I turned to meet Tony’s searching gaze and calmly lowered my phone.

“A distant niece got betrayed by her boyfriend.”

Tony studied my face closely.

Only when he confirmed there was nothing unusual did he relax. Then, he pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on the top of my head.

“Claire, don’t worry. I’ll be the best husband. I’ll never let you down.”

I leaned against his solid chest, listening to the heartbeat I knew so well yet felt so unfamiliar.

My voice was quiet as I asked, “What if? What if one day you do betray me?”

Tony’s arms tightened instantly, almost enough to break bones.

“There is no if.” His voice was firm. “You’re the only one I love.”

“I’m saying if,” I repeated, unwilling to drop it.

He fell silent. His warm breath brushed against my ear, carrying a gentle cruelty.

“Then punish me. Make me search to the ends of the earth for you, and still never find you.

“Claire, you are my only weakness. My lifeline. Without you, how am I supposed to live?”

I smiled, though it didn’t reach my eyes.

Well, Tony's punishment was already on its way.

In three days, I would make him beg for mercy, and he would lose his life completely.

Just then, a clear, sweet female voice sounded, “Mr. Gambino, what you requested is ready.”

It was Sasha, my so-called personal assistant, and Tony’s new favorite toy.

She was wearing a server’s uniform and holding a tray, standing respectfully a short distance away. Her posture was modest and professional, completely different from the “wild in bed” charm Tony had spoken of earlier.

Tony only gave her a brief nod and waved her off.

Watching how seamlessly they coordinated, I felt only disgust.

A mafia heir and his kept mistress. With such excellent acting skills as theirs, it was a pity they didn’t break into the entertainment industry.

If not for that hidden phone, I might have believed I was living in a fairy tale until the day I died.

Tony suddenly covered my eyes with his palm, his voice low and coaxing.

“Claire, close your eyes. Your birthday surprise is here.”

“Five… four… three…”

When the last number fell, he removed his hand.

There were no fireworks or roses.

Instead, one of his most trusted men was kneeling on one knee, holding out a velvet box with both hands.

Inside was a silver Browning handgun, inlaid with small diamonds, glittering cold and bright under the light.

Tony wrapped his arms around me from behind and guided my hand to lift the gun.

“Claire, from today on, you share my power. This gun is your scepter. If anyone disrespects you, kill them with this.”

I lowered my eyes to the gun, slightly dazed.

Five years ago, he held me the same way while giving me a cup of warm milk, saying he would protect me forever.

Now, here he was giving me a gun, saying we would share his power.

Tony turned me around and looked at me with deep affection. Just as he was about to kiss me, his phone rang.

He frowned, irritation flashing in his eyes.

“I told them no interruptions tonight.”

However, the moment he saw the screen, his expression froze for a split second.

From the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the caller ID. There was no name, just a bright, conspicuous heart symbol.

Tony cleared his throat lightly and turned off the screen without a word, but his fingers were tapping something inside his pocket.

I clearly saw the brief spark of desire in his eyes.

How expected.

When he looked up again, his expression was full of guilt.

“Claire, I’m sorry. I know it’s your birthday, and I should stay with you. But something urgent came up with the family…”

Not wanting to hear his clumsy excuses, I cut him off.

“Go. Business is important.”

Tony clearly felt relieved. Usually, he would kiss me deeply before leaving. This time, he only brushed a quick kiss against my forehead before striding away.

I stood where I was, watching his back disappear down the hallway. Then I turned and walked toward the villa’s surveillance room.

Inside the surveillance room, dozens of screens displayed every part of the villa.

I quickly pulled up the feed from the underground garage.

Tony’s car had never left the estate. Instead, it was parked in the most hidden corner.

The car door opened, and Sasha’s figure slipped inside.

She straddled Tony’s lap directly, arms around his neck, and leaned in for her red lips to whisper something against his ear.

There was undeniable desire on Tony’s face as he gripped her jaw and kissed her hard.

Though I couldn’t hear anything, the intensity of their movements said enough.

The car window slowly rolled up, blocking my view, but the subtle, rhythmic rocking of the car began soon after.

I leaned back in the cold chair. My heart felt as if it was squeezed tight, the pain sharp enough to leave me breathless.

I’d already known, of course, but seeing it with my own eyes felt like having flesh peeled away.

When we first met, Tony had a severe cleanliness obsession and never let anyone touch his car.

He said the front passenger seat would only ever belong to me.

Now, he allowed another woman to climb into his lap in his car without restraint.

Did he love her that much? Enough to break every rule he once swore by?

I closed my eyes and forced myself to calm down.

“Three more days, Claire. Just endure three more days, and then you’re free.”

I didn’t return to the party. I went straight to the bedroom.

In the middle of the night, the sound of the door opening woke me.

Tony entered with the smell of alcohol and cold air still clinging to him. When he saw me in bed, the tension in his shoulders loosened.

“Claire, why did you come back so early? I went back to the hall after attending to business and couldn’t find you. I almost turned the whole estate upside down.”

I glanced at the clock on the nightstand—4 a.m.

He and Sasha were together in that car for seven hours before he finally remembered me.

It was ridiculous.

“I was tired, so I went to bed. Forgot to tell you.”

A lie spoken enough times eventually sounded natural.

Tony looked shaken. He shrugged off his coat, got into bed, and pulled me tightly into his arms, as if trying to fuse me into him.

“Don’t do that again, Claire. If you ever disappear without a word, I’ll turn the world over to find you and lock you by my side. You won’t go anywhere ever again.”

I kept my eyes closed and didn’t move.

In three days, even if he overturned the world, he would still never find me.

The next morning, Tony woke early and made me an elaborate breakfast.

“Claire, yesterday was my fault. Don’t be mad at me, okay?”

So now he felt guilty?

I watched as he tried to please me, feeling nothing. Then, I picked up the small box already prepared on the table and handed it to him.

“I’m not angry. This is a return gift for you. Open it two days from now.”

It was a gold coin with the Gambinos' crest, a token passed down from wife to wife. I had once inscribed my name on it.

The day I discovered his affair, I scratched out my name cleanly, leaving only the coin inside the box.

This would be the last thing I left for him.

Tony accepted it, curious.

“Why in two days? Is there some special meaning?”

I smiled. “Yes. It only has meaning if you open it in two days.”

The expectation in his eyes grew as he thought it was a surprise.

“Alright. I’ll wait. I promise I’ll open it in two days.”

Just then, Sasha walked in with a coffee.

As she set it on the table, the sleeve of her uniform shifted, revealing a man’s watch on her wrist.

It was the watch I gave Tony for his birthday last year.

Tony followed my line of sight. His expression changed instantly, panic and anger flashing in his eyes.

He stood up abruptly, grabbed Sasha by the wrist, and practically dragged her out of the dining room.

“Claire, something urgent came up with family business. Eat while I handle it.”

I went to the second-floor terrace, where the entire garden was visible.

Tony was gripping Sasha’s wrist so tightly, her body shaking as if she were crying.

However, Tony shoved her away, his face suppressing fury.

“Are you crazy?! Who told you to wear that? I warned you to behave! If Claire notices anything, I’ll make sure you disappear from this world!”

Sasha flinched, tears falling even harder. Her hands shook as she took ‌a document from her coat.

“I know I shouldn’t have come. But… I was diagnosed with leukemia. It’s late stage.

“The doctor said I might not live more than three months… Tony, I just wanted to see you more before I die… I’m scared. I don’t want to die…”

The breath caught in my throat.

Sasha… had a terminal illness? But she looked perfectly healthy yesterday.

I could clearly see Tony freeze the moment he heard the words "late-stage leukemia”.

He snatched the diagnosis report from her hands. After reading it, the anger in his eyes instantly dissolved into shock, pain, and regret.

"How did this happen? When did it start?

"Don't cry. I’ll contact the best doctors in the world. No matter how much it costs, we’ll get you cured!"

Sasha shook her head and cried, then collapsed weakly into his arms.

"It's useless... The doctors said there's no saving me. Tony, I don't want treatment. I just want you to stay with me and accompany me through the last part of my life. Please?"

Tony's eyes turned red. He held Sasha tightly, his voice hoarse.

"Okay. I’ll stay with you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll be there."

Sasha stopped crying, lifted her face, and kissed him.

Tony didn't push her away. Instead, he pulled her in and kissed her harder, more desperately than he had in the car.

He didn’t let go until Sasha was almost out of breath.

When I saw he was about to head back inside, I immediately went downstairs and sat at the dining table, drinking milk as if I had been there the whole time.

My heart felt complicated at that moment. It was hard to name the feeling.

When Tony entered, his expression was something I'd never seen before, with sorrow and guilt all over his face.

"Claire, I need to go abroad. I might be gone for some time. There’s serious family business that I have to handle personally. Take care of yourself while I’m away."

I nodded. “Okay."

Seeing that I took the news well, he relaxed. He quickly packed a bag and left.

I watched his figure disappear, then glanced at the calendar.

Maybe this would be the last time I ever saw him.

That afternoon, I received a multimedia message from Sasha.

It showed her in a hospital gown, lying in a bed. Tony sat beside her, holding her hand, his gaze full of tenderness.

[Claire, did you see? I only had to pretend to be sick, and Tony was ready to give his life for me. And I'm pregnant. When I tell him the diagnosis was a mistake, he’ll probably be thrilled. You, the decorative wife, should step aside. Don't get in the way!]

So his business trip was just to accompany another woman.

The heir of the Gambinos being led around by a woman this way was ridiculous.

Fortunately, I had no children. That meant I could leave cleanly, without anything tying me down.

For the next two days, Tony didn't call or even leave a message.

I used the time to remove everything of mine from the villa, leaving only a small suitcase.

On the day I was to leave, Curtis was already waiting outside at dawn.

As the car drove onto the highway, the morning news played on the radio.

"The city's two largest mafia families, the Rizzos and the Gambinos, broke into violent conflict last night, with heavy casualties on both sides. The Rizzos’ leader was killed on the scene..."

My heart skipped.

The Rizzos were who Sasha used to work under, back when she was in the nightclub.

Just then, I got another message from Sasha. This time, it was a video.

Tony was covered in blood, yet he was smiling at her.

"Sasha, didn't you hate the Rizzos for how they treated you? I took care of all of them. No one will ever hurt you again. This is my first gift to you."

Then another message followed.

[See that, Claire? For me, he’d start a war! What about you? What do you have to compare to me?

[Oh, and he already proposed to me. We're getting married today at the Sacred Heart Chapel on the outskirts. He said he wants the whole world to know I’m the one he truly loves.]

This time, I replied.

[Congratulations. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together.]

Then I removed my SIM card, snapped it in half, and threw it out the window.

"Proceed as planned, Curtis,” I said to him in the front seat.

At the same time, at the Sacred Heart Chapel.

The wedding march played as Sasha, in a wedding dress, held Tony’s arm as they walked toward the altar. Her face was glowing with pride.

Just as the priest lifted the Bible to begin the vows, the large display screen for the ceremony flickered, interrupted by a breaking news broadcast.

"Breaking news. Ten minutes ago, a woman jumped from the Cross-Sea Bridge. Her condition is currently unknown. Initial identification confirms she is Claire Vega, wife of Tony Gambino, heir of the Gambinos..."

The reporter's calm voice echoed through the chapel, and the color instantly drained from Tony’s face.

The diamond ring in his hand slipped and hit the marble floor with a sharp clang, rolling down the cold marble floor.