I didn’t say that last sentence out loud.

Instead, I turned around and drove directly to the embassy.

The process of applying for permanent residency in Sicily wasn’t complicated, especially for someone with my family background.

Years ago, the Rossi family had already transferred all of its businesses back to Sicily. Only I remained here, staying behind for Vincenzo.

Now, I was leaving too.

“Ms. Rossi, the procedures will take about a week,” the staff member said with a polite smile.

I nodded, took the receipt, and walked out of the embassy.

It was finally coming to an end.

Vincenzo, the man I had chased for six full years, was never meant to belong to me.

I had given so much for him, even wearing down my naturally bold personality.

All of it was just to get a little closer to him. And in the end, I couldn’t even touch the most hidden desire in his heart.

I lowered my head and looked at the receipt in my hand, smiling lightly, though there was a faint ache in my chest.

“Forget it, Vincenzo. If you don’t like me, there are plenty of people who will.”

That night, I asked a group of close friends out to the underground casino, Purgatory.

The air inside Purgatory was always mixed with the smoked scent of cigars, the sharp clatter of chips colliding, and the low whispers of mafia men negotiating deals.

The dark-patterned mirror behind the bar was a disguise. Push it open, and it led straight to the family clinic through a hidden door. This was the heart of the Corleone family’s filth and corruption.

Ever since marrying Vincenzo, I hadn’t been to a place like this in a long time.

I wore a black, tight-fitting slip dress. The zipper at the back was pulled down to my waist, deliberately revealing the bullet scar below my shoulder blade.

There was a long-lost arrogance in my gaze.

With chips between my fingers, I paused for two seconds at the betting table. I skipped past the Corleone-controlled “Ace of Spades” area and slammed the chips onto the opposing table, “King of Hearts”.

“Five thousand dollars. King of Hearts wins!”

The surrounding area went quiet for a moment. Several men in black suits cast cold looks in my direction.

I lifted my gaze toward the private boxes on the second floor.

Vincenzo was leaning against a leather couch, idly rotating a whiskey glass between his fingers. His eyes landed on me through the haze of smoke.

His underboss, Michael, leaned closer and said with a teasing tone, “Don Corleone, looks like Ms. Rossi is teaming up with outsiders to bleed our territory.”

Vincenzo didn’t move. He simply drained the whiskey in his glass, the cold liquid sliding down his throat.

“She knows her limits. Bring her up.” His tone was flat, as if commenting on the weather.

As soon as those words fell, crisp footsteps echoed from the entrance.

Sophia walked in arm-in-arm with two men in floral shirts, low-level members of the rival Valentino family.

She toyed with a diamond-studded handgun, a “V” engraved on the grip. Anyone with eyes knew Vincenzo had given it to her.

“Vincenzo, I brought you some documents.” She waved the diamond gun casually.

Her gaze paused when it landed on me. Noticing that Vincenzo was staring at my exposed back, her expression darkened instantly.

Vincenzo strode over and grabbed Sophia’s wrist. His voice was terrifyingly cold. “Who let you come to a place like this? And who allowed you to associate with people like them?!”

Sophia froze for a moment, then her eyes reddened. “Why can’t I be here? And why can’t I give my contact information to others? Vincenzo, didn’t you stop caring about me? So what does anything I do have to do with you?”

Vincenzo’s fingers tightened, his knuckles turning white. His voice sank sharply. “Who said I don’t care about you?”

“You just don’t!” Sophia’s voice trembled with tears. “You avoid me every day. You don’t see me anymore. Vincenzo, you used to treat me so well. Why did everything suddenly change one day?”

Hearing this, Vincenzo’s Adam’s apple shifted slightly. His voice carried suppressed emotion.

“That’s because…”

After being escorted upstairs by Michael, I stood aside, feeling as if something had gripped my heart tightly.

She knew he couldn’t say it.

How could he?

Was he supposed to say that he, Vincenzo, liked her, and that’s why he avoided her? From the moment he saw her, he would completely lose control?

Perhaps he should say that because he loved her too much, he left his wife of two years untouched and instead custom-made a lifelike doll identical to her to ease his longing?

I let out a self-mocking smile and turned to leave, only to hear Sophia crying out behind me.

“Vincenzo, can we go back to how things were before? I want my brother back, whose eyes only ever saw me!”

Vincenzo’s voice was low and hoarse. “I’m married now. I can’t revolve around you alone anymore.”

“Then if she disappears, can we go back to how things were?”

Sophia suddenly looked up, a hint of madness in her eyes.

I had just lifted my bag to leave when I saw Sophia grab a wine bottle from the table and stride toward me.

“Bang!”

The bottle smashed down hard on my head. The sound of shattering glass exploded in my ears, and warm liquid streamed down from my temple.

“You don’t deserve the title of a Corleone woman!” she screamed. Her other hand pulled out a compact taser, the metal prongs gleaming coldly as she pressed it hard against my neck.

The current surged through my body instantly.

I convulsed and collapsed to the ground.

The blood from my forehead mixed with cold sweat soaked my dress. As my consciousness faded, I saw Sophia stepping on my hand, looking down at me with a smile.

“Ella, know your place. Don’t take what’s mine.”

In the chaos, someone rushed over. I thought they were trying to stop it, but then I heard Vincenzo’s voice.

He didn’t look at me lying in a pool of blood. Instead, he crouched down and pulled the trembling Sophia into his arms, his palm gently patting her back.

“Don’t be afraid. You weren’t scared, were you?”

Sophia buried her face in his chest and cried. “Vincenzo, was I too impulsive?”

“It’s fine. I know.” Vincenzo lifted his head and coldly ordered Michael. His gaze swept over me without the slightest warmth. “Drag Ella to the clinic. Don’t let her die.”

Michael came over to lift me. His rough hand grabbed my arm, and I could feel blood dripping down along my skin.

The lights in the private room were blinding. All I could hear was Sophia still crying, and Vincenzo’s voice, sharp as a blade quenched in ice, piercing the last part of my heart that hadn’t completely gone cold yet.

The white lights in the underground clinic were cold and harsh, forcing the smells of disinfectant and blood into every corner.

I lay on the black leather-covered examination bed.

Thick gauze was wrapped around my temple. The family’s private doctor had just finished removing the last stitch.

I needed thirty-two stitches, with not a single one done under anesthesia. The dull pain of the needle piercing flesh was still throbbing at my temples.

“Ms. Rossi, Don Corleone instructed that the bandages shouldn’t be removed for three days. Don’t let them get wet,” the doctor said.

His movements were light as he packed up his tools, but he deliberately knocked the tweezers heavily against the tray. “And you’d better stop provoking Miss Sophia. In this family, no one will offend the young lady for an outsider.”

The word “outsider” felt like a needle.

I didn’t respond and reached under the pillow to take out my phone.

The first notification on my social feed was Sophia’s post.

In the video, Vincenzo sat on a leather sofa in his study. White bandages were wrapped around his fingers as he carefully wiped the diamond-studded handgun. Sophia leaned against his shoulder, smiling at the camera.

The caption was a single line: [The Corleone Don, always protecting me.]

The comments were full of agreement from family members. Even an old council advisor left a comment praising the closeness between the don and the young lady.

I clenched my phone until my knuckles turned white.

The family rules clearly stated that intentional harm to family members must be judged by the council.

Sophia smashed a bottle over my head and stunned me with a taser, yet somehow it was reasoned as “closeness”.

I struggled out of bed. As soon as I reached the clinic door, two guards in black suits stopped me.

“Ms. Rossi, Don Corleone has ordered that you are not allowed to leave the clinic for now.”

“I want to convene a family meeting.” I raised my phone in front of them. “Sophia violated family rules. I want her to pay the price.”

The guard on the left sneered. “The family received Don Corleone’s instructions this morning. Corleone family matters aren’t for outsiders to comment on. You should behave yourself and not make things difficult for us.”

“Outsider?” I stared at the family badge on their chests and suddenly laughed. “I am Vincenzo’s lawful wife. How exactly am I an outsider?”

No one answered. The guards simply stepped forward half a step, blocking every path.

I didn’t know how long it had been before the clinic door was finally pushed open.

Vincenzo walked in wearing a dark gray custom suit. He wasn’t wearing a tie, and two buttons at his collar were undone.

There was a black velvet box in his hand, and he tossed it onto the bedside table in front of me.

“Sophia is young and lost control of her emotions,” he said flatly. “I’ve punished her with one week of confinement at the family villa. She won’t be allowed to participate in any territorial affairs.”

“One week?” I picked up the velvet box and opened it.

Inside was a set of blue diamond jewelry. The pendant on the necklace was as large as a pigeon egg, dazzling to the point of hurting my eyes.

“I needed thirty-two stitches and almost got electrocuted to death, and she only gets confined for one week?”

Vincenzo frowned, as if he felt I was being unreasonable. “Stop dwelling on this. I’ve already arranged for a private jeweler to customize another set of blue diamonds for you. Once you’re discharged, you can also visit antique jewelry shops in Monaco. Buy whatever you like. It’s all on me.”

When he said this, a trace of guilt flickered briefly in his eyes before being covered by indifference, as if jewelry could erase everything.

I slammed the box shut. My voice trembled as I said, “Vincenzo, do you think this is what I want? What I want is fairness under family rules, and you, as my husband—”

“Enough.” He cut me off, his tone turning cold. “I decide Corleone rules. Either accept the jewelry or stay in the clinic. Choose one.”

I didn’t speak again and stared at the blue diamond box on the bedside table.

Seeing that I didn’t argue, he turned and walked toward the door. “You’ll be discharged tomorrow. I’ll have the driver pick you up.”

The next morning, a black armored car stopped outside the clinic.

As soon as I got into the back seat, I froze.

Sophia was already there.

She wore a red dress, with a gold family honor badge pinned to her chest—the kind only core members involved in central affairs were allowed to wear.

“Ella, I’m sorry.” She glanced at the bandages on my temple, her tone perfunctory, as if reciting lines. “I shouldn’t have been impulsive. Don’t take it to heart.”

Before I could respond, Vincenzo’s voice suddenly came from the front seat, filtered through the partition.

“Sophia will move into the main villa and participate in the family’s jewelry smuggling operations. The two of you will work together.”

“Jewelry smuggling?” I turned sharply toward Sophia, who smiled, clearly pleased.

Sophia pulled out her phone and waved the screen. On it were contact details from a rival family.

“Vincenzo, people from the Valentino family contacted me again yesterday. They want to cooperate with me.”

Vincenzo’s voice hardened instantly. “Delete it.”

Sophia paused. “Vincenzo, they said they could help us—”

“I said delete it.” He gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white.

His tone was filled with undeniable control. “Your connections can only be with the Corleone family. You are not allowed to have any contact with outsiders.”

Sophia reluctantly deleted the contact. Then, she turned toward me and raised her brows slightly, the provocation in her eyes impossible to hide.

He cared so much about the men around Sophia. Yet, for my injuries, he didn’t even offer a single sincere word of concern.

That afternoon, after returning to the villa, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

When I woke up the next day, a burning pain stabbed straight through my left shoulder. I struggled to sit up and pulled open my silk robe.

The palm-sized Rossi family tattoo on my shoulder had been forcibly cut away at one corner, the edge crudely stitched with silver thread.

Blood rushed to my head. Enduring the pain, I rushed downstairs.

Sophia sat on the living room couch, casually playing with a transparent sealed box. Inside was the piece of tattooed skin, still stained with fresh blood.

She smiled, innocent yet cruel.

“Ella, the Rossi family tattoo is really beautiful. I liked it the moment I saw it, so I had the doctor take a small piece as a keepsake. You won’t be angry, right?”

“A keepsake?” My fingers clenched white. “That tattoo is a symbol of the Rossi family. What right do you have to touch it?”

“What right?” Sophia stood up and walked over while deliberately shaking the box.

“It’s because I’m the most favored young lady of the Corleone family. Also, my brother won’t blame me. You’re just an outsider who married in through an alliance. Don’t tell me you actually think you’re the lady of the Corleone family?”

That sentence lit the fuse.

I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. The sharp sound echoed through the villa.

Sophia covered her cheek and suddenly screamed, “You dare hit me?! Soldati! She has overstepped her rank. Seize her!”

The doors on both sides of the villa were thrown open. Four soldati in black suits rushed in, pressing down on my shoulders and forcing me to my knees.

Sophia said coldly, “According to the family’s punishment for overstepping one’s rank, she shall receive one hundred lashes, as a warning to others.”

The whip had been soaked in cold water, feeling like a branding iron whenever it struck my back. I let out a muffled groan, cold sweat instantly soaking my robe.

“One, two, three…” The soldato’s voice as he counted was cold and mechanical.

Each strike tore through flesh.

When the count reached ninety-nine, Sophia suddenly stepped forward and tapped my knee with the tip of her high heel.

“Make it a nice round number. One hundred. Let her remember who she is. Corleone rules aren’t something she can break.”

When the hundredth lash fell, I spat out a mouthful of blood. My vision blurred, and then everything went black.

When I woke again, I was lying on the bed in the bedroom.

Vincenzo sat on the sofa beside it, a document in his hand.

Seeing that I was awake, he finally spoke.

“I made her hand over the ruby necklace she treasured most. That counts as an apology to you.”

“A necklace?” I propped myself up. The pain in my back made me suck in a sharp breath.

“She cut off my tattoo and whipped me a hundred times, and all she loses is a necklace? Vincenzo, how are you making sense?”

He frowned, impatience creeping into his voice. “You hit her first. The punishment was justified. Ella, don’t push your luck.”

“Justified?”

I grabbed the family dagger from the bedside table, the “self-defense weapon” he had once given me, and smashed it to the floor.

The blade pierced the wood with a shrill sound. “Get out! I’ve had enough!”

Vincenzo’s expression darkened completely. However, he didn’t say anything else and turned to leave the bedroom.

Over the next three days, I gathered everything connected to him—the family badge I once pinned to my chest, the diamond handgun meant for protection, and the jewelry he had given me—and threw them all into the fireplace.

As the flames swallowed them, crackling sounds filled the room, as if mocking the absurdity of my past six years.

Vincenzo returned just in time to see me throw the last family badge into the fire. He rushed over and grabbed my wrist, anger in his voice.

“What are you doing?”

I shook off his hand and looked at the flames, my voice calm and without a trace of emotion.

“Your family, your power, everything you gave me, I don’t want any of it anymore, including you.”

He stared at me. Emotion flashed in his eyes before being quickly covered by indifference.

The fire in the fireplace gradually died down, leaving behind a pile of black ash. Just like my last attachment to the Corleone family, burned away completely.