On our fifth wedding anniversary, I discovered I was two months pregnant.

I wanted to surprise Owen Reed with the news. However, on my way home with the gift-wrapped ultrasound report, I got caught in a street shootout.

A stray bullet tore into my abdomen. Right as I collapsed on the pavement, writhing in pain, Owen appeared out of nowhere. He had told me he was away on business and would not be home until evening, but here he was, frantically shoving through the crowd.

He ran right past me and toward a woman up ahead.

"I'm sorry I'm late. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to you." His voice was soft, gentler than I had ever heard it.

He swept her up in his arms and disappeared down the street, surrounded by bodyguards.

He never saw me. I was barely three feet away, bleeding out on the ground.

When I woke up in the hospital, my baby was gone. That was when I knew I was done with this marriage.

I was lifted onto a stretcher in a daze, the doctor's urgent shouts ringing in my ears. "Can we free up the ambulance? We have an injured pregnant woman here!"

A young nurse beside me muttered indignantly under her breath. "There are so many seriously injured patients, and that woman only has a minor scrape. But she just has to take the express ambulance. This is ridiculous!"

Someone tugged at her sleeve, filling her in on Dante Rossini's background.

"Watch what you say. He's the biggest mafia boss in Luncy, famous for how much he dotes on his wife. Now that his wife is injured, of course, he's worried. That's normal."

"Just look at how tender and protective he is with her. It's so enviable!"

The crushing pain and suffocating pressure made it hard to breathe. The nurse's words sent my heart plummeting.

The day he proposed, he set off fireworks across the entire city for a day and a night. He told me with such devotion in his eyes, "Giulia Romano, I want the whole world to know how much I love you!"

After we married, Dante kept his promise. He cherished me and adored me, making me the most envied woman in all of Luncy.

Yet now, I watched him give the tenderness that should belong only to me to another woman.

"What do other people have to do with me? I'm ordering you to come check on her right now. She says she doesn't feel well!"

"But this pregnant woman is in critical condition..."

The doctor tried to advocate for me, but the next second, Dante grabbed him by the collar. "Are you trying to tell me what to do? If you still want to work in Luncy, don't question my decisions!"

His tone was vicious. The doctor trembled all over, abandoning any thought of my safety as he followed Dante into the ambulance.

The young nurse beside me gripped my hand tightly, forcing herself to stay calm as she said, "Ma'am, hang in there. You'll be fine. The next ambulance will be here soon. Let me call your family first so that they can meet you at the hospital."

In the distance, a phone rang sharply from inside the ambulance. I forced my eyes open and looked in that direction.

Dante was bent over, his gaze fixed entirely on the woman lying on the stretcher. Though his back was to me, I could perfectly imagine his expression—anxious, heartbroken, adoring.

The phone rang several times. The nurse frantically pressed the keypad, muttering complaints.

"What's going on? It's even turned off now! Doesn't he know pregnant women require extra attention? How can he be unreachable at a time like this? This is terrible!"

Unreachable at a critical moment?

No. He was there. We passed each other. He just did not see me.

We were so close, yet somehow, he did not see me at all.

Suddenly, a rush of warmth flooded from below. A pool of bright red spread beneath me. The nurse's hand trembled. She glanced at me, then summoned her courage and ran toward the ambulance.

"Mr. Rossini, could you let your wife get out first? Her leg isn't seriously hurt, and right now, there's a pregnant woman hemorrhaging badly. We need to use the emergency equipment in the ambulance—"

Before the nurse could finish, a delicate voice sounded from inside the vehicle.

"Dante, my leg hurts so much. Will I ever be able to dance again?"

Dante's icy voice cut through the air with bone-chilling coldness. "My wife is a dancer. Her legs are more important than anyone here! I need to make sure she isn't left with a scar."

He paused, then emphasized again, "No one is more important than my wife!"

She was his wife? Then who was I?

I lay there bleeding on the pavement, watching the ambulance pull away. After everything I had just witnessed, I should finally give up, should I not?

I was rushed into the emergency room, and my condition was critical because of the delay.

The young nurse said to me anxiously, "Ma'am, besides your husband, is there anyone else we can contact? Your situation is very serious. Someone needs to sign for the surgery."

I forced myself upright through the searing pain. "Let me sign it myself."

My hand trembled as I signed the consent form. The nurses' hushed conversation drifted to my ears.

"How pitiful. You really have to be careful who you marry! Look at the other wife next door. She just has a shallow scratch on her foot, and the boss is beside himself with worry. Look at this woman. She's miscarrying, and her husband is nowhere to be found..."

The anesthetic pulled me into thick darkness, letting me forget the piercing pain for a moment. However, for the hurt Dante caused me, not even powerful anesthesia could make me forget it.

In my dreams, I seemed to return to that warm moment this morning.

Dante held me close, whispering tenderly in my ear, "Today is our fifth anniversary. If I didn't have this last-minute business trip, I'd spend the whole day with you. I'll rush back tonight, and I'll bring you a gift!

"Giulia, we've been married for five years. How is it that I still love you this much? Promise me you'll never leave, okay? I can't even imagine what I'd do without you. From now on, I want to spend every anniversary with you!"

Yet in just one day, how did all my sweetness and happiness shatter completely?

When I woke from unconsciousness, I opened my eyes to meet the young nurse's pitying gaze.

"The baby couldn't be saved. If you'd gotten to the hospital earlier or if the blood loss hadn't been so severe, we could've saved it."

I closed my eyes quietly and let the tears slide down from the corners. The commotion from the next ward drifted faintly to my ears.

It was Dante and that unfamiliar woman.

"Why won't you transfer hospitals? The Rossini family's private hospital has medical resources ten times better than this place. I've hired a top medical team at premium rates. They'll guarantee your wound won't scar."

"There's no need. You're being too anxious. It's just a minor scrape. There's no reason to go through the trouble of changing hospitals. I'm fine here."

"You can stay here if you want, but I decide which doctor treats you. You got such a deep cut. I need the top medical team to evaluate and treat it to make sure it doesn't scar..."

At the same time, the young nurse came to my bedside and said softly, "Ma'am, we couldn't reach the primary contact in your phone. Do you need me to contact other family members to come and stay with you?"

The nurse handed my phone back to me, her eyes full of undisguised sympathy. The stark contrast made it impossible for me to deceive myself any longer.

Five years of marriage had been nothing but a complete and utter lie.

"No need. Please arrange for my discharge." My voice was hoarse but utterly resolute.

Shock filled the nurse's face. "Ma'am, you were hit by a stray bullet and just had a miscarriage. Your body is extremely weak. Staying in the hospital to recover is the best option."

I shook my head, my mind unchanged. "No need. I can still manage. Please help me with the paperwork. I don't want to stay here for another second."

Every single minute in this place suffocated me.

…

Back at the villa, I dragged my weakened body around and began packing my things. I called my lawyer friend, Luca Ferretti.

"I want you to draft a divorce agreement and handle the follow-up proceedings."

"Giulia, who are you talking to? Who's getting divorced?"

Dante, who had just walked through the door, interrupted me with a pale face. His eyes held unprecedented panic.

My hand paused. The next moment, I ended the call as if nothing had happened.

"A friend. She asked me to recommend a lawyer for her."

Only then did Dante breathe a huge sigh of relief. He stepped forward and pulled me tightly into his arms. "You scared me to death. I thought you were going to divorce me. But of course, you wouldn't leave me. You love me so much, and we promised we'd be together forever."

He placed an exquisite gift box in my hands.

"Happy anniversary! This is a gift I paid top price for at an auction. Do you like it? I can't wait to see how beautiful you'll look wearing it!"

Inside the box was a pair of expensive diamond earrings. He had never given me earrings or studs before, because I did not even have pierced ears! Yet after only five years of marriage, he had already forgotten this fact.

My hands trembled as I closed the lid. I struggled to keep my voice steady. "Thank you. I love them."

Dante did not notice anything unusual. He was still excitedly planning our anniversary.

"I booked a table at the most luxurious rotating restaurant in Luncy. I also prepared a grand fireworks display for you after dinner..."

At that moment, the villa's landline rang. Dante picked it up casually, but before long, he frowned.

A woman's sobs drifted faintly through the line. My heart, however, remained utterly calm.

"Giulia, something very important just came up, and I need to leave. Can you wait for me at home? Don't worry, I'll definitely be back tonight to celebrate our anniversary together.

A hint of anxiety flickered in Dante's eyes, yet he did not leave immediately. Instead, he looked at me tenderly, waiting for my answer.

At that moment, my refusal nearly spilled out. If I said no, would he still insist on leaving? However, I only stayed silent for a moment before nodding obediently.

"Okay. Go handle your business. Work comes first."

Pleased, he planted a kiss on my forehead and left in a rush.

In his haste, he did not even notice the suitcase by the door. He also failed to see the miscarriage report I had carelessly tossed on the table.

I stayed where I was, sitting alone for a full hour before I dialed Luca again to discuss the divorce proceedings. Finally, Luca tried to persuade me.

"Giulia, won't you reconsider? Everyone knows how much Dante loves you. How could he possibly betray you? Maybe there's some misunderstanding?"

A misunderstanding? I stared blankly at the jewelry box on the table, a thread of hesitation and doubt stirring in my heart.

Just then, a message popped up on my phone. The profile picture made my pupils contract.

It was the woman from today!

I accepted the request without hesitation.

She quickly sent several photos. When I made out the contents of the first one, I froze in place.

Dante was slumped over the hospital bed with his eyes closed. The woman was kissing his forehead, her eyes full of devotion.

[See? With just one phone call, no matter what he's doing or how tired he is, he'll rush back to my side immediately.]

[I've let you have him for five years. Now that I'm back, it's time for you to step aside.]

[If you don't believe me, I'll prove it to you again. He won't come back tonight, even though it's your fifth anniversary. All I have to do is say the word, and he'll drop everything for me.]

It suddenly became clear to me. It was her—Dante's childhood sweetheart, Isabella Marcelli.

She went abroad to marry five years ago. I had never met her, not even after marrying Dante.

Someone had once said to my face that Isabella was the one Dante truly loved. However, the person who said that disappeared the very next day, and I never saw him again.

My heart felt like it was being stabbed with needles. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before typing out a reply with trembling fingers.

[Fine. I'll do as you wish!]

Today, I witnessed with my own eyes just how devoted Dante was to Isabella.

I had always believed Dante's love for me would never change. However, the person he wanted to protect had already changed without me even realizing it.

A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. The gauze around my stomach was stained red again. Blood dripped onto the white carpet, the sight shockingly vivid.

I pressed a handkerchief against the wound and withstood the pain to book a flight out of Eralia.

After my friend delivered the divorce agreement for me to sign, I left without looking back.

…

At the hospital, Dante woke up to find that it was already 2:00 am. He prepared to leave in a hurry, but Isabella stopped him.

"Dante, my wound is bothering me. Can you stay with me tonight?"

Dante hesitated for a moment but still steeled himself to refuse her request.

"Not today. I promised Giulia I'd make up for our anniversary. Tomorrow, the doctor will evaluate and treat your leg injury. I've arranged for premium care as well. I'll come see you the day after tomorrow. Get some rest for now!"

With that, despite Isabella's urgent calls, Dante hurried out of the hospital.

Dante's sports car roared through the night as he rushed home at top speed.

He ran breathlessly to my room. Only when he saw the slight bulge under the covers did he relax. He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry I'm back so late. I missed our anniversary. But it's okay. Tomorrow, I'll prepare something even more spectacular. I won't go anywhere tomorrow. I'll just stay home with you."

His voice was gentle, his lips curved in a faint smile.

"Stop pretending to sleep. There's no way you could've fallen asleep before I got back..."

Yet the next second, his expression changed drastically as he yanked back the covers.

I was not there. He switched on all the lights and discovered the room was empty. All my personal belongings were gone.

Dante's pupils contracted, and he bolted down the stairs.

"Nico! Nico! Where did my wife go?" He shouted at the butler.

He rushed into the living room, about to call out again, when the glaring bloodstain on the white carpet scared him out of his wits.

"Whose blood is this? Someone, get out here now!"

In his panic, his gaze fell on the miscarriage report on the table. He froze completely in place.