On the night of their third anniversary, Valerio's enemies showed up and ruined the celebration.

It was the ninth time in three years that Serina had been kidnapped.

The man who once treated her like a treasure arrived an hour later, his shirt collar still revealing unmistakable hickeys.

Serina's eyes were bloodshot. Just as she thought she would finally be saved—a single phone call stopped Valerio in his tracks.

"Val, I want to go out, but you tore my dress," a coquettish voice sounded at the other end of the line.

"Can you buy me a new one?"

The moment Valerio turned away without hesitation, a bullet struck Serina in the calf, and blood gushed out.

She was rushed to the hospital.

Outside her room, she overheard his deliberately hushed voice, "Danica's body is too weak. Serina will just have to sacrifice a little more."

"Now everyone believes Serina is the one I love most. That counts as protecting Danica."

At that moment, Serina finally realized the truth.

It turned out that the red dress he made her wear was only to make her stand out.

The public appearances he forced her into was just to draw attention.

Their three years of love was nothing more than a perfect disguise.

She once believed that she was Valerio's true love, but it turned out, she was merely a pawn to shield his real beloved from harm.

Serina sneered and dialed a number. "Close my account. I'm leaving this place and returning to complete my mission."

"Boss, are you really closing your account and leaving Salvatore?"

"All the men know he adores you. He wrote 999 love letters to marry you, and even cut off his pinky to show loyalty. Are you really leaving him?"

Serina's lips curved in a faint, bitter smile at her subordinate's astonishment.

"Loyalty?" she sneered. "Do you really think a mafia lord knows loyalty in marriage?"

"That fool Salvatore will die at the hands of his little mistress sooner or later."

Ignoring his bewilderment, Serina hung up decisively.

Valerio still didn't know her true identity. To avoid alerting him, she had to hide immediately.

She had barely slipped the hidden pistol beneath the pillow when Valerio pushed the door open.

His tall frame was wrapped in a sharp suit, and those gray-green eyes inherited from his father stared straight at her.

"Serina."

She glanced at him briefly and then turned her head away.

Seeing her anger, Valerio immediately softened his voice.

"Baby, I really had something to deal with," he said, as if unaware of his wrongdoing. "Besides, didn't I send my men to save you afterward?"

His voice was low and gentle—a voice that once made her heart race. Now it only made her stomach churn.

"You were with Danica yesterday," she intoned coldly.

Valerio froze for a second before smiling. "She saved me back then. Baby, you taught me that people should repay kindness."

Repay kindness?

Serina's eyes were sharp. Ever since Danica arrived in Sicily, Valerio had treated her with utmost priority, never showing his ruthless side in front of her, indulging her innocence.

The first time, when Serina dealt with a family traitor, Danica rushed in, accusing her of using violence and letting the traitor go.

Valerio immediately sent men to massacre one of his own strongholds.

The second time, Danica fainted from low blood sugar outside a meeting room. Valerio, in the middle of a family meeting, immediately carried her to the hospital, leaving the mess for Serina to clean up.

She was forced to bow repeatedly to the elders, struggling to preserve a shred of dignity.

And now, when she was kidnapped and her life was in danger, he was off frolicking with Danica. A single phone call had even diverted him, nearly leaving her confined to a wheelchair for life.

In everyone's eyes, Danica was innocent and naïve, while Serina who had spent three years by Valerio's side, became the ruthless, venomous woman.

Serina pressed her lips together, suppressing the pain in her chest.

"Don't forget, if she hadn't let the traitor go that day, I wouldn't have been captured!"

Seeing her expression darken further, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, the outline of a gun visible inside his suit pocket.

"Baby, stop thinking. Danica is just kind-hearted. She never intended for such a disaster to happen."

He smiled gently again and pulled out a velvet box containing a diamond necklace.

"There, it suits you perfectly." He draped it around her neck.

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at it and left in a hurry.

"Rest well. I'll come see you tonight."

The moment the door closed, Serina close her eyes and tore off the necklace.

She had just seen a message from Danica: she wanted to watch fireworks.

When she opened her eyes, the guards outside were staring at her. She lay on the bed, no longer struggling.

Her phone pushed a notification—Danica's update. She opened it and saw pictures of Danica and Valerio watching fireworks on a cruise.

The fireworks, designed personally by Valerio to cheer her up.

Serina's fingers paused.

He had used the same trick on her before. But ever since Danica arrived in Sicily, she and Valerio had rarely gone out together.

She was about to put the phone down when the necklace around Danica's neck caught her eye.

She compared it with the one she had just removed—and realized they were identical.

Her heart skipped. She found the brand's official website and confirmed: it was a one-of-a-kind piece, the only one in the world.

Her own necklace, in comparison, was dull and fake. The real one had been given to Danica.

That night, her leg ached fiercely. She pressed the call button for a doctor, but no one came.

Helpless, she forced herself up and slowly opened the door.

The guard outside said, "Miss Anderson has a cold. The boss called all the doctors away to treat her."

Serina froze.

She had been threatened and nearly killed, yet she couldn't even summon a doctor. Meanwhile, Danica's ordinary cold warranted such fuss.

Even though she had lost hope in him, her heart still ached.

Luckily, in just seven days, she would finally be free of this man.

Serina was discharged after two days in the hospital. When she returned home, she found her ceramic little bear thrown in the trash.

It was the first gift Valerio had given her during her first year in Sicily, a token of their bond—almost like a pledge of love. And now, it lay discarded like garbage.

Before she could ask anything, Danica twisted her body out of the master bedroom.

"Sister," Danica's voice was soft and fragile, "you're back."

Serina frowned. "Who told you to sleep in my room?"

Ignoring the bear, she stormed into the master bedroom—only to find everything in shambles. Torn stockings and used condoms littered the carpet.

Her hand clenched at her side, body tensing, fury burning in her chest.

While she was recuperating in the hospital, Valerio had been entangled with another woman in their bedroom.

She could no longer control herself. Serina spun around and slapped Danica across the face.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to be a mistress?"

Having trained with Valerio for years, her strength was as strong as any man’s, and a single slap left red palm prints blooming across Danica’s cheeks.

Tears welled in Danica's eyes. "Brother-in-law was drunk that day! I... I didn't mean to ruin anything between you!"

"My mother taught me to be kind. I couldn't just watch him suffer and do nothing!"

She lifted her chin stubbornly, acting as if she had been gravely wronged.

Serina felt a wave of disgust at Danica’s hypocritical expression and was about to throw her out when a cold, commanding voice cut through the air.

“What’s going on?”

Valerio rushed in. Seeing the red mark on Danica's cheek, his brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly.

But he only glanced at Danica before walking toward Serina. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and said softly, "Don't be mad, baby."

"That day I was drugged, and your leg was injured... I had no choice..."

"No choice," Serina sneered inwardly. His words sounded so considerate, as if he always had her best interests at heart.

She glared at Danica. "Get out."

Hearing that, Danica opened her mouth to argue, but Valerio's impatient glare silenced her.

"Didn't you hear my wife? Get out!"

Biting her lip in grievance, Danica fled the room.

Serina thought the matter had ended there. But the moment Valerio left, everything suddenly went black.

When she came to, her wrists were tied tightly behind her back and her eyes blindfolded. She couldn’t see a thing. Rough fingers clamped her chin, forcing her head up—then a sharp slap cracked across her cheek.

Smack!

Her ears rang. Before she could steady herself, another blow came. Then another.

The strikes came fast and merciless, each one stinging hotter than the last. By the tenth slap, her cheeks were swollen, her lips split and bleeding.

“You offended someone you shouldn’t have,” the man said coldly.

Serina’s blood turned to ice. She knew that voice—it belonged to Valerio’s subordinate, the one everyone called Butcher, infamous for his brute strength and cruelty.

The mafia organization had a strict hierarchy. Without Valerio's tacit approval, how could he dare to harm her?

Suddenly, she remembered slapping Danica earlier. At that time, Valerio coaxed her so tenderly, and for a moment, she foolishly believed he was really concerned about her.

But this was the truth. He had only been waiting for this moment.

The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth; tears blurred her vision. In a daze, she recalled Valerio's solemn promise when they first got together—that he would protect her forever.

It had only been three years, but the so-called 'forever' no longer mattered to him.

Suddenly, someone approached. Serina tensed up, holding her breath. The next moment, the blindfold was ripped from her eyes. Blinding light made her wince.

Valerio seemed to have rushed in to untie her.

"Don't be afraid, baby. I'm here to save you."

Seeing the genuine concern on his face, her body trembled with a mix of fear and revulsion.

All along, he had subtly protected Danica while pretending to care for her—then played the hero in front of her.

"Valerio, do you even know who struck me?"

Valerio’s hand faltered in mid-air for a brief moment before he forced it to move, his fingers grazing tenderly over her swollen cheek.

"I don't know, but don't worry. I'll find them and make them pay."

Serina closed her eyes, forcing down the rising bile in her throat. She refused to respond.

When Serina returned home, Danica—who was supposed to have left—was still there.

Not wanting to share any more glances, Serina lifted her foot to leave—but Danica called after her.

"Sister, I have nowhere else to go, so I'll just stay here for a while. You won't mind, right?"

Serina's expression remained flat. "Do as you please."

Seeing the redness on her face, Danica's eyes glimmered with barely hidden triumph.

"But I haven't been sleeping well, so I'll need the master bedroom," she added, her voice growing more audacious.

Serina paused at her audacity, then lifted the corners of her lips with a faint, icy smile. "Suit yourself."

Without another word, she returned to the master bedroom to pack her things. She had no reason to waste time lingering in one room—she was leaving soon anyway.

As she packed up, she noticed the exquisite gifts displayed in the closet—tokens Valerio had given her over the years. She had once treasured them as symbols of love. Now, they only seemed glaring and empty.

After quickly tidying up the bedding, Serina moved to the guest room.

She was just about to lie down when Valerio entered.

He applied ointment carefully to her swollen face, then wrapped her in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"She wants the master bedroom. I'll sleep here with you," he murmured, lying down with her without waiting for a reply.

To any outsider, he seemed like a devoted, attentive partner. If she hadn't seen through his mask, she might have been fooled.

Feeling the hypocrisy of it all, she tried to pull away—but he held her tighter.

It wasn't until the middle of the night that she could finally close her eyes.

At dawn, the pounding of heavy rain pulled her from sleep. She instinctively reached behind her, only to find the space beside her empty.

The man who once held her through the night was gone.

She got up and went to the master bedroom. Through the slightly open door, she heard wet, intimate sounds and a woman's soft moans.

Her fingers curled against the doorframe as she hesitated to turn away—then a sudden thud echoed from within.

The box she had once placed in the master bedroom had been knocked over, its contents spilling across the floor.

The couple on the bed paid it no mind, lost in their fevered embrace.

That box had held the nine hundred and ninety-nine love letters Valerio once wrote to win her heart. She could still recall his delighted, tender smile as he handed them to her. Now, those vows of devotion lay scattered like meaningless scraps.

Serina’s gaze lingered on the scattered love letters until a chill seeped through her bones. Only then did she turn and leave.

She had barely slept that night. When she woke up again, Valerio was gone.

Heading downstairs for breakfast, she came face to face with Danica once more.

Danica’s eyes gleamed with provocation as she tugged her collar lower, exposing a trail of fresh kiss marks.

“Sister,” she said with a mocking smile, disdain flickering in her gaze, “I’ve just arrived in Sicily and don’t know my way around yet. Would you mind taking me out for a walk?”

"Find someone else. I have something to do," Serina intoned coldly.

After finishing her words, Serina turned to leave—but just as she reached the door, her phone rang. It was Valerio.

“Serina, take Danica out for a while. Don’t keep staying at home.”

When she turned back, Danica was already holding up her own phone, grinning at her provocatively.

Serina ended the call in silence, then walked over. “Where do you want to go?”

Danica smirked. “That’s better. Otherwise, I’d have to call Val again.”

The overly intimate way she addressed him made Serina’s gaze darken.

Ever since coming to Sicily, Valerio had introduced himself to outsiders only as Salvatore. For three years, she had known his real name alone.

But now...

Her lips curved in a cold, mocking smile. Without another word, she got into the car with Danica.

...

Sunlight poured down warmly, streaming through the streets of Palermo.

At the dock, Danica suddenly spoke. "Sister, you go ahead—I want to explore by myself."

The afternoon sun scorched the stone streets. Serina felt like she might melt from the heat. By the time she returned home, her skin was red from the sun.

Opening the door, she was met by Valerio's stormy expression.

"Serina, what did you do to Danica?"

Serina looked up, confused, and saw Danica cowering behind him.

She looked like someone had doused her with liquid. Her hair was wet and clinging to her face, clothes soaked and hanging loosely, looking utterly pitiful.

Danica sniffled, eyes wide with false grievance. "Sister got mad because I took her room, so she dragged me to the dock, poured wine on me, and even wanted to..."

She bit her lip, struggling to say it.

Valerio's brow furrowed. "Wanted to do what?"

"She... called a group of fishermen to try to assault me!" She gestured to her torn clothes and shot Serina a smug smile.