Since I hadn’t heard from Dominick for days, it was clear that his dedication was to the wedding.

Before, he was never one to take initiative unless the matter was of urgency. Gia was his one and only exception.

Gia bombarded me with photos of a wedding gown inlaid with hundreds of Miranth Gulf pearls and a one-of-a-kind diamond ring.

With a blank expression, I quietly saved every one of the photos she’d flaunted in my face.

“Archibald, print these out and place them in a box together with the divorce papers,” I instructed the butler.

Not one of Dominick’s men, Archibald, the butler, came from my family, who raised me from a child. He never left my side when I parted ways with my family.

He had been my constant companion over the years. In a way, he was a father to me.

Dominick’s call came in shortly after Archibald took off. He sounded pretty amused.

“Luna, I’m really sorry for ditching you the other day. I’ve set up a trip for you five days from now to make it up to you. What do you say?”

His wedding to Gia would take place five days later.

I stayed silent for a long time before murmuring, “Will you be coming along?”

Dominick sighed. “I can’t. I have critical business to attend to, but I’ll head straight to you once I’m done.”

I chuckled. “Critical business? Define ‘critical’.”

My line of questioning tested Dominick’s patience, and his tone changed. “You should know that I can’t stand women who ask too many questions, Luna.

“The matter is final. Get some early rest.”

Without giving me a chance to respond, Dominick hung up.

The trip was no treat or request for my input. It was a direct notice and an order filled with betrayal and lies.

I looked out the window. The snow piled up outside, blurring my view.

The heavy silence in the ward amplified the faint throbbing of the heartbeat in my belly.

I caressed my small bump, an indescribable pang of sorrow overwhelming me.

‘As you wish, I will be gone in five days, Dominick, and I’m never coming back.’

Three days later, I was discharged to make my way to my residence. By then, Dominick’s wedding was two days away.

As the wedding approached, Gia’s excitement spilled over, and it was evident in her endless calls to brag.

Unable to stand the harassment, I blocked her number.

From this point forward, I wanted nothing to do with Dominick or Gia, or anything related to them.

Clearly, my indifference didn’t sit well with Gia, so she started a rumor that I’d ripped into her for taking up too much of Dominick’s time.

When Dominick called to confront me, I was packing my bags.

“Gia could use a vacation, so I brought her along for the ride. Why are you being so petty?

“Luna, apologize to Gia for your rude behavior right now!”

“Apologize?” I paused as if I’d heard the most absurd joke ever.

“Why should I?”

“Because she’s in tears!” His angry growl boomed on the other end of the line.

In all honesty, I barely ever saw Dominick losing his marbles. Though his methods were brutal, he had always gotten his point across without raising his voice. Besides, he had always treated me with respect.

Pushing back the resentment, I tried to keep my voice steady. “I don’t care if you believe me or not, Dominick, but I have never said anything insulting to her. She won’t get an apology out of me.

“It’s ridiculous to say that I’m jealous of her hogging your time. It’s one thing if you’re with another woman, but Gia is your sister. Why should I be jealous?

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re more than a brother to her or that she’s not a sister to you?”

“What are you talking about?” Dominick yelled.

For once, I called him out on his relationship with Gia, and it rattled him.

The typically cool-headed Don lost his reason.

He snapped, “Luna, don’t play games with me. I know that you can’t stand Gia.

“You’re jealous of her.

“If you don’t make things right with her, I won’t be as forgiving.”

Was that so?

In the past, whenever I was crossed, no matter how trivial the incident, Dominick would swear, “Nobody gets to upset you and gets away with it.”

He was true to his word back then. Those who spoke ill of me had their tongues ripped out, and the touchy-feely ones had their hands cut off.

Dominick once considered me his most prized possession. Yet now, he threatened to use his methods on me.

I laughed bitterly at myself. Love sure was fleeting, with the line between a lover and an enemy so thin.

Despite knowing his cruel ways, I would never bow down to Gia.

However, I had never expected Dominick to throw a low blow. Instead of punishing me himself, he gave the power to the household staff.

The next day, I got up without a wake-up call and was not served any breakfast.

“Where’s breakfast?” I uttered coldly while staring at the empty table.

“Don Costa made it clear that Ms. Gia Costa is the Donna of the household. Only she is entitled to preferential treatment,” the maid stood there, announcing smugly.

As I kept my head low in silence, the staff snickered, their eyes reflecting none of the fear they had held for me.

“Oh, we bet that you’d stay in favor for at least a decade, but Don Costa got tired of you in just three years. You’re pretty useless.”

“Right? Had we known, we would’ve wasted our time sucking up to you. Don Costa’s going to get rid of you in no time.”

“That’s enough. Ms. Costa will be back any minute. We need to hurry and tidy up the place for her. Don’t forget to tell the kitchen to make all her favorite food.”

The maids bustled around me. One of them even bumped hard into my shoulder while brushing past.

I grabbed her arm and slammed her hard against the wall.

“W-What are you trying to do?” Startled by my retaliation, the maid cried out.

Instead of replying to her, I lifted my hand to slap her.

“As you can see, I’m putting the staff in place.”

With my payback catching the maids off guard, they hung their heads low and bit their tongues.

Just as I was about to turn away, I spotted Dominick standing at the door, his arm linking Gia’s.

His expression was stiff, and he stared at me, clearly unamused.

“Don Costa, you’re back.”

The maid I’d slapped pushed me aside and rushed toward Dominick. She held her swollen cheek and cried dramatically.

“We followed your instructions not to prepare breakfast for Donna Costa, but she came down hard on us a-and hit me.”

The others chimed in. “That’s right. She started smashing things. We tried reasoning with her, but she threatened to hurt us unless we put poison in Ms. Costa’s food.”

“Poison?”

Dominick and I widened our eyes in shock.

He could not believe my alleged malice, and I was appalled by the sheer cruelty of the staff who had addressed me so sweetly before.

I refuted, my head cocked in the direction of Dominick, “That’s not what happened. They are lying. I have said nothing of that matter. They were the ones who insulted me—”

My words came to a halt as Dominick narrowed his eyes at me dangerously.

It was a look I’d never seen before.

“You don’t trust me?” My eyes welled up.

Averting my gaze, Dominick uttered, “I’m not an idiot, Luna.

“I know my staff better than anyone. They wouldn’t dream of insulting you, much less raising their voices at you.”

I stared at him in stunned silence before bursting out in laughter.

‘You’re as cocky and self-assured as always, Dominick.

‘That was the case before when you loved me. Now that everybody in the family is speculating on your relationship with Gia, I’m no longer a Donna to the staff.’

I turned on my heel with a sigh when Gia said, her voice full of fragility, “Luna, are you still upset that I went with Dom on his business trip? I’ve assured you repeatedly that there is nothing between Dom and me. Why won’t you believe me?

“After the fuss you’ve caused, I dare not imagine what everyone thinks of me or Dom as the Don. We have done absolutely nothing.”

With the subject brought up, Dominick furrowed his brows. “I only intended to give you a little punishment. I didn’t expect you to take things so far, to the point of harming my sister.

“In that case, you can reflect on your behavior in the sub-basement. You’re free to go when you stop imagining things.”

I stopped in my tracks, unable to believe my ears.

Was he holding me captive all because of Gia?

No.

I snapped back to reality, realizing that he was trying to stop me from finding out about the wedding two days later.

The imprisonment was a better way to keep things on the down low than sending me away on a trip.

Dominick’s intention was lost on the staff, though. Assuming that Dominick had given up on me, the maids looked at me with greater disdain.

Also missing the plot, Gia said pretentiously, “Isn’t that too harsh on Luna, Dom?”

Dominick ignored Gia’s plea and summoned the men to take me away.

I stood there without putting up a fight, my eyes zeroing in on Dominick callously.

“I have one last question for you. I’ll go once I get an answer.”

Dominick was taken aback, possibly due to my overly flat tone.

“Speak.”

“Is Gia a family member or a lover to you?”

With the question leaving my lips, everybody looked down while Dominick froze.

The staff were stunned that I’d come out and ask Dominick right in the face. Dominick was taken aback by the certainty in my tone

It sounded less like a question and more like a statement.

Dominick’s expression went stiff. Nevertheless, he quickly pulled himself together and resumed his usual stern look.

“Luna, let me be clear one last time. Gia is family to me.

“I will only be disappointed in you if you don’t drop the subject.”

I stared at him in silence, silently applauding his convincing act. His eyes held no hint of apology for lying through his teeth.

As tension grew thick in the room, the staff held their breath and waited for my moment of hysteria.

However, I did nothing of that sort. Instead, I chuckled to myself. “Oh, really?

“Understood.”

Dominick was dumbstruck at first, but he quickly relaxed his tense muscles, thinking that I had bought his story.

I stepped around Dominick and approached the security staff. “Let’s go. Take me to the sub-basement.”

The security staff exchanged glances, baffled by the situation. “Don Costa, uh…”

“Don’t just stand there. The Donna has spoken. Lead her to the dungeon,” Dominick snapped impatiently.

Even with my compliance, Dominick decided to lock me away to cover his bases.

As always, Dominick exercised caution.

Heeding his call, the security staff surrounded me as if I were some heinous criminal.

I walked behind the security staff quietly with my head down.

Since Costa went to great lengths to keep me in the dark, it was pointless for me to cause a scene.

My gift for them would arrive in time for the wedding anyway.

The question I posed was Dominick’s final chance, and he made his choice.

For some reason, I felt free when he claimed that Gia was nothing more than family to him.

There was no absolute reason for salvaging the marriage anymore.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Archibald, who had just hurried back, while on my way to the sub-basement.

“Don Costa, Donna Costa has just been discharged from the hospital. She won’t survive a cold, damp place like the dungeon.”

“Discharged?” Furrowing his brows, Dominick finally noticed how unusually pale I looked.

“What exactly is going on?”

“Donna Costa is pr—”

“But Luna was looking mighty fine before we went away.”

Gia cut Archibald off and smiled cheekily. “Oh, I was just saying since Luna was at home when she video-called to yell at me.”

She turned to the maid and asked in confusion, “Am I mistaken?”

Taking the cue, the maid backed Gia up. “That’s right. We can testify that Donna Costa has been home these past few days. She hasn’t been to the hospital.”

Dominick looked at me in disappointment and fury, his expression ashen.

Rather than taking his anger out on me, Dominick pointed his gun at Archibald.

Bang!

A shot was fired.

Archibald fell back, and blood gushed out of his right leg.

Wham!

A loud ringing echoed in my ears. It was as if the world had stopped.

“No! No! Archibald!”

I broke free of the security staff’s hold with all my might and rushed to Archibald, tears rolling down my cheeks onto his face.

Guilt washed over me as I tore a strip from my skirt to wrap around his leg. Still, blood seeped through and stained my hands.

There I thought Dominick’s only sin was his infidelity and the lies to cover his affair with Gia. I never imagined that he’d be cruel enough to hurt the people I held dear.

I glared at Dominick resentfully, dying to tear him apart.

Dominick was stunned by my dramatic response.

The way he saw it, Archibald was nothing more than an insignificant subordinate.

Shying away from my gaze, Dominick wiped the barrel of his gun and turned to his staff.

“Don’t ever let me catch anyone gossiping or lying to me, or you’ll end up like him.”

The staff nodded without another word.

Reality dawned on me that Dominick pulled the trigger as a warning to the staff not to breathe a word about today.

This was especially since I publicly called him out on his relationship with Gia.

He cared a lot about his reputation as the Don since his affair with his stepsister would be very damaging.

‘You’re ruthless and selfish, Dominick.’

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Stop crying. A bullet to the leg is not fatal.”

Dominick told the security staff. “Don’t just stand there. Take Luna to the dungeon now.”

The security staff slammed into me, gripping me by the arms to drag me out.

Thanks to their manhandling, I curled up into a ball in agony from my cramping stomach.

The security staff immediately released their hold on me. “We didn’t do anything, Don Costa.”

As I broke out in sweat, Dominick rushed to my side in a panic and uttered frantically, “Stop with the act, Luna. Get up now!”

However, I lost the strength to answer him. The world around me was blurring out.

Just one second before blacking out, I spotted a crack in Dominick’s stern demeanor.

He scooped me into his arms and shouted, “Get an ambulance now!”

Dominick stayed by my side for quite a while.

He raised his arm and traced his fingers along my haggard, hollow cheek.

Suddenly, the doctor burst into the ward, beaming with a test result in hand.

“I have great news, Don Costa. Donna Costa is—”

Dominick’s phone rang.

He gestured for the doctor to zip it before taking the call.

Gia must have said something on the phone because Dominick got up to leave abruptly.

The doctor went after Dominick, only to be stopped by his security staff.

“Are you sure you want to go along? You can kiss your career goodbye if you interrupt Don Costa during his date with Ms. Costa.”

“But Donna Costa is pregnant. Don Costa needs to know since she’s at risk of losing the baby if she’s confined to the dungeon.”

“Pregnant?”

The security staff widened their eyes.

However, they quickly sneered, “I’d advise you to save your breath. I’m sure you’ve heard about Archibald. Surely, you are aware of the consequences of defending Luna.

“Besides, Don Costa might not even believe you. Even if he did, he won’t go easy on Luna. The whole family knows that he’s over her. You’re going to regret upsetting Ms. Costa. I’m sure you’re wise enough to make the right decision.”

The medical team exchanged looks before ultimately discarding the test result in the can.

Dominick assumed shooting Archibald would squash the rumors. However, the staff merely held their tongues on the subject in his presence.

The rumors would only run rampant, and Dominick would never come close to the truth.

With that, I was thrown into a cell.

As opposed to having scraps for prison food, I was well attended and served the gourmet cuisine as always.

The security staff were perplexed. “What is Don Costa thinking? I thought this was meant to be a punishment. Why does the whole thing feel off?”

“Being the kind soul she is, Ms. Costa probably appealed on her behalf.”

“You have a point. Don Costa only takes advice from Ms. Costa. She must’ve stepped in to help.”

“Ms. Costa is such a sweet lady. If only she’s the Donna. She’d have our interest at heart.”

I huddled in a corner, listening in silence and amusement.

There was no way Gia was behind the leniency. She wanted me dead in the dungeon more than anyone else.

True enough, it wasn’t long before Gia aggressively stormed in and kicked the door to the sub-basement open.

By the looks of her teary eyes, Gia must have been weeping.

“Why? Why am I just a plaything to him?” She cried manically, the look in her eyes enough to kill me.

She assumed that by throwing me into a cell, Dominick had lost all faith in me. Gathering her courage, Gia asked him to make her his legal wife.

Alas, Dominick did not respond in Gia’s favor. If that wasn’t bad enough, Dominick lost his temper with her for the first time.

“He refuses to divorce you. Why? Is it because I’m his sister? But we aren’t even related!”

Gia sobbed desperately. “So I’m just a means to his pleasure? Is he going to dump me after the wedding and birth of our child? No… I can’t let that happen. I won’t stand for it!”

She looked up abruptly and gave me a dirty look. “Once you’re out of the picture, Dom will only have eyes for me.”

I took a step back with a frown. “What are you trying to do?”

Her hands shook as she drew a knife from her pocket. My eyes went wide.

All at once, the knife plunged into my abdomen, and blood spurted.

Holding my belly, I stared at her in disbelief.

It would take some twisted sort of love to make a young woman kill.

Before I knew it, a black cloth was thrown over me.

As several individuals lifted me out of the dungeon, I passed out during the wobbly ride.

The next time I opened my eyes, Archibald was right there by my side, together with a member of the security staff.

I jumped into his arms, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Thank goodness one of those men carrying you out was my trusted contact. If it weren’t for him, you would’ve…”

By the sound of his trembling voice, Archibald was terrified.

I patted his back and assured him that I was fine, but he looked distraught, clearly having something on his mind.

“Ms. Bianchi, the baby…”

“I know.”

The realization hit me the moment I regained consciousness.

The familiar heartbeat was gone.

More than sadness, I felt a sense of release.

“Ms. Bianchi, it’s time to board your scheduled flight.”

Archibald gave me a reminder.

I had been planning my escape, but somehow, Gia managed to lend me a hand.

It came with the cost of my unborn child, though.

Archibald suffered permanent injury to his leg because of me too.

In some ways, this marriage ended in nothing but defeat for me.

However, Dominick was not walking away unscathed either.

I set the small embryo carefully at the bottom of the box before giving it to the security guy.

“Make sure you deliver this to Don Costa at his wedding tomorrow.

“Do pass along my best wishes for his second marriage..

…

(Third-Person Perspective)

“Don Costa, Archibald has gone missing from the hospital,” the doctor said anxiously.

Not even lifting his head, Dominick responded, “Oh, he’s irrelevant. You are dismissed.”

However, the doctor stayed put.

Dominick finally looked up.

After much hesitation, the doctor uttered, “Don Costa, there is one thing I must inform you of. Donna Costa—”

“That’s enough. I’m not interested in anything concerning her.”

Dominick interrupted the doctor at the mention of my name.

Reading the room, the doctor sighed and excused himself.

Dominick heaved heavily, not understanding what had become of him. Luna’s mere name could squeeze his heart, and not in a good way.

His mind flew back to the serene look on Luna’s face when he answered her question.

It was as if Luna had already figured everything out.

No, it was absolutely impossible. Dominick was quick to banish the thought.

Knowing Luna as he did, Dominick reckoned she’d have a full-blown meltdown if she ever learned about his affair. Staying calm was the last thing she’d be.

“Dom…” Gia’s voice pulled Dominick back to reality.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dominick sounded less enthusiastic for once. “What’s the matter?”

Taken aback by his tone, Gia pulled a wry smile. “Nothing. I came by to let you know that the guests have all arrived. We should head down to the venue.”

“Okay,” Dominick hummed while taking his time to fasten his tie.

These supposed distinguished guests were merely hired actors.

Dominick dressed the whole thing up as a wedding just to appease Gia.

He was worried that his rejection would lead Gia to expose the entire affair, so he had to keep her sweet for now.

It was never in Dominick’s plans to marry Gia. In his mind, Luna would always be his Donna.

Luna possessed intelligence and prudence, neither of which Gia had.

The years of lackluster in the bedroom department led him to stray a little.

Once he was done going behind Luna’s back, he would send Gia abroad and go back to Luna.

With that in mind, Dominick could feel his anxiety melting away.

“Bring me the purple tie.” He turned to a maid.

The maid went to the vault for a look, and she was gone for a long time. “Don Costa, I can’t locate the tie.”

Though surprised, Dominick didn’t think much of the incident. “Just grab me any tie.”

Half an hour later, Dominick set out for the wedding venue. Before his departure, he called upon his Underboss. “Check the sub-basement. Make sure no one has access to the place.”

He got into the car, putting on the smile of a man who was about to get hitched.

The tiny island was alive with celebration as Gia approached him, draped in an extravagant wedding dress.

They exchanged vows before the priest and shared a kiss in a room full of people.

Soon, everybody extended their well-wishes and presented their gifts.

Feeling thrilled, Gia tore open the presents while Dominick stood beside and watched on aloofly.

He had prepared these gifts beforehand.

There, his gaze was drawn to something in the corner, and he was stunned.

He didn’t recognize the gift.

Furrowing his brows, Dominick went over and picked up the gift box.

The box was plain with a line of text scribbled on the bottom right.

“See you never.”

“What is it? It looks so tacky.” With a frown, Gia was ready to throw the gift away.

Dominick pressed down on her hand, his eyes narrowing on the line of text. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach.

He opened the box with trembling hands, and his body seized up.

A thin sheet of paper was placed on the very top.

It was a divorce certificate.

With a shaky grasp, Dominick lifted the paper and read the words at the bottom. It was then his world stopped.

Two names stood out.

Luna Bianchi.

Dominick Costa.

It was the end of their marriage written in ink.

A wave of dizziness hit Dominick as his mind went blank.

He stared at his signature on the divorce papers. It was clearly his handwriting, but he had no recollection of ever signing it.

Luna’s birthday came to mind.

It was the bills.

Dominick held the box, his thoughts spiraling out of control.

“What’s wrong, Dom?” Gia drew close. She was surprised to see the divorce papers.

It never occurred to her that Luna would leave Dominick since the latter was a Don, a man any woman would kill to be with.

Paying her no heed, Dominick only had Luna on his mind. He started rummaging through the box, his scowl deepening.

The box contained junk like a broken doll, damaged jewelry, and a fake necklace without the “Lucky” engraving.

These gifts, exchanged between him and Luna, were memories he stored safely in the vault.

As a bad feeling overcame him, Dominick carried the box out.

“To the sub-basement.”

At that point, the main doors swung open.

A group of people dressed to the nines flooded into the room.

Color drained from Dominick’s face as these people were genuine members of the social elite.

What were they doing here? Dominick did not recall inviting them.

While pouring into the hall, the guests observed the wedding venue in shock.

With all seats taken, there was absolutely no room for them.

They looked at Dominick in confusion.

“Uh… Don Costa, didn’t you invite us to a reception? Why aren’t there any seats saved for us?”

“That’s right? We were told there was a party. Why does it look like a wedding is going on?”

The guests pulled out their invitations and exchanged confused looks.

Suddenly, the huge screen lit up and played private videos of Dominick and Gia.

“Dom, if I’d known you were so amazing, I would’ve given myself to you a long time ago.”

“Tell me, Dom. Am I the woman you love the most?”

“Yes, I love you the most.” Dominick’s breathing was ragged.

“How do I fare with Luna? Do you prefer me over her?”

“Of course. You are the one I truly love.”

…

The bustling guests went quiet before erupting into an uproar.

“Oh, my God? What was that? Is Don Costa cheating on his wife with his sister?”

“It gets worse. Look at the bride on the platform. She’s the girl in the video clips.”

“He’s marrying his sister? That’s outrageous!”

Dominick scowled. The screen quickly refreshed and displayed an insane amount of chatlogs.

Gia’s bragging texts were revealed to the crowd.

“You can’t ever hold onto him. I’m the only one fit to stand right next to him.”

The guests broke out in clamor as Gia turned pale, her lips quivering.

“You’re a vile woman, Luna! You’re far more cunning than I thought.”