The game of hide-and-seek ended when my husband's adoptive sister shoved our daughter into the sea.

Her excuse was unthinkable: "It was so dark... I didn’t see her asking for help… I thought she was a dolphin."

"You can't tell a person from a dolphin? Are you blind?" I shrieked.

My husband, Don Marco Torrino, promised me vengeance for our little Principessa.

Instead, he had me drugged.

When I woke up, I was tied up in an abandoned warehouse.

"My sister's traumatized," he said. "You shouldn't have provoked her."

"You like calling people blind, don't you? Then let's see how you like it when you can't see a thing."

I struggled in the darkness.

They all expected me to fall to my knees and beg for mercy.

But my fingers found the earring hidden in my hair.

"Get the helicopter. The marriage is over. So is he."

————————

1

Seeing that I wasn't begging for mercy, Marco's henchmen burst into mocking laughter.

"Anastasia, are you deaf? The Boss told you to untie yourself. What good are your teeth going to do? Ah, I forgot. You're just a useless bitch now." He cackled.

"She had it coming, didn't she? A nobody like her should have been thanking her lucky stars she got to marry into the Torrino family. And she dared to insult the Boss's sister. Tying her up is getting off easy. We should've just cut out her tongue."

"Anastasia, how about we help you loosen up a bit?"

They clamored around me, taunting me like a caged animal.

They were waiting for me to break down like I had before, to start screaming and begging for mercy.

The cold wind in Chicago whipped through the holes in the warehouse. I was wearing only a thin silk nightgown and I shivered uncontrollably, twisting my body desperately.

Marco had his arm around Sofia, lounging on a leather sofa in the loft diagonally above me.

Worried that Sofia might get cold, he had someone bring over several expensive cashmere blankets. Then, he cast his gaze down at me.

"Anastasia, you're cold, aren't you?"

"You're not leaving this place in the state you're in. If you don't want to freeze to death, get on your knees and apologize to Sofia. Do that, and I'll take you home right now."

I stopped struggling and looked up.

"Does your promise to avenge our daughter still stand?"

Marco, thinking I had softened, replied in a gentler tone, "Of course. Once we're home, I'll have Sofia grounded for three days. That should satisfy you."

An icy sorrow washed through me.

So this is all she was worth to him.

Our daughter. The future of the Torrino family. Nothing.

"Marco Torrino, listen to me closely. I would rather die than apologize to that murderer!"

Hearing this, Sofia's eyes immediately reddened.

"Marco, Anastasia still blames me, doesn't she? But I really didn't see that it was Lily... Since Anastasia hates me this much, I'll just jump into the sea right now and pay for Lily's life with mine!"

But I saw it. I saw Lily's little hands clinging to the deck railing, crying and begging her aunt to save her.

I was about to rush forward, but Sofia's high heel stomped viciously on Lily's little hands. She smiled as she watched our daughter plunge into the dark sea.

Marco's heart ached for her instantly, and he spoke with a cold voice.

"Anastasia, I know you've always been jealous of how I dote on Sofia, but she's my sister. It's only right that I treat her well. As my wife, can't you be a little more understanding?"

"Besides, Lily's death was an accident. If you hadn't been playing hide-and-seek with her, she wouldn't have fallen into the sea. And you have the nerve to blame Sofia?"

It was always like this.

No matter what happened, as long as his adopted sister was involved, Marco lost all reason and principle.

Once, Sofia was kidnapped by a rival family. To raise the ransom, Marco gave up an important deal that could have strengthened our family. When I questioned him about it, he came home that night, tore my clothes off, and pinned me against the cold table. He entered me forcefully from behind, thrusting into me as he roared in my ear.

"Sofia nearly died for this family! Would it fucking kill you to show some sympathy? Is that how a Donna is supposed to act?"

"Copy the Torrino family rules a hundred times! You're not getting off this bed until you're done!"

He tortured me until I nearly blacked out.

Incidents like this were countless. I was a fool to believe he would ever avenge our daughter.

I fell silent, finally managing to gnaw through the rope on my wrists.

But my hands were so numb that I fell to the floor, my knees instantly scraping raw and bloody.

Something shifted in Marco’s gaze. He started to rise, but then Sofia sighed, her voice laced with sorrow.

“I’m so envious of Anastasia. She’s only tied up. When those Russians kidnapped me, they shoved an electric baton inside me… It was excruciating.”

“Later, Marco saved me. I thought I would never be hurt again, but I never imagined…”

As she spoke, she managed to squeeze out a few tears.

As a child, Sofia had been kidnapped by the Torrino family’s rivals, the Russian Volkov family.

The thought of his sister’s ordeal, the bloody massacres, all at the hands of the Volkovs, made him think of me… of my Russian descent.

And just a few days ago, he’d been told there was more to my background than met the eye.

Marco’s expression grew even colder. He spoke.

“Anastasia, this is all your fault. You just had to say that and make Sofia relive her painful past.”

“Guards! Bring an electric baton! Let Anastasia have a taste of it, too!”

At his command, several of his Soldati pinned me to the ground. They tore open my nightgown, and the cold metal of a cattle prod touched my skin. An electric current shot through my body, the searing pain forcing a moan from my lips.

Seeing this, one of the Soldati grinned maliciously and shoved a wine bottle into my mouth. "Here, take a mouthful of this. Let's see you disrespect Sofia again!"

Sofia cooed, “Don't be so rough. If you damage Anastasia's throat, how will she be able to beg for mercy later?”

I choked, tears and snot streaming down my face, coughing so hard I felt like I would hack up a lung.

At her words, my fingers found a shard of broken glass nearby, and I hurled it in Sofia's direction.

“I don’t need your fake kindness, you murderer! You didn’t even spare a child! In the dead of night, you’d better watch for my daughter climbing into your bed to take your life!”

The distance was too great; the glass fell short, unable to harm her.

But Sofia immediately shrank back into Marco's arms, her expression a mask of distress.

“Marco, I can't believe Anastasia hates me this much. She cursed me, and she even tried to kill me. I'm so scared... It's all my fault. If only I had been able to grab Lily in time.”

“Anastasia, I think you've truly gone mad! Even now, you refuse to be broken, and you still try to harm Sofia?”

"Aren't you going to apologize to her?!" Marco soothed Sofia, his heart aching for her.

I ignored him, pushing myself up from the floor.

Seeing this, Marco's face turned to ice. He had dozens of cases of whiskey brought over.

"Anastasia likes to throw things, does she? Then I'll let her throw until she's had her fill!"

"Listen up! Starting now, anyone who hits her with a bottle gets a million dollars. No limit!"

The entire room was instantly abuzz with excitement. A million dollars a hit, no limit.

Never mind the Soldati; even Marco’s Capos could hardly conceal their excitement.

With a sickening crash, a wine bottle shattered against my head. Alcohol and blood streamed down, and the world swam before my eyes.

The Soldato let out a triumphant whoop, happily collecting a check from Marco's Consigliere.

No, I have to move faster. I can't just stand here like a target.

Seeing this, the others began to throw with even more vigor, but they weren't as lucky; the bottles all smashed on the ground around me.

By the time all the bottles were gone, the entire warehouse floor was a sea of broken glass.

Dizzy and busy dodging the bottles, I stumbled and fell, my entire body collapsing onto the sea of shards.

The sharp fragments dug into my flesh, staining the floor red with my blood.

The old family butler, his voice laced with grave concern, addressed Marco.

“Boss, the Madam has been very weak since giving birth. If this continues, I fear this will kill her.”

Marco, however, merely sneered, his voice oozing confidence.

“Of course, I know that. That’s why I already told the doctors to have blood plasma and emergency equipment on standby.”

"I did it to teach Anastasia a lesson, to stop her from constantly bullying Sofia. Besides, didn't you see she kept trying to crawl toward the door?"

"It's freezing outside. What would happen if she ran out? The only way to stop her from crawling was to make her realize it was nothing but broken glass ahead."

But he never expected that I would rather be covered in wounds, that I would still push myself up and stubbornly crawl toward the door, even when the sharp shards had pierced through my palms and knees.

Seeing the bloody prints I left, Marco frowned, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

Seeing this, Sofia quickly tugged on his sleeve, pouting as she complained, "Marco, can't you see? Anastasia is doing this just to spite you. She knows it's the wrong way, but she's doing it just to defy you."

"After having a child, most women take care of themselves. But Anastasia... it's like she's deliberately trying to harm the body that belongs to you. I'm starting to wonder if she ever really loved you at all. If she doesn't, then her reason for marrying into our Torrino family..."

Sofia didn't finish her sentence, but it was more than enough to ignite Marco's fury.

He growled, his voice low, "Anastasia, so your obedience was all an act. You're just like those other bitches trying to climb into my bed, only after my family's power and influence. That's why you tricked me into marrying you!"

"You insist on being stubborn, don't you? Fine. I'll leave a permanent mark on you. We'll see how defiant you are after that!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two Soldati stepped forward, holding red-hot branding irons with sinister smiles.

The next second, the iron was pressed hard against my back, the sizzling sound of my own flesh burning filling the air.

The searing pain sent me crumpling to the floor, glass shards digging deeper into my chest.

I had never imagined that the man I loved most in the world would see me this way.

Years ago, when Marco lost his memory after an assassination attempt in Italy, I was the one who found him on the streets. I spent every penny I had to get his wounds treated and took care of him for six whole months.

He had sworn he would make me the happiest woman in the world.

To buy me an antique necklace, he'd worked grueling hours off the books at a restaurant. I can still remember the love and determination in his voice when he placed the necklace in my hands.

"Anastasia, one day, I'm going to give you the very best of everything this world has to offer."

But after he regained his memory, was taken back by his family, and spoke privately with Sofia, everything changed. He always looked at me with suspicion, yet he trusted Sofia completely.

For the murderer who killed our daughter, he branded me with a hot iron, leaving me in an abandoned warehouse to be tortured and humiliated.

Perhaps our union was a mistake from the very beginning.

My fingers brushed the earring nestled in my hair, and I spoke again, my voice a faint whisper.

"You have twenty minutes left."