Don Ettore Vitale's lover, Viola Serra, and I are abducted at the same time.

When it's time for Ettore to make his choice, he doesn't hesitate to choose Viola despite always doting on me all the time.

"Larissa, Viola can't take this. She's too fragile. Once this is over, I'll definitely make it up to you."

"If you choose her, I'll hate you forever!"

He remains silent for a moment before whisking Viola away in his arms.

I just keep laughing till tears spill down my cheeks.

Some time later, I nestle into Ettore's arch-nemesis, Vittorio Romano's arms while smiling at the former. But he keeps begging me to return to him like an absolute lunatic.

I never dreamed that after seven years of marriage to Ettore Vitale, this would be how it ended.

That day, his mistress and I were both abducted by his sworn enemy.

"Don Vitale, your wife or your lover. You can only choose one!"

Viola Serra and I dangled from a crane at an abandoned dock, turbulent seawater churning beneath us. Veins bulged at Ettore's temples, his dark eyes burning with fury and hesitation.

"My people don't get left behind. I'm taking both of them!"

"Then, you'd better prepare two body bags!" The leader of the gang twirled his Browning pistol before pressing the muzzle against my temple, his voice vicious and mocking.

"Stop wasting my time. Three, two…"

"I choose Viola!"

Ettore's voice was cold as ice, but urgency bled through his words. My eyes went wide with terror, my mind going completely blank. Ettore looked at me, and for just a moment, guilt flickered in his gaze.

"Viola's fragile, and she's carrying my child. Nothing can happen to her." He paused, his jaw tight. "I'll send someone for you. I'll make this right when you get back."

The words hit me like a thunderbolt. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Tears blurred my vision, but I started laughing anyway, wild and unhinged.

Ettore frowned, concern crossing his face as he glanced at me. The next second, he turned and walked away with Viola cradled in his arms.

I couldn't stop laughing, nearly crying myself dry before I finally calmed down. The irony wasn't lost on me. The man who once swore eternal vows to me could turn around and abandon me without a second thought for another woman.

Why her?

Ettore and I had been married for seven years. It was an arrangement, but we got along well. Our relationship was solid, or so I thought, until six months ago when Viola appeared.

She was pure and innocent, sweet and charming, stealing Ettore's attention effortlessly. Everything he used to give me, she took. I confronted him once and asked him why.

He looked me dead in the eye and told me it meant nothing, that she was just a distraction. I would always be his Donna.

But now, I was the one being thrown away.

The gang leader lifted my chin with the barrel of his gun, his voice dripping with mockery. "Signora Vitale, it seems you don't measure up to that woman in the great Don Vitale's eyes, si?"

I pressed my lips together and forced myself to stay calm. I needed to negotiate.

"I don't know what grudge you have with him, but killing me does you no good. Let me go, and I'll convince Ettore to give you that plot of land in the east district."

"He doesn't even care if you live or die. Why should I believe anything you say?" The words stabbed through me, tightening my chest until I could barely breathe.

"But you know what? You're right about one thing. Killing you really doesn't benefit me."

The gang leader pulled off his mask, revealing a handsome, sharp-featured face. He grinned wildly and untied my ropes himself.

"If Signora Vitale is willing, the Romano family would welcome you with open arms. Go home, think it over. That's how serious we are."

They left me there and vanished. The men Ettore sent arrived shortly after and brought me back. By the time I stumbled through the doors of the Vitale estate, I was still in a daze.

Ettore pulled me into his arms, relief flooding his eyes like he'd just recovered something precious. "Thank God you're safe."

I leaned against him numbly, a bitter smile twisting at my lips. Safe? Of course he was relieved. Everything worked out fine for him.

But the image of him choosing Viola over me kept tearing through my mind like a wild animal, ripping my heart to shreds and killing whatever hope I'd been clinging to all these years.

My head throbbed violently. I couldn't force out a single word. Then, everything went black, and I collapsed in his arms.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in bed with the Vitale family's private doctor standing nearby. My gaze drifted across the room to where Ettore and Viola sat close together on the couch, practically draped over each other.

The moment I woke, Viola jumped to her feet and twisted her skirt nervously, but triumph and challenge glinted in her eyes as she looked at me.

"Donna, this is all my fault. The Don was just worried about the baby, so he forgot about you for a moment." She sniffled, her voice trembling.

"After he got me to safety, he sent people for you right away. I was so scared to be alone, so he stayed with me personally."

She dissolved into sobs, as if she'd suffered some terrible injustice.

Pregnant? He'd actually gotten Viola pregnant?

My breath caught, and I stared at Ettore in disbelief.

Ettore crossed the room and pulled her behind him protectively, displeasure written all over his face as he looked at me. "This was my choice. Don't take it out on her."

Then, he turned back to Viola, his voice softening as he comforted her tear-streaked face. "Don't be afraid, Viola. I'm here. No one can touch you."

I took a deep breath, watching Ettore act like I was some kind of threat. It was almost funny.

Only then did Ettore seem to notice how pale I looked. He reached out and touched my forehead. "No fever. Larissa, do you want something to eat?"

I didn't answer. I turned my face away from his touch. "Let's get a divorce."

Ettore froze, his expression darkening with displeasure. "Larissa, don't be impulsive. Get some rest. I'll check on you later."

He left with Viola without another word.

I smiled bitterly. How could I not know what he was thinking? He had loved me once, but that love had shifted to Viola. That didn't mean he could accept me leaving, though.

After all, before he became Don, I'd taken a bullet for him. In those moments between life and death, he would have done anything to spare me the pain.

Seven years together, and he used to want to give me the best of everything. But seven years later, he still chose Viola over me.

I pulled the IV needle from my arm and started packing. I couldn't stay in the Vitale estate anymore.

By the time night fell, I'd nearly finished when a burst of noise from down the hall made me pause. I walked slowly toward the room at the end of the corridor. The door was slightly ajar, and Ettore's low voice drifted out, heavy with concern.

"Larissa isn't well. I need to check on her. This is the last time I'm warning you. Don't disturb her rest. If she gets hurt again, you'll answer to me."

"Are you blaming me, Don Vitale? Did I ask those men to kidnap us? Is it my fault the Donna got hurt?"

"What happened to Larissa wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. You're carrying my child. Stop overthinking."

"How can I not overthink it? She's the wife you love most. The maids say you've been together seven years. That you'd worry over the smallest frown."

"That's because she's the woman I love!"

Through the crack in the door, Viola stood in a white nightgown leaning against Ettore, tears clinging to her lashes and looking like she might break down any second.

"The baby's been restless. Will you tell me a bedtime story?"

She looked up at him, her eyes still wet. Ettore hesitated for only a second before agreeing softly and pulling her onto the bed.

My chest tightened until I couldn't breathe. Ettore had never told me a bedtime story. My father died on a dark, rainy night, and ever since, I'd been terrified of the dark.

Even when I begged Ettore to tell me a story during a thunderstorm, he'd refused stiffly, claiming he didn't know any. But for Viola, those same childish stories he'd once dismissed now flowed easily from his lips.

Viola nestled in his arms, laughing softly now and then. Ettore pinched her cheek affectionately before he kissed her, unable to help himself.

"Don Vitale, I'm pregnant!" Viola protested playfully.

Ettore's voice grew rough with desire. "It's fine. The doctor checked, and the baby's healthy. Viola, lift your hips a little…"

The sounds from their room lasted half the night. I listened to all of it through the wall.

The next morning, Ettore walked out of Viola's room. His usually crisp shirt was wrinkled, and satisfaction lingered in his eyes.

My heart twisted when our eyes met. Panic flashed across his face for a split second before he recovered, his expression settling into something closer to irritation.

"You're still not fully recovered. What are you doing standing here?"

I stared at him, my eyes dropping to the lipstick mark on his collar.

Ettore was always meticulous. There was no way he hadn't noticed Viola deliberately leaving her mark on him. He just chose to indulge her little games.

Ettore followed my gaze and spotted the kiss mark. He tugged at his collar uncomfortably, and I waited for him to explain. Instead, he just frowned, looking annoyed.

"She's young and likes to play games. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

I stared at him in disbelief, caught between anger and laughter. "Making a big deal out of it? Perhaps I should remind you that I'm still your legally wedded wife, Don Vitale?"

I'd hit a nerve. Ettore shoved me impatiently.

"You're in your 30s. Are you really going to pick on some young woman? I already told you, I'm just having fun with her. No one's taking your place as Donna!"

"Viola isn't scheming like you. She can't compete with you, and she's never tried to take your position. She's been with me since she was 19 years old.

"Be good about this, and I'll have someone bid on that jewelry set you wanted. Deal?"

My arm slammed against the corridor wall. The rope marks from yesterday still throbbed, and now, a fresh injury bloomed on top of them.

So in his eyes, a set of jewelry was enough to buy me off?

When he saw my arm bleeding, something finally shifted in Ettore's expression. Panic flickered in his eyes as he stammered out an explanation, "L-Larissa, I didn't mean to…"

"Don Vitale, you're up so early."

Before he could finish, Viola walked out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes, the picture of sweet innocence.

When Ettore saw her bare feet, he swept her up into his arms without hesitation, scolding her instinctively, "Why are you walking around barefoot? You'll catch a cold."

Even when I'd been lying in bed yesterday, barely able to move, he'd never shown this kind of concern. Viola shot me a subtle glare before nestling shyly into Ettore's arms.

"I missed you."

Ettore kissed her forehead tenderly, completely absorbed in her. He'd already forgotten I was standing right there.

"Oh, but the Donna is still here, Don Vitale..."

"Don't worry about her. Come on, weren't you picking out dresses today?"

Ettore glanced at me coldly before striding off with Viola in his arms, tossing me a warning over his shoulder.

"Think carefully about what you want."

I stood there in a daze as they left, my eyes burning. I used to think meeting Ettore was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.

We'd known each other since we were young and survived countless bloodbaths together. We'd made it through everything side by side.

Once, our enemies cornered us at a cliff's edge. We'd fallen onto a broken tree, and even as thorny bushes tore his skin to shreds, he'd held me tight and protected me.

After we were rescued and brought back to the estate, he'd looked at the wound on my calf with tears in his eyes. I knew then that his love for me was real.

So, when he gave all his affection to Viola, I understood with painful clarity that his love no longer belonged to me. It was time to leave.