When the wolves attacked the Montefioralle Village, my sister and I hid in a tree. My husband, Fabio Marino, didn’t hesitate. He rode in on his horse, lifted my sister down from the tree and galloped away.

Meanwhile, I was left alone. I could only cling to a branch no thicker than my arm, while wolves bared their sharp teeth below.

The next day, I submitted a divorce request to the City Hall. In response, Fabio frowned and said, “Serena was weak, so I saved her first. Are you jealous about that?”

I looked straight into his eyes and answered calmly, “Whatever you say.”

——

The City Hall tried to persuade me several times, but I refused to change my mind. In the end, they approved our divorce. When I received the divorce certificate, I finally felt free. Fabio put his ID back into his pocket.

As he reached the door, he turned around and said coldly, “I’ll take you there.”

I shook my head, responding, “No thanks, Mr. Marino.”

Fabio looked annoyed by the way I addressed him.

“Sofia, don’t be so distant. We were married for three years. Even if we’re divorced, we can still help each other,” he told me.

I was surprised that Fabio said that. I thought with Serena back, he’d be glad I was leaving and giving them space.

“Mr. Marino, being divorced means we’re no longer family, or even friends. So, I hope we won’t contact each other again.”

“You-”

“Besides, we don’t have children, so there’s really no reason to stay in touch.”

Fabio’s face darkened. He let out a cold snort and left. I watched him go and sighed softly.

But when I thought about the money and food coupons in my bag, my sadness quickly faded. In times like these, survival was all that mattered. And I, with no family to rely on, had to fight for my own future. I was the real daughter of the Altomare Family, but I never received any help from them.

On the contrary, the divorce gave me a decent amount of money.

The Altomare Family wouldn’t give me an equal share of their wealth, so I only asked for a small amount. Fortunately for me, Fabio was generous. He gave me all the cash in the house and a property in the eastern part of the city. It might be his way of compensating me.

I thought it would be enough for me to live for half a lifetime. My hand brushed over the money wrapped in a handkerchief inside my bag and I couldn’t help but smile. Finally, I could start living for myself.

I took my few belongings and hurried to the house in the east. I spent the day changing the locks and setting up my bed. Even when I lay down that night, I kept touching the property deed and the money.

The house was now in my name. It really gave me a feeling of safety I had never known before. I thought leaving Fabio would hurt and make me miserable. After all, I had loved him during our three years of marriage.

But to my surprise, I slept soundly that night.

Our marriage had been arranged by our families. Fabio’s father and my grandfather were both police officers who had fought side by side against the mafia. Because of that bond, our families decided on the marriage.

But the marriage was meant for Serena, not me. She had been the precious ‘daughter’ of the Altomare Family for eighteen years. Instead, I was the real daughter of the Altomare Family. I had been mistakenly switched at birth by a careless midwife.

If that hadn’t happened, Fabio and I would never have met. When I was sixteen, the Altomare Family finally found me. I cried as I explained that I was their real daughter and that the midwife’s mistake had caused everything.

My adoptive parents had died young, so I grew up in an orphanage. When I saw the Altomare Family arrive in their car, I thought my days of worrying about school fees were finally over.

The orphanage I grew up in was very poor. Not every child had the chance to go to school.

But after I returned to my real family, I didn’t get any apology or comfort from my parents. Instead, I only got coldness. At that time, I told myself, ‘It’s fine. As long as I can study, nothing else matters.’

They said that since Serena’s parents had passed away, they couldn’t send her away. They would keep her at home and treat her like their own daughter. Meanwhile, I lived in a damp, dark attic of a small Spanish-style house. Mr. and Mrs. Altomare said that there weren’t enough rooms.

In that house, I didn’t look like a daughter of the family at all. It was more like a maid’s child. It wasn’t until my parents told me to get married that I found out the truth. They told me that the match was arranged by my grandfather.

It turned out that the soldier Serena had once loved had been badly injured in battle and was now paralyzed.

Serena cried endlessly, saying, “I can’t marry a disabled man. My whole life would be ruined!”

The marriage eventually fell on me. I could have refused, but I agreed with it when I remembered the memory of that tall, straight man. He looked so steady and proud. That year, I was 18 years old. In fact, I was about to take the university entrance exam.

Initially, I wanted to wait until after the test to get married, but my parents didn’t allow it. They even canceled my exam registration. So, at an age when I should have been studying, I became the wife of Fabio, a twenty-three-year-old man who had earned first-class honors from the police academy.

When I first went to see Fabio, he flew into a rage, smashed a vase at my feet and shouted for Serena. Meanwhile, Serena was already happily preparing for university due to our father’s arrangement even though her grades barely met the minimum score.

On our wedding day, my mother cried endlessly. She was talking about the hardships of our family, Serena’s sadness and my father’s gray hair. I stood there quietly.

None of that had anything to do with me. I agreed to the marriage only because of Fabio. I didn’t know if I truly loved him, but at least being with him would give me a kind of freedom.

I had read in the newspaper how Fabio fought bravely against the mafia who tried to revolt close to our borders and how he caught drug traffickers with his bare hands. The papers praised his courage and sense of justice.

I had always admired brave and selfless people, especially those police officers who gave their lives for the country. To marry such a man felt like an honor, not a shame.

On our wedding day, Fabio sat in his wheelchair and stayed silent the whole time. I was nervous, my hands shaking and I kept wiping away sweat. I almost tripped while walking down the aisle. People around us burst out laughing.

I vaguely heard someone mention Serena’s name. Fabio’s face grew darker. In that moment, I understood. Fabio surely still loved Serena. Otherwise, why would he hate me so much? For the first time, I regretted both the marriage and my hidden feelings for him.

The Altomare Family was powerful. The wedding caused a great stir in society. But his parents were kind and gentle toward me. I actually felt more at ease in their home than I ever had in the Altomare Family’s house.

Since I loved reading, I was overjoyed when I saw their large study full of books. At first, Fabio ignored me. But he then eventually started talking to me more. He would push his wheelchair into the study to recommend books and stopped refusing my help so often.

Later, the Altomare Family found a master of Romani folk medicine who had lived in seclusion for many years. The master said there was still hope for Fabio’s recovery. That day, everyone was filled with joy.

The master gave Fabio some herbs and said it had to be done once a week, along with massages and herbal medicine. I learned the massage techniques from the folk doctor and personally made herbal remedies for Fabio. Even though I missed my college exam, I didn’t give up on studying.

From then on, my days were spent between my books and helping Fabio recover.

On the first day, Fabio felt very uncomfortable and even told me to leave. However, I refused to give up. I kept massaging him. After all, I wanted him to recover soon. Besides, I was afraid the servants wouldn’t be as careful or strong enough to help him properly.

I learned fast. Within a week, I had memorized every acupuncture point on the human body, earning praise from the old folk medicine master. Slowly, Fabio got used to my massages, moving from resistance to acceptance.

A year later, he finally regained feeling in his legs and could even stand up. That day, I cried for a long time, truly happy for him. The Altomare Family celebrated with fireworks.

I pushed Fabio’s wheelchair around the yard and he gently held my hand and thanked me. At that moment, I saw light in Fabio’s eyes again. It was real, warm and full of life.

The next year, the master said Fabio’s recovery was going very well and that he would soon be able to walk on his own. He even praised my massage for helping his progress. We both started to believe in hope again.

One evening, I went to the bathroom to bring Fabio his pajamas. Unexpectedly, he stood up. His bronze skin glowed under the light, so my face turned red at once. I quickly turned around, stammering apologies at the door.

That night, both of us were too shy to speak. We were lying in bed quietly with our hearts beating fast. I couldn’t even tell whose heartbeat I was hearing. His or mine.

The kiss happened naturally. Everything that followed did too. From then on, we became close, truly close and both of us found joy in it. Our relationship began to blossom.

Fabio soon returned to the police stations, taking on light command work. Every day when he came home, he brought me small gifts. New clothes, a hairpin, or jewelry.

By the third year, Fabio could walk completely on his own. His steps were slow, but it was a miracle that he could walk again at all. That day, we hugged each other and cried for a long time. Fabio gently wiped away my tears and kissed me again and again.

I thought to myself, ‘This is happiness.’

But that happiness didn’t last long because Serena came back. The day she returned, Fabio didn’t cling to me for once. For once, my parents called us and invited us home for dinner.

Serena had been gone for three years. She hadn’t come home once during that time. At every New Year’s gathering, Mr. and Mrs. Altomare would awkwardly say that Serena was busy with her studies. Fabio stayed silent and expressionless. I could never tell what he was thinking.

As for me, even though I was their real daughter, I had barely visited my family since getting married.

When we arrived that evening, I saw a beautiful young woman rush into Fabio’s arms like a gust of wind. I stood there watching, while Fabio didn’t push her away. The woman had become more mature, but she still called him ‘Big Fabio’. Her tears soaked into Fabio’s army-green uniform.

Seeing this scene, my chest tightened as if needles were piercing my heart. I instantly regretted agreeing to come back. When Serena finally noticed me, she straightened up and smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry, Sofia. I was just so happy to see Fabio standing again. Oh wait, should I call you brother-in-law now?”

Fabio’s jaw tightened. With a cold look, he took my hand and sat down beside me. Serena stared at us in shock.

Dinner that night was terrible. My parents didn’t ask how I’d been at all. Instead, they kept encouraging Serena to talk to Fabio, saying how she still missed her Big Fabio.

At that moment, I couldn’t help thinking. My parents were basically trying to push Serena toward my husband.