Lena was a mess. Tea soaked her clothes as she cried uncontrollably.

"Alyssa!" Dominic roared. "It's bad enough that you refuse to apologize! How dare you do this to her?"

"It wasn't me. Check the surveillance footage," I replied calmly.

He sneered. "Fine. Let's check."

In an instant, Lena grabbed his arm, her voice choking with sobs as she said, "Dominic, it's not Mrs. Caballero's fault. I should never have hoped I could stay by your side. I'll leave right now."

She had barely taken a step when Dominic yanked her back.

"I just got you back, and now you want to walk out on me again? Are you trying to break me?"

Having said that, he wrapped his arms around her. It was as if he were afraid to ever lose her again.

Dominic then turned to me, his icy gaze sending a shiver down my spine. "I'll see that she gets justice for this."

The next moment, a bodyguard began dragging me toward the underground cold storage.

I struggled with all my might, yelling, "Dominic! It wasn't me! Check the cameras!"

Without so much as a glance at me, he shot back coldly, "No need. I believe her."

…

The heavy iron door slammed shut in my face. In an instant, darkness and cold swallowed me whole.

I curled up in a corner, trembling. Yet, the chill in my chest cut deeper than the cold around me. So, this was what Dominic meant when he said I was the one he loved most?

The Don of Coastwick, New Hudson, had once loved me with all his heart.

Knowing I was afraid of the cold, Dominic had spent a fortune installing a temperature control system throughout the house after we married. Even the courtyard stayed like spring all year round.

During winter, he'd cup my icy hands and pull my cold feet into his embrace, smiling as he promised to keep me warm for the rest of my life.

Looking back now, I realized promises were only real at the moment they were spoken.

…

The next day, when I was on the verge of passing out from the cold, the door finally opened.

A bodyguard stood there, expressionless. "Don Caballero says if there's a next time, the punishment won't be this light."

I leaned against the wall for support, shivering as I staggered out.

There wouldn't be a next time. Soon, I'd make sure Dominic was gone from my world for good.

…

That evening, Dominic's assistant arrived with a gown and a set of jewelry, saying I was expected at a charity auction gala.

So, I went. But at the entrance to the ballroom, I saw Lena.

She wore a couture gown and a diamond necklace. It was the very one Dominic had bid eight figures for at last month's auction.

I stopped in my tracks, looked at Dominic, and asked, "If she's here, why bother having me come?"

"I hadn't planned on bringing her, but she's never been to an event like this. She wanted to come, so I brought her," he replied with an indifferent expression.

After a pause, he added lightly, "Alyssa, don't be so petty."

I trembled slightly. I wasn't being petty. He just hadn't thought about how having the Don's wife and his mistress appear together would make me the subject of gossip and ridicule.

Without another word, Dominic led Lena into the ballroom. She slipped her arm through his, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

Nearby, people began whispering.

"Don Caballero and his wife look so perfect together!" one commented.

Another quickly said, "You've got it wrong. That's Donna Caballero. The one beside him is just the mistress."

The first person cast me an awkward glance before muttering, "But he treats that woman so well. She gets the designer gown, while his wife is wearing the gifted one. No wonder I mistook them."

At that, I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms.

…

Once the auction began, I raised my paddle to bid on a few pieces. But whatever I bid on, Lena would simply add a dollar on top.

Low chuckles rippled across the room at the sight.

"It's my first time seeing the mistress best the man's own wife," said one.

With a straight face, I made the "all in" gesture. "All in" meant I'd take that item no matter how high the bidding went, with no cap.

All at once, Lena's face turned pale. She tugged on Dominic's sleeve and whined, "I really like this one!"

He looked at me, frowning. "Alyssa, let her have it."

"No. She can't go 'all in,' but I can. That's because I'm your wife and the lady of the Caballero family. What's yours is mine."

After saying that, I turned to Lena with a mocking smile. "No matter how much you give her, she'll never measure up to me."

Tears instantly welled up in Lena's eyes, and she shot to her feet. "You!"

The next second, she buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

"Yes, you're his wife. I'm just a disgraceful mistress. I never should've foolishly believed I could have it all. Dominic, let's end this."

With that, she spun around and bolted.

Dominic's expression changed drastically. He seized my wrist and snapped, "I told you. I'd get tired of her after a while. Why must you drive her away?"

"Whether she stays or leaves is none of my concern," I retorted, coolly meeting his gaze.

His gaze darkened. Without saying another word, he flung my hand aside and strode out after Lena.

Meanwhile, I stood rooted to the spot. Everyone in the room stared at me, their eyes filled with mockery and pity.

But I didn't care. After all, I'd be gone soon.

…

The next morning, a news alert on my phone jolted me awake.

The headline read, "999 Intimate Photos of Don Caballero's Wife to Be Auctioned on the Black Market!"

A chill shot through me the moment I saw it. Only Dominic had those photos.

I was trembling when I called Dominic. My voice came out hoarse as I asked, "Did you leak the photos?"

On the other end of the line, he let out a cold chuckle.

"You always liked going 'all in,' didn't you?"

His voice was laced with cruelty as he went on, "If you don't want people to see those photos, then get over there and bid on every last one of them!"

In the background, Lena's syrupy voice floated through. "Dominic, is that Alyssa? I-I should go."

Dominic's tone softened at once. "Don't be ridiculous. I stood up for you. Try leaving again, and see what happens."

I heard the sound of a kiss, and then the line went dead.

…

I rushed to the auction house, shaking as I pushed open the doors. The room was full of men.

Meanwhile, my intimate photos flashed across the massive screen.

There was a photo of my sleeping profile. Dominic had once called it cute and saved it. Another showed my back in the shower. He had said it was charming and persuaded me to pose. And there was a picture of me in my birthday suit, covered in suggestive red marks. At the time, he had said those were proof of love.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on me, their whispers slicing through me like knives.

"Just look at that body. Damn! Don Caballero is a lucky man!" someone murmured.

Another said, "I heard he used to love his wife. Why is he selling her photos now?"

"Got bored, I guess. These Dons' wives all look perfect on the outside…"

Every word hit me like a punch to the gut.

I remembered how possessive Dominic had been.

That year in Sicara, I wore a spaghetti-strap dress. When a man looked my way a little too long, Dominic dragged me to the hotel, took me by force, and made me say, "Alyssa belongs to Dominic."

But now, he was selling my intimate photos to these men, just to stand up for another woman.

I placed bids on every single photo. With every press of the bid button, a chill settled in my chest.

By the time I won the last one, all the love I'd had for Dominic was gone.

…

As I stepped out of the auction house, my phone rang.

"Done bidding? Feeling satisfied now?" Dominic's voice was thick with mockery.

I clenched the phone until my nails dug into my palm and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll divorce you after this?"

"You can't leave, Alyssa. I won't sign the papers, so the divorce won't happen," he replied calmly, like he was trying to reason with a stubborn child.

I fell silent. Just as I expected, he had forgotten that I had the divorce agreement he had signed.

When I didn't respond, Dominic's tone softened. "Today was just a lesson."

He paused, then added, "I told you. As long as you don't go after Lena, I'll come back eventually. Your birthday is coming up. I'll throw a party to make it up to you."

I was about to say there was no need, but he had already hung up.

…

In the days that followed, I scrolled through Lena's Instagram feed.

The latest post showed Dominic holding her on a yacht, captioned, "I told him I wanted to be by the ocean, so he bought me an island."

I scrolled further down and saw another photo. Lena wrote, "He's allergic to roses, but still, he filled the garden with flowers just for me."

Another caption read, "His phone is full of my photos."

If this had been before, I would've felt utterly heartbroken to the point of suffocation. But now, there wasn't a flicker of emotion in me.

Lately, Dominic had been living with Lena, only coming home occasionally. He hadn't even noticed things disappearing from the house.

Maybe even if I vanished, he still wouldn't realize.

On the day of my birthday party, Dominic came to pick me up. Surprisingly, he was alone in the car.

"Aren't you bringing Lena?" I asked flatly.

Dominic frowned. "From now on, I'll try to keep you two from crossing paths. I don't want you getting upset all the time."

A faint smile curved my lips. He wasn't worried about me getting angry. Instead, he was afraid I'd lash out at Lena.

In his eyes, I had long since become a cruel woman.

…

The party was grand. Dominic held my hand throughout, showering me with jewelry and priceless paintings.

"I finally managed to make you happy this time, didn't I?" he whispered, his voice dripping with flattery.

As I looked at him, memories came rushing back. Whenever he made me angry, he'd humble himself like this to win me back. Every time, I'd give in.

But this time was different. He had used my family as leverage, trampled on my dignity, and auctioned off my intimate photos. Even if he gave me the world, it wouldn't make up for it.

Just as I was about to speak, the doors of the ballroom swung open.

Lena stood there in a white gown, looking timid.

Dominic's expression hardened at the sight of her. "Didn't I tell you to stay in the apartment?"

Lena's eyes glistened with tears as she answered, "I just wanted to celebrate Alyssa's birthday. I even brought her a gift."

"I don't want to see you," I shot back coldly.

Dominic, however, motioned for a waiter to arrange a seat for Lena. Then, he said in a low voice, "She came with good intentions. Forget about what happened last time. Let bygones be bygones."

…

It was my birthday party, yet Dominic's attention was fixed entirely on Lena.

The band began to play a waltz, and he took my hand. But a glimpse of Lena's tearful eyes in his peripheral vision made him turn to her.

I stood in the corner, numb, as they swayed together in a close embrace.

When the song ended, Lena pouted and complained that her heels were killing her. Without hesitation, Dominic went to fetch her flats himself.

Seizing the moment, she walked up to me, shaking her phone. "Alyssa, you didn't know, did you? Every gift Dominic gave you was something I turned down. And even now, at your party, he's checking in with me every minute."

She then flashed me the chat logs with a smug smile. "See? He said, 'Honey, hang in there. I'll be back with you soon.'"

I was already beyond caring. So, I simply asked, "What exactly do you want?"

"I want you to step aside."

I met Lena's gaze calmly. "Soon. I'll step aside completely."

She narrowed her eyes. For a moment, I thought she believed me. But in the next second, she grabbed my hand and slapped herself hard.

The crack echoed through the room.

Dominic stormed over, just in time to see Lena clutching her cheek as tears streamed down.

"Alyssa!" he roared. "Did you hurt her again?"

"I didn't."

Dominic seized my wrist and snapped, "I saw everything! Wasn't the last lesson enough? I told you. Whatever you do to Lena, I'll make you suffer ten times over!"

Lena shook her head between sobs. "Forget it. It's fine."

"I'm here. What are you afraid of?" Dominic tenderly wiped her tears as he spoke. "Like I said, you can do whatever you want. Even if you stir up trouble, it doesn't matter. Stop being so meek. Otherwise, you'll just keep getting pushed around."

After saying that, he ordered the bodyguards to hold me down.

Then, he turned to Lena. "Now, for every slap she gives you, you give her ten in return."

"I-I can't," Lena stammered, feigning fear.

"I'll show you."

Without warning, he took her hand and struck me hard. "This is to teach you how to fight back."

The next blow landed just as sharply. "And this is to teach you not to cower."

Then came the third and fourth, followed quickly by more.

I was in so much pain that my vision blurred. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, my ears ringing. Still, I clenched my teeth and stayed silent.

It wasn't until the tenth strike that Dominic stopped.

Around us, the guests murmured among themselves.

"Poor thing. And on her birthday, too."

"Serves her right for bullying others!"

Meanwhile, Dominic gently took Lena's hand. "Does it hurt? Let me get you some ointment."

Just like that, he scooped Lena up and walked away without a backward glance.

The moment the bodyguards let go, I collapsed to the floor. My cheek burned, but the pain in my chest was far worse.

I regretted ever falling in love with Dominic.