“I’m not some damsel,” I hissed at Matteo and left. I don’t trust him, he’s working under Corvino’s organization.

“Where are you going?” He followed as I walked back to the Elysian Manor premises. “Back to humiliation?”

“None of your business.” I continued walking and looking for the driver assigned to me.

“Going back to Lorenzo’s villa?” He continued following me. “I could bring you there.”

“I can manage.”

“But I must be the one to bring you home. I am the assigned driver and bodyguard of yours, Signora Vitale, from tonight to your grand wedding.”

“What?!” I scowled. Disregard the sarcasm in his tone by saying ‘grand’ in my wedding. I was surprised that Lorenzo assigned him to me, Matteo—the most ruthless among Corvino’s people.

“Consider yourself lucky.” Matteo grabbed my arm and pulled me to follow him in his Cayenne.

I didn’t utter any words and thought of the reason why he was assigned to me by Lorenzo. Maybe my dear Lorenzo wants me to be dead before the wedding. Maybe he wants himself to be clean if I was out before the wedding.

“Here are we,” Matteo informed me as I was busy planning my way out discreetly.

“Okay,” I opened the passenger’s door and walked to the villa.

Inside, my mind wavered between anger and disbelief. If Stefania was out of the picture, I will still convince myself it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe Lorenzo had been trying to protect me in some twisted way. Maybe he deserved another chance.

I got inside the villa that Lorenzo gifted me three months ago. This will be our home once we get married. And from the time he gave me the keys, for three months, I was busy in interior decoration of this house, making it suitable for my soon-to-be husband’s lavish taste.

As I climbed the stairs, something caught my eye. Through a slightly open door, I saw two figures in my bridal chamber. The room that was supposed to be ours—Lorenzo and I.

But there they were. Lorenzo and Stefania. Making out.

I breathed in so deeply. Painfully.

They were standing, his arms around her, kissing her passionately. My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat. Hands trembling, I pulled out my phone and accessed the surveillance footage. I needed to know. I must have my evidence.

My world shattered as I was staring at their faces closely devouring each other. Everything I had believed in—his love, his loyalty, our future—was a lie.

Lorenzo’s voice dripped with regret as he spoke next after leaving Stefania’s lips. “I regret proposing to Aletta. But since you’re here, I’m willing to call off the wedding.”

The words slammed into me like a freight train. I snickered. “As if I wasn’t thinking that too, Lorenzo…” I whispered.

The sharp sting in my feet brought me back to reality. I looked down and saw my high heels soaked in blood. These were the heels Lorenzo had given me as an engagement gift. I loved them, even though they were too small. I had worn them tonight, hoping to endure their discomfort as a symbol of our love. Now, after the long journey back, they had left my feet covered in blisters—a painful reminder of the sacrifices I’d made. Sacrifices that gain only pain.

I slipped them off without hesitation and tossed them into the trash. Shoes that didn’t fit, no matter how beautiful, weren’t worth keeping. And a man that didn’t love me, no matter how much I adored him before, was no longer worth fighting for.

Yes. Lorenzo Corvino was no longer mine to hold onto. The man I’d loved for over a decade had made his choice, and it wasn’t me.

But I wasn’t about to let him or Stefania walk away unscathed. They both used me. Both enjoyed my humiliation.

And the wedding, the one I had poured my heart into. The one that had been my labor of love. Every detail was meticulously planned, a reflection of everything I had envisioned for our future. I couldn’t stand the thought of letting it become a gift for those two.

Instead, I would use it to expose their betrayal. On the wedding day, I’d deliver a surprise they’d never forget. I’d take what power I had left and wield it like a blade.

I forced myself to appear unaffected, even though my hands shook as I reached for my phone. The surveillance footage continued playing before me. Good!

And I thanked myself for placing a surveillance camera in that room three nights ago. It was supposed to monitor my ‘beloved’ Lorenzo's reaction to the interior design I had done there, but now the purpose changed, it was for me to watch him and my filthy half-sister even though I wanna puke instead.

Lorenzo lay Stefania on the bed, her expression a blend of smugness and faux vulnerability. Lorenzo, the same Lorenzo who had berated me for losing control at our engagement party, was on top of her, caressing her bare legs that she lifted to expose from the slit of her evening gown.

“If I didn’t return,” Stefania said, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. She kicked playfully at Lorenzo, her movements lazy but calculated. “Are you really going to marry Aletta?”

Lorenzo didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he caught her foot in his hands, massaging it gently. The sight made my blood run cold.

Stefania chuckled, leaning back with a satisfied smile. “You don’t need to answer. I already know. Everything you’ve done has been to push me away, just so you could bring me back.” Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with faux sweetness. “All these years, you’ve never truly let go. This bridal chamber, decorated just the way I like it, the wedding ring you chose, even those high heels Aletta wore—all of it was for me.”

My hands tightened around my phone, the plastic case creaking under the pressure.

Stefania’s foot pressed against Lorenzo’s chest, and she laughed softly. “Tell me, Lorenzo. The one you’ve truly loved all along is me.”

Lorenzo didn’t confirm it, but he went on top of Stefania again and kissed her again. It wasn’t a fleeting kiss. It was slow, deliberate, filled with longing. It was a kiss that slapped me more of the reality of how useful I was for their love story.

Tears streamed down my face, unchecked and relentless. I thought of the eight years we’d spent together. The moments I’d tried to kiss him, how he’d always turn away, shy and reserved. I’d convinced myself it was his modesty, his quiet nature. I’d never imagined that all his passion, all his love, had been reserved for someone else.

For Stefania Volante.

My nails dug into my palms, the sharp sting grounding me in the present. I had to get out of here. My heart felt like it was being shredded, and staying any longer would only prolong the agony.

I stumbled to the roadside, my vision blurred by tears. My hand shot out to hail a cab, desperate to escape. But before I could get in, a sharp voice cut through the night.

“Aletta!”

I froze. It was Lorenzo.

I saw Matteo behind him watching us. He might follow me too as instructed by his boss.

“Aletta, where are you going?” Lorenzo’s footsteps echoing against the pavement as he approached me.

I looked straight at his eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. His expression was unreadable, his dark eyes searching mine for something he would never find.

“I just changed my shoes, Lorenzo,” I answered his query somehow. And amazingly, my voice came out steadier than I expected, though it carried the sharp edge of betrayal. “Why? What do you want, Lorenzo?”

“You’re here,” he said, his tone urgent. “Did you—”

“Did I do what?” I asked innocently. He looked guilty with just controlled emotion in his eyes.

Lorenzo’s gazes daggered me and it felt suffocating. My heart, fragile and fraying, strained against his piercing eyes.

I smiled bitterly. “Oh! I saw you and Stefania talking. Was that the thing you wanna ask if I did see you?” I probed.

Lorenzo took a step closer. “Aletta, listen. It’s not what it looks like,” he began, his voice steady and calm.

“Not what it looks like?” I snapped with a frown. I continued my act as if I didn’t see and hear them while my anger actually wanted to break free. “Is there anything I need to know? You see…” I shrugged. And there I glanced at Matteo who was still monitoring us with a grin on his lips. “I just changed shoes, Lorenzo, for the one I put in trash didn’t fit my feet and made me bleed.”

Lorenzo looked at my feet and thankfully the blisters I had became part of my act. He opened his mouth to respond, “Aletta, I—”

“No need to worry, I can manage…” I smiled again, a mischievous one. “I always manage, remember?”

"Yes, of course. And you do understand why I brought Stefania here, right? She is your sister and she’s drunk so I helped her." Lorenzo’s voice was convincing.

I nodded. My breathing shallow as I controlled myself to scream to his face what I really saw. Instead, I stared at him, the man I once called my anchor in a storm.

"Yep, certainly I do. Stefania’s my ‘half-sister’ after all." I said calmly, each word dripping with venom. "She’s the child of a mistress that broke my family. And being recognized as the legitimate daughter of Domenico Volante after my mother gave up being into a toxic relationship…” I sneered as I saw Stefania approaching us, “I hope my dear ‘half-sister’ won’t walk the same path of her mother, who will whoring herself to become a mistress as well."

Stefania’s expression faltered, but Lorenzo’s rage intensified with what insult I said to his beloved Stefania. He stepped closer, his looming figure casting a shadow over me. "Enough, Aletta! Your poisonous words have no place here. Don’t say that to Stefania or—"

“Or what?” I straightened, refusing to cower.

Lorenzo crossed her brows. "No wonder your mother abandoned you, and your father favored your sister over you," Lorenzo stated, which made me tremble. "With that sharp tongue and venomous heart, no one could ever love you, Aletta. In fact, you deserve to spend your life alone!"

His words hit me harder than any physical blow ever could. I’d spent a decade building a life with this man, pouring my soul into loving him, believing in the strength of our bond. And now, he was tearing me apart, defending the very person who had tormented me.

"Lorenzo…" I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Do you even hear yourself? I’m your bride but you are scowling me because you felt bad for your bride’s sister. What a joke you are!"

Lorenzo didn’t answer as his attention had already shifted to Stefania, who sniffled delicately behind him with hands trembling. Wow. The theatrics of my ‘dear half-sister’ disgusted me, but Lorenzo? He fell for it—hook, line, and sinker. Stupid!

"Stefania, are you okay?" he asked, his voice softening as he turned to her. He cupped her elbow with tender familiarity, and something inside me snapped.

This wasn’t the man who had sworn to protect me, who said he would shield me from every harm I will encounter once I became his wife. This was a stranger, one who proved that everything he had said before was just a bait to lure me.

My feet throbbed as I took an unsteady step back. The blisters caused by the heels I wore first still give me pain, but… it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest.

Lorenzo’s gaze flicked to my feet. For a fleeting moment, guilt flashed in his eyes. "You’re hurt, Aletta," he muttered, almost as if it pained him to admit. “Let’s get back inside the villa. You need first aid.” He commanded Matteo next, “Bring Aletta inside.”

Before I could say something to refuse, Stefania suddenly bolted, her tears spilling over dramatically. "I can’t stay here!" she cried, her voice quivering with the perfect blend of anguish and despair. “Aletta hates me and I felt bad causing trouble here!”

The sight of her fleeing out next—running into the middle of the driveway—was the final act in her carefully choreographed performance. Lorenzo, predictably, rushed after her, shouting her name. And I? I followed with Matteo following me too with an unerasable smirk on his lips from watching us.

“Stop smirking,” I said to Matteo. “Can’t you see your boss ridiculing himself by chasing his bride’s half-sister? You should help him, right?”

“Your sister is not my concern here,” Matteo answered with amusement in his tone. “I’m only here for you, Miss Damsel.”

I made a face and looked at Stefania stumbled into the cobblestone. I rolled my eyes.

“What a pitiful act!” Matteo chuckled. “Your sis—’dear’ half-sister, I mean, should be in acting class.”

I hid my smile from what Matteo had said. I continued watching Stefania and Lorenzo as the latter cradled her trembling form as if she were the most precious thing in his world.

"Stefania, are you okay?" Lorenzo asked, his voice laced with worry.

She nodded weakly, clutching his shirt like a true damsel in distress. "I… I didn’t mean to cause trouble. Aletta just… she hates me so much, Lorenzo. I’m sorry for ruining everything."

“That’s the real damsel in distress…” I told Matteo and walked away. I ignored the sharp pain in my feet as I strode away from the scene. My heart ached, but my resolve hardened with every step.

Lorenzo’s voice rang out behind me. "Aletta! Wait!" he called. “Matteo followed her!”

I stopped but didn’t turn around. "Do yourself a favor, Lorenzo!" I almost yelled, my voice colder than I thought possible. "Focus on your precious—I mean…” I sneered, “focus on my dear half-sister. Help her. She’s so precious, right?”

Lorenzo no longer cared about the doubts gnawing at him and rushed Stefania inside the house after I said that. He looks so funny with his urgency and unrelenting footsteps.

I sighed watching them and turned to look at Matteo. “I think your boss allowed me to enjoy my night, Matteo, so better… fuck off!”

I stepped back to find my car in the parking lot, I changed my mind to call a cab at first. But five more steps, some stone tripped my walk and I sprawled on the cold pavement. I furiously stared at my knees scraped by sharp stones that bit into my already battered skin.

“Seriously?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Why am I so unlucky tonight?!” I hissed.

Sitting up slowly on my own without taking the hand of Matteo as he extended it to me for some help, I noticed something glinting faintly. A cheap crescent moon necklace, its tarnished chain and weathered design betrayed its age. My hand trembled as I reached for it, and an unsettling sense of familiarity washed over me the moment I held it.

Memories from a lifetime ago flooded my mind, and then it clicked: the crescent moon tattoo on Lorenzo’s chest. My pulse quickened. This necklace wasn’t just a random trinket; it was part of a story Lorenzo had never shared with me. A story that now felt inextricably tied to Stefania.

"So that’s how it is..." I whispered, the words bitter on my tongue. The puzzle pieces I had ignored for years suddenly snapped into place, painting a picture I wished I’d never seen. The weight of the realization was suffocating.

Eight years of love, loyalty, and sacrifice—all one-sided. Lorenzo had never truly been mine. This trinket was purposely here as Stefania left it for me to see. I know it belonged to her, I saw it earlier in the engagement party worn by her. That’s why I felt odd looking at Stefania’s necklace that looks old and tarnished, it doesn’t suit her aura. Now, I know… it was just a display for me to see.

Clutching it tightly, I returned to the house. It felt heavier entering, but my resolve hardened with every passing second. By the time I reached my room, I knew what I had to do.

After sending a message to my mother that I will be with her in Sicily the day of the wedding, I looked around and began dismantling the remnants of the life I had meticulously built around Lorenzo. The red and gold decorations that once filled me with joy now felt like a mockery, each piece a reminder of the farce I’d been living.

Hours passed in a blur. By the time I was done, the wedding countdown caught my eye. My fingers hesitated, hovering over the glossy calendar. With a sharp inhale, I ripped off the word ‘wedding’ and replaced it with ‘departure countdown.’

This wasn’t the end, I promised myself. It was a beginning—of my escape from a decade of lies.

I walked outta my room and went downstairs again. I met Matteo’s piercing eyes and just continued my pace. I left the villa with one of Lorenzo’s luxury cars and went straight to a club and ordered a tequila. I saw Matteo following me but I didn't give a damn at all.

****

The next morning, my phone rang sharply, jarring me from my thoughts. Lorenzo’s voice greeted me in his tone of smooth yet distant, as if he were speaking to an employee rather than his fiancée.

"Aletta, are you awake? I had your favorite breakfast delivered. I’m tied up with something at the office today, so we’ll need to reschedule the wedding photos."

I pressed my fingers against my temple, trying to stifle the surge of frustration. "Alright," I replied evenly, keeping my tone neutral.

Lorenzo paused, sensing something amiss. "Don’t let last night’s incident trouble you," he said, his voice softening. "I’ve already apologized to Stefania on your behalf."

Woah! A bitter laugh threatened to escape, but I swallowed it down. "Okay."

"Stefania thinks the wedding is just a formality," he continued, oblivious to the storm brewing inside me. "She said we don’t need to put too much effort into it. Our marriage doesn’t rely on grand gestures. And she’s right. What matters is us being husband and wife."

"I’ll go along with whatever you decide," I replied, the words tasting like ash. And honestly, it bores me.

Because in my heart, the decision had already been made. This wedding would be the simplest in history because it would never happen. I would let Lorenzo play his games until the very last moment.

As the day wore on, the suffocating weight of the house became unbearable. I needed to clear my head, to reclaim some semblance of control. I left the villa’s estate, driving aimlessly until I reached a quiet café on the outskirts of the city.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air as I settled into a corner booth. I pulled out the crescent moon necklace from my pocket, running my fingers over its worn surface.

"Trouble in paradise?" a deep voice interrupted my thoughts.

I looked up to find Matteo. Again.

I observed him, thinking why he—an ally of Volantes and Corvinos, and one of the most dangerous men in the underground society, kept on pestering me. I didn’t buy his reasons for being my driver and bodyguard after I learned from some confidant what he was capable of.

"Matteo," I greeted, forcing a smile. "Still have the fun following me, eh?"

Matteo’s piercing gray eyes studied me too with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. He slid into the seat across from me, his expression unreadable. "I need to, right? And why here? I thought Lorenzo’s bride-to-be wants to enjoy dancing in the club and not hiding in a café. Alone and looked so sad. Neglected again?"

I sighed, twirling the necklace between my fingers. "Just needed some air." I don’t want to say much about what he said about me. He was there last night in the club. He saw what I did on the dance floor and he was there protecting me with the advances of some men.

Matteo’s gaze flicked to the necklace, his brows furrowing slightly. "That’s not yours, is it?"

My grip tightened instinctively. "Why? Do you have any idea about this?"

"Enough to know it’s not just a necklace for you," he replied cryptically. "You've been keeping it since you found it last night. Why? Playing with fire, Damsel?”

A dark laugh escaped me. "Yep, because fire might be exactly what I need right now."

Matteo leaned forward, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "If you’re planning to take on Lorenzo and Stefania, you’ll need more than fire. You’ll need allies."

I met his gaze, the weight of his words sinking in. "And what are you offering, Matteo?"

He smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Revenge. The kind that will make them wish they never crossed you."

“And why the hell are you suggesting that to me?”

“Because I have reasons.” He grinned.