Everyone in Ieplad knows Leopoldo Vece, the Don of the Vece family, loves guns but not women—until me.

Ten years into our marriage, my adoptive father, Raffaello Conti, lies dying of kidney failure. Leopoldo launches a global hunt for a donor, sparing no expense to save him.

He finds her—a young, fragile woman—and spends millions solving her every problem to ensure she is ready for the transplant.

On the day of the surgery, she vanishes.

I rush to her home in a panic, only to find my husband holding her gently in his arms, soothing her in a soft voice.

"If you're afraid of the pain, don't donate then. I'll find another donor."

"Is there time?" she asks quietly. "I heard Lucia's adoptive father is at death's door."

Leopoldo brushes his hand over her hair, his voice indulgent. "I'll search the world again if I have to. You're still young; this burden isn't yours to carry."

As my heart shatters, my phone rings. I answer numbly.

The person on the other end of the line says, "Signora Conti, we regret to inform you that Raffaello Conti just passed away. We waited as long as we could for the donor, but his body gave out five minutes ago."

I return to the hospital and handle the funeral arrangements alone.

After that, I call Marianna D'Andrea, the Don's mother, and say, "I agree to divorce Leopoldo. Please help me disappear."

Marianna D'Andrea moved quickly. By the time I got home, the divorce papers were already waiting for me.

She said, "Sign them. I'll handle Leopoldo's side. In one month, you'll receive the finalized divorce decree. Once you leave, don't ever come back. The Madre of the Vece family was never meant to be a nobody like you."

"Okay," I replied calmly.

After that, I handled my adoptive father, Raffaello Conti's funeral alone.

He had once been the director of a local orphanage, and I was the last child raised there.

After the orphanage shut down, he used his own savings to raise me. I had promised that I would take care of him in his old age and see him through to the end. I never imagined that, in the end, I would be the reason he died.

On the day of the funeral, people who heard the news came carrying flowers.

"Why isn't Don Vece here? Doesn't he know yet?" someone whispered.

The question spread through the crowd like a spark landing on dry grass.

At the same time, my phone buzzed.

"Elena isn't emotionally stable right now, so the transplant is postponed. I've contacted the best specialists worldwide to help Raffaello stabilize. We'll schedule the operation in a month. These next few days, I'll stay with Elena so she can relax and recover."

I stared at the screen and suddenly laughed.

He still didn't know Raffaello was already dead. He also had no idea that I had seen everything with my own eyes in Elena Granucci's house.

I didn't reply. I turned off my phone.

After the funeral, I went back to the orphanage where I had grown up.

The real estate agent was already waiting at the gate. When he saw me, he hurried over. "This old place isn't worth much. Are you sure you want to sell it? Signora Conti, even though Signore Conti is gone, you could still come back sometimes. This is where you grew up."

I shook my head and said softly, "I won't be coming back. I'm leaving this city for good."

The agent looked surprised. Everyone in Ockdon knew how much Leopoldo Vece adored me.

Still, he didn't press further. He probably thought I was overwhelmed with grief.

After signing the transfer documents, I gathered the few belongings Raffaello had left behind and walked out through the gate. Suddenly, the agent pointed toward the street. "Look! Don Vece came to pick you up. He's always so thoughtful."

I turned around and saw Leopoldo's car parked by the curb.

I smiled bitterly and, under the agent's hopeful gaze, walked over and opened the passenger-side door.

Elena was sitting in the front seat. As Leopoldo swept a smudge of sauce away with the pad of his thumb, Elena lowered her eyes, the tips of her ears turning bright red.

The moment they saw me, they both instinctively leaned back.

Elena hurried to explain, "Don Vece was just helping me wipe off some sauce. It's not what you think."

"I didn't misunderstand anything," I said calmly, cutting her off. I closed the door and got into the back seat.

Leopoldo glanced at the box of belongings beside me and frowned. "Why did you bring all of Raffaello's things?"

"He won't be going back," I replied. "So I sold the orphanage."

He didn't question it and simply nodded. "That's fine. With his health, he really shouldn't be overworking himself anyway."

A sharp, prickling pain spread through my chest. I pulled my lips into a faint, mocking smile and said nothing.

Leopoldo didn't drive us home. Instead, he headed toward downtown.

Seeing my confusion, he explained, "There's a new upscale restaurant in Ockdon. Elena says it's good and insists on bringing you along to try it."

Elena's eyes lit up. "Yeah, Lucia. We finally all have time today. You have to come with us."

At the table, Leopoldo carefully set Elena's place, tending to her with meticulous care.

He said gently, "This restaurant's seafood bisque is excellent. Elena, you've been so tense lately. Have some more. It's good for your health and your mood."

Elena took a big sip, then looked at Leopoldo shyly. "Gracias, Don Vece. Lucia, I really envy you for having such a wonderful husband."

Leopoldo suppressed the smile that rose to his lips, then turned to me and casually poured me a bowl as well. "Don't worry. Raffaello will get better."

A dull ache rose in my throat. I sniffled quietly, forcing the tears back.

Then I raised my hand to stop him. "No need. I'm allergic to seafood, so I'll just have a salad."

Leopoldo opened his mouth, then awkwardly set the spoon down. "Sorry... I forgot."

"It's fine." Since I had already decided to leave, those small details no longer mattered.

On the drive back, I leaned against the seat, exhausted.

Suddenly, chaos erupted outside.

Gunfire exploded from all directions, and bullets slammed into the car without pause.

We were forced to a screeching stop.

I ducked instinctively and scanned our surroundings.

The shots kept coming. After receiving the alert, armed guards rushed in and took cover behind our vehicle.

"It's those bastards from the Reina family!" Leopoldo drew his gun, ready to return fire.

Elena screamed in terror and clung to him, refusing to let go. "Don Vece, don't leave me. I'm scared!"

Seeing her trembling uncontrollably, he shielded her with his own body.

A bullet tore into his shoulder, yet he didn't make a sound.

Around us, the sharp stench of gasoline grew stronger.

"This is bad. The car's going to blow. We need to break out now." My back pressed against the door as I stared straight at Leopoldo.

Still holding Elena, he clearly sensed the danger too.

With gunfire this dense, leaving the cover of the car meant getting riddled with bullets. But if we stayed, the explosion would kill us all.

Elena sobbed softly, clutching him even tighter.

Leopoldo fell silent.

Then, at last, he tightened his arms around the woman in his embrace. His voice was hoarse but unmistakably clear when he spoke to me. "Elena has never been through a shooting. I'll get her out first and come back for you."

In that instant, my entire body went cold as I stared at him in disbelief.

He ordered the guards to give him full cover, then leaped out with Elena in his arms without looking back even once.

At the same time, an explosion roared behind us. A wave of heat slammed into me, hurling me violently to the ground.

The last image that flashed through my mind before everything went black was Leopoldo clutching Elena tightly as he ran toward safety.

He never looked back.

I lay sprawled on the freezing pavement, hearing the Soldati shout in panic, before darkness swallowed me whole.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital ward.

My injuries had already been treated, but the moment I shifted even slightly, a sharp, tearing pain shot through my back.

Leopoldo sensed the movement and immediately looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, his face shadowed with unshaven stubble.

When he saw that I was awake, he leaned closer, concern written all over his face.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

I let out a cold laugh, but when I tried to speak, my throat was too hoarse for words.

Leopoldo softened his tone and began to explain. "Elena doesn't know how to protect herself, and she's supposed to donate a kidney to Raffaello. I didn't have a choice. I had to save her first. I'm sorry you got hurt."

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and finally spoke, my voice rough and dry. "Leopoldo, if the kidney donation wasn't an issue, who would you have saved first?"

He froze, and a suffocating silence stretched between us.

In the end, he still answered, "I-I would've saved you."

I smiled, but my heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

Because I knew—the few seconds of hesitation had already told me everything.

Leopoldo's phone rang.

I could hear Elena's voice through the speaker. "Don Vece, I'm so scared. Every time I close my eyes, I hear gunshots. Can you come stay with me?"

At that, he looked toward me.

I closed my eyes and nodded weakly. "Go. I'm fine here."

He let out a breath of relief. "Call me if you need anything."

Then he hurried out.

A dull ache pulsed through my wounds as I drifted back into sleep.

Over the next few days, Leopoldo never returned to the hospital.

"I'm dealing with those bastards," he texted by way of explanation.

I didn't bother questioning it. Just as I was about to put my phone away, I caught sight of Elena's latest post.

A diamond necklace glittered against her pale neck, her smile sweet and radiant.

The caption read, "Gracias, Don Vece. The necklace is beautiful."

I zoomed in on the photo, and that was when it hit me.

That necklace was the coming-of-age gift Raffaello had given me.

Raffaello had lived his entire life frugally. Every cent he owned went into helping orphans.

The diamond pendant on that necklace was tiny, but it was the only piece of jewelry he had ever bought for me after emptying his savings. After his death, it was all I had left of him.

Even if my love with Leopoldo had already rotted away, that necklace was my last remaining tie to family in this world. How could he give it to Elena?

I clenched my teeth through the pain, dragged myself out of bed, and went straight to Elena's place.

She was lounging on the bed, letting a maid feed her grapes one by one, all the while admiring the necklace with smug satisfaction.

The moment she saw me, her expression shifted. She instantly put on a pitiful act, clutched the necklace, and pressed it beneath her body. "Signora Conti, why are you here?"

My eyes were bloodshot as I held out my hand. "Leopoldo isn't here, so you can drop your act. I'm here to take the necklace back."

Elena's lips curved upward before smoothing back into place.

She barely moved her mouth, silently shaping the words for me to read. "That won't do. Don Vece likes me exactly like this."

Then tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head weakly. "I can't give it to you. I was traumatized by the shooting, so Leopoldo gave me that necklace to comfort me.

"He's already given you so many things. Please don't fight me over this one."

"That's mine!" I snapped through clenched teeth. "If you want to seduce Leopoldo, that's your business. But that necklace was my father's coming-of-age gift for me. You can ask for anything else. This necklace isn't even worth much money.

"Give it back."

I stepped forward and reached for it.

But Elena suddenly twisted aside. Her lips curled as she silently mouthed another silent sentence. "If you want it so badly, catch it."

Then she flung the necklace straight out the window.

"No!"

I didn't think. I lunged forward on instinct.

The necklace vanished into the storm drain below, and I slammed hard onto the concrete.

When I woke up again, thick bandages were wrapped around my head, and pain locked my body in place.

Leopoldo didn't stand. He just sat beside the bed, his brows drawn together. "Do you have to jump from a building for a necklace?"

I said hoarsely, "That was the only piece of jewelry my father ever gave me. Why did you give it to Elena?"

Leopoldo paused, then waved it off casually. "She was shaken. None of the jewelry I picked out appealed to her. She only liked that one.

"Besides, you never even wore it. It's just a necklace. Once Raffaello recovers, you can ask him for as many as you want."

Just a necklace?

I never wore it because I treasured it too much and couldn't bear the thought of losing it.

Leopoldo knew nothing.

All his attention was on Elena. Even now, he still didn't know Raffaello was already dead. He didn't know that I would never receive another gift from him.

My chest felt as though it were being crushed. My lips trembled, but no words came out.

Leopoldo mistook my silence for guilt. He stood and said lightly, "Alright. If you like it that much, I'll buy two identical ones. One for each of you.

"Elena was so frightened by you that she's been saying strange things. She's hospitalized too. I'm going to check on her."

Before I could respond, his footsteps were already fading away.

He left without hesitation.

A week later, I was finally discharged.

As expected, Leopoldo wasn't home.

It was better that way since I didn't need to avoid anyone. I packed quickly.

The drawers and closets were filled with couture dresses, handbags, and jewelry Leopoldo had given me over the years.

Back then, he had chosen every gift with care. He used to say, "Family affairs matter, but so does every detail of your life."

What he once felt for me had been real, and the fact that it was gone now was just as real.

None of the gifts were worth taking with me anymore.

I took only what I had brought with me before the marriage, packed quickly, and stepped out of the room. But on the way out, I ran straight into Elena.

Her eyes were red as she hurried over and grabbed my arm. "Signora Conti, please don't force me to donate my kidney right now..."

I shook her off, baffled. "What are you trying to do this time?"

Her pitiful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold smile. "So you noticed."

Then she stepped backward and deliberately threw herself down the stairs before shouting, "Signora Conti, don't!"

Her scream reached Leopoldo just as he arrived home.

"Lucia, what did you do?" Leopoldo roared, sprinting over and scooping Elena into his arms.

The staircase wasn't tall, and she wasn't even bleeding.

Yet she was drenched in tears and curled up in Leopoldo's arms like a frightened kitten. Her small hand clutched his sleeve, her face twisted as if she were on the verge of death.

"I'm sorry. Signora Conti wants me to donate my kidney right now, but I'm really not ready."