After I was brought back from the kidnapping, my mafia boss husband, Jonathan Caruso, arranges for me to live in a new villa.

"You've suffered so much over the years, Nat…"

Jonathan caresses the scar on my face, sympathy and pain evident on his face.

As I listen to his words, I just smirk in return.

Sure, he's been keeping up a loving and devoted facade. Unfortunately for him, I've always known that he doesn't want me to survive at all.

After all, he's the one who has delivered me into the dark and damp water prison three years ago as a wedding gift for Governor Frederick Romano in order to marry his daughter, Kelsey Romano.

I sat in an unfamiliar room, eating the strawberries Jonathan Caruso had brought me while watching the feed from a hidden camera.

Jonathan, who had rushed out moments earlier, was now at the hospital. He had his arm around Kelsey Romano, whose belly was visibly swollen, as he accompanied her to a prenatal checkup.

Watching the two of them being openly affectionate with one another sent a sharp pain straight through my chest.

I tossed the strawberries aside and called Jonathan.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his clear voice carrying a touch of indulgence.

On the screen, Kelsey frowned slightly and glanced at him. Jonathan didn't notice at all and simply guided her into the ultrasound room.

"I was scared," I said. "I woke up, and you were already gone. I was afraid it was just a dream. I was afraid I hadn't really escaped."

The memories I'd buried surfaced all at once, and although I'd meant to sound fragile on purpose, my voice faltered anyway, a real tremor slipping through.

"It's okay, Nat. That's all over now. I'll be home soon. I'll stay with you."

He sounded tender, almost convincingly so.

True to his word, he didn't say another thing to Kelsey. He turned and left the hospital without looking back.

I shut off the camera feed, my chest tightening. The way he walked away so decisively was the same as it had been back then.

Jonathan returned to the mansion not long after, carrying a strawberry cake.

Barefoot, I rushed straight into his arms.

"Why aren't you wearing shoes again? I brought you a strawberry cake."

The words were painfully familiar, just as they were three years ago.

Jonathan had always liked buying me strawberry cake, and I'd always thrown myself into his arms like this, telling him how much I'd missed him all day.

"John, I missed you so much."

The words caught him off guard, and his expression froze for a moment, as if he'd slipped into a brief daze. Then, his gaze landed on the scar on my face, and clarity returned instantly.

I noticed the change and felt a flicker of mockery surface in my eyes.

We both knew there was no going back.

Jonathan helped me onto the couch, feeding me cake while gently brushing his fingers over the scar on my face. His brow was tightly knitted, and the concern in his eyes didn't look fake.

"I've already contacted the best cosmetic surgeons," he said. "It'll get better soon."

I nodded lightly and lowered my head to hide the hatred surging beneath my calm expression, then changed the subject.

"I want to go back to Colline delle Rose."

That was the estate Jonathan and I had designed and built together. The place was filled with memories from when we were in love.

"Not yet. They're renovating. Once everything's cleaned up, I'll take you back."

His gaze flickered, and his explanation didn't quite line up.

He was nothing like the man who had once sworn himself to me among the roses.

Then again, the Jonathan who had taken six bullets for me had nothing in common with the man who'd personally delivered me into hell.

When I still didn't respond, urgency crept into his voice as he added, "I mean it. Colline delle Rose will only ever have one mistress. Nat, it won't be long."

I cracked a smile that looked like it hurt. "I know. You love me the most."

Satisfied, he finally let out a breath.

The next second, a message flashed on his phone, and the ease on his face vanished.

"Amore, the doctor says there's something wrong with the baby."

Jonathan stiffened, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door. Only when he reached it did he seem to remember me.

"Nat, something came up. You don't have to wait up for me tonight. Lock the doors and windows, and make sure you're covered when you sleep."

What a hopeless romantic. Even then, he was still worried about me.

How touching.

After he left, the mansion sank into a dead silence.

I dumped the remaining strawberry cake into the trash. I hadn't eaten something that sweet in three years, and I wasn't used to it anymore.

"Natasha Santoro, did you call Jonathan away again?"

"If I'd known back then, I would've killed you."

"You should've never gotten out of there, you bitch!"

"Don't let me see you, or I'll kill you myself!"

Kelsey's messages came one after another, and the notification tone sounded shrill in the empty mansion.

I thought I was past caring, but reading them still made the scar on my face ache faintly.

The first message from Kelsey had arrived three years ago, at my birthday party.

It had been a photo of her and Jonathan in bed. Two naked bodies appeared on the screen, forced into my vision without warning.

I'd lost my mind and gone looking for her, slapping her hard across the face the moment I found her.

She'd shoved me viciously into a hotel vase, shards of porcelain cutting into my skin. Unsatisfied, she'd grabbed a piece and slashed my face with it.

Blood splattered across the floor.

Amid the staff's screams, I staggered up and tried to fight back, only for Jonathan to seize my wrist. His voice had been cold, stripped of emotion.

"This is what you get for laying a hand on Kelsey. Stop causing a scene whenever you please, or you'll be the one paying for it."

My nails dug into my flesh. The pain in my palm felt the same as it did back then.

I smiled and sent Kelsey a photo of Jonathan and me, our fingers tightly intertwined.

Laughing aloud, I blocked her number and called Jonathan. The line was noisy, and I could faintly hear a woman crying.

"What is it now?" he asked, clearly impatient.

My eyes were cold, but my voice stayed gentle. "Did I interrupt you? I'm sorry. I just wanted you to take me to the auction the day after tomorrow. You know what that day means to me."

"The day after tomorrow?"

His tone softened immediately, every trace of his earlier irritation gone.

Kelsey's sharp voice cut in, "That's our wedding anniversary! You promised you'd be with me, Jonathan!"

My gaze turned icy, and the hatred in my eyes hardened into something sharp.

The day after tomorrow wasn't just their anniversary. It was also my birthday, and the day Jonathan had sent me into the water dungeon.

"Nat, being with Kelsey is just to get the governor's support," Jonathan said. "Everything I'm doing is for you. You have to understand that."

Three years ago, on the eve of my birthday, I caught him cheating again. He'd begged me in anguish, as if I were the one betraying him.

I'd been foolish and hopelessly in love, so I believed him.

The next day, I woke up in the water dungeon.

It wasn't until Theodore Romano appeared that I learned the truth.

Jonathan had planned everything. To marry Kelsey, he'd offered me up as a bargaining chip and personally delivered me into that living hell.

"Nat, I'll come pick you up the day after tomorrow."

He ended the call there.

The dark screen reflected my reddened eyes.

How could I ever forget that pain?

Jonathan could pretend nothing had happened, living with one arm around each woman, but I would never let him have his way.

…

When Jonathan came to get me the next morning, he was holding a mask.

"I know you care about how you look. The doctor won't be here for a few more days, so use this for now."

He adjusted it carefully, his expression tender, as if the scar had nothing to do with him.

The mask covered the scar perfectly. He ruffled my hair lightly. "Nat, you're still so beautiful."

I glanced past Jonathan and gave a subtle nod to his subordinate, Samuel Ferri, who was trailing behind him.

Only then did I smile and say sweetly, "You're such a smooth talker. I'll punish you by making you stay with me all day."

Jonathan laughed. "How is that a punishment? That's a reward."

He took my hand and led me to the car.

Another vehicle followed us at a careful distance, but Jonathan, focused entirely on pleasing me, never noticed.

…

At the auction, the staff led us to a private box in the center of the second floor.

While standing at the door, I saw the woman who'd been following us enter the room next door.

A trace of mockery flickered across my eyes. I deliberately clung to Jonathan's arm, and he happily wrapped an arm around my waist.

Moments later, the sound of shattering glass came from next door. Satisfied, I pulled him into our box.

Most of the items up for auction were jewelry.

I placed bids on nearly every piece. However, Kelsey insisted on competing with me, and within a few items, she'd snatched away half of them.

I lost interest and dropped my paddle on the table.

Seeing my mood, Jonathan squeezed my fingers and chuckled. "What's the point of coming out if you're not having fun?"

"Samuel, get the manager," he said. "Tell him I'll outbid any offer that hits the floor."

Samuel acknowledged the order and left.

The delight in my eyes pleased Jonathan. He pulled me into his arms and murmured, "As long as you're happy, I don't care what it costs."

His words made me laugh.

Men really were pathetic.

When I loved him, he didn't value it. Now, he was baring his heart, and it was almost laughable.

The manager set things up at our window, and Kelsey continued trying to compete. Thankfully, every item that followed ended up with me, and the gloom weighing on me finally lifted.

The biggest surprise was the final necklace.

Jonathan had personally crafted it for my 21st birthday, and it had been lost years ago during a territorial clash. I no longer loved him, but that necklace carried too many memories.

Kelsey seemed to know its history. She bid aggressively, attempting to price me out of the room. She was convinced Jonathan wouldn't spend that much on me.

After the auction ended, Jonathan and I were led to finalize the purchases.

Halfway there, the manager hurried over and pulled him aside.

After a long while, Jonathan called and told Samuel to send me home first. I stayed in the car instead of leaving right away.

Before long, I saw Jonathan walk out with Kelsey wrapped around his arm.

I couldn't help but laugh. He was quite the multitasker.

At the entrance, Kelsey handed him a box. Jonathan understood immediately, took out the necklace, and fastened it around her neck.

It was the same necklace I'd just won.

The smile on my face froze, and a faint bitterness rose in my chest. Even this last reminder of our memories, he couldn't bring himself to give me.

Once she'd donned the necklace, Kelsey lifted her chin proudly in my direction.

I lost interest and went back to the mansion.

…

Jonathan didn't come home that night, nor for several days after.

Samuel later told me that several shipments had gone wrong, leaving Jonathan overwhelmed, and that he'd had a fierce argument with Kelsey over it.

Hearing that lifted the gloom that had hung over me for days.

Unfortunately, the relief didn't last long because trouble came knocking soon after.

Kelsey showed up with her bags in tow and moved straight into the mansion. No matter how hard Samuel tried, he couldn't stop her.

Jonathan arrived just in time to see her throwing my belongings out. His expression darkened, a storm gathering in his narrowed eyes.

With tears streaking my face, I hid behind him and choked out, "I've already given you John. What more do you want from me? I love him. Is it really wrong if I just want to be near him? What's wrong with loving someone?"