title, had usurped everything that was mine.

I pretended not to hear the insults like "blind woman" and "disgrace to the Family" as I turned to leave.

But as I passed a lounge, I overheard Alessio, who was supposed to be in the meeting, talking with his right-hand man.

"Don, if you want Isabella sidelined so Sofia feels secure, why not just declare her unfit for duty? Keep her at home. Why go through all this trouble?"

"Sofia is the only daughter of the Gallo family, and she has PTSD. She will always need my protection."

"Isabella's talent was too blinding. Only by making her literally blind, as dependent on me as Sofia is, could she learn to be submissive."

He sighed.

"She would never agree to just be locked away. That's why I arranged the delay this morning. This way, she's stripped of her duties by the Council. It's official. She'll have no choice but to accept it and stay home."

Once, a designer from a rival family plagiarized my work.

But I was the one dragged to the disciplinary chamber by our own Elders, where I was "taught a lesson" that amounted to three hours of humiliation.

He had watched it all happen.

Back then, before he became Don, he had cried and sworn to me that he would never let me be bullied again.

But for the last five years, Alessio had only protected Sofia.

A Principessa who couldn't even read an architectural blueprint had taken my place.

It felt like I'd swallowed fire, a searing bitterness scorching my throat and chest.

Fortunately, those dogs of Alessio's are now sleeping with the fishes at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

And that corrupt doctor who forged my blindness report—after I forced him to write it, I sent him to meet his maker.

Alessio knew nothing.

I let out a cold laugh.

Alessio, your turn is coming. A blood debt must be paid in blood.

When I returned home, Alessio comforted me with cloying sincerity.

"Isabella, I heard what happened. Don't worry, even without your duties, it doesn't matter. I'll take care of you."

Knowing I couldn't see, he opened the secret vault in his study without a second thought.

The hidden camera in my sunglasses faithfully recorded the password.

He took out a stack of trust fund documents and thrust them into my arms.

"All of this can be transferred to your name."

"These are all in Sofia Gallo's name. How can they be transferred to me?"

My hard work built these assets.

Just as I spoke, my phone screen lit up.

"Isabella, password and fingerprint sequence received. Digital model of the vault is complete. We can empty it tomorrow."

Alessio glanced over instinctively.

Before he could see anything, I nonchalantly blacked out the screen.

"Most of the assets are to appease the Gallo family. You're a co-owner. Of course, the largest share is hers, but you can have a small portion."

"Sofia has PTSD. After I marry you, she'll only have this money to rely on. But you, you'll have me."

So, this was his plan all along. To clip my wings, one by one.

"As long as you're happy."

Sensing my displeasure, Alessio kissed my forehead.

"Sofia said you've suffered a lot these past few years. Tomorrow, she's hosting a grand charity gala to welcome you home. She wants all of Chicago to come and celebrate you. How does that sound?"

I nodded. I was curious to see what new scheme Sofia had devised.

The gala was a grand affair. Half of Chicago’s elite was there, including the major media outlets.

Alessio's mother, the matriarch of the Moretti family, saw me and spoke, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Isn't this the traitor from five years ago? Now she's blind. It's what she deserves."

The people around her wore mocking smiles, eagerly waiting for me to shatter.

But I gave them no such satisfaction. I simply strode toward the dining table and took a seat.

Just as I was about to sit, a hand clamped down on my shoulder. It was Alessio.

"Don't draw unnecessary attention. These guests are important partners of the Moretti family. We can't afford to offend them."

"Your seat is over there. I prepared it specially for you."

I turned my head in the direction he pointed, toward a remote corner where a small, solitary table was set.

Meanwhile, Sofia sat at the main table. She had PTSD, you see, so Alessio had to be by her side at all times.

My mouth twitched. Words failed me.

But just then, a strange sound blared from the banquet hall's speakers.

It was the sound of my own screams and sobs, ripped from the depths of my drug-induced madness on that island.

The sound plunged me back into that hell. I remembered being in rags, my mind shattered. My teeth broken, my mouth full of blood. I clenched my fists, pleading in despair.

But my tormentors only grew more vicious. The recording even captured the sound of a man unbuckling his belt.

"Fiery. I like it."

"This is the only way to make you submit…"

Before the next part could play, Alessio grabbed a chair and smashed the control console.

What a shame. They didn't get to hear the part where I bit the bastard's ear off.

"Who the hell played that!"

Alessio's face was thunderous.

The scene was just like years ago, when an assassin from a rival family held a knife to my throat.

He had thrown himself in front of me without a second thought, taking the blade for me.

In doing so, he had also ruined the escape route I had meticulously designed.

He sabotaged himself. He could have resolved the crisis without a scratch, but he chose to take the hit, to play the hero.

But this time, it was different.

Sofia stood up, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Alessio, I did it."

"Everyone calls Isabella a traitor. I just wanted to show them what she's been through, so they would feel sorry for her and stop blaming her."

"It's all my fault. If you're going to blame someone, blame me."