I spent three full days in the cold, damp basement without food or water.

During that time, I kept reliving the past ten years. I thought about the moment my father's library was blown to pieces. I thought about how bravely Domenico had saved me from my adoptive father. I thought about how easily he had given away the ring on my finger to someone else.

It turned out that all his vows were nothing more than idle amusement.

On the fourth morning, the basement door finally opened.

Two bodyguards hauled me off the floor like a sack of trash. My legs had gone numb long ago. I could only hang between them as they carried me.

Domenico stood at the doorway, looking down at me from above. There was no sympathy in his eyes, only impatience. "Alice is shaken up and upset. You'll go to the auction tonight and serve her drinks. Make her happy. Consider it compensation."

I nodded numbly. The person Salvatore arranged should arrive soon. I just had to endure a little longer and it would all be over.

The underground black market auction that night was packed with all kinds of people.

I wore a server's uniform, weaving between lecherous men and serving them drinks.

Alice nestled in Domenico's arms, dressed in an elaborate gown while wearing my ring, basking in everyone's flattery.

Halfway through the auction, the auctioneer introduced the next item with exaggerated flair.

"Our next piece is a self-defense weapon from Signorina Tarantino. The craftsmanship is exquisite, and it has tremendous collector's value!"

The moment the dagger was brought out, my breathing stopped. It was the only thing my mother had left me.

Ten years ago, the Calvetti family faced an unprecedented crisis. Their cash flow dried up, and they were on the verge of being swallowed up by other families.

I secretly pawned this dagger I always carried with me and used the money to help Domenico weather the storm. It was my way of repaying him for saving my life.

I remembered how he had held me, swearing in my ear that he would buy it back for me one day and keep it safe.

Now, here it was, displayed in front of everyone as just another item up for auction.

Almost instinctively, I started to raise the bidding paddle. However, a large hand clamped down on my wrist. It was Domenico.

He did not even look at me. He just tilted his chin toward Alice in his arms, his tone indulgent. "Do you like it? I'll buy it for you so that you can use it to protect yourself."

Alice gasped in delight and pressed her chest tightly against Domenico's arm. "Really? Oh darling, thank you! I've always wanted something like this!"

Domenico clearly enjoyed this. He reached out and ruffled her hair.

The bidding started. Alice raised the price without hesitation. In the end, she won the dagger at three times its market value.

When the dagger was handed to her, she played with it in her hands, seemingly quite pleased.

The next second, she picked up an apple from the table and started peeling it clumsily with the blade. Her movements were awkward and deliberate.

"Ugh, this knife isn't sharp at all. It can barely even cut fruit."

She pouted and tossed the dagger carelessly onto the table with a loud clang.

My blood seemed to freeze. That was my mother's heirloom.

Now, it was being used by some worthless mistress to peel fruit, and she was complaining it was not sharp enough.

My chest felt like someone had carved into it with a blade. The pain nearly suffocated me.

Just then, the large screen at the auction suddenly lit up. A grainy surveillance video began to play.

In the footage, a woman whose figure closely resembled mine was meeting with a man. That man was the Underboss of the Calvettis' rival family.

The image was unclear and the audio had been processed, but the content clearly accused me of selling family secrets and leaking the Calvetti family's transport routes.

Domenico's body went rigid. The temperature around him seemed to plummet. He whipped his head around and stared at me, his eyes burning with murderous intent.

"Lucia! You betrayed me?"

The woman's profile in the video made her look similar to me, but her movements were stiff. It was obviously edited together afterward. However, looking at his furious face, I knew any explanation would be useless.

He would not believe me. In his mind, I was just a wife in name only.

Domenico grabbed me and yanked me up. His grip was so tight it felt like he would tear my arm off. He dragged me all the way to the center of the auction stage.

Then he made a shocking announcement. "This woman has betrayed the Calvetti family. She has betrayed me! Today, I'm putting her body up for auction!"

I struggled and grabbed onto his pant leg, trying to bring him back to reason. "Domenico, even the audio in that video is synthesized. Can't you hear it? Someone's framing me! You can't do this to me!"

"Framing you?" Domenico laughed like he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He shook his hand and flung me away without hesitation.

The back of my head slammed hard into the steps of the auction stage. Blood ran down from my forehead and blurred my vision.

Before I could catch my breath, a leather shoe stomped down hard on the hand I was trying to use to push myself up. The sound of bones shattering was unmistakable.

My whole body convulsed from the pain. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

"This is what you get for betraying me." Domenico's voice was cold as ice, devoid of any warmth.

He snapped his fingers. On the large screen behind him, naked photos of me appeared one after another.

Those photos were taken when we first got married. Domenico had coaxed me into posing for them, saying he wanted to capture my most beautiful moments and keep them just for himself.

Now, he had turned those sweet memories into weapons against me.

The moment the photos appeared, laughter and wolf whistles erupted from the crowd below.

The men's gazes swept over me like starving beasts, their mouths spewing vulgar comments.

"That body's not bad at all. Who knew Signora Calvetti was so hot..."

"Wonder if I can get a piece of her tonight. I'd pay top dollar!"

"One dollar." Domenico's voice rang out again, drowning out all the noise. "The original copies of these photos, along with this woman's services for tonight. One dollar gets you both."

His words were the final straw that broke me completely.

I shook my head desperately, tears mixing with blood streaming down my face. "Domenico... please don't... I'm begging you, don't do this..."

Alice nestled in his arms and covered her mouth in fake concern. "Domenico, isn't this too cruel to her? After all, those are her private photos..."

"Privacy?" Domenico laughed coldly, his eyes full of mockery. "A whore who betrays the family has no right to privacy."

My face was pressed against the ground. I could clearly hear the breathing and comments of the men surrounding me.

Those voices slithered into my ears like venomous snakes, gnawing away at what little dignity I had left. I felt like merchandise being appraised and judged.

I could imagine the desire burning in those men's eyes, like flames ready to consume me completely.

Suddenly, a sharp cramping pain tore through my abdomen. It felt like countless needles stabbing into me. My vision went black and I lost consciousness.

…

When I woke up again, I was in a discreet private clinic.

A doctor in a white coat stood beside my bed, his expression complicated. "Signora, you… You're pregnant. Two months along."

Pregnant? I instinctively placed my hand on my lower abdomen. There was a slight swell there.

Two months ago, Domenico came home drunk, and we were intimate. He was barely conscious that night and kept calling out another woman's name. I thought it was just an accident. I never expected a child to come out of it.

The doctor handed me an ultrasound printout. It clearly showed two tiny gestational sacs.

Twins.

I took the ultrasound and froze in place. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. It was joy, despair, and helplessness all at once.

I had already made up my mind to leave. Now, however, the children I had longed for had come at the worst possible time.

For the sake of the babies, I had to speed up my departure. I could not let Domenico harm them.

I went home and packed my things. I was about to contact Salvatore to tell him about the pregnancy and have him arrange for an earlier pickup. However, the door was suddenly flung open.

Domenico walked in. He saw the suitcase behind the door and frowned slightly, his tone impatient. "Look, I know I went too far this time, but running away from home is a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

I looked away expressionlessly, hiding the emotion in my eyes. "You misunderstood. I just want to go out and clear my head."

He raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alice is pregnant. I want to keep the child."

My breath caught. My heartbeat stuttered. All the blood in my body seemed to freeze.

Domenico had always been surrounded by women, but none of them had ever been allowed to keep his child. Not even me.

I had always wanted a child. I wanted a family that belonged to us. However, he always said that it was not the right time or that the family business was too demanding. He had refused me again and again.

Yet now, when he looked at me, his eyes held joy and anticipation—emotions I had never seen before.

It turned out he did not dislike children. He just did not want children with me.

I forced a smile, my voice hoarse. "Children are wonderful. Having one sounds nice."

Domenico smiled with relief, his expression relaxed. As long as I was obedient, I could remain by his side forever like a piece of furniture.

"Good. As long as you behave, I won't hold the leaked information against you. The position of Signora Calvetti will always be yours."

I smiled but said nothing.

"Father just contacted me. He wants me to bring you home for a visit. He misses you."

He paused. "Alice is going out with friends tonight. I gave her your car. You'll ride in my passenger seat."

I had no objections. After all these years, I had grown accustomed to his demands.

After changing clothes, I randomly picked out a gift and got into his car. The car had barely started when Domenico's phone rang.

He answered and listened for only a few seconds before his face turned ashen. He suddenly smashed his phone against the interior of the car.

The phone shattered with a loud crack, fragments flying everywhere.

The car suddenly swerved to the side of the road and stopped. I was stunned by his abrupt action. Before I could react, his hand clamped around my throat. His grip was so tight it felt like he would strangle me to death.

"Lucia, didn't I warn you not to scheme anything to hurt Alice?" His eyes were bloodshot, like a wild animal out of control. "She's carrying my child! How dare you go after her!"

I immediately understood. Alice had gotten into a car accident on the road, and it just happened to be while she was driving my car—while I was not in it.

"Domenico, wait! This wasn't me! I didn't do anything!" I desperately tried to explain, attempting to bring him back to reason.

However, Domenico would not listen at all. He jerked the steering wheel violently and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.

"Shut up! I'm taking you to the hospital right now so you can kneel and apologize to her face!" he roared as the car weaved frantically through traffic.

"Domenico... stop! There's a red light ahead!"

At more than 120 miles per hour, I stared at the glaring red light, my whole body trembling with fear.

No matter how much I cried out or begged, Domenico ignored me completely and charged straight through the intersection.

Just as we crossed the stop line, an overloaded truck barreled toward us from the side.

The truck slammed into the side of our car. We spun violently out of control and then crashed hard into the guardrail on the side of the road.

The brutal impact left me bleeding from the head. Blood from my forehead blurred my vision.

I clutched my aching abdomen. The cramping pain grew more intense. I could feel life slipping away bit by bit.

"Domenico... save me..." My voice came out weak as a whisper. "The car's leaking fuel... Get me out quickly!

"Domenico, please don't leave me! Our children..."

The moment I finished speaking, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Alice.

[Domenico, someone tampered with the car. The brakes failed! It had to be Lucia. She tried to kill me!]

After reading the message, Domenico kicked open the mangled car door and stepped out. His gaze on me was full of mockery.

"You're willing to risk your life just to stall me from seeing Alice. Quite the performance there. Stay here and reflect on what you've done. When Alice is out of danger, I'll send someone to get you."

I could smell the gasoline getting stronger inside the car, and panic seized me. I pounded desperately on the window, trying to make him notice something was wrong with the vehicle.

"It's really going to explode! Believe me this once! Please!"

However, he turned and walked away without a moment's hesitation.

The smell of gasoline grew thicker. I could hear the drip of the leaking fuel tank.

In my desperation, I noticed something fall from his pocket. It was a plate with the words, 'Until death do us part', inscribed on it. He had carved it himself when he proposed.

One second before the car exploded, I grabbed hold of that plate with all my strength.

A deafening explosion came next, and the car was blown to pieces.

…

When Domenico arrived at the hospital, he saw that Alice had only sustained minor injuries.

She was lying in bed, acting coy. Relief washed over him.

Just then, one of his men rushed over with a report. "Don, Signora had an accident. This was all we could find at the scene..."

The subordinate handed him a plate covered in blood and charred black.

On the back, the inscription, 'Until death do us part — Domenico & Lucia', was still clearly visible.

Only then did he realize that the woman he had discarded like trash, the woman he believed had betrayed him, was gone.

Domenico gripped the engraved plate, his fingers trembling slightly. His heart felt constricted, like he was suffocating.