That was the first I had ever heard of this childhood friend of Matteo's.

From then on, Matteo changed.

He began to grow disdainful of me, claiming I wasn't gentle enough, that I only knew how to fight and kill, that I always used my past contributions to walk all over him.

In fact, when I confronted him about his relationship with Isabella, he had impatiently retorted, "Francesca, can you stop being so petty? I only see Bella as a younger sister. As someone older and the Don's wife, can't you be more magnanimous?"

Younger sister, my ass!

What sort of older brother would leave his wife, who was recovering from surgery, alone at the hospital while he went off to celebrate his younger sister's birthday?

What sort of older brother would immediately abandon his wife on their wedding anniversary, all because his younger sister called to say she was afraid of thunder and needed his company?

The icing on the cake was when someone actually addressed Isabella as "Second Donna". Not only did Matteo not correct them, but he even smiled, his silence as good as an admission.

The night we decided on our wedding date, I happened to see his chat with Isabella.

Isabella had asked, "If I had been back earlier, would you have married Francesca or me?"

Matteo's reply was, "You. You're the only woman I love, the one I want to marry. As for Francesca… she's more like a brother to me, a responsibility."

As it turned out, I was nothing more than a responsibility, while Isabella was his one true love.

Yet, how had it never occurred to him that she was nothing but a useless woman?

If it weren't for me, Matteo would've died countless times before. The Costa family might not even exist anymore!

That day, we had a huge fight.

He leveled such a cold stare on me as he said, "Francesca Marino, could you stop bringing up your contributions and achievements for one second? Even without you, I could've brought the Costa family to glory! If you dare harm even a hair on Bella's head, I'll definitely not let you go!"

That was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The next day, I gathered all the necessary documents, feeling utterly disheartened. I planned on requesting a divorce at the family meeting, even though I had only just discovered that I was pregnant.

Unfortunately, I never arrived at the venue.

Isabella had conspired with our enemies, causing the family to suffer significant losses. As a result, Matteo had to cancel the meeting at the last minute to salvage the situation.

I was halfway there when Isabella intercepted me.

"Do you think that being pregnant will prevent me from taking your place? Dream on!"

She first knocked me unconscious with a drug, then, worried that I would retaliate after I regained consciousness, she used a sledgehammer to shatter the bones of all four of my limbs.

Following that, jealousy and hate drove her to smash my stomach, over and over again. At last, she caved the back of my head in with a hard swing of the hammer before tossing me into the mine like a piece of trash.

"Matteo refused to marry me, all because you refused to give up your spot, so you only have yourself to blame for this! And you even got pregnant? In that case, you can't fault me for being ruthless! Only with you dead can I get what I want!"

After cleaning up the crime scene, she broke her own leg before stumbling back and putting on a show. She pinned the crime of colluding with enemies on me, claiming that she had realized something was wrong and went to stop me, only for me to attempt to silence her. Her broken leg became undeniable proof of this.

Not only had Matteo believed her, but everyone else had, too.

Back in the present, I glared furiously at Isabella, the urge to rip her apart with my bare hands surging through me.

What right did she have? How was it that the killer who murdered me and my child could live such a happy, blissful life after my death? Not only had she stolen my man from me, but she was even enjoying the riches that should've been mine! Everything she had now had been gained from my death!

Reaching out a finger, Isabella drew circles on Matteo's chest as she asked shyly, "Matteo, after tomorrow's wedding, I'll be able to officially call you my husband, right?"

Matteo snatched her hand up to press a kiss to it. "Of course. You'll become the new Donna of the Costa family. As for Francesca, she'd better be dead out there somewhere in a ditch. Even if she isn't, she'd better not dare to come back. If she did, I'll cut her up into pieces to take revenge for you."

A bitter laugh left my lips when I heard that.

I thought, "Matteo, you have already cut me up. The body you had the coroner examine earlier was me!"

After that, as though a string tethered me to him, I was forced to remain by Matteo—forced to watch as he slept with Isabella, tried on their wedding attire, and discussed the details of the ceremony.

It was only then that I discovered that the cold and aloof Matteo I had known could actually be so gentle and thoughtful.

Back when we got married, the Costa family was still relatively weak, so we had only set up a simple feast at home. I hadn't even received a ring.

At the time, I had asked him, "Could we have a wedding ceremony in the future? I want to wear a wedding dress."

He had furrowed his brow as he extinguished his cigar. "Francesca, we live on a knife's edge, and surviving to see another day is already a blessing. Why bother with all that pointless nonsense? Don't let yourself be taken by such pretentious and fanciful thinking."

As it turned out, it wasn't that he couldn't give me a ceremony—he just didn't want to do it for me. He didn't think I was worthy of the effort.

…

On the day of the wedding, the Costa manor was so bright it seemed a thousand suns were illuminating it. Luxury cars crowded the venue, some even parked all the way to the middle of the mountain.

Matteo was dressed in a pure-white suit, his arm wrapped around Isabella, who wore a million-dollar designer wedding gown. They were greeting the guests who came and accepting the congratulations from all the city's elites.

It was a stark contrast to my wedding, where only a few MadeMans had toasted me in congratulations.

Those same MadeMans—the ones who had gone through hell and high water with me, and the ones who claimed that they would only ever accept me as the Donna—were now all smiles as they addressed Isabella as the Donna.

"Congratulations, Don! Congratulations, Donna!"

Luciano Rinaldi raised his glass in a toast as he added sincerely, "You two really are a perfect match for each other!"

Luciano used to be my right-hand man. Years ago, I was nearly stabbed to death when trying to save him.

Isabella's lips curved into a shy smile. "Grazie, Luciano, but I'm with child, so I can't drink."

"That is truly the greatest blessing for the Costa family!" Luciano's eyes shone with even more respect. "Indeed, only you are worthy of being the Donna of the Costa family. Unlike that crude Francesca, who monopolized the position for so many years yet couldn't even perform the most basic duty—to carry on the lineage.

"What an embarrassment to the family she was!"

Everyone else raised their glasses in fervent agreement.

Isabella smiled, her hand coming up to caress her abdomen.

However, I was utterly dumbfounded at this news.

Isabella was pregnant? That meant the Costa family had a new heir.

I hovered there, watching as they chatted and smiled. I took in the absolute delight on Matteo's face at being a father, yet all I could think of was my own child, of the pitifully small bones that had been crushed and left to rot in the dirt.

"Since the Donna can't drink, you should drink on her behalf, Don Costa!"

Drunk off the alcohol, Luciano couldn't stop congratulating my ex-husband and my murderer before he went off on another tirade.

"Don Costa, forgive my impudence, but it's been two years since that traitor Francesca disappeared. It's about time to capture her and drag her back here! Once we have her, I'll personally punish her, let her have a taste of all the torture methods at our disposal! This shall be my wedding gift to our new Donna!"

The crowd nodded and roared in furious agreement.

"Si! However, even putting her through all that torture isn't enough to wash away her sins!"

Matteo smirked, his silence leaving me breathless with the pain of my heart breaking.

Isabella waved her hand, feigning magnanimity, yet her eyes shone with a triumphant gleam. "Forget it, Luciano. Today is a blessed day, so let's not bring up Francesca… Maybe she has her reasons."

Hearing that, Luciano scoffed and sneered, "What reasons could she possibly have? She's nothing but a greedy and wicked woman! Your kindness knows no bounds, Donna. If it had been anyone else, they would've hated her and cursed her to the depths of hell after what she did!"

An adoring expression painted Matteo's face as he stroked Isabella's hair gently. "Alright, let's not talk about that traitor anymore. It'll just bring bad luck. In a way, her leaving was one of the best things to happen to me. Otherwise, how could I have been able to marry such a wonderful wife as you?"

The crowd abruptly parted for an elderly man to walk through.

It was none other than the Costa family's Consigliere, Antonio Marino. He was also my adopted father and the only family I had in the world.

"Mr. Marino!" Isabella's eyes lit up as she greeted him sweetly.

Antonio passed her an intricate jewelry box, a warm smile softening his features. "Bella, this is a wedding gift for you. I can sleep easy knowing you'll be by Matteo's side, taking care of him.

"Luciano was right about Francesca. She's always been an unscrupulous and devious woman, a blight on the family. Like a ticking time bomb, it was only a matter of time before she caused trouble for us all.

"Thankfully, the Costa family had you, and we were able to stop more significant losses from happening. If she ever reveals herself again, I'll be the first to take a gun to her head."

I stared at the elderly man who had raised me since I was a child. A laugh tickled my throat, yet all I could feel was a soul-crushing despair.

Once upon a time, he had stroked my head while saying, "Franci, my daughter, you truly are the greatest pride of my life."

Now, however, I had become an "unscrupulous and devious woman" in his eyes.

Matteo replied, "Don't worry, Antonio. I've already increased the bounty price to 50 million. Only death awaits Francesca."

Antonio patted Matteo's shoulder with a nod of satisfaction. "Good job. You don't need to hold back on my account. We should never have mercy on traitors."

Isabella spoke up worriedly. "Mr. Marino, don't you think that's too merciless? At the end of the day, Francesca is your daughter…"

In response, Antonio scoffed. "I don't have a daughter like her. Anyway, I still have one more gift for you, though it's more Matteo's idea than mine."

Clearing his throat, Antonio then declared solemnly, "I hereby announce that Francesca Marino has been exiled, her name removed from the family. From now on, Bella is the only Donna I acknowledge."

What a wonderful show it was that was playing out before me now. One was the man I loved the most in the world, while the other was the adopted father I respected most. In their bid to curry favor with my murderer, they were all so eager to wipe away every trace of my existence.

I was an orphan, so Antonio held an even more important place in my heart compared to my biological father.

In the past two years, I had fantasized countless times about how he would definitely find me after he discovered I was missing. I was certain that he would seek justice on my behalf and avenge me.

Now, I realized how wrong I had been.

To them, I was nothing but a cold-blooded, disloyal traitor. Not a single one of them was willing to believe in my character, to believe that I was innocent.

Both Matteo and Isabella inclined their heads at him in gratitude. "Grazie, Antonio. This is the best wedding gift I could receive."

I let out an incredulous scoff. It seemed that Matteo's biggest wish was to see me dead.

Isabella had a hand clamped over her mouth while tears shimmered in her eyes. "Mr. Marino… Matteo… you both are just too good to me. Actually, if Francesca were to return—"

Immediately, Matteo cut her off. "She has no right coming back. The only thing a bitch like her deserves if she dares to return here is to be chopped into minced meat."

At that moment, Matteo's phone started ringing urgently in his pocket.

Brow furrowing into a frown, Matteo answered the call with impatience oozing from every pore.

From the other end of the line came Paolo's voice, sounding strangled and off. "D-Don Costa … the DNA test results are out. The body… It's Francesca Marino…"

I watched as Matteo's fingers squeezed the phone tightly while he demanded in an annoyed tone, "What did you say? Was there a mistake?"

Paolo swallowed, the sound almost audible through the phone. "Don Costa, there wasn't a mistake. That body belongs to the ex-Donna who disappeared two years ago, Francesca Marino!"