The next morning, Matteo took me to the ski resort. On the way there, he suddenly said, "Isabella is coming today, too."

I turned to look out the window, giving him a flat hum and nothing more.

His expression darkened before he squeezed my hand and softly said, "She's the only one who can get a message through to the Castelli Famiglia, so please don't make this difficult for me."

When the car pulled up at the base of the mountain, I saw Isabella waving at us through the window. She was pressed in professional ski gear, smiling brightly and confidently.

They talked while I sat quietly to the side. I didn't interrupt or even bother changing into my ski gear.

She glanced at me and laughed lightly. "Are you scared, Donna?

"Don't worry. Don Rossini is a professional skier. He's the one who taught me everything I know, and the last time I sprained my ankles, he carried me on his back the whole way down."

Matteo was briefly stunned. "That was ages ago."

Before I could react, he grabbed my hand. "Come on. I'll show you how to get geared up."

"No thanks," I said, brushing him off. "I know how to ski."

Matteo had always assumed I came from a wealthy family, but he had no idea that I was actually the Principessa of an old-school Mafia Famiglia.

I had grown up playing such sports, but I simply hadn't had a chance to play while helping him build his empire all these years.

As I effortlessly glided through the snow, Matteo looked briefly dazed.

Isabella noticed his expression, and her face fell. She immediately dropped her poles, looped her arm through his, and pulled him aside to talk about the Castelli Famiglia.

It was supposed to be our getaway, yet I was the only one skiing on the slopes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Isabella laughed and collapsed into Matteo's arms. As an act to vent my frustration, I hurtled down the steep slopes again and again.

But once, I got so distracted that I made a mistake and tumbled straight down the snowy hill, rolling until I lost track of where I was.

Enduring the sharp pain, I pulled out my walkie-talkie and called Matteo's name.

It connected quickly before his low, urgent voice came through. "Bianca, where are you?"

"Matteo… I'm hurt…" I gasped.

Static crackled through the walkie-talkie, along with hurried panting, before I heard a woman's soft laugh. "Sorry. I just wanted to… relive the past for a moment."

My heart clenched, and my voice died in my throat.

Matteo sternly snapped, "What are you doing, Isabella?"

She laughed. "Why are you so aggressive? You seemed pretty into it when we were kissing just now.

"Fine, I'll stop. But Matteo, don't forget what you promised me. Once I help you take down the Castellis, I'll become your one and only Donna."

In that moment, I couldn't tell if my body or heart hurt more. All I could remember was my body starting to go cold, and just before I blacked out, I saw Matteo racing toward me like a madman.

…

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Matteo was not around; only his Underboss, Fabio Gallo, was in the ward.

He sighed heavily. "Please talk to Don Rossini, Donna. He's so furious he's trying to shut down the ski resort and punish every staff member on duty that day!"

I impatiently waved him off. "Those are his rules. It has nothing to do with me."

After he left, I looked at my legs wrapped in bandages and laughed bitterly to myself.

Me talking to Matteo? To him, who was I, really?

I slowly exhaled and dialed Papa's number. "Papa, I lost the bet. I'm coming home for real now."

I expected him to mock me, but he was silent for a heartbeat and maintained his cold composure as the Don. "I'll send my men to get you tomorrow."

That was when Matteo pushed the door open. I quickly hung up, and he seemed startled.

"Who were you talking to?"

"A friend," I flatly replied.

He frowned slightly. "I thought you'd be looking for me the second you woke up."

His words nearly made me laugh.

When danger struck, I had thought of him first, but he gave me quite the "surprise". I didn't shy back from asking, "Back at the resort, Isabella said you'd marry her. What did she mean?"

Matteo flinched and clearly hadn't expected me to overhear their conversation.

For a brief moment, the concern on his face was replaced by a flicker of annoyance.

He raised a brow and said, "It's just to keep her under control. Once the Castelli Famiglia is crushed, she'll lose her value."

He sounded serious, but I didn't miss the way his eyes avoided mine.

I didn't push it. It didn't matter what answer he gave since I had made my choice.

Matteo nodded in satisfaction and gently stroked my hair. "Bianca, you'll be my only Donna."

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and immediately stood up. "There's trouble with the Famiglia. Get some rest, and I'll be back later."

When he left without a second thought, I didn't stop him. But once he was gone, I removed the ring from my finger, placed it on the bedside table, and limped out of the room to find out when I could be discharged.

In the hospital garden, I overheard Fabio on the phone.

"I don't get why the Don married such a useless woman. First, she ruins the party, and now she nearly kills herself doing a basic sport like skiing.

"Don Rossini is just too sentimental. If you ask me, he should dump Bianca and marry Ms. Ginevra instead. She's competent, useful to the Famiglia, and that's who he actually deserves..."

Before he could finish, I snapped out the gun from his holster and aimed it at his head.

When he saw me, his face went so pale from fright that he dropped his phone and stammered, "D-Donna…"

With a bang, he cowered to the ground, but I had only shattered his phone screen.

"If I hear that again, the next bullet goes right between your eyes."

After returning to the ward, I could still feel my hand humming from the recoil of the gun. Even after punishing Fabio, his words stayed lodged in my heart like a thorn.

Now, everyone seemed to think that Matteo should marry Isabella.

Back when he was just a local Capo, a deal went south. He was taken hostage and had three of his ribs shattered. I was the one who begged Papa to step in and save his life.

That day, he lay in his hospital bed and gripped my hand tightly. "Bianca, I thought I'd never see you again. Fate was on my side."

He thanked fate, never knowing it was me who had saved his life.

Now that he had made it to the top, the woman on his side was replaced.

I leaned against the window and smoked one cigar after another. That night, Matteo never came to me again.

When he finally called, it wasn't to explain, but to coldly interrogate. "Did you pull a gun on Fabio today?"

"Yes."

There was a pause before his voice turned colder. "Since when did you learn how to handle a gun?

"I just took power, Bianca. Do you have any idea how that one shot could shatter my men's trust in me?"

I exhaled a cloud of smoke and expressionlessly replied, "He insulted me first, so I punished him according to the rules. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Bianca!" he snapped, clearly starting to bubble in rage. "I don't care what the reason was, only the result. There were a dozen better ways to handle it.

"At least if it were Isabella, she'd never have done the same thing."

After he said those words, we both fell silent. Just as he was about to speak again, I hung up.

In that moment, the cigar I held suddenly tasted bitter and pointless. I put it out and went straight to the desk to process my discharge.

Every inch of this city that carried Matteo's scent now made me feel sick.

It was 2:00 am by the time the procedures were complete. I stood on a deserted street and let the biting cold wind whip around me.

Just then, a car pulled up in front of me before the window rolled down to reveal a handsome man.

I instantly recognized him as Enzo Castelli, Don of the Castelli Famiglia.

"Well, if it isn't Matteo's little trophy wife," he drawled. "Why are you standing on the streets looking like a stray puppy?"

I ignored him and, step by step, limped forward. He didn't press and sped off like a gust of wind.

I checked into a hotel and settled for the night. But the next morning, my door was smashed open.

Matteo stood there, his face a contorted mask of fury.

He lividly hurled a stack of photos at my feet. "All I did was give you a piece of my mind, Bianca, and you escaped from the hospital to go behind our backs with our rivals!"

I stood frozen before picking up the photos on the floor. They showed Enzo talking to me with his window wound down.

"No… It's not what it looks like."

"Ms. Valenti," Isabella said. Her expression was dark as she shot me a cold look. "During my recent investigation, I discovered that the Castellis planted a spy in our Famiglia, but I could never identify who it was.

"You're the only person who's ever been seen with him."

"What nonsense!" I shouted. "How could I ever betray the Famiglia?"

"Why not?" Matteo said coldly. "Your jealousy has gone too far, Bianca."

Isabella immediately chimed in, "Ms. Valenti, I know you've recently felt like I've taken Don Rossini's affection away from you.

"I'm sorry if that caused misunderstandings, but the Famiglia is built on everyone's hard work. This shouldn't be how you take revenge."

Her calm, measured tone only seemed to highlight my hysteria.

I looked at Matteo, the man I had loved for so many years, and had no desire to explain anything at all.

I took a slow breath and forced down my emotions. "So, Matteo, are you here to punish me?

"Or are you here to get a divorce and kick me out of the Famiglia?"

"Divorce?" Matteo frowned deeply. "We're talking about you betraying the Famiglia right now. Don't change the subject, and tell me how much you have revealed to the Castellis."

I let out a self-mocking laugh. "I haven't told them a single thing."

He impatiently rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "My patience has its limits, Bianca."

Isabella soothingly patted his back. "Don Rossini, the Donna probably doesn't know many inside details anyway, so she couldn't have leaked anything important.

"If she refuses to confess, I'll find a way to extract the truth from the Castellis myself. Trust me."

Matteo's expression eased slightly, but the way he looked at me was still cold.

He called Fabio over. "Lock her up. No one lets her out without my permission."

As Fabio strode toward me with a smug look, my first reaction wasn't anger. Instead, it was relief.

This was the final nail in the coffin that killed any lingering feelings I had for Matteo.

"Don't bother. I'll go myself."

Matteo stiffened slightly, but said nothing. He watched in silence as the guards escorted me to the car.

After my phone and earrings were confiscated, he looked over my belongings and asked, "Where's your wedding ring?"

"I left it at the hospital."

With that, I stepped into the cell and shut the iron door myself.

He stared at me for a deep, long beat before turning around and walking away.

…

That night, Isabella came to my cell, looking all proud and unbearably smug.

"Look at you, the once-admired Donna. Now, you're as pathetic as a stray dog.

"I was wondering how to get rid of you for good, but thankfully, the damned Matteo did me the perfect favor."

At the mention of his name, her face twisted. "I covered my tracks so well, yet he still suspected me.

"But it doesn't matter now. You're the scapegoat, so even if I never deliver another piece of intel, Don Rossini will never blame me…"

She laughed wildly until I grabbed her and slammed her to the ground in one swift move.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "How do you know how to fight?"

I gave a cold laugh. "I know a lot more than that."

Then, I slapped her hard across the face.

She howled in pain and shrieked, "Bitch! How dare you lay a hand on me!"

"Damn right I did."

All the anger I had been suppressing finally erupted.

"This slap is for breaking the rules and seducing the Don!

"This slap is for betraying the Famiglia, spreading lies, and creating rumors!"

Holding her down with one hand, I tore the keys from her belt with the other and unlocked the cell door. Then, I took out my phone and called Papa.

"Papa, I'm in the basement of Tenuta Ombra. Bring plenty of men and guns…"

I looked at the guards rushing toward me and let out a cold laugh. "Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to beat them all."