I was only ten years old when Timoteo Panno found me on the streets of Sirithi.

He's the Don of the Panno family, the strongest mafia family in the country. He's also the one who taught me how to protect myself.

When I turn 18 years old, I become his lover as well as the weapon he's most proud of.

Timoteo isn't interested in other women. I'm the only one staying by his side for many years.

We've been with each other for four years. Everyone thinks I'll eventually become the Madre of the Panno family.

That is, until Nadia Bellucci accidentally kills her fiance and desperately needs a clean identity to wash herself of all suspicions.

As she clutches her chest that houses her heart, which is now weakened from the time she has saved Timoteo's life, she whines coquettishly, "Timoteo, I don't want to go to prison…"

With a smile on his face, Timoteo doesn't hesitate to push me out as the scapegoat to take the blame for Nadia.

"You've always been a pawn who gets abandoned all the time, so you might as well do it one more time."

Don Timoteo Panno didn't look up as he wiped down his gun. "Whatever happens in court tomorrow, you plead guilty."

I watched his lowered lashes, my emotions churning. "To all the charges?"

Timoteo finally looked up to meet my eyes. "All of them, including anything that might be tied to me."

He said it so casually, as if he were telling me what he wanted for breakfast.

"Why?" I asked even when I knew I was in no position to.

Timoteo stood up and grabbed my chin roughly. "Nadia needs a fresh start. Don't forget. I'm the one who saved your life."

So that was it.

I was nothing but a disposable pawn. To him, my only purpose was to pave the way for the woman he truly loved.

"This is your last value."

I wanted to laugh, but my facial muscles were stiff.

For 12 years, I took on countless slanders for Timoteo, shouldering his dirty deeds one by one.

During that assassination attempt on the streets of Malora, I'd thrown myself in front of him, taking a bullet in my shoulder. The pain of that bullet still lingered deep inside.

In multiple life-or-death situations, as long as Timoteo was there, I would always turn my back to the enemy, giving him the chance to survive.

He'd said, "Fina, you're the one I trust the most."

It turned out that the one he trusted the most was the one most suitable for taking the blame.

"Okay."

Timoteo seemed taken aback for a moment.

Perhaps he expected me to fight back. After all, we had once been lovers who had weathered countless storms side by side.

But I didn't. I just accepted it quietly.

I left his room and headed back to my own.

As I passed Nadia Bellucci's room, the door was slightly ajar. The warm glow of the lamp and the sound of her soft laughter filtered out into the hallway.

"Why didn't you come see me? Did I have to call you to get your attention?"

Nadia was Timoteo's first love. Her voice was sweet, with a long, drawn-out end. It was almost coquettish.

I heard Timoteo give a low chuckle on the other end of the line, with a softness I'd never been lucky enough to hear before.

"What's the rush?" he asked, his voice thick with indulgence. "Miss me already?"

A helper chimed in from the side, "Ms. Bellucci, Don Panno canceled his important meeting in Sirithi tonight just to come back and be with you."

"I don't care," Nadia whimpered playfully. "I've been waiting forever. You need to hold me and comfort me…"

Before the voices inside could fade, my knuckles were already white from clenching so hard.

For 12 years, Timoteo never allowed anyone to disturb him while he worked.

Even if I were lying before him, drenched in blood, he'd just coldly order, "Drag her away and get her cleaned up."

It turned out that he was capable of being gentle, but that gentleness was never meant for me.

I ran back to my bedroom. The heavy door blocked out the sounds of the world. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart, echoing in my chest.

Twelve years ago, in that rain-slicked alley, Timoteo had reached out to me. He taught me how to fire a gun and corrected my posture step by step.

He told me it was the only way to survive in the mafia world.

Seven years ago, in Sirithi, I took a bullet for him. He swore he'd never abandon me and that he'd protect me forever.

Three years ago, I dismantled a rival's stronghold for him, barely escaping with my life.

That was the first time I saw Timoteo look vulnerable. He leaned down to kiss the tears from the corners of my eyes and told me I was the only one who could stay by his side.

It was that night he pressed his forehead to mine and said he was tired of the lies and the scheming and that I was the only light in his dark world.

It turned out that it was all a lie.

I was nothing more than a tool, meant to be discarded once I had served my purpose.

At exactly 8:00 am, there was a knock on the door.

Standing outside were two Soldati, their expressions cold and hard, here to escort me to court to plead guilty.

The Timoteo who once promised to protect me for life wouldn't even see me one last time.

As I walked through the living room, I saw Nadia curled up in his arms, feeding him cake.

He never touched sweets, yet he ate them with a smile—a smile so genuine it reached his eyes.

I had never seen Timoteo so gentle.

I lowered my eyes, fighting to suppress the emotions threatening to rise inside me.

It was my fault. I should've realized my place long ago. I was just a blade Timoteo had forged, nothing more.

The nights we spent together were just a matter of mutual need. Those words that made my heart race were just fleeting moments of his affection, nothing deeper.

…

The courtroom was colder than I had imagined.

I was led to the defendant's stand. The cold steel of the handcuffs bit into my wrists, the hard metal chafing my skin raw.

The spectators filled the room. Their eyes were locked on me with various expressions.

I searched the crowd but didn't see Timoteo, but I did see Nadia.

From a distance, I could almost see the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

The prosecutor began reading out the charges, each one a crime I'd committed for Timoteo.

The lawyer assigned by the Panno family was barely doing the bare minimum, just going through the motions.

The judge's voice was deep as he asked, "Defendant, do you admit to the charges?"

All eyes turned to me.

I was about to speak when suddenly, a gunshot rang out, followed by a deafening explosion.

A group of masked men stormed into the courtroom, and their leader rushed straight to me, shielding me with his body.

My mind went blank, and an uninvited hope rose up. Perhaps Timoteo couldn't bring himself to let go of me.

"Ms. Liberi, we're here to save you! We'll kill Nadia as you instructed!"

The spark of hope was snuffed out in an instant, and a cold shiver ran through me.

I stared at the masked man in disbelief.

I hadn't hired anyone to save me, let alone ordered Nadia's death.

I tried to explain, but the masked man silenced me with a tight grip over my mouth and nose.

Amid the chaos, a gunshot rang out.

The man behind me collapsed with a loud thud. Blood splattered onto my chin, warm and wet.

Timoteo rushed forward and pulled Nadia into his arms, calming her with soft reassurances. Not once did he spare me a glance.

I opened my mouth to say something, but the cold barrel of a gun pressed against my forehead first.

"You tried to hurt Nadia?"

I never imagined Timoteo would point a gun at me.

When our eyes met, he lowered the gun. Then, he slapped me hard across the face.

Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth instantly.

"How dare you think of hurting her?"

I raised my head with difficulty and squinted through swollen eyes to look at him.

Timoteo's eyes were like pools of ice, cutting deep into my soul.

"It wasn't me."

When I spoke, my voice was a ragged rasp. My throat was thick with the copper taste of blood.

His expression hardened, as though he was hesitating.

Nadia walked over and wrapped herself around him, then looked up at him with teary eyes. "Timoteo, I'm scared…"

The conflict in his face disappeared, and he began to remove his gloves.

I knew that gesture all too well. It meant Timoteo was about to deal with someone who didn't obey.

My throat tightened, and my heart sank. "Don Panno, please believe me."

He gripped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Serafina Liberi, you've been with me for 12 years."

My jaw ached from his grip, but it was nothing compared to the pain that twisted inside.

Timoteo's voice was almost calm. "I taught you to get things done cleanly without leaving any traces. But I never taught you to use such underhanded tactics to hurt my woman."

Nadia had only been back for three months, yet she was already enough to make him trample over 12 years of history with me.

A bitterness surged in my throat, but I fought it back.

"Don Panno, I've been with you since I was ten! For 12 years, I've given you my life. How could I betray you?"

He stared at me for a long time, as if measuring whether there was any truth in my words.

Suddenly, Nadia clutched her chest and coughed violently. Her face was drained of color.

Nadia looked up at Timoteo with teary eyes. "Timoteo, my chest hurts so much. I'm so useless."

She was reminding him that this chronic pain was the price she paid for saving his life all those years ago.

Sure enough, the next second, Timoteo carefully picked her up with a frown.

He didn't spare me another glance. Instead, he muttered, "Utterly incorrigible."

With that, he disappeared down the hallway with Nadia in his arms.

…

I was thrown into the basement of the Panno estate.

The lashes of a whip came down tirelessly. The pain was so intense I could barely make a sound.

The man assigned to interrogate me glared with malice. "How dare you target Ms. Bellucci? Don Panno asked me to teach you a lesson!"

My skin tore open. Blood poured out, staining the floor.

Before I passed out, memories flooded back.

It was when the Underboss betrayed the family, and Timoteo almost died in that shootout.

I fought to protect him, carving a bloody path out.

When it was all over, Timoteo didn't go to the hospital. He dragged me straight into the church.

Under the gaze of the Virgin Mary, we stood side by side, swearing an oath to always be each other's most trusted person.

He said he'd always have me by his side, trust me completely, and wanted me as his Underboss because he felt safe with me having his back.

But when Nadia came into the picture, all of that meant nothing.

In her presence, I was just an object that could be doubted at any moment.

An hour later, I was woken up by cold water being splashed in my face.

The iron door creaked open, and Luca Morganti, the Consigliere, walked in.

Luca looked at me with a complicated expression before speaking in a strictly professional tone. "Per Don Panno, you will attend the trial tomorrow."

I struggled to turn my eyes toward him.

He avoided my gaze and continued, "If you plead guilty to all the charges, Don Panno won't pursue the matter of you hiring people to kill Ms. Bellucci."

A harsh, rasping sound came from my throat, but I couldn't speak. I could only spit out blood.

Maybe because we'd once worked together, Luca softened his tone. "Just plead guilty. Don Panno is really angry right now. Ms. Bellucci was scared, and he felt sorry for her."

I couldn't respond.

The footsteps grew faint as he left.

I lay on the cold floor, staring at the ceiling.

Three years ago, during a deal with a Sirithi arms dealer, he suddenly reneged. Without warning, he pulled a gun and aimed straight for Timoteo's heart.

I didn't hesitate to take the bullet for him.

In the pool of blood, he shed tears for me for the first time. "Fina, hang in there. Please don't leave me. Live for me."

I had done so much more than Nadia ever did when it came to saving Timoteo's life. But why did he only remember her saving him and forget about me?

I touched the badge on my chest and said firmly, "You win. I'll see you at court tomorrow."

The next day, I was carried into the courtroom.

"Serafina Liberi, do you plead guilty?"

I closed my eyes and rasped, "Yes, I plead guilty."

The judge seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. As he brought the gavel down, the courtroom's bulletproof glass shattered.

Bullets rained down, and chaos erupted as the crowd screamed.

I looked up and saw Timoteo firmly holding Nadia behind him.

He pulled out his gun and started returning fire. With each move he made, he shielded Nadia from the danger with his body.

Through it all, not once did he look at me.

The attackers had one goal—to take Timoteo's life.

"Timoteo Panno! Today is your day to die!"

The leader of the attackers gave a wicked grin and signaled his men to focus their fire.

Timoteo fought while retreating, trying to move toward the nearest exit.

Terrified, Nadia clung to his arm. She didn't even dare to look up.

I should have remained a cold observer.

Timoteo had pushed me out to take all the blame, including the bloodshed that should have been his. For Nadia, he didn't hesitate to make me carry everything.

Just as I was about to make my escape amid the chaos, my peripheral vision caught sight of the necklace around Timoteo's neck.

It was the only clue I had left about my family and the very token of love I had given him.

I couldn't just let it be destroyed. I would take back what was mine!