After three days of the silent treatment, my fiancé, the Capo of the Moretti family, took his assistant, Bella, on an island vacation.

He expected me to be driven mad with jealousy, just as I always had been. But when he returned to Valmont a month later, he found a different woman.

He made me give up my corner office. I didn't fight him. I just packed my things and handed it over.

To prop Bella up, he discredited me in front of a key partner at the annual family meeting, just so she could shine. I didn't try to prove my innocence. I just accepted the family's reprimand and took my punishment.

When Lucas wanted to put Bella in charge of the family's most profitable business, I didn't even get angry. I handed over all the necessary documents without a fight, letting him redistribute power as he saw fit.

Bella was smug.

"See? What did I tell you?"

"A woman like her just needs a firm hand. One trip to the island and she's terrified of losing you. Look how obedient she is now."

Lucas bought it, praising Bella for her insight.

In a move he'd never made before, he promised me a wedding so grand it would become a legend in the Valmont underworld.

But he seemed to have forgotten the dissolution agreement he signed, the one I slipped him right before he got into the car for their vacation.

I had already severed all ties with him.

I was leaving, but he had no idea.

After three days of the silent treatment, my fiancé, the Capo of the Moretti family, took his assistant, Bella, on an island vacation.

He expected me to be driven mad with jealousy, just as I always had been. But when he returned to Valmont a month later, he found a different woman.

He made me give up my corner office. I didn't fight him. I just packed my things and handed it over.

To prop Bella up, he discredited me in front of a key partner at the annual family meeting, just so she could shine. I didn't try to prove my innocence. I just accepted the family's reprimand and took my punishment.

When Lucas wanted to put Bella in charge of the family's most profitable business, I didn't even get angry. I handed over all the necessary documents without a fight, letting him redistribute power as he saw fit.

Bella was smug.

"See? What did I tell you?"

"A woman like her just needs a firm hand. One trip to the island and she's terrified of losing you. Look how obedient she is now."

Lucas bought it, praising Bella for her insight.

In a move he'd never made before, he promised me a wedding so grand it would become a legend in the Valmont underworld.

But he seemed to have forgotten the dissolution agreement he signed, the one I slipped him right before he got into the car for their vacation.

I had already severed all ties with him.

I was leaving, but he had no idea.

...

"Elara, what took you so long? I've been waiting forever for you."

" I hear everyone praising you for working so fast and well. Since you're so efficient, just do me a favor and take some of this off my hands. You're already working on this stuff anyway, it'll be super easy for you."

Bella slammed a pile of disorganized folders onto my desk.

I didn't even look up, calmly taking them. "Alright."

But Bella wasn't finished. In that same cloying voice, she added,

"Oh, by the way, Lucas and I are going to a private card game with the Genovese family later. Just leave the files in the Capo's office when you're done. And remember to clean up the wine glasses in his study before you leave."

With that, she turned and walked away, the confident click of her heels echoing in the hall.

The family guards outside looked at me with pity, but no one dared to offer a word of comfort.

Everyone in Valmont's underworld knew that Lucas Moretti, the family's cold-hearted Capo, was my fiancé. But he blatantly favored his assistant, Bella.

He not only broke family rules by letting Bella sit in on confidential meetings, but he even handed her our most profitable territory. The same territory I'd braved a hail of bullets to secure for us.

When I challenged him, Lucas hypocritically held a vote with the family elders. He thought his power would intimidate them into silence.

But in the end, the elders all voted for me. Bella received a single, lonely vote: his.

However, Lucas pulled out photos from a previous summit showing me politely toasting these elders, using them to claim we were colluding privately.

He voided all their votes, meaning only Bella's single vote passed.

That night, Lucas prepared a romantic candlelit dinner and presented me with an expensive gift to apologize.

He held me tenderly, claiming he was only protecting Bella from being ostracized by the old guard and that he had to establish his authority.

Back then, like a fool, I believed him. Thinking about it now is laughable.

Bella couldn't even count.

A blind man could see it was shameless favoritism, not protection. He was just the only one who wouldn't admit it.

A sound from upstairs made me look up. Lucas's tall, lean figure appeared at the top of the staircase.

He gave a brief glance in my direction, then turned and left without a backward look. He had changed into a tailored suit, and I could faintly smell the scent of his cedar cologne even from here.

Lucas never wore cologne, but this bottle was a gift from Bella.

I knew he was doing it on purpose.

For the past five years, this was his favorite game to play.

It all started when I found the encrypted texts between him and Bella. Simple goodnights that felt like a betrayal. I couldn't stop myself from confronting him.

Lucas thought I was being unreasonable. "Since you're so suspicious, I'll just keep her by my side so you can watch all you want." Using that excuse, he made Bella his personal assistant.

The more I suffered, the more he flaunted his favoritism.

He took Bella to major family dinners, and at our own gatherings, he would cut her steak and wipe her mouth right in front of me.

If I fell back in line, he would take me to bed. Afterward, he would kiss the marks on my skin and whisper that I was the only one he loved.

For a while, I even wondered if I was the problem, if I wasn't playing by the rules or being open-minded enough.

But that all changed three days into his silent treatment, while I was burning with a fever from the sheer exhaustion of managing his heavy workload.

He ignored it, taking Bella on an island vacation. In that moment, something inside me died.

I finally saw the truth. He was just using my jealousy as a cover to openly flirt and maintain an ambiguous relationship with Bella.

Even if I had never seen those encrypted texts, Lucas would have found another excuse to get together with Bella.

When they came back from the island, they acted like nothing more than boss and subordinate, but I could smell her perfume on his clothes.

It didn't matter anymore.

Five years spent walking on a knife's edge had finally come to an end. I was tired of the game.

After typing the last number, I saved the processed accounts. I opened my phone and saw a few updates Bella had posted.

The photos were from an extremely private underground casino. Lucas was dominating the poker table, with a million dollars in chips stacked in front of him.

Bella was wearing a deep V-neck dress, her chest pressed against his arm.

The caption read: "My brave Capo is spoiling me rotten again tonight. Everyone's joking that I'm the most important person to him."

In the comments, many partners praised them as a perfect match, and those who didn't know our relationship asked when they could attend their wedding. Lucas replied with an ellipsis, and Bella posted a "playful" emoji.

No correction. Just like always.

The old me would have been trembling with jealousy, immediately making an encrypted call to confront him, only to be called an irrational, crazy woman.

But today, I sent him a message telling him the accounts were done, then placed the files in his office, cleaned up the glasses as requested, and drove home.

As soon as I got into the car, my phone rang.

"Elara, are the books done? I'm so sorry, I'll treat you to dinner some other time."

The moment I answered, Bella's cloying laugh came through the line.

Before I could speak, Lucas's deep voice cut in. "Don't waste your breath on her. She handed over the core business herself. Now it's her job to be your assistant and count the receipts."

"Capo, don't say that. Elara is your fiancée, after all. Go easy on her," Bella cooed. They flirted so casually you'd think they were the ones who were married.

I pulled my lips into a silent, humorless smile.

That secure phone held the lifeline of the entire Valmont mafia. He used to accuse me of crossing a line if I so much as glanced at it.

Now, he tossed it to Bella to flaunt like a toy. It had been decided long ago who mattered more.

But my heart was unnervingly calm, without a single ripple.

A betrayal I once thought would be excruciating now felt like nothing at all.

After chatting and laughing with Bella for a few moments, Lucas perhaps remembered I was still on the line and said perfunctorily, "I'll be back soon. Don't wait up for me, get some rest."

He hung up.

His "soon" always meant at least four or five hours. I used to wait up for him, restless and anxious.

But tonight, I simply started the car and drove back to my apartment.

Opening the door, I looked at the calendar on the wall.

Right before he left me with a raging fever from exhaustion to run off on an island vacation with Bella, I took advantage of his distraction. I slipped him the dissolution agreement, disguised as a medical liability waiver.

He only had eyes for Bella. He signed it without a second glance.

In three days, the agreement would take effect.

In three days, once the handover was complete, I could walk away from this quagmire with a clean slate.

I thought for a moment, then made a call to my former professor at the research institute in Serrania.

Because of Lucas's, I had given up my natural talent for economics, abandoning my in-depth academic research to handle his family's accounts.

My professor had tried desperately to stop me, but I had plunged ahead without a second thought.

Thinking about it now, I was hopelessly stupid back then. Men are fickle, but capital is constant.

When he answered, I told him my plan to return to research.

I expected a scolding, but instead, the professor just sighed heavily. He told me he had already found out about my situation in Valmont and had been saving a position for me.

"But this time, are you truly ready to sever all ties?"

I lowered my gaze, my voice firm. "Yes, Professor. The dissolution agreement is already handled."

"Dissolution agreement? What agreement?"

A cold voice cut through the air behind me.

My whole body went rigid. I turned. Lucas, who should have been at the casino, stood in the doorway of the safe house, a place he should never have been able to enter.

I glanced down at the screen; the professor had already cut the connection.

I calmly slid the satellite phone into the pocket of my robe.

Just as I was trying to figure out how to explain the half-sentence he'd overheard, the private phone in Lucas's pocket buzzed.

It was a text from Bella.

She had sent a picture of herself feeding stray dogs on a Sterling Heights street, the plunging neckline of her dress on full display.

"Very cute," Lucas replied.

She texted back instantly: "Are the puppies cute, or am I?"

Lucas stared at the screen, the hard line of his lips softening into a gentle smile. "Both are nice."

Seeming to remember I was still there, he quickly wiped the smile from his face and put the phone back in his pocket.

He walked over and, out of habit, pulled me into his arms, leaning down to kiss my forehead.

"Baby, why aren't you in bed?" his voice was low and tender. "I told you not to stay up so late. It's bad for your skin."

He didn't even ask about the "agreement" I'd mentioned on the phone.

I leaned against him obediently, a small, wry smile on my lips. "There are still a few figures that aren't sorted out."

"It's late. What accounts could be so urgent?" Lucas sighed, stroking my hair. "Elara, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you've been dragging your feet lately. Be a good girl and finish it tomorrow."

Lucas frowned, grumbling a bit.

I didn't bother explaining that my inefficiency was due to his last minute changes, nor did I waste my breath arguing my case.

Seeing my silence, Lucas didn't press the issue. He let me go and walked over to the bar in our bedroom to pour a drink.

A few minutes later, his low, easy laughter drifted from the other room.

I rarely saw him laugh like that anymore. It was only with Bella that he seemed so genuinely amused.

I pulled my gaze away, sat down at my desk, and opened a thick professional book.

To return to Zelova and take over my professor's financial project, I had to re-familiarize myself with professional knowledge I had long since set aside.

"What are you reading?"

Lucas had come out at some point, holding a glass of whiskey.

He leaned down, bringing with him the faint scent of tobacco, and wrapped his arms around me from behind in a familiar embrace. He reached out, took the book from me, flipped through a couple of pages, and tossed it back on the desk with a soft laugh.

"Why are you reading this?" He pinched my cheek. "Darling, don't waste your time on this. With me here, you don't need to know any of it."

I put the documents away, my tone calm. "Just browsing."

"Did you need something?"

In the past, I would have been flattered whenever Lucas initiated a conversation. Perhaps surprised by my coldness, he seemed taken aback for a moment.

His expression was a little unnatural.

"Actually, there is something."

"Bella did a great job handling things during our island vacation. I'm planning to let her manage that new legal casino we acquired in Mesa."

He looked at me, and though he said it was a discussion, I knew it was just an announcement.

I nodded. "It's your call."

"Mesa is a mess. I wouldn't feel right sending you there," Lucas said, gently cupping my face. "So I was thinking you could take over collections on a few streets in the Rowan District. It's just street-level stuff, but it's safe."

"Don't worry, it's just temporary. Once I've completely taken over Valmont, you'll be the most honored lady of the Moretti family, the Capo's wife. I'm doing this to protect you. You'll support me, right?"

I let out a silent, bitter laugh.

Of course. The message was clear.

He could read Bella's mood from the smallest clues and knew what she liked from tiny details.

But here I was, his fiancée, with my dissolution agreement already signed by his own hand, and he was completely oblivious.

He was still using the pretense of protecting me to hand the family's most profitable enterprise to his new favorite, while sending me to the slums to collect dirty money.

When I simply nodded and softly said, "Alright," Lucas's expression, which had started to darken in anticipation of an argument, instantly relaxed.

"Then it's settled. The Rowan District post is yours." His mood brightened, and he leaned in to kiss me.

I turned my head slightly to avoid him.

He wasn't angry, probably certain I wouldn't make a fuss over such small matters.

This had happened too many times. In just one year, thanks to Bella's provocations, my status in the family had dropped again and again. If I could tolerate it then, Lucas was sure I wouldn't dare leave him now.

He was about to leave when he seemed to notice something and walked back, his gaze suddenly falling on my collarbone.

"Where's the platinum necklace I gave you? The one with our initials."

I subconsciously touched my bare neck.

In this mansion, every photo, every keepsake, every memory of us, I had secretly destroyed.

Lucas used to complain that my head was full of such childish trifles, but he never knew that they were my constant reminders that he had once loved me.

Only later did I realize how ridiculous I'd been.

Each of those items was a mockery of my own foolishness.

I gave a casual excuse. "The clasp broke. I don't know where it fell off."

"Why are you always so clumsy?"

Lucas sighed, a mix of indulgence and reprimand in his eyes. He glanced down at the Persian rug beneath our feet.

"Clean the rug tomorrow." He ruffled my hair. "Someone's coming by in the afternoon for the Mesa handover documents. The clasp is sharp. We wouldn't want anyone getting hurt."

With that, he took his drink and returned to the bedroom, clearly in a good mood.

Watching his back, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

He wasn't worried about me, of course. He meant Bella.

This was our home. I had managed all its security systems until a few months ago, when I found unfamiliar fingerprints in his private safe and smelled a perfume on him that wasn't mine.

Only then did I realize he had brought Bella here many times.

I couldn't stop myself from confronting him. It was like he already knew what I was going to say.

He immediately produced evidence proving they were only there to handle money laundering accounts and took the opportunity to reprimand me for being suspicious and small-minded.

To punish me for my "accusations," he began bringing Bella into the family's most confidential financial dealings out of spite.

I could sense the veiled provocation and hostility from Bella whenever she faced me.

But on the surface, their interactions were normal, with no obvious lines crossed.

Over time, I began to doubt myself.

I spent every day wondering if I was the one in the wrong. Looking back now, if I had spent that time on myself, I could have succeeded at anything.

The next morning, Lucas announced to the entire family Bella's appointment to run the casino, as well as my demotion to the Rowan District.

He was a little wary as he made the announcement, only relaxing when he saw that I acted as if nothing had happened, finally believing I had truly accepted it.

He was in a great mood, and so was I.

He booked an exclusive Sterling Heights club to celebrate Bella's promotion. I contacted my bank in Serrania.

He took Bella out on a yacht with champagne and a sea breeze; I transferred my cryptocurrency and erased my digital footprint.

Two days later, on my last day with the family, I destroyed the final batch of paper ledgers in the safe house and prepared to leave for good with a single, very small suitcase.

Before leaving, I had to make one last trip to the family headquarters to return the final key to the vault.

"Go to the Capo's office before you leave. Lucas wants to see you," the person in charge said without looking up.

I considered refusing, but then it hit me that I was leaving tonight. If Lucas went out with Bella as usual, this might be the last time we ever saw each other.

After five years together, a proper goodbye seemed necessary.

With that thought, I took the private elevator straight to the executive office.

Just as I was about to push the door open, I saw through the one-way glass that Lucas and Bella were standing side by side at the desk, their heads close together as they examined a document.

Bella reached out and straightened Lucas's collar, the movement so practiced and natural it was as if she had done it a thousand times.

Lucas let her fuss over him, even tilting his head down slightly to accommodate her.

They whispered something to each other, and after she finished, Bella covered her mouth, giggling uncontrollably.

My hand, raised to knock, froze.

Before I could decide whether to leave them to it, Bella "happened" to see me. She let out an exaggerated gasp and hastily stepped away from Lucas.

"Elara? What are you doing up here?"

A look of surprise also crossed Lucas's face. He quickly smoothed his slightly rumpled suit and walked towards me, his tone gentle. "Baby, what are you doing up here?"

His voice was deep and magnetic, like a lover's whisper. "You know the rules for this floor. Did you forget? Or did you just miss me that much?"

Of course, I hadn't forgotten. The original rule had been: "No one is to come upstairs and disturb my work, except for Elara."

Now I understood. While he spoke of a unique love, he was comfortably installing his new plaything in a territory that was supposed to be mine alone.

But it didn't matter. I was leaving anyway.

My voice was flat. "The vault manager said you were looking for me."

At these words, Lucas raised an eyebrow as if he'd heard a funny joke.

He walked to his desk and pressed the intercom. Less than a minute later, his second-in-command entered.

"Did you authorize her to come up?" Lucas's lips were smiling, but his eyes were cold as steel.

The subordinate sensed the charged silence. He glanced from Lucas's dark expression to Bella's pained, innocent look and quickly weighed his options.

"I'm sorry, Capo. Elara insisted on coming up."

"I see."

Lucas sighed softly and turned to me, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

"Darling, you're putting me in a difficult position."

"I thought you'd learned your lesson. I didn't realize you were still so desperate that you'd resort to these little tricks."

He moved closer, his breath warm on my skin. "Since you're so worried about me, why don't you just move into my office and watch me like a hawk? Or maybe plant a bug on my suit to satisfy that ridiculous possessiveness of yours?"

I stood there quietly, without even the desire to argue.

"Capo, don't be angry with her." Bella leaned against him softly, her hands on his chest as if to soothe him. "Elara was just worried, that's all. We were just discussing casino business, all for the good of the family."

She turned to look at me, a hint of challenge in her eyes. "Elara, I don't think you want the family to see us as a joke, do you?"

I looked at her triumphant expression and found the situation almost comical.

Even without knowing the full story, I knew this had to be a setup by Bella.

The subordinate had lied simply because everyone in the Valmont underworld knew that Bella was the woman Lucas currently favored most.

But even if I said so, Lucas probably wouldn't believe me.

I couldn't be bothered to speak. Lucas, however, took my silence as a protest. He wrapped his arm around my waist, his grip so tight it was almost painful.

"You don't need to explain to her, Bella."

"The family has its rules. Since Elara cares so much, we'll handle this according to the rules."

"Revoke Elara's top-level biometric access to the headquarters building. And as punishment, remove all her bodyguards."

On the streets of Valmont, taking away a person's bodyguards was a death sentence.

The subordinate paled, hesitating. "But Capo, Elara is already..."

He was probably about to mention my departure from the family, but before he could finish, Lucas waved his hand dismissively.

"Do it," Lucas snapped. "This is for her own good. To make her understand the rules."

"Besides, I know my woman. She won't object."

The subordinate didn't dare say more and retreated with his head down.

I thought for a moment and prepared to leave as well, but just then, Lucas gently took my hand.

His anger spent, he reverted to his affectionate persona.

"Elara, do you know how much I love you? Everything I do is for your own good."

"I am the Capo. If I don't punish you according to family law, how can I command respect? I'm protecting you, understand?"

Bella chimed in as well, "That's right. The mafia has strict rules. If you don't understand something in the future, you should ask the Capo more often. Or hey, you can even ask me."

Lucas gave her an appreciative glance.

"Bella's right. She has the family's best interests at heart and she respects our relationship. You should learn from her."

"Always my little green-eyed monster." He caressed my face. "That's what I love about you. Every bit of that jealousy just proves how much you care."

Learn what?

Learn how to flaunt herself on his desk? Or learn how to make a complete mess of accounts worth hundreds of millions?

A short, derisive laugh escaped me, but I couldn't be bothered to call him on his lie. Seeing my silence, Lucas assumed I had finally relented.

He kissed my forehead gently and said in a warm voice, "I know you only acted that way because you love me so much, and I do feel guilty about it."

"But I have to say, you've really matured lately. To make it up to you, we'll pick out rings tomorrow and set a wedding date. I want the whole world to know you're my woman."

"Married?"

Before he could finish, I laughed softly. I took a step back, out of his reach.

I pulled my hand from my pocket. With a sharp snap, I slapped the dissolution agreement onto the desk in front of him. The one bearing his signature and the family seal.

"Lucas, we're done."

"I've already left the family. From now on, we go our separate ways."