After my family goes bankrupt, my younger brother, Simone Novello, is diagnosed with ALS.

Just as I think I can't do anything anymore, Don Luigi Sartori decides to propose to me.

Five years into the marriage, not only have I obtained all of Luigi's love, but he's also groomed my body to the maximum in bed.

Thinking that this is a sign of love from Luigi, I cooperate with him even more passionately in bed.

But when I'm delivering wine in a clubhouse one day, I witness Simone, who's supposed to be wheelchair-ridden, chatting with Luigi with a smile while clad in a high-end suit.

"Simone, you've been pretending to be afflicted with ASL for five years just to punish Caterina for scolding Maria back then. Now that Maria is in a good mood and plans to return to the country, shouldn't you stop punishing Caterina then?"

Simone sneers at Luigi. "I'll have my doctor inform her that I will recover after some time."

"ASL is a deadly and incurable disease, you know. How can you possibly recover from it? Will Caterina even believe that excuse?"

Simone flashes Luigi a confident smile. "Caterina is stupid, remember? Since when doesn't she believe anything we spout? Anyway, we'll just make it up to her in the future."

I lower my head, feeling my tears rolling down my cheeks quietly.

The thing is, Simone, there's no more future for me.

Your ASL is a lie, but the deadly disease plaguing me is real.

Caterina's Point-of-View

I stood there like a senseless puppet, unable to move. I suffered through the slow destruction of what I believed in over the past five years, and with every stroke, raw flesh and blood were torn away.

Luigi Sartori, my husband, said with a sigh, "I mean, Caterina dropped out of school without hesitation because of your illness, and she even agreed to marry me to satisfy my specific fetishes. I'll have someone clear out and renovate the room tomorrow."

Simone Novello, my younger brother, chuckled. "You've been waiting for Maria for five years—and she's finally back. Do you really intend to get rid of that room, Luigi?"

Luigi swirled the wine in his glass. "I don't need that room anymore—I can't bear to do those kinds of things to Maria."

I felt my heart hammering against my chest after hearing that, my face immediately turning pale. I could still feel my body aching from his rough handling in that room full of torture devices, but that physical pain was nothing compared to the sharp sting in my chest.

It felt like my heart had been gouged out, leaving a bloody void.

I realized then that when Luigi truly loved someone, he couldn't bear to hurt her. I had been foolish enough to believe that enough physical intimacy would bring our hearts closer, thinking that his cruelty was just the way he showed his love.

I smiled wryly and shook my head, listening as Simone went on.

"I don't want any of you helping Caterina until Maria returns. You are to disregard her even if she's dying in front of you. Maria has depression, and it took five years of being abroad for her to get it under control.

"If Caterina is punished for even one day less than those five years, Maria might get upset and jump to her death."

Luigi smiled faintly and said, "Those who provoke Maria's unhappiness provoke mine as well."

Those present exchanged glances, caught between envy and disbelief.

They envied how Maria Natale, just an adopted daughter of the Novello Famiglia, was protected and adored by two powerful men. They also found it hard to believe that those two men actually treated me like garbage, despite the fact that I was Simone's biological sister and Luigi's lawful wife.

It was then that someone spoke up awkwardly, offering a reminder. "Aren't you guys worried about Caterina leaving upon discovering the truth?"

Simone burst out laughing after hearing that. "You've got to be kidding me. I'm Caterina's darling brother! She cares about me more than her own life. She wouldn't leave me if her life depended on it, certainly not over being taught a minor lesson."

He then turned to Luigi and said, "Caterina has given Luigi her whole heart and has been happily married for five years. She isn't going anywhere."

He issued a warning after that, saying, "You guys better keep this in mind—if anything said in this private room today gets back to Caterina, I won't show you guys any mercy."

I leaned against the wall as my limbs went numb. It turned out that the five years I had spent risking everything were nothing but a worthless joke. I realized then that my life, my autonomy, and my very health were all forfeit the moment Maria felt the tiniest bit slighted.

It turned out that all the suffering that I had endured had been reduced to something Simone and Luigi could dismiss with a casual remark. I immediately broke down, my tears falling uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string.

It was then that a phone went off inside the private room just as someone started walking toward the door. I couldn't get away in time. I had just turned to run, but I slammed right into Carmelo Rossi, my manager, instead, causing the expensive bottle of wine I was holding to hit the floor and smash into pieces.

Carmelo's expression hardened as he knocked me down with a slap.

Simone rushed out of the private room, passing us quickly to embrace Maria, who rushed into his arms. He then asked, "Why did you come back alone, Maria? Didn't I tell you that I was going to pick you up?

"Do you feel tired? I've actually set up a professional care team for you so that you can have a full-body wellness treatment the moment you return home, Maria."

Maria laughed heartily. "I missed you, so I wanted to give you a surprise!"

I wore a mask and remained kneeling just a few feet away from them, not daring to move or speak.

I merely stared at the diamonds encrusting Maria's high heels, shimmering so brightly that my bloodshot eyes throbbed with pain. I knew that a single diamond from her shoe was worth enough to cover a year's worth of the imported medicine Simone needed.

Carmelo said softly, "I'm so sorry, sir—this clumsy idiot just smashed your bottle of wine."

Simone furrowed his brow and gestured toward me. "I don't care, but since you're the one who broke it, clear these shards from the hallway with your bare hands. I'll make you swallow them if Maria so much as steps on a single shard."

That hallway was lined with thick, muffled carpeting, so the shards of glass were buried deep in the fibers and hard to spot.

I had to stay on my knees, using my bare palms to crawl and feel the surface to find them.

Maria narrowed her eyes as she stared at my back. She then looped her arm through Simone's and whined to Simone and Luigi, "I'm so tired."

"I'll carry you, then; after all, it's too dangerous for you to walk here," Simone said as he planted his black leather shoe on the back of my hand and ground his weight into it.

He finally stepped over me as if I weren't even there, with Luigi trailing right behind him.

I stayed on my knees, staring at the glass embedded in my palm. I started out crying, but eventually ended up laughing.

Carmelo was terrified by my appearance. "What's the matter with you? Why do you have a nosebleed?"

I stumbled to my feet and wiped my face messily with my sleeve. "It might be because I'm dying soon."

I didn't even look back at Carmelo's stunned expression after saying that. I let the blood drip on the floor as I walked away unsteadily.

I had just reached home when I heard something break in the kitchen.

Simone used his hands to try to push himself up from his fallen wheelchair. He looked ashamed, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, as he noticed me standing at the doorway. "I only wanted to fix you something to eat, Caterina. I can't believe how useless I am…"

I was deceived by his hypocritical, masterful performance for five years, turning myself into a total fool. I desperately wanted to discover if there was any warmth in him at that very moment or if he was actually completely heartless.

Simone lowered his head after noticing my silence. "I know I'm just a dead weight to you, Caterina. I think you should just go and forget about me—just let me die all alone here."

He then raised his hand to strike his own face, lamenting loudly, "Why am I still alive, Caterina?"

I said nothing as I walked over, set the wheelchair upright, and helped him into it. I then fetched a towel and wiped his face and hands clean. I had done this routine for five years, so by now, it was second nature to me. I cooked dinner, left one of his imported medications on the table, and left without saying anything.

Simone knew I was heading to a night shift. He reflected on my sickly complexion, my prolonged silence, and my emaciated frame, feeling a sudden pang of alarm. He realized then that he couldn't recall a single detail of the bright, spirited person I had once been.

He felt a sharp pang shooting through his chest, a strange mixture of guilt and anxiety washing over him. He grabbed his phone and made a quick call. "I think it's time for us to wrap this up ahead of schedule, Luigi—Caterina has been punished enough."

I took Simone to the hospital for his check-up the following day.

His attending doctor looked thrilled as he announced, "Ms. Novello, we just found out that a private research center has developed a breakthrough medication for ALS. They're only accepting two trial patients, and Don Sartori has already arranged for Simone to get one of the slots. Don Sartori clearly adores you, Ms. Novello."

I merely nodded calmly in contrast to his dramatic display. "What's the probability of Simone's recovery?"

"There's an 80% chance."

Simone played his part, crying tears of joy. "I'm finally going to get better! Doesn't that make you happy, Caterina?"

I managed a strained smile and replied, "If only one of us can survive, no matter the circumstances, I want it to be you, Simone."

Simone was stunned. He seemed so taken aback by my sincerity that he forgot to maintain his fake stutter.

He furrowed his brow and snapped, "How could you spout such nonsense, Caterina? You and I are both going to be fine! I'm going to make sure you live like a princess again, without a single worry in the world, once I'm back on my feet, Caterina!"

I no longer wanted that kind of life anymore, though. I was going to give everything up—Simone and Luigi included—to Maria.

I was sent out of the doctor's office after that on the grounds that the check-up would take quite some time.

I headed to another office instead, where the doctor said with a sigh, "I'm sorry, but your brain tumor has grown too large to operate on. If you had come two weeks earlier, there would have been hope. You've got a day or two at most, so you should say your goodbyes to your loved ones, Ms. Novello."

I remained silent for a long while before nodding slightly. I then handed the doctor a paper with Luigi's home address written on it. "Please have me cremated right away and send the ashes to this address after I'm dead."

I left behind the little money I had and left the hospital. I had just stepped out when I suddenly received a message. "I actually recognized you that day at Twilight Lounge, Caterina. I just want you to know that Simone belongs to me, and so does Luigi.

"You're just some pathetic stray no one wants. Your life is a joke, so you might as well just drop dead now. Oh, by the way—I've sent you a gift, Caterina."

I wandered aimlessly like some restless spirit the entire day, and it wasn't until I stumbled home in a daze that I found out what Maria's gift was.

I noticed that the front door was wide open, and the house was in complete disarray. Simone was being held down on the ground by someone, like a desperate stray dog in its final struggle. That scene was so familiar that I started shaking all over—my previously broken ribs seemed to flare up with phantom pain.

It was then that Davide Conti, the leader of the group, said, "It's been a while. When are you paying this month's debt, Ms. Novello?"

I turned completely pale. "Didn't Luigi pay it all back already? How do I still owe you anything?"

Davide spat on the floor before waving the iron rod in his hand a couple of times over Simone's back. "If I say you owe us money, then you owe us money. You don't want to pay up, huh? I'm not sure how many swings Simone's brittle bones can handle, though, Ms. Novello."

"I'm the one who got you into this mess, so just forget about me and leave, Caterina. I'm just a cripple—it doesn't matter if they beat me to death!"

I had heard those exact words countless times over the past five years. I felt utterly exhausted as I looked at the room full of debt collectors demanding payment and then at Simone, who looked like a disheveled mess on the floor, though his eyes were sharp and focused.

I finally understood the whole situation. I found it quite absurd that I only realized it now—for all their threats, they had never actually laid a finger on Simone. I, on the other hand, ended up with broken ribs, a limp, and a body covered in bruises just to protect a man who was playing me for a fool.

I swallowed hard against the ache in my throat and looked at Simone. I then asked Davide hoarsely, "What else do you want from me?"

Davide sized me up with a nasty grin and said, "I'll tell you what—if you crawl between the legs of all twelve of us and bark three times like a dog, we'll call it even for today."

Simone roared, "You must not crawl through their legs, Caterina!"

I let out a hollow, numb smile, and the last shred of warmth inside me froze over entirely. "If this is what you want, then let's be done with it."

Simone was suddenly seized by panic, even though I was talking to Davide. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself when he remembered his promise to Maria.

He assumed that since this was my final punishment, he would never let me be wronged again in the future. He remained convinced that he had plenty of time to make amends to me later.

Having justified it to himself, Simone averted his gaze. He quietly snapped a few photos of my degradation and sent them off to Maria.

I lay on the ground for a long time after the crowd had dispersed before I finally found the strength to get to my feet. Simone crawled toward me, his eyes bloodshot. He had been ready to launch into another performance of self-pity, but the sight of my hollow, lifeless eyes made the words die in his throat.

It was the following day when the doctor showed up to escort Simone to his treatment. He had given me his word before leaving, saying, "I'll be back soon, Caterina. I'm never going to let anyone hurt you ever again."

I merely smiled faintly in response, remaining silent throughout. I suddenly covered my mouth the moment they left, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

I recalled the doctor telling me that a ruptured brain tumor meant that I was going to die. I, strangely enough, wasn't afraid in the slightest when I collapsed.

I was suddenly flooded with memories of Simone being kind to me back when he was still a child. I remembered him braiding my hair, sharing his sweets, and watching over me when I was unconscious with a high fever.

I then thought of what he told me back then. "I'll make a lot of money when I grow up, build the biggest castle for you, and make you the happiest princess in the world, Caterina."

I suddenly thought of Luigi, who hadn't reached out to me once since Maria came back. I couldn't help but wonder if he was too busy looking after Maria.

I pushed the thought aside, as it didn't matter to me anymore. I choked back my tears and, with blood still on my hands, shakily opened my phone. I then sent one last message to both Simone and Luigi. "Please bury me next to Mamma and Papa. Goodbye."

I weakly closed my eyes after sending the message.