The day of my final fitting for a couture wedding gown, a woman I’d never seen before stormed into the VIP lounge with a handful of goons and stabbed me without a second thought.

"You think you can steal my man and still get to wear a dress like this?"

She ripped at the hem of my gown, laughing as she hurled a corrosive liquid at me.

The cold blade was already buried in my abdomen. Pain sent me collapsing to my knees.

But she yanked me up by my hair, forcing my head back. "Vincent is my husband. And you? You're just his dirty little secret!"

Blood dripped from my fingertips. Only then did it all click into place.

My fiancé of seven years had secretly married another woman.

"What are you looking at? Even if I kill you right here, my husband has enough power to get away with it."

Staring at her smug face, I pulled out my phone with a blood-soaked hand and dialed Enzo’s number.

"Enzo," my voice was terrifyingly calm, "come get me. The bridal shop on Madison Avenue."

"And tell Vincent the wedding—and the alliance—is off."

————————

1

After I hung up, the million-dollar gown was dissolving off my body, black holes gaping in the pristine fabric.

The concentrated liquid seared my exposed skin.

A foul pus mixed with blood oozed from the festering wound.

I glared at the woman before me, the fire in my eyes hot enough to burn her to ash.

But the crowd of onlookers, drawn by the commotion, just erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha, she really tried to steal from Mrs. Gallo. She's going to get what she deserves!"

Sofia jabbed a finger at my face.

"Bitch! Still playing the victim? You think making one little phone call is going to save you?"

"Who are you trying to fool? The Morettis? Never heard of them! I'm calling the cops right now to have you arrested for being a home-wrecker!"

I clutched my burning wound, hot blood steadily seeping through my fingers.

The blood loss was making my vision swim in and out of focus.

Glancing at the thugs flanking Sofia, I cursed myself for not bringing my bodyguards today.

I searched the crowd for a single sympathetic face.

But they just watched from a distance, whispering, their eyes glinting with cruel amusement.

No one dared to step forward.

Forcing back a wave of dizzying pain, I lifted my head and met Sofia’s eyes, my own burning with cold, murderous intent.

"I don't know who you are, but I'll tell you this once. My name is Moretti. Of the New York Morettis. Get out of my sight before I decide to kill you myself."

My direct gaze only enraged her. She kicked me, hard, in the stomach.

"Some damn Moretti! You think I'm scared of you?"

"Let me make one thing clear. I am Sofia Gallo, wife of Vincent Gallo, the CEO of GalloTech! Who the hell do you think you are to talk to me like that?"

The kick tore the knife wound wider. A vile mix of blood and pus gushed out.

But in that moment, I couldn't even register the pain.

Sofia’s words rang in my ears. She was Vincent’s wife?

Then what was I?

Seeing the triumphant smirk on her face, a bitter laugh escaped my lips. I finally understood.

Vincent… he cheated on me.

The man my family had chosen as our legitimate front, the man I had loved for seven years, had another wife.

This wasn't the time to fall apart. I shoved my fury down and spoke through clenched teeth.

"Sofia, is it? You're going to get me to a hospital. Now. And then you're going to tell Vincent to get his ass over here."

The shock on her face only fueled my cold resolve. I fixed her with a venomous stare.

"Because if I die today, he'll put you in the ground first."

"And Vincent will be buried right alongside me!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Sofia roared with laughter. She grabbed my hair again.

"Who do you think you are? Such big talk! You think you can order my husband around?"

She slammed my head against the wall, her voice dripping with arrogance.

"Even if I kill you, the Gallo family has enough money to make this whole thing disappear."

My head rang from the impact, my vision clouding with red.

Sofia’s sharp stiletto heel twisted relentlessly in the gash on my stomach.

A black wave of pain and despair threatened to pull me under.

Just then, the screech of tires split the air.

I saw the familiar bulletproof Cadillac pull up to the curb, and I could finally breathe again.

I looked at Sofia and let out a chilling laugh.

"I told you. I'm a Moretti. Of the New York Morettis."

"My brother is here. Are you ready to die?"

"Izzy!"

When Enzo saw the state I was in, a murderous rage ignited in his eyes.

He rushed to my side, shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around my exposed body.

He held me tight, his eyes a storm of anguish and raw concern.

"Are you okay, Izzy? Don't be scared, I'm here."

My nose stung, and the tears I'd been holding back finally streamed down my face.

Enzo gently wiped them away, then looked up at Sofia with a merciless glare.

"You touched my sister. You have a death wish."

Sofia, however, reacted as if she’d heard the funniest joke in the world, doubling over with laughter.

When she straightened up, she gave my brother a disdainful look, her arrogance unchecked.

"Big words. Let's see if you're still talking so tough when you're bleeding out on the floor."

"Men! Get him! Show him that Sofia Gallo isn't someone to be trifled with!"

As soon as she spoke, her goons surged forward.

Enzo's men formed a protective circle around us, swiftly taking down several of her thugs.

But more of them poured out from behind Sofia, and our men were starting to get overwhelmed.

I couldn't help but ask Enzo, my voice tight with worry, "Enzo, is this everyone?"

Enzo’s face was grim. He patted my hand.

"Don't worry. Papa is on his way with the cleanup crew."

"I'd like to see anyone lay a hand on my sister!"

Watching her men fall one by one, Sofia began to look desperate.

Her eyes, full of venom, darted between my brother and me, then she snarled as she dialed her phone.

"You just wait! I'm calling my husband. He'll kill you himself!"

The moment the call connected, she started to sob.

"Honey! Some guy named Enzo is bullying me! He said I hurt his sister, and now he wants to kill me! You have to get here, fast!"

Sofia had deliberately put the call on speaker.

But as soon as she finished, the voice on the other end cracked with panic.

"Enzo Moretti?...Where the fuck are you?! Stay right where you are, don't move!"

After seven years, I'd know Vincent's voice anywhere.

I could even hear the tremor in it as he spat out each word.

Heh. I’ll wait.

Sofia hung up, a triumphant, shrill laugh cutting through the air.

"Hmph! My husband is on his way to kill all of you! He said he doesn't know any Enzo! He'll just pay to make you disappear!"

With that, she pointed at the thugs beside her. "Go! Whoever takes them down first gets a hundred thousand dollars from me!"

At her words, greed flashed in the thugs' eyes, their faces twisting.

One of them snatched a fruit knife from a nearby display and lunged toward us.

"Izzy, close your eyes!" Enzo shouted, spinning to shield me with his own body.

A large, warm hand covered my eyes.

A muffled grunt from Enzo, then the overwhelming, coppery smell of blood.

A terrible feeling seized me. I clawed at the hand over my eyes, my voice cracking with panic.

"Enzo! What happened!"

The first thing I saw was a gruesome gash on Enzo’s arm, blood dripping onto the pristine floor.

Then, a powerful kick sent Enzo, still shielding me, crashing to the ground.

With a wet, retching cough, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Enzo!"

A scream tore from my throat, my heart fracturing.

I was untouched, but Enzo’s shirt was already soaked crimson.

A black, venomous hatred coiled in my gut.

The next second, I lifted my face, a blur of blood and tears.

I snatched a broken bottle from a shattered display and charged straight at Sofia’s triumphant face.

In one fluid motion, I lunged and viciously drove the jagged glass into her abdomen.

A raw scream tore from Sofia's throat, but I just gripped the broken bottle tighter, twisting it wildly in her flesh.

"You bitch! How dare you!"

She clawed at the glass shard and kicked me away with her stiletto, roaring with fury.

I hit the floor hard, the sweet, metallic taste of blood filling my throat.

But Sofia, completely unhinged, screamed, "Kill her! Hurry up and kill her for me!"

At her command, the thugs turned and swarmed me.

The next moment, a wooden chair swung down toward my head.

"Don't you dare touch my sister!" a roar echoed.

To my horror, Enzo staggered to his feet and threw himself in front of me. The chair crashed over his head with a sickening crack.

"Enzo!"

His body slumped onto me, twitched twice, and then went still.

I scrambled frantically to lift him, but several thugs grabbed me and slammed me to the ground.

My limbs were pinned, my face scraped against the cold floor. I struggled and screamed, my voice choked with blood and tears.

But Sofia just smiled, grinding her sharp heel viciously into my fingertips.

"Giving up already?"

Pain seized me. My body convulsed, curling in on itself as a cold sweat drenched my skin.

My vision began to blur. The last thing I heard was Sofia’s crazed laughter.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I have a special gift for you two!"

A club came down, and the world went black.

When I opened my eyes, Enzo and I were locked in the cold storage of a meatpacking plant.

The skin touching the frozen metal floor stung with a sharp, piercing pain. I was shivering uncontrollably. Enzo's face was a deathly blue-purple, his eyelashes frosted with ice.

I rubbed my hands together, trying to generate some warmth, and pressed them to his face. Blood and tears mingled on my cheeks.

"Enzo, hold on! Don't fall asleep! Papa will be here soon, right? Please, just hold on…"

Feeling Enzo's breath grow weaker in my arms, my heart splintered into a thousand pieces.

I looked out at Sofia, my eyes so red they felt like they were bleeding.

"Sofia! If my brother dies, I will kill you with my own two hands!"

Sofia just laughed, strolling into the freezer wrapped in a cashmere coat.

"Still running your mouth?"

She roughly shoved a filthy rag into my mouth and kicked me hard in the chest.

"You've got some fire in you. Let's cool you down."

With that, Sofia kicked over a nearby bucket.

A caustic, industrial cleaning solution spread rapidly across the floor, mixing with the blood and gluing my battered body to the freezing metal.

The biting cold pierced my bones, sending waves of agony through me.

"So, how do you like the gift I prepared for you?"