Just past midnight, a commotion downstairs woke me. I walked to the top of the stairs and looked down through the railing.

Tess was standing by the sofa, crying loudly. "Did I mess up the operation? The Capos are going to hate me."

Dante stood a few feet away, his posture relaxed. "I’ll explain it to my wife later. It wasn't your fault." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don’t blame yourself."

I had seen enough and began to walk down. Before I reached the last step, Tess suddenly threw her arms around Dante’s neck, pressing herself against his chest.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching them. Dante’s hands hovered over her back, hesitating for a moment.

I said nothing, walking straight past them into the kitchen to pour a glass of water.

When Dante’s eyes met mine, his expression shifted from surprise to panic. He pushed Tess away, stepping back to create distance.

Tess flustered, wiping her face. "I was just... overwhelmed by the Don’s kindness."

I ignored her, filled my glass, and took a slow sip. Then I turned, leaning against the counter with a faint smile.

"It doesn't matter. No explanation needed." My gaze shifted to Dante. "Please keep it down. I’m trying to sleep."

Tess looked at Dante, waiting for him to defend her or scold me.

Dante didn't look at her. He only stared at my face. "Go home, Tess."

A few minutes after the front door closed, Dante walked into the bedroom. He looked more exhausted than I had ever seen him, dark circles heavy under his eyes.

"Something is wrong between us," his voice was laced with panic. "We need to talk."

I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the man in the doorway. Tonight, Dante looked like a stranger to me.

I smiled slightly. "What do you want to talk about? Tess?"

Dante fell silent, his shoulders tense.

I let out a soft sigh. "There’s nothing to say. I understand you need to comfort your subordinates for the sake of the family, right? There’s nothing to explain because I understand everything."

Those were the exact words he used to say to me whenever I cried for his comfort.

Dante’s face went pale instantly. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sharp ring of his encrypted backup phone cut through the silence.

He pulled the device out, hesitated for a second, and hit speakerphone.

"Boss!" Tess’s voice came through, thick with hysterical sobbing. "Someone shot at my car! I think I’m being followed! Please, save me!"

Dante frowned, his lethal instincts taking over. "Call the family doctor and go to the nearest safe house. I’ll send a Capo with armed men to protect you."

He hung up and immediately began mobilizing his men. I sat quietly, watching him issue cold, calculated orders.

When he finally hung up, he rubbed his face with his hand.

"If you knew this would happen," I broke the silence, "you should have driven her home yourself."

Dante froze, staring at me for a long time. "I shouldn't have taken her away," he murmured to himself, as if trying to convince his own conscience.

I pulled back the covers and lay down, turning my back to him. "Turn off the light when you leave."

Just like our marriage, it was time to turn out the lights.

The bedroom door clicked shut. I lay in the dark, listening to the silence of the mansion.

Half an hour later, the front door opened and closed. The roar of Dante’s armored SUV pierced the night, gradually fading away.

He went to find her.

I closed my eyes, remembering the first day I met him.

It was during an underworld negotiation where my father had brought me along. Back then, Dante was just a ruthless enforcer.

I followed him, even when my family threatened to disown me. Three years later, we were married.

The first two years were beautiful. But then, he consolidated his position as Godfather through violence.

The Syndicate swallowed the man I loved. I accepted his constant absence, spent birthdays alone in this vast house, and smiled when he came home covered in blood. I understood the weight of his crown.

For a whole year, I cooked his favorite meals every day and brought them to his office. I wanted him to have one normal thing amidst the chaos.

Then he told me to stop coming. He said my presence was a distraction.

I only found out the real reason weeks later: he had hired a private secretary.

Dante claimed a dying Capo had recommended Tess as his ward, and he couldn't refuse. I tried to understand.

But then I realized Tess was always around him.

Dante loathed noise and intrusions into his private space, yet he let Tess sit in his office for hours. He started texting her late at night, sharing the trivia of his day—things he no longer shared with me.

The memories flooded back, and my chest tightened.

I realized I was just a ghost haunting a house he no longer wanted to come home to.