Before our wedding, my fiancé, Carlo Vitale—the youngest Don on the East Coast—held a church ceremony with my stepsister.

He said, "According to Mafia rules, only the woman who completes the wedding ceremony with me and receives the blessing of all the family is my true wife.

"So even if your sister Elena is carrying my child, she's nothing more than a mistress."

After the priest's blessing, they exchanged rings.

I stood outside the church, watching through a curtain of rain as he kissed another woman. My face was white.

I had loved Carlo for twelve years, from the ages of sixteen to twenty-eight.

However, he had only ever had my stepsister, Sophia, not me, in his heart.

I chose to let him go.

Later, I left for Europe.

All I left Carlo was a notice of our broken engagement and a parting gift.

For some reason, the man who had always treated me with indifference seemed to have aged ten years overnight.

I stood in the rain, silently watching my fiancé, Carlo Vitale.

I watched as he personally slid the wedding ring onto my stepsister Sophia’s finger.

Sophia was wearing a custom-made designer wedding gown and smiling beautifully.

The moment the ring was on her hand, Carlo pulled her into his arms without hesitation.

Members of the family surrounded them, along with so-called friends I once knew, all cheering them on.

They kissed for nearly ten minutes. Only when Sophia was so weak in the knees that she could barely stand did Carlo finally pull away, breathless.

Rain slid down my hair, blurring my vision.

However, I could not shake off the image of the man I had loved for twelve years kissing the woman who used to bully me.

Memories surged back like a tide.

I first met Carlo when I was sixteen.

He was the son of my father’s business partner. He was only eighteen at the time, but he was already carrying the aura of a future don.

That day, my father was about to hit me again. Carlo stepped in front of me. A broken glass bottle slashed a long wound across his arm.

Blood ran down his arm, but he only turned to me and said, “Don’t be afraid.”

No one remembered my eighteenth birthday.

He was the only one who stayed by my side the entire night.

He did not say much, just draped his coat over my shoulders.

When the light of dawn came, he said, “Elena, I’ll protect you from now on.”

At twenty-two, I graduated from university.

He appeared in the last row of the auditorium, holding a bouquet of white roses.

He confessed, “I like you. Be with me. I’ll protect you from now on.”

I thought he loved me.

It turned out it was all just my wishful thinking.

Sophia threw the bridal bouquet.

Everyone rushed forward to catch it.

That was when I realized my family was at the wedding, too.

My younger brother Michael, whom I once risked my life to protect, was standing there and smiling. His entire attention was fixed on Sophia—the same woman who once tormented him.

He had already forgotten how we almost died at the hands of Sophia and her mother years ago.

I still remembered it clearly.

I was only ten when Sophia and her mother first came into our home.

They acted gentle and kind in front of my father, but the moment he left, they locked Michael and me in the basement.

Michael had a fever, so I begged them for medicine. Sophia’s mother kicked me in the chest and said, “Your mother is dead. Why don’t you join her in Hell?”

Sophia stood beside her, putting on a sweet smile. “Please don’t blame my mother, Elena. You were just being disobedient.”

One day, Michael fell and hit his head, causing him to lose his memory.

It was Sophia who pushed him, but she cried and blamed me instead.

When Michael woke up, he remembered only the one month Sophia had taken care of him, and from then on, he was completely devoted to her.

I told Carlo all of this.

He thought I was lying.

“Congratulations to the bride and groom!”

Michael and the others shouted.

As he spoke, fireworks were lit outside the church.

Under the sky full of fireworks, Carlo lifted Sophia into his arms.

The crowd roared with cheers all around.

I stood in the drizzle, suffocating in despair.

I dialed Michael’s number.

The brother who once swore he would always stand by me glanced at the screen and hung up immediately.

I did not stop. I called Carlo.

The moment he saw it was me, his face turned cold.

He was about to hang up, but Sophia whispered something in his ear. Only then did he reluctantly answer.

I asked in a soft voice, “Where are you?”

He sneered in front of everyone.

“What, checking up on me again? You’re pregnant, yet you still can’t behave? Elena, are you that desperate for a man?

“Can’t you live without a man?

“I already told you, I’m with Sophia because of some family business. Only someone as filthy-minded as you can twist everything into something dirty!”

Every word cut like a knife.

The last thread of hope in my heart made me choke out,

“But Carlo, it’s my birthday today…”

He promised me that he would spend my birthday with me no matter what happened.

Thus, even though he was two hundred miles away, I changed trains several times and walked a mile in the rain just to find him.

Carlo seemed to finally remember.

Silence fell on the other end of the line.

Before he could speak, the phone was snatched away.

“Can you stop being so disgusting, Elena?” snapped Michael.

“Do you think everyone is as obsessed with this nonsense as you are?

“Stop causing trouble! Do you even know how important today is?

“Stop doing stupid things and making others clean up your mess!”

He hung up.

Sophia leaned into Carlo’s arms, smiling gently.

She patted Michael’s head.

“All right. You all know what kind of person Elena is.

“Today is the most important day of my life. Be good, okay? Smile.”

That was all it took to calm Michael down.

The group headed back, laughing and celebrating.

The noise faded, leaving me alone in the dark, silent night.

I felt discarded and unwanted.

I wiped away my last tear.

Then, I turned and walked away.

I no longer wanted the man whose cold heart I had tried to warm for twelve years.

By the time I returned to my Manhattan apartment, it was already deep into the night.

I booked a random hotel, washed up, and fell into a dazed sleep.

In the early hours of the morning, I was jolted awake by a frantic phone call.

My boss sounded both anxious and excited.

“Elena, something’s happened in the East District. The Vitale and Lanza families are exchanging fire at a church on the outskirts. I know that’s your fiancé’s territory, but if you can get an exclusive shot…”

She did not finish. I had already hung up.

Carlo would never let me anywhere near that place.

However, I had to go precisely because of that.

I unlocked my phone screen.

Then, I saw Sophia’s latest post on social media.

It was just one photo.

In it, Sophia’s hand was wrapped in Carlo’s large one, with wedding rings on both of their ring fingers.

My eyes landed on the old scar on Carlo’s arm.

Something in my dead, silent heart still ached violently.

That scar was from when Carlo, at eighteen, protected me from my father’s abuse. He had gotten cut by a broken bottle shard.

It was also the reason I had always believed he cared about me.

It turned out that it had all just been my wishful thinking.

The last trace of attachment in my heart completely died.

I turned on my laptop, quickly organized my files, and asked a lawyer friend to draft a notice of broken engagement.

When I returned to the church, everything had already descended into chaos.

I suppressed my emotions and began contacting doctors for the injured at the scene.

The shootout was far more severe than expected.

When I looked at the newly built construction site near the church and the illegally stored explosives, I felt a sinking suspicion rise in my chest.

The next second, I was kicked hard from behind.

I slammed to the ground, my hands and face scraping against the gravel.

Michael’s voice rang out behind me.

“Elena, you stubborn trash! Did you follow them all the way here just to catch them cheating?! Are you sick in the head?!”

At some point, Michael had completely forgotten how our mother died at the hands of Sophia’s mother.

I could never forget that day.

My mother had stood on the rooftop. The wind was tearing through her hair.

She looked back at me once, her eyes filled with despair.

She said, “Elena, I’m sorry.”

Then, she jumped.

Later, my father said she had been mentally ill. It was a suicide.

The very next day, Sophia’s mother moved into our house with her daughter.

She sneered at me and said, “I’ve been with your father for a long time. Your mother couldn’t take it, so she killed herself.”

I told Carlo the truth. He did not believe me.

He said, “Your father already said it was suicide. Who are you trying to accuse?”

Michael did not believe me either. “Sophia’s mother is a kind woman. Stop slandering her!”

He had become Sophia’s lapdog now.

I did not want a brother like him anymore.

I rose to my feet in silence, brushed the dust off myself, and walked toward him.

I walked up to him without any expression on my face and slapped him hard.

Michael’s head snapped to the side. He was stunned. He did not expect me to fight back.

Before he could react, I looked at him with pure disgust.

“Stop flattering yourself. If you like Sophia that much, then stay by her side like the dog you are.

“You deserved that slap. From now on, we’re done.”

I ignored his furious glare and turned around to leave.

Not far away, Carlo was walking toward me with a pale-faced Sophia in his arms.

A flicker of guilt crossed his face. He explained, “Elena, I forgot to wish you a happy birthday last night.

“I’ll throw you another birthday party when I’m done here.”

I calmly looked past him, past Sophia, past their intertwined fingers.

Then, I shook my head.

“No.”

My calm reaction stunned all three of them.

Michael, who had caught up, sneered.

“Elena, what are you acting like that for? Stop it.

“You’re pregnant with Carlo’s child and still playing hard to get?

“Pathetic.

“Even if you’re pregnant, you’ll never be worthy of kneeling before Sophia.”

If this had been before, those words would have broken me.

However, I no longer cared.

Carlo’s expression darkened when he noticed my indifference.

“Elena, you’re already disrupting my work by following me here, and now, you’re throwing a tantrum?

“I’m telling you, my patience has limits. Sophia needs to rest. Your presence is only upsetting her.

“Go home. Now!”

He grabbed my hand, trying to drag me away.

The next second, gunshots rang out again.

In the same instant, Carlo and Michael both rushed toward Sophia, who was standing in the open.

Carlo instinctively shoved me to the ground.

He had clearly seen it too. Someone behind him was aiming at me.

A bullet struck my waist with perfect precision.

Pain exploded through me, and I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed.

The room was empty.

A nurse came in, removed my IV, and looked at me with concern.

“Didn’t you know you were pregnant? Why were you in such a dangerous place? You lost the baby because of the gunshot wound.”

I stared quietly at the ceiling. My voice was soft.

“I see. Thank you.”

The nurse heaved a sigh. “You miscarried. You’ll need a D&C procedure soon.”

I closed my eyes and gently placed my hand over my abdomen.

The child had been Carlo’s.

I once believed that if I had his child, he would look at me and love me a little more.

I still remembered the day I found out I was pregnant. I had cried from joy.

I called Carlo immediately.

He was busy and replied impatiently, “I know. Don’t bother me.”

I thought he was just overwhelmed with work.

Now, I finally understood that he never cared at all.

When I was later wheeled out of the hospital room in a wheelchair, I learned it was the church priest who sent me here.

Carlo, meanwhile, only sent me a single message.

Carlo: [Sophia was frightened by the gunfire and fainted. I took her to Long Island to rest.]

He and Michael had applied for a private family jet overnight to escort Sophia back to Long Island.

He did not care at all whether I was injured or not.

The suffocating despair in my chest had turned into a dull, constant pain that made even breathing hurt.

The surgery was scheduled for three hours from now.

During that brief window, I finalized the notice of broken engagement with my lawyer friend.

As I exited the chat, I saw something in the family group chat that made my blood run cold.

My father, Michael, and Carlo were all taking turns to send Sophia money.

Today was Sophia’s birthday, and they all remembered it.

My father sent $50,000 and left a message: [Happy birthday, my darling Sophia!]

Michael sent $100,000 and left a message: [My dearest sister, may you always be happy!]

Carlo sent a screenshot of a $500,000 transfer. [No matter what happens in the future, I will only ever love Sophia.]

None of them had remembered my birthday.

I wanted to laugh, but I could not.

I read it all quietly, then left the group chat.

The next second, Carlo called. His tone was mocking.

“Elena, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?

“Are you just jealous that we’re good to Sophia?

“In high school, you accused her and her mother of killing your mom, but what really happened?

“Your father already told me the truth. Your mother was mentally ill. It was suicide.”

His voice was filled with contempt.

“I’ve also had people investigate it. Sophia’s mother never abused you.

“Michael said you tricked him into going to an abandoned factory and caused him to hit his head and lose his memory.

“It was Sophia who took care of him for a month afterward.”

It was as though Carlo had finally found a place to unleash all his anger. He snapped, “Honestly, I never wanted to marry you in the first place. If you hadn’t clung to me and deliberately gotten pregnant to trap me, I would’ve broken up with you long ago.”

I listened in silence the entire time.

Then, a mechanical female voice suddenly interrupted.

“Miss Elena Rossi, please proceed to the operating room entrance.”

Carlo’s breathing suddenly quickened.

“You’re having surgery? What happened? Are you hurt? Is the baby in danger?”

I was about to speak when Sophia’s soft laughter came through the phone.

“Carlo, you’re so silly. Elena cares so much about you and the baby. How could she ever let go?”

Carlo’s tone instantly went cold again when he heard that.

“That’s true. Elena, you really disappoint me.

“I didn’t think you’d become this vicious.

“Using a child as a threat just to marry me?

“I’m telling you, I won’t fall for that. If you keep this up, don’t expect to marry me.”

He waited smugly for me to break down, to cry, to beg.

Instead, I fell silent for a few seconds. Then, I let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Okay.”

I hung up. Then, I turned around and walked into the operating room.

The moment the surgical light turned on, I felt something being taken away from my body.

It was not just about the child.

It was also the last trace of feelings I had left for Carlo.

By the time I returned to Long Island after the procedure, Carlo still had not called.

He probably thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

He continued posting on social media.

He took Sophia dress shopping, arranged their engagement photos, and helped her pick out jewelry.

I ignored all of it.

Instead, I opened the letter my mother had left me.

I had read it countless times, and every time, it broke my heart a little more.

At the very end, in her trembling handwriting, she wrote: [If one day you can no longer survive in New York, go to Don Lanza.]

[He will take care of everything for you.]

Marco Lanza was the Don of the Lanza family in Sicily.

My mother had once saved his life when she was young. After she married my father, she left Italy behind completely.

However, Don Lanza never forgot that debt.

I dialed a number I had saved for over ten years but never once dared to call.

It rang twice before it was picked up.

An old, deep voice came through, with a heavy Sicilian accent.

“Who is this?”

“It’s Elena Rossi. Maria’s daughter.”

There was a long silence on the other end.

Then, he said something that made my eyes turn red instantly.

“It seems you’ve been wronged, my child.

“Come to me. No one will hurt you here. I will always be your safety net.”

Three days later, I boarded a flight to Palermo.

Before I boarded the plane, I blocked Carlo’s and Michael’s contacts, then I removed my SIM card, broke it, and threw it away.

From this moment onward, I had nothing to do with them anymore.