Five years ago, Serena had also stood by this lake. Back then, Luca still loved her. She had just escaped after being held captive by Adriano for a month. She took advantage of a lapse in the guards' attention and ran all the way here.

She stood at the edge of the lake, the wind scattering her hair. Her mind was filled with those dark, suffocating images.

When Luca found her, his eyes were bloodshot red, but his voice shook terribly. "Serena, don't jump... Please, don't leave me."

Serena jumped anyway.

When everyone else was too afraid to get close, Luca jumped in after her. He pulled her out and held her so tightly that she could barely breathe. He repeated over and over, "I'm here. I'll always be here."

What about now? Water surged from all directions, bone-chillingly cold. Serena struggled desperately, but Luca did not even glance at her.

The moment she sank beneath the surface, she understood. The young man who would jump into a lake for her died five years ago.

…

When Serena woke, she was lying in an unfamiliar hospital room. Her whole body burned with fever. Her throat felt like it had been scraped with sandpaper.

The nurse said she had been unconscious for three days. It was a kind passerby who had saved her.

Serena stared at the ceiling for a long, long time before she slowly sat up. She did not cry because she realized she had no more tears left.

After being discharged, the first thing she did was visit Mattia. The child was so thin that he was nothing but skin and bones. His face was a sickly yellow. When he saw her, he tried his best to smile. "Mamma... I'm doing well. It doesn't hurt."

Serena held him, feeling like her heart was being wrung out. She asked the doctor how much time he had left.

The doctor said, "If we can't find a suitable bone marrow match, a month at most."

One month. Serena closed her eyes.

She thought about Luca's cold, indifferent gaze. She thought about him calling her and Mattia's lives worthless. She thought about Gabriele's disgusting face. She thought about the cameras, the comments, and the laughter. She also thought about one other person—Adriano. The man who had pushed her into hell was now the only person who could save Mattia.

She gripped her phone, her palm slick with sweat. The first call went unanswered, and so did the second. She could not tell if she felt disappointed or relieved, but Mattia could not wait any longer. When the third call connected, she nearly dropped the phone.

A low male voice came through the line. "Hello?"

Serena opened her mouth, but she felt as though she was being strangled.

The person on the other end was in no hurry. He just waited.

"This is... Serena Vitale." Her voice wavered. "Mattia's sick. He needs a bone marrow match. Can you come?"

There was silence, then came a low laugh.

"You mean... the child you bore me?" Adriano's voice betrayed no emotion. "So now that something's wrong with the kid, you come looking for me? Where were you all these years? Every time I wanted to see the child, you and Luca refused."

Serena froze. She had not known about this. She always thought Adriano never wanted to acknowledge the child in the first place.

"I can save the kid," Adriano said leisurely. "But you and the child must come back to me. I don't want my own son calling another man 'Papa.'"

"Okay."

The other end suddenly went quiet.

Serena said each word deliberately, "I agree. As long as Mattia is safe, you can do whatever you want."

After a long pause, Adriano said, "Two weeks from now, I'll come pick you both up myself."

The next day, Luca announced that his wedding to Ginevra would take place in two weeks. Serena was dragged to a press conference so that she could 'clear Ginevra's name'.

Camera flashes assaulted her from all sides. Serena's breathing quickened, her face as white as paper.

Ginevra nestled into Luca's arms, appearing as delicate as a flower. "Luca, maybe we should cancel. Ms. Vitale looks terrible. What if something happens..."

Luca looked at Serena. She was wearing old clothes and had lost so much weight that her features looked gaunt. She stood under the spotlight, trembling.

His heart tightened for a moment, but Ginevra's next words crushed that fleeting softness.

"It's just being slandered and misunderstood by everyone. My reputation isn't as important as Ms. Vitale's. Let's just forget it."

Luca's gaze turned cold. He thought about the news online, about all the comments cursing Ginevra, about her crying and saying, "I don't want to live anymore!"

He said coldly, "Let's begin."

Serena lowered her eyes, digging her nails into her palms.

Ever since the day he knocked her into the lake, she stopped expecting anything from him. However, standing here now, she finally understood that it did not take a single moment for feelings to die. It was a slow and painful process.

"Ms. Vitale, you and the Don were childhood sweethearts, but you climbed into bed with Adriano Romano when he extended an olive branch. Is there more to this story?"

"In your intimate videos from five years ago, you looked like you were being tortured. Was that real suffering, or was it all part of your plan?"

"The Don took you and your child in despite everything, so why did you keep fooling around with the family's eldest son? Are you really willing to do anything to become the Don's wife? Is that man in the trending video Adriano Romano?"

The questions stabbed at her like knives. Serena opened her mouth but could not utter a single word. She shook her head and bit down hard on her lip. Tears fell silently.

Luca frowned and opened the social media app on his phone. The latest video showed Serena pinned beneath an unfamiliar man. He had not filmed this, so who did? Had she really gotten involved with Adriano again?

Fury surged through him as his face turned ashen. If not for all these people watching, he would have stormed over and demanded answers.

"It's not like that..." Serena's voice wavered. "It's not like that at all... I was forced..."

No one believed her. They all shoved their cameras in her face. The entire press conference echoed with sounds from that obscene video.

Her depression manifested into physical symptoms, and Serena collapsed softly to the ground. No one caught her.

The camera flashes grew even more frenzied as everyone rushed to film her fall. They put her wretched, agonized state on display for entertainment. Meanwhile, Luca sat on the stage without moving, watching it like it was a show.

As Serena lay on the cold floor, her consciousness fading, her last thought was whether Luca loved her or hated her. If he loved her, how could he bear to send her to another man's bed? How could he bear to let the whole world watch videos of her being violated? How could he bear to watch her collapse here, discarded and alone?

Her consciousness sank, and she fell into darkness. When she woke again, she discovered she had been unconscious for two weeks. Her phone showed dozens of missed calls and a message from Adriano.

[Tomorrow at noon, I'm coming to get you.]

Serena replied: [Okay.]

…

The next day, Adriano's people carried Mattia to the car.

Serena stood by the car door and looked back at him. "Can I trust you?"

Adriano smiled. "Besides me, do you have any other choice?"

His gaze was complicated as he looked at her. From the first time they met, he had told her that Luca was not a good man. Back then, Serena was too blinded by love to believe him. Now, the facts had been laid bare. She had no choice but to believe him.

"I know you hate me," Serena said. "After all, Luca and I were the ones who got you kicked out of the Romano family and made you lose your title as the Don. But Mattia is your biological son. You can't hurt him. In exchange, I'll help you clear your name and give you justice."

She pulled open the car door, her eyes gradually turning cold. "Luca's wedding is today. I'm going to livestream the whole thing. I'm going to demand an explanation for the past version of myself."

Adriano said nothing. He simply accompanied her to the wedding.

At the wedding venue, Luca stood on stage in a white suit. Ginevra walked toward him, dragging a ten-foot train behind her.

When Serena and Adriano appeared together, the guests erupted.

"Why are they here? The two Romano brothers are mortal enemies!"

"After everything Adriano did to Serena Vitale, why is she here with him?"

"Maybe she's upset. Luca said he loved her, but he's marrying someone else. She's probably here for revenge..."

Serena took a deep breath and walked forward step by step.

Ginevra smiled smugly. "Luca, Ms. Vitale and your brother came to congratulate us. Ms. Vitale is really something. I sent so many invitations to Adriano and he never responded, but one word from Ms. Vitale and he showed up."

Luca stared at Serena intently. He had done so much to make Serena and Adriano turn against each other. Yet here they were, appearing together at his wedding? This made him feel like he was losing control.

Luca beckoned to her. "Serena, come here. Don't forget who made you the way you are today..."

Serena looked at Luca with cold indifference. There was no love, only hatred. Even now, he still treated her like a fool he could toy with.

"Of course, I won't forget who made me this way." Serena pulled out her phone. "This contains the full truth about the Romano family's conflicts and how I ended up in bed with Adriano..."