My dad is locked up in a cargo container filled with explosives at the docks.

The Genovese family has sent me a video. Apparently, the explosives are set to detonate in 20 minutes.

I quickly call my fiance, Dante Luciano, for help. He's the Don of the Luciano family. As long as he's around, no one will dare to lay a finger on my dad.

When Dante answers my call, he promises that he'll bring his men to rescue Dad right away. But when the convoy is on the way to the container, he claims that he has more urgent things to do, so he turns the car around and leaves.

I drive toward the docks like a madwoman. There, as I watch the countdown on the video ticking down, I keep spamming calls on Dante's phone.

When I call him for the 77th time, Dante finally answers it.

His voice is as cold as ice. "Stop bothering me with such tricks, Lina."

"But my dad will die for real—"

"Then let him die."

Just like that, Dante ends the call.

The countdown strikes zero, resulting in Dad getting blasted into smithereens.

The next thing I know, Dante's mistress, Bianca Magoni, has uploaded a photo to her social media feed. It features Dante, who's in the middle of cutting the steak for her gently.

"I made an off-handed comment about wanting to eat steak, and now Don Luciano is personally cutting it just for me."

It turns out that the so-called urgent business Dante has is cutting the steak for his beloved mistress.

My heart dies on the inside. Hence, I fake my death and vanish from Dante's life.

Later on, Dante kneels before me after searching everywhere for me like a madman.

"Lina, please don't abandon me! I'm begging you, please!"

I just smile at him. "You got the wrong person, sir. That's not my name."

Lina's POV

A deafening explosion rang through the air.

The shockwave from the second explosion knocked me to the ground immediately after I dashed into the fire.

My eardrums felt like they had been punctured, leaving a piercing, buzzing noise in my ears.

"Papa! Where are you, Papa?" I screamed.

I ignored my bloody hands and crawled past the burning debris, frantically moving deeper into the wreckage.

Just then, a dozen black SUVs screeched to a stop in front of the fire.

Dante Luciano stepped out of the car with a stormy expression. He frowned when he noticed my bloody appearance and subconsciously reached out for me.

"Lina, you—"

He was interrupted by a shrill scream.

Bianca Magoni hid behind Dante, looking like a spooked cat. She grabbed his arm in a death grip and stammered, "Oh my God! What a huge fire! Are you done causing trouble yet, Lina Vittori?"

She pressed a hand to her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued, "I just saw your Padre at the grocery store this morning. How could the Genovese family have abducted him?

"You didn't have to do something so extreme. Why did you cause such a fuss just because Dante accompanied me for supper? What if someone innocent was caught in the blast?"

Dante's outstretched hand froze in midair. Any sympathy he had for me melted away and was replaced by disgust.

He looked down at me from the tip of his nose and asked, "How dare you blow up my port just to force me to come back, Lina? Do you have any idea how many police officers you're going to attract with your little stunt? You're insane!"

Tears streaked down my soot-covered face as I pointed at the ruins and said hoarsely, "Papa was inside… You're the one who killed him, Dante. You did this…"

Dante scoffed. "So, you still insist on putting on an act. I can't believe that you would say something so despicable just because you're jealous."

The disappointment in his eyes felt like a blade that stabbed into my heart.

"Since you're so fond of playing with fire, you can stay here and watch it burn everything. You're only allowed to go home after the fire burns out."

The wails of the police sirens were getting closer.

Dante hated dealing with the police more than anything else. He led Bianca away, turning around and heading toward the fleet of cars.

"Andiamo. Let her explain the situation to the police."

The door slammed shut. The fleet of cars disappeared into the night.

I kneeled on the ground and watched the fire devour everything, clutching a scorched watch in my hand. It was the last thing that I could find of Papa.

Rain began to pour from the sky, drenching my burnt skin. The pain was excruciating.

I had lost a lot of blood, so I couldn't hold on anymore and fainted.

…

The next morning, I had just stirred awake among the ruins when two pairs of hands roughly hauled me to my feet.

I recognized the men. They were Dante's bodyguards.

They dragged me along like a rag doll and shoved me into the trunk of a car.

The road was extremely bumpy, making my stomach churn.

When the car slowed to a stop, one of the bodyguards grabbed a fistful of my hair and dragged me into the hall.

All the core members of the family were present. The way they looked at me was as if they were looking at a piece of trash.

"That's her. She's the one who blew up the port because she wanted Dante's affection."

"How ruthless. No man would want a woman like her."

I was thrown on the marble floor. I was covered in blood and mud, and a burned smell clung to my body.

Dante looked down at me from the tip of his nose and said, "I've already smoothed things over with the police for you. However, you went too far this time."

Bianca sat next to him while pressing an ice pack to her forehead. Although her face was rosy red, she whined about having a headache.

"You know that Bianca is terrified of explosions," Dante said. "Not only did you blow up my port last night, but you also scared her. According to the family's rules, you must be punished.

"Get on your knees," he demanded coldly.

Lina's POV

I had injured my knees when I threw myself in front of a hail of bullets to protect Dante four years ago. As a result, they ached terribly on rainy days.

I knew that I couldn't oppose Dante's orders, so I slowly sank to my knees.

A fierce glint flickered in Dante's eyes. He swiftly pressed his hands on my shoulders and shoved me to the ground.

My knees collided against the marble with a loud thud. Sweat beaded across my skin from the pain as the color drained from my face.

Guilt flashed through Dante's eyes for a split second. He grabbed a glass and approached me, bringing it close to my lips.

"Admit your mistake," he murmured. "If you admit that you hired someone to start the fire and put on an act, I'll call the doctor immediately to tend to your wounds."

I looked at the glass of water before staring into his eyes that used to look at me with affection.

I lifted my hand and knocked the glass out of his hand.

"It wasn't an act. Papa is dead! Are you blind, Dante?"

The glass crashed on the floor and shattered into a million pieces.

Bianca shrieked and shrank back in her seat.

"How scary! Is she trying to kill me, Dante?"

Dante's expression darkened instantaneously. Any sympathy he had for me disappeared completely. He snatched the whip from the punisher and hissed, "I see that I'll have to personally discipline you since you insist on being stubborn."

The whip cracked loudly as he brought it down on my back. Both the back of my shirt and my skin split open from the impact.

Dante's eyes flashed. His fingers subconsciously trembled as he gripped the whip.

It was obvious that he was holding back when he whipped me again.

"Why must you be so stubborn, Lina?" he demanded as he continued whipping me. "Why must you target Bianca? I can sweep everything under the rug as long as you admit your mistakes!"

I bit my lip harshly and refused to make a sound, staring at Dante with hollow eyes.

My silent resistance only stoked the flames of his frustration even more compared to if I had cried and wailed.

Dante raised the whip high in the air. He tightened his grip on it, but he didn't bring it down on my back for a long time.

Just then, Bianca's teary voice cut through the air.

"Stop it, amore mio! I'm begging you. Please don't hurt Lina anymore."

Tears streamed down her face as she trembled.

"It's all my fault. I'm too cowardly. I shouldn't have been scared of the fire, and I shouldn't be here. I'll leave right now so Lina won't get angry just by looking at me. I don't want her to be punished because of me either."

She then ran toward us, looking like she wanted to put herself between Dante and me. However, her legs suddenly gave out, and she crashed to the floor with a loud cry. Her face was deathly pale as she heaved for breath, looking as if she was seconds away from passing away.

"Bianca!" Dante exclaimed with wide eyes.

He tossed the whip aside before rushing over to her side and picking her up.

"Call the doctor now!"

Dante turned to look at me.

I was still kneeling on the floor. I watched the scene unfold before me with a cold gaze, feeling nothing at all.

The fury in Dante's eyes intensified.

"Don't you feel anything even after she begged for mercy on your behalf? Is your heart made of stone, Lina?"

Dante whipped around and picked up the whip again. This time, his eyes were devoid of hesitation.

"Since you refuse to change your ways, you'll just have to be punished!"

The whip whizzed through the air before it cracked against my back.

I nearly collapsed as black spots exploded across my vision.

Dante continued to punish me, whipping me exactly 20 times. My skin and flesh split open every time the whip collided against my back.

I dug my nails into the gaps between the marble tiles as blood poured from my back. However, I still refused to make a sound.

I fainted after Dante brought down the whip on my back for the last time.

Right before I slipped into unconsciousness, I heard Dante bark an order in an icy tone.

"Throw her into the dungeon. She's not allowed to leave until she admits her mistakes."

Lina's POV

The dungeon was dark, damp, and cold. Somewhere in a corner of the cell, a mouse squeaked.

I was lying on a moldy mattress, and the wounds on my back had become infected. The pus that oozed out clung to my clothes, but I still refused to let go of the scorched watch.

The door swung open.

I struggled to keep my eyes open against the glaring light.

Bianca's high heels clacked against the floor as she entered the cell with two bodyguards trailing after her. She didn't look weak at all. Her face was rosy red, and she looked incredibly smug.

"Oh, you're not dead yet?"

She pinched her nose with a look of disdain and kicked my injured back.

"Dante asked me to check on you. He wanted to know if you were still alive."

I ignored her and clutched the watch closer to my chest.

Unfortunately, Bianca had sharp eyes. She grabbed my wrist and demanded, "What's that?"

She forcefully peeled my fingers apart and snatched the watch from me.

"Give it back!" I exclaimed as I lunged at her, feeling a sudden surge of strength course through me. "That's the last thing that Papa left for me! Give it back to me!"

Bianca stumbled back a few steps when I crashed into her, her back colliding against the wall. Her eyes flashed before she suddenly raised the watch high into the air.

"Isn't this my watch that went missing last week? So, you're the one who stole it!"

"You're lying!" I roared hoarsely like a wounded animal, trying to snatch the watch from her.

As Bianca fell to the floor, she intentionally knocked her forehead against the wall, causing fresh blood to flow down her face.

"Help! Lina's trying to kill me!"

Dante rushed into the dungeon at that moment.

"Bianca!"

He didn't say another word as he dashed into the cell and slapped me hard across the face.

I felt as if my eardrums had been punctured from the force of his slap. The world fell silent for a few seconds as blood leaked from the corner of my lips.

Dante glanced at the watch before looking at me.

"It's just a broken watch. Is it that valuable that you have to act like a lunatic and hurt someone over it?"

I fell to my knees at his feet. I ignored the stinging pain radiating from my cheek and clasped my hands together to beg him.

"The watch doesn't belong to her, Dante… It's the last thing that Papa left for me. I'm begging you. Please don't give it to her."

Dante flexed his fingers as he gazed at my tear-streaked and bloody face.

Bianca threw herself into his arms with a loud wail.

"Dante, I just wanted to give her some medicine because I felt sorry for her. But not only did she steal my belongings, but she also tried to kill me to silence me."

She lifted the scorched watch and continued, "Look. This is the evidence."

Dante turned to look at the blood flowing from Bianca's forehead. He hardened his heart and hissed at me, "We should get rid of that since it turns you into such a despicable person."

He grabbed the watch and walked toward the drain. He then loosened his grip on the watch right before my eyes.

"No!" I screamed in anguish before I lunged at him like a maniac.

The watch was the last thing that Papa left for me. I couldn't afford to lose it.

The drain cover was extremely heavy, and the spaces between the bars were very narrow.

My fingers turned into a bloody mess when I squeezed them past the bars. I could feel my skin and flesh peeling back, but I didn't feel any pain at all.

I only wanted to retrieve the watch.

"Have you lost your mind, Lina?"

Dante panicked when he realized I was willing to sacrifice my fingers just to retrieve the watch. He rushed to my side and grabbed my wrist, shouting, "Do you want to lose your hands? Let go!"

"No! Papa… That's the last thing that Papa left for me…"

I was struggling to breathe from how hard I was crying. Blood continued to drip from my fingertips.

Just then, Bianca's knees suddenly buckled, causing her to fall on Dante's back.

"I'm so dizzy, Dante… Am I going to die?"

Dante's body stiffened. He looked between my bloody hands and the unconscious Bianca before shouting, "Call the doctor now!"

He then abandoned me, turning around to pick up Bianca. He didn't even spare a single glance at me before he dashed out of the cell.

Dante ordered the doctors who rushed to the dungeon to tend to the minor scrape on Bianca's forehead.

No one cared about my well-being.

The door to the cell was locked again.

I remained sprawled next to the drain, watching the watch completely disappear under the mud.

I looked at my twisted fingers that were covered in blood.

In that moment, I stopped crying.

I could feel something shattering in my heart.