I watched the video over and over again like I was torturing myself.

From the initial heartbreak to the point where I no longer felt the pain, I learned then that people really could become numb after enough hurt.

I suddenly realized that whether Demetrio married me or not didn't matter anymore. Who he chose, who he protected, and who he loved had nothing to do with me anymore.

I decided to let him be with Carlotta.

I packed my things bit by bit from the house I once called home. Clothes, jewelry, old photos, and the memories I had carefully kept all went into a suitcase.

As I stood at the door, holding the suitcase, I didn't even look back.

…

When I found Demetrio at the hospital, I didn't even have the chance to speak about breaking off the engagement.

"It was you, wasn't it?" Demetrio demanded.

His face was dark, and he grabbed my neck with such force that it felt like he was trying to choke the life out of me.

"Are you jealous that Carlotta's physically perfect, so you had someone hurt her?"

That was when I learned that something had gone wrong within the Farese family. Someone had targeted Carlotta.

Despite eight bodyguards and Demetrio himself protecting her, Carlotta's right hand had still been mangled beyond recognition.

Forced to tilt my head back, I stared at the face that had countless times whispered sweet promises to protect me forever.

Suddenly, I found it so absurd I almost wanted to laugh.

Apparently, in Demetrio's mind, I was so terrible that I could do something like that.

"It wasn't me." I forced those three words out.

Demetrio sneered, as if he didn't believe me at all. "Who else could it be if not you?"

His gaze landed on my hand, which had a missing thumb.

It was like he had finally found an outlet for his anger. His face darkened, and he grabbed my wrist with such force it bordered on cruelty.

He pressed down hard on the spot where my thumb used to be. That was the old wound from when I took the bullet for him.

"Ah!"

The pain exploded, unexpected and sharp. I bent over, nearly unable to stand.

It felt like my bones were being crushed and the old injury was being rubbed raw, sending waves of pain through me.

"Does it hurt?" Demetrio looked down at me, his voice chillingly calm. "Carlotta's pain right now is a hundred times worse than yours."

I looked up at him. My eyes were red, but I was unable to shed a single tear.

"She lost an entire hand," he said.

I finally struggled to pull my hand back. My arm was shaking violently. The old wound tore open, and blood seeped through my fingers.

It dripped on the floor, little by little.

Demetrio straightened his cuffs, his voice returning to its usual cold restraint. "Don't let me find out you have any ill intentions again."

He carefully took Carlotta's damaged hand with one knee on the ground. His movements were almost reverent, and his voice was low but firm. "Carlotta, will you marry me?"

Carlotta's eyes filled with tears. "But my hand…"

Demetrio looked up at her, his gaze tender beyond belief. "I'm marrying you because of who you are. It won't change because of anything else."

When he said those words, my world suddenly went silent because I had heard them before—those exact same words.

Years ago, when I lost a finger, I lay in a hospital bed, and my hand was tightly wrapped in bandages.

Demetrio had sat by my side, holding my hand with red-rimmed eyes. He said, "Lucia, once I've handled everything, I'll marry you. No matter what happens to you, I'll still want you."

Back then, I was shaking with pain, but I felt like the luckiest person in the world.

And now, he was in the same posture, using the same tone, and making the same promise. But this time, I wasn't the one he was making it to.

Demetrio took out a ring from his blazer pocket.

The next moment, he carefully slid that ring onto Carlotta's unscarred ring finger right in front of me. "I will marry you, Carlotta."

The room felt deafeningly still.

I looked down at my hand. The missing finger felt so empty.

The moment Carlotta nodded, Demetrio almost lost himself. He pulled her into his arms and spun around with her. His voice overflowed with joy as he said, "I'll get the wedding preparations started right away."

With that, he hurriedly left.

As for me, I just wanted to leave and completely fade out of their lives. But just as I turned to walk away, Carlotta called out to me, "Lucia."

She raised her hand, showing off the ring with an exaggerated gesture. Her tone was soft but dripping with the smug satisfaction of a winner. "Don't be too upset. Demetrio just chose someone more suitable."

I stopped but didn't turn around. I simply let out a chuckle. "You think you've won?"

Finally, I turned to face her. "He didn't choose you."

Carlotta froze for a moment.

"He just got tired of me and swapped me out for a newer replacement."

My gaze drifted over her mangled hand. I felt no pity or mockery—just a vast, empty void.

"Once he's bored with you, you'll realize that no woman can truly stay by his side. I've been with him for years. What makes you so sure your relationship will last longer and be better than ours?"

For the first time, Carlotta's expression shifted.

My gaze remained cold and empty. I looked at her flustered state, but I no longer had the slightest interest in sparing her another glance.

…

On the wedding day, the Farese estate was locked down and under heavy surveillance. I tried to leave, but Demetrio had locked me in.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, adjusting his cufflinks. His voice was detached as if giving orders. "Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn't show up at the ceremony. I don't want her disrupting my wedding with Carlotta."

I pleaded, "I won't cause any trouble. Please, let me go."

He sneered, unmoved. "You dared hurt Carlotta. Why should I trust you?"

So, I was locked in the farthest room of the estate. Two bodyguards stood outside, and the room inside was as silent as a tomb.

But Demetrio didn't know that I had waited a long time for this moment. I'd been waiting for the right time to leave.

…

Not far off, the ceremony in the church continued on.

The moment the bells began to chime, the faint strains of the wedding march drifted through the air and into my ears.

I stood up and put on the simple clothes I had prepared earlier.

I walked to the window and sent a scheduled message. "Hope your wedding goes smoothly. Wish you both a lifetime of happiness."

Then, I left the phone on the table.

I didn't say goodbye, and I didn't look back.

The sunlight bathed the estate, casting light on every inch of the vast grounds.

Meanwhile, I silently slipped out the back door and vanished into the daylight, where the shadows and the voices of the crowd blurred into one.

…

Demetrio only realized something was wrong when the ceremony reached the ring exchange.

He instinctively glanced toward the estate. Panic flashed in his eyes, and his heart sank. He felt as though he had lost something crucial.

But by that time, I was already in the car, leaving the estate behind. The sun shone through the window, reflecting my calm, cold profile.

The car passed by the church. I looked out of the window toward the church, where Carlotta's smile glowed and the ring in Demetrio's hand caught the light.

None of it had anything to do with me anymore.

I whispered, as if speaking to myself, to Demetrio, and to our past, "Addio."

The white dome of the church faded in the rearview mirror, and the sound of the chimes and laughter of the wedding were left behind.

I closed my eyes.

This time, I was gone for good.