Less than ten minutes later, I heard Antonio's hurried footsteps downstairs.

This was truly rare. When I ran a high fever before, he only had Elena bring me fever-reducing medicine.

It seemed like Elena was the key to his haste in handling this.

He hadn't even taken off his suit when he stormed into the bedroom, advancing with a menacing look in his eyes. "You dared to hang up on my call?"

I was folding clothes. I kept my head down and answered softly, "I didn't want to pick up."

He grabbed my wrist with force, making me look him in the eye.

"Just because I told you to shut up? Elena just secured a partnership, and as the Don, I'm celebrating with core members. What's the problem with that?"

His voice grew louder and was filled with anger.

"Do you have any idea how many people saw your comment? Some even guessed she's my mistress! Elena cares about her reputation, and because you mocked her, she cried so much that she fainted!"

"Oh."

I tilted my head, not quite understanding what he was so angry about.

"What does that have to do with me? Am I her mother?"

He snorted angrily.

I slowly continued, "Clearly, everyone thinks that your so-called Consigliere has crossed the line, and that's why they're talking about her."

"Enough!"

He suddenly raised his voice, causing the bodyguards in the hallway to step back.

"Elena is our family's Consigliere. The funds that pass through her every day are more than you've ever seen in your entire life. Here you are, living under my protection with all your luxuries, and you still dare to slander my most trusted subordinate?"

His eyes were filled with disappointment and accusation.

"You live in a villa with hundreds of servants taking care of you, and you have no idea how hard it is working out there. I've spoiled you, and now, out of jealousy, you're defaming Elena, who has always looked after you well. If this happens again, I'll stop your mother's medication."

I looked at his towering figure and suddenly let out a sharp laugh.

"My life is a luxurious one?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and stared at me like I was crazy.

I grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the walk-in closet.

It was full of fine clothing.

But they were all locked in display cabinets.

"Look at these!"

I pointed at the locks on the display cabinets, my voice shaking with anger.

"I'm not allowed to wear anything from here, not even a sock, let alone dresses. Don Antonio, can you tell me which lady out there has to ask permission just to wear her underwear?"

Antonio furrowed his brow. "That's because you always choose clothes that aren't suitable for the occasion."

"Ha! Not suitable?"

I scoffed. "Every 'unsuitable' dress ends up on Elena the next day! Even the most desperate homewrecker in the world wouldn't want my pathetic life!"

I thought I had made myself clear.

But Antonio only appeared confused and impatient.

"So, you made her look bad in public just because of these dresses? Can't you be more considerate?"

The immense feeling of helplessness made my head spin.

I turned away and spoke in an emotionless tone.

"Think whatever you want, but we're still getting a divorce."

Those words enraged him.

Antonio quickly caught up to me and trapped me in his embrace.

"Watch your words, Mrs. Rivera. Don't forget who was the one who arranged the best medical team for your mother."

I bit my lip hard to stop the tears from falling.

How ridiculous. He had arranged the best medical team for my mother, but he didn't even know she had passed away.

"Let me go," I said, my voice trembling.

"I want to leave."

Antonio suddenly laughed. "Divorce? Then what? Will you let your gambler of a father sell you to the next mafia boss?"

His words were like knives stabbing deep into my heart.

Three years ago, it was indeed because my father had fallen into a debt trap and abandoned my sick mother that I was forced into this marriage.

To be precise, I was sold as a debt repayment and sent directly to his bed.

Antonio knew this was my greatest wound, yet he mercilessly exposed it now.

"At least the next person won't be you."

I struggled. "I've already signed the divorce papers."

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending a chill down my spine.

"You think the divorce is up to you?"

"Remember, darling, there's only one way the wife of a priest leaves her marriage."

I knew exactly what he meant.

Death.

"I'll give you access to the clothes, and as for money, I'll transfer 50 thousand dollars to you every month from my private account. There's no need for any application."

It sounded all too familiar.

He would hurt me first, followed by sweet promises to try to get me to continue being his obedient woman.

If this were before, I would've gratefully accepted.

But now, I was clear-headed.

Money, clothes… Were they really the root of the problem?

He had neglected the one person who truly deserved punishment. Elena.

"I don't need your money." I coldly rejected him.

Antonio narrowed his eyes. "You'd rather risk your mother's medication and watch her die without it?"

That same threat again.

My heart twisted painfully, but I remained calm on the outside. "She'll understand."

He clearly didn't expect that answer. For a moment, I saw panic in his eyes.

It was like he didn't understand why his usual threats didn't work this time.

But his pride wouldn't allow him to beg for reconciliation repeatedly.

He watched as I walked toward the door without a second glance.

Antonio raised his hand. His signal changed from "make her stay" to "let her go".

I remembered a time when I was at headquarters and overheard Elena saying to him, "Don, Mrs. Rivera has been watching romantic dramas lately. Do you think one day she might start arguing with you like a female lead in a romance drama and ask for a divorce?"

She then added, "If it ever gets to that point, just ignore her. Once she realizes how cruel the outside world is, she'll come back to you crying and apologizing."

He probably thought the same thing now.

…

It wasn't until I completely disappeared from his sight that Antonio snapped out of it.

He irritably reached for his cigarette, but instead, he found a small paper packet.

Inside were a few pieces of hard mint candy.

He smoked so heavily that his throat often felt irritated.

I had tried hundreds of different recipes to make him some candy, all just to make him feel a little more comfortable.

He unwrapped a piece and popped it into his mouth. The cool sweetness made him relax, and his furrowed brow smoothed out.

"I'll let her stay out there and have fun for a couple of days," he thought to himself.

I had worked so hard to make him candy. Surely I must love him.

Dragging my small suitcase behind me, I went to see Professor Margarita Accardi. She was a close friend of Mom's.

When I gave up pursuing my master's degree in archaeology to marry Antonio, she was the only one who was completely against it.

She didn't attend the wedding ceremony, but she sent me a text that day.

"You're losing more than you're gaining. When you've grown tired of being a canary in a cage, remember there's a difficult but free path you can take."

Her words were almost prophetic.

In the early days of our marriage, Antonio's controlling behavior wasn't as obvious. He'd take me to various events with him. But then, someone stared at me a bit too long. His eyes darkened, and from that day on, I was never allowed to go to another event.

Things got worse when Elena suggested she could "take care" of me. That was when I truly lost all my freedom.

The door opened.

When Margarita saw me show up in a shabby outfit, her expression shifted to one of understanding.

"Come in, dear," she said, stepping aside. "I just made some coffee."

Tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

Margarita waited for me to calm down before speaking slowly.

"We just discovered a new tomb in Stonemoor, and I need an assistant for my team."

I looked up, my eyes wide. "Are you offering me a chance?"

"Yes, as long as you haven't forgotten your expertise. I don't want to bring a high-society socialite to an archaeological site."

"I can do it!" I declared at once. "I'm sure of it!"

Margarita finally smiled. "Good. Get ready. We leave tomorrow."

The scorching sun at Stonemoor felt like it would melt me alive. I kneeled in the excavation pit, carefully brushing dirt off the ancient tiles. Sweat trickled down my forehead, mixing with the dust and sticking to my skin.

Suddenly, I heard a shrill voice coming from behind. "Oh, my God! Isabella? Is that really you?"

I froze.

Turning around, I saw Elena, dressed in an expensive Chanel suit and holding a scarf to her nose while looking at my dirty appearance in disgust.

"I didn't know you had the guts to run away. Looks like you've degraded yourself to the point of mingling with these losers who dig up skeletons."

The expressions on my teammates' faces changed.

I stood up, stepping in front of my teammates.

"Elena, are you a dog? Why do you always come sniffing around?"

Her face turned red with anger. She was about to snap back at me when a tall figure stepped out from behind her.

It was Antonio. He was wearing a casual suit, looking like he was on vacation. When he saw my dirt-stained face, his expression shifted to one of surprise.

"What's going on?" he asked Elena, but his gaze never left me.

Elena immediately faked a tearful expression, her eyes turning red. "Don Antonio, I didn't expect Bella to find out that we're here and stalk us all the way here. I just wanted to talk to her about it, but she cursed at me..."

Antonio frowned at my dirty face. "Is this what you've been reduced to since leaving me? If you're stalking us to beg me for reconciliation, you'd better start by apologizing to Elena."

"Apologize?"

I pointed at Elena and scoffed. "I will never apologize to that witch who tortured me and dreams of being your mistress."

Antonio was clearly outraged. "Are you out of your mind? You came all the way here, and now you're pretending not to care? You've been gone for days. Don't you care about your mother's life?"

The hot wind blew across my face, but I felt cold inside.

I heard myself speak, my voice eerily calm. "Stop it. She died last week."

He immediately retorted, "The medical records from last week showed that she's fine. How long are you going to use that as an excuse to lie to me?"

When I didn't bother responding to him, he gritted his teeth and snarled, "Well, it seems like you haven't been properly punished in a long time."

Without hesitation, he made a call and barked, "Luca, put a stop to all of Isabella's mother's treatments!"

He'd done it so quickly that he didn't notice Elena's face turning pale. "Don Antonio, please don't—"

Antonio snapped, "She needs to be taught a lesson!"

On the other end of the line, Luca Santoro's confused voice rang out. "Don Antonio, Mrs. Rivera's mother passed away last week."

Antonio froze in place.

"What did you say?"