"If my husband's taking you for the examination, then who's going to take me?" I asked, each word deliberate.

Patients and nurses alike glanced our way.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Alice's face, but she quickly masked it with practiced hurt.

"Dalia, don't be so petty. I just asked Riccardo for a little help."

Riccardo frowned. "Dalia, Alice is pregnant, so don't give her a hard time."

"Answer me this. Who do you choose—her or me?" I stared into his eyes, waiting for an answer.

Three seconds passed, and Riccardo's hand stayed firmly on Alice's arm with no sign of letting go.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips. "Riccardo, we're done."

I turned on my heel and walked straight to Mr. Santoro's office.

"Mr. Santoro, can I leave for Capitolium early?"

Mr. Santoro looked surprised. "It'll take at least another week to process the paperwork. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I want to start my new life as soon as possible," I replied, my voice catching slightly.

Mr. Santoro sighed. "Alright. I'll expedite it as fast as I can. But you'd better think it over carefully. You'll be gone for at least three years, so shouldn't you at least say something to Don Corleone?"

"No. There's no need." I shook my head and walked out of his office.

The next morning, Riccardo walked into my hospital room carrying breakfast.

"Croissant and hot cocoa—your favorites."

I looked at the food in his hands and suddenly laughed.

"Riccardo, have you forgotten that I hate sweet food the most?"

In fact, the person who'd love them was Alice.

When we were kids, my nonna, Arianna Messina, always made sugary pastries for Alice. And I never liked them.

Riccardo froze for a moment, then quickly said, "I'll go get you a sandwich instead."

"Don't bother. Just take me back to the manor. I want to be discharged," I said, throwing off the covers.

My leg was only lightly injured, so I could recover just as well at the manor.

After getting into the car, I happened to spot an exquisite pearl hair clip sitting in the glove compartment.

I'd seen it at the department store last time, and Alice had loved it.

I picked it up, turning it over in my hands. "Is this Alice's?"

Riccardo quickly explained, "Marco's in Aztlan for business. Alice said it's cold out, and she doesn't have anything to wear. So, I took her to buy a few things. She probably dropped it by accident.

"Besides, she's pregnant, and it's not easy for her to be on her own. We're all family anyway, so we should help when we can."

I couldn't help but feel amused watching him trip over himself to explain.

Only someone with something to hide needed that many words to cover it up.

"Just drive." I tossed the hair clip back into the glove compartment and turned to look out the window.

Back at the manor, Madre spotted me and immediately started in again.

"You got hospitalized for a tiny injury? Talk about being pampered. Back when I was Donna, I handled family business even with a bullet in me."

I stopped walking and turned to face her. "If you want to rough it, that's up to you. But my parents didn't raise me just so I could suffer in life."

Madre froze, clearly not expecting me to talk back.

I ignored her and walked straight into the bedroom.

First, I circled a date on the calendar.

A week later, on December 15th, it would be both Riccardo's birthday and the day I'd leave.

Second, I took down the wedding photo and every picture of Riccardo and me and threw them all into the fireplace.

As I watched the photos burn, the false memories went up in smoke with them.

Third, I gathered every gift Riccardo had ever given me—gold necklaces, designer watches, custom dresses. Whatever could be thrown away, I tossed. The rest I packed up and gave to the manor staff.

When it was all done, I felt a weight lifted off my chest.

Riccardo returned in the evening. When he saw the ashes in the fireplace, his expression immediately darkened. "Dalia, you burned all our photos?"

"They were old and just taking up space," I replied calmly.

"Old?" He repeated with a hint of anger in his voice. "Those were our memories!"

"There'll be new ones." I finished washing up and lay down on the bed. "I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep now."

Riccardo looked at me, a flicker of hurt in his eyes. But in the end, he said nothing and lay down on the couch.

Late at night, I heard him whisper, "Is that circle on the calendar for my birthday surprise?"

I kept my eyes closed and didn't answer.

A surprise? All I had for him was a clean goodbye.

Early the next morning, Riccardo left to mediate a dispute in another district, whereas I headed to the hospital to complete my resignation.

The nurse looked surprised when she saw me. "Dr. Valentino, are you really leaving?"

I nodded. "Yes. To further my studies at Capitolium."

"Do come back. We'll all miss you so much," the nurse said sadly.

"I will." I smiled, though I wasn't sure myself.

My return depended on whether there was anything left here worth returning for.

As I walked out of the office, I ran straight into Alice.

"Dalia, what are you doing here?" She blocked my path, her tone laced with provocation. "You're still hung up on Marco, aren't you? That's why you've come to beg him to take you back."

I couldn't be bothered with her, so I tried to step around her to leave.

But Alice wouldn't let it go. She shoved me and barked, "Do you think marrying Riccardo makes you superior? Well, let me tell you—whether it's him or Marco, the one they truly love is me."

I lost my balance and stumbled back a couple of steps. But suddenly, Alice let out a sharp scream and fell to the ground herself.

"My stomach! Dalia, why did you push me?"

She clutched her lower abdomen, her face twisted in pain.

I was stunned. Before I could even process what had happened, I was yanked aside and thrown to the ground.

I looked up and saw Riccardo.

His face was taut with anxiety as he lifted Alice into his arms, glaring at me furiously.

"Dalia, why did you push her? She's pregnant!"

"I didn't push her. She fell on her own." I got to my feet and brushed the dust off my clothes.

Just then, Marco rushed over. When he saw the scene, his gaze turned icy.

"Dalia, if anything happens to Alice, I won't let you get away with it."

Two men, for the sake of the same woman, abandoned me once again.

I watched as they frantically rushed Alice to the emergency room, finding the whole scene both ridiculous and pathetic.

In my past life, Marco had defended Alice just like this. In this life, Riccardo was repeating the same mistake.

I turned and left the hospital, returning to the manor.

As soon as I entered, I saw Madre sitting in the living room, her face dark with anger.

"You jinx. The moment you're back, you cause trouble. Get out of this manor immediately!"

"I will," I said calmly. "I'll be out of Porthaven in a week."

Madre was taken aback, clearly not expecting me to agree so readily.

I ignored her and went straight to my room.

Just five more days and I'd be rid of this place for good.

That evening, Riccardo returned. He looked at me and said wearily, "Dalia, you need to apologize to Alice."

"Why should I? I didn't do anything wrong," I retorted, meeting his gaze.

"I saw you push her with my own eyes." Riccardo's eyes were filled with disappointment. "She's pregnant. How could you be so heartless?"

He saw it with his own eyes? A sharp pain pierced my heart. Was this really the kind of person he saw me as?

"How do you want me to apologize? Should I get down on my knees?" I asked mockingly.

Riccardo remained silent, his acquiescence serving as an answer.

In that moment, my heart died completely.

"I will not apologize for something I didn't do."

I turned and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

Heavy footsteps echoed from outside the door.

Riccardo had left.

Leaning against the door, I finally let the tears fall, unable to hold them back any longer.

Two lifetimes of love, wasted on two men because of the same woman.

How pathetic.

But I wouldn't cry for long, because my future wasn't worth wasting tears on people who didn't deserve them.

Over the next few days, Riccardo didn't speak to me. But he also stopped bringing up the apology.

He came home on time every day, bringing back food he knew I liked. Yet, he always spent the night in the living room.

I knew he was struggling internally, but that no longer had anything to do with me.

It was December 13th. There were only two days remaining until my departure.

I packed up all my belongings, preparing to go handle the divorce proceedings.

In my past life, I remembered that Riccardo would be targeted in an assassination attempt around this time. Even though he'd ultimately survive, he'd sustain serious injuries.

I hesitated for a long time but ultimately decided to warn him.

After all, even if he didn't love me, we had once shared a marriage in name.

I took a taxi to the alley near the family headquarters, the very place where the assassination would occur.

From a distance, I spotted a man in a black trench coat and mask creeping up behind Riccardo with a silenced pistol in his hand.

"Riccardo, look out!" I shouted, rushing forward and grabbing the man's wrist.

The man froze for a moment, startled by my sudden appearance.

Riccardo reacted immediately, spinning around and subduing the man.

A stray bullet grazed my arm, and blood flowed instantly.

"Dalia!" Riccardo's face went pale at the sight of my wound.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, fear still in his voice.

"I…" I hesitated, but ultimately couldn't bring myself to say it. "I was just passing by."

Back at the manor, Riccardo looked at my wound, his eyes reddening.

"How could you be so foolish? What if something had happened to you?"

"As long as you're safe, that's what matters," I replied softly.

We were even now. In my past life, he'd avenged me. In this life, I'd saved his life.

Riccardo took my hand and said resolutely, "Dalia, I'll cherish you for the rest of my life."

I pulled my hand back without responding.

Late at night, I heard Riccardo on the phone with someone in the hallway.

"She's more like family to me. There's only familial affection, no romantic love. Love can't be forced. Just because she saved me doesn't mean I can fall in love with her."

I leaned against the door, my heart completely calm. I'd known the answer all along, but hearing it with my own ears still felt somewhat ironic.

The next morning, I tucked the signed divorce papers between a stack of documents and handed them to Riccardo.

"These are the contracts that have piled up recently. Please sign them."

Perhaps out of trust, Riccardo didn't even flip through them and signed each one without a second glance.

After signing, he handed me a black bank card.

"You've lost weight lately. Go buy yourself something nutritious."

I understood that Riccardo didn't want to owe me anything. That was why he was giving me an unlimited black card as repayment for saving his life.

I never expected that when it came to settling debts, he and I would be so perfectly in sync.

I took the card and turned around to leave.

On December 15th, Riccardo's birthday, I wrote a letter and placed it on the living room table, along with the black bank card.

"Riccardo,

"I'm leaving. I know you don't love me, and that the one you love is Alice. In my past life, after I died, I saw you avenge me. I thought you had feelings for me, so after being reborn, I chose to marry you.

"Now I see it was just wishful thinking on my part. Even so, you shouldn't have deceived me, let alone led me into this sham of a marriage. You sicken me even more than Marco does.

"Still, we're even now. You helped collect my remains in my past life, and I saved you from an assassination attempt in this one. From this point on, we owe each other nothing.

"This is goodbye.

"Dalia."

After finishing writing the letter, I dragged my suitcase out of the manor without looking back.