While lying in bed, I came across Lucia's social media post. It read, "Grateful to God. After everything, you were always there."

In the comments, Carlo's Underboss, Marco Russo, had written, "Seeing you two happy makes me happy."

I scrolled through the likes. Every member of the Carlione family had liked Lucia's post. They had never thought highly of me. In their eyes, I was the one who had come between Carlo and Lucia. They believed the two of them would have been happier without me.

Carlo himself had commented, "Everything happens for the best."

I stared blankly at their interactions.

One of Carlo's friends commented, "Stop posting. What if Anna sees this? With her temper, she'll blow up."

Others replied, "Exactly. If she sees it, she'll definitely pick another fight with you."

Their words pierced me like icy needles. To them, I was a hysterical, unreasonable woman who overreacted to everything. His friends and family mocked me openly, and he couldn't be bothered to defend me.

In the past, I had tried to speak to Carlo calmly, asking him to keep his distance from Lucia. His family accused me of being petty and controlling, claiming I interfered with his basic freedom to choose his friends.

Carlo had agreed with them.

This time, I refused to give them the reaction they expected. I didn't argue or make a scene. I simply logged out of the app, watched a few videos, and went to sleep.

By the time Carlo returned home, I was already asleep.

He shook me awake and questioned sharply, "Anna, I was out so late, and you didn't even call once. Other guys' girlfriends keep calling nonstop, but you? I didn't receive a single call from you. What exactly are you trying to say, and why didn't you even bother to check in?"

I looked at him in confusion, unable to understand his anger.

I had acted the same way toward him before, and he had said, "I'm not some toy for you to control. I can't even breathe with you smothering me."

Now that I no longer acted that way, he accused me of not caring. I had no idea what he wanted anymore.

I didn't bring up the past. I said calmly, "You were at a birthday party. It would have been strange for me to keep calling. Besides, you were with Lucia and the others, so there was nothing for me to worry about."

A hint of disbelief passed over Carlo's face. He clearly hadn't expected me to mention Lucia so calmly.

He seemed to realize something and quickly explained, "That post was just something casual. It didn't mean anything, so don't overthink it."

I shook my head. Just as I was about to respond, he cut me off. "Or do you think I shouldn't have gone to Lucia's birthday? We've known each other for over ten years. We dated briefly, but now we're just friends. It was her birthday, so it was only right for me to go."

I looked at him with understanding. "I know all that. It's late. You should get some rest."

Carlo fell silent.

He stared at me, as if trying to figure out whether I was truly not angry. After a long moment, he still couldn't find an answer.

He reached out, trying to wrap an arm around my waist, but I simply stepped aside.

"Are you sleeping in the master bedroom or the guest room?" I asked calmly.

A flicker of surprise crossed Carlo's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected me to reject his closeness. In the past, this would have been exactly what I had longed for.

Anger and embarrassment flashed across his face. He slammed the door to the guest bedroom and stalked off to another room. Once he was gone, I collapsed into bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Since I had stopped overthinking everything, even falling asleep had become easy.

The next morning, my godfather, Giovanni Esposito, called.

Somehow, he had heard that I was headed to Porta Nova and offered to see me off. I politely declined, but he insisted that he had already reserved a table and wanted me to join some family friends for a small gathering. At that point, I could hardly refuse.

When I arrived that evening, Carlo was there as well. As a friend of Giovanni, his presence wasn't surprising. What was unexpected was Lucia. Even in such a private gathering, Carlo had brought her along.

When Carlo saw me, he gestured for me to sit down, but I pretended not to notice. Standing together, Carlo and Lucia looked perfectly matched. I decided it was better not to interfere.

Lucia caught my eye and smiled with a hint of provocation, then quickly masked it with a faux apology. "Sorry for crashing your gathering. I was just bored, and Carlo decided to bring me along."

Carlo seemed about to speak, but his words died on his lips.

I lifted my glass with a smile and said, "Since godfather doesn't mind, I won't either."

I took a small sip.

As I chatted with others, my phone kept buzzing nonstop. When I picked it up, I saw a message from Carlo.

"I only brought her along casually. Don't read too much into it. If it bothers you, I won't bring her next time."

The last message read, "After dinner, let's go home together."

I cleared my throat and typed back, "No need. You and Lucia go ahead. I drove myself here."

Then I ignored the notifications and gave my full attention to the gathering.

The gathering was lively, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Giovanni's eyes were red from the wine as he stood and raised his glass to me.

"Anna, you are the godchild I am most proud of. Your dream has always been to work in Porta Nova. I never understood why you stayed in Astonia all those years ago."

He paused, then continued, "But now, it's different. You're finally going to Porta Nova. I know your late parents would be proud. Here's to you, wishing you a smooth journey and a bright future."

I smiled warmly, raised my glass, and drank it in one go. Across the table, Carlo stared blankly, as if he had just heard something unbelievable.