He replied. [You should’ve done this a long time ago, but it’s not too late. I’ll sort out everything for you, my dearest daughter.]

The moment I received Dad’s message, I finally let out a breath of relief, and strangely enough, I felt touched.

Back then, I had refused an arranged marriage and had recklessly run away from home. Then, I met Matteo and married him. Dad never attended the wedding, but over the years, he stopped blaming me for my youthful impulsiveness.

Matteo suddenly sighed. “I’ve always just been after a bit of excitement with other women out there, but I’ve cut ties with all of them. Now, I only stay by your side. You’re the only person I truly love.”

Was that so? Then what was he doing in the study just now? Did he deserve the courage it took for me to give up everything just to gamble on his sincerity?

I once thought meeting Matteo was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to me. However, on the night of our wedding, I received intimate photos of him and Riley.

At the time, I thought someone was jealous of our happiness and trying to sabotage us. Yet, I waited all night for Matteo to come home, and no explanation or apology came. That was when I understood that the love Matteo showed before marriage had never even amounted to one.

Matteo continued smiling as he said, “It’s been eight months. Are you still hung up on those unimportant people? So, how about I take you overseas to get some air? Or we could visit your parents.”

Instead, I asked, “What are you planning to tell Riley?”

“Compared to my wife’s feelings, she means nothing.” Matteo still wore that same smile, though now it looked stiff.

I almost laughed at his words and asked, “How exactly do you love me? Would you give up Riley for me? If you can–”

“I can.”

For a brief second, warmth spread through my chest. However, I came back to my senses just as quickly. Without Riley, there would only be another woman after her. Matteo would never truly settle down.

Slowly, I pushed his hand away and turned to leave.

“Sofia.” Matteo’s expression darkened, and his restrained anger slipped into his voice. “There are countless women who would kill to have your place, women more shameless and desperate than you could imagine. So what exactly do I need to do before you’ll finally believe that I love you?”

I never thought he would say something like that. I laughed several times, hard enough that I almost lost my breath. I laughed at myself for believing him and wasting six years of my life on him. Yet, even after all those years, there was still a tiny part of me holding onto hope that maybe one day Matteo would finally wake up and return to the way we used to be.

I never cared about his money. All I wanted was his love, his heart, and to spend the rest of his life together. However, at that moment, Matteo simply looked at me with cold indifference. All the pain and bitterness I carried stemmed from a man I could never hold onto.

Amidst the tension, the butler suddenly entered the room. He glanced at me cautiously before speaking to Matteo.

“Sir, someone is here to see you. It’s… Riley…”

Matteo instinctively looked toward me, but before he could stop anything, Riley had appeared in front of us. She was dressed elegantly, looking every bit the gentle woman.

“I-I didn’t mean to interrupt. Matteo, I missed you.”

Matteo hurried over to support her.

“Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you– Forget it. How are you feeling?”

Riley shook her head. “The baby and I both missed you. The staff at the villa kept stopping me from seeing you, so I snuck out. Can you make them leave me alone?”

Matteo hesitated for a moment before stepping aside to make a phone call. The second he left, Riley looked at me with malice, and the sweetness on her face instantly disappeared.

“A woman trapped in a dead marriage will always end up abandoned by her husband. Leave on your own accord, and we can both live peacefully. But if you refuse…”

She paused, a smug smile curling across her lips as she rested a hand over her stomach.

“Men look for women for two reasons: children and pleasure. Anyone can give them children, and pleasure can be found anywhere. There are younger, prettier, and more obedient women than I am, but none of them can satisfy Matteo the way I do. And now, I can even take your place.”

Suddenly, Riley slapped herself across the face and cried out, “I never tried to hurt you! Why do you have to force my hand? I’d give up everything for Matteo. Please just let me see him once a month.”

Matteo returned just in time to witness the scene. Assuming I had bullied her, his expression immediately turned ugly.

“Sofia!” he snapped. “How dare you hit her?”

I did not try to defend myself. "Your mistress disrespected me, so I gave her a slap to teach her a lesson. If you want to stand up for her, you can slap me back."

Matteo froze for a few seconds before letting out an angry laugh.

“How could I ever hit you? Sofia, stay here and think about what you’ve done.”

The entire time, the woman in his arms, Riley, said nothing. However, her eyes sparkled with satisfaction, and every now and then, she shot me a smug look.

I was exhausted, and honestly, I was done. After they left, I started packing my things. Yet, looking through everything in the room, I realized there was nothing I wanted to take with me.

Every single thing in this house had been a gift from Matteo, yet his assistants had picked everything out while he barely paid attention, signing off on gifts without ever caring what they were. From Riley’s social media posts, however, I knew Matteo had personally made things for her by hand. Every gift was made with genuine love.

Just as I was lost in thought, Matteo suddenly came back. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and said, “Why are you packing so late at night? Are you planning to run away? Or are you getting ready to travel overseas with me to clear your head? Sofia, you shouldn’t have laid a hand on Riley earlier. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lost my temper with you.”

Without waiting for a response, he leaned down to kiss me. When I turned away, he paused, clearly surprised, before letting out a low chuckle.

“What’s wrong with you? Frigid now?”

“I don’t feel well. I’m not interested.”

Matteo hated being rejected. Still, he lowered his head and kissed my forehead instead.

“But you’re my wife. You’ll be by my side, even when we’re fifty or sixty.”

The old me would’ve clung to words like that and convince myself that I was the one who would stay by his side until the end. Now, I pushed him away gently and continued packing.

Matteo was about to say something when his phone rang. The moment he answered, his expression softened immediately.

“Okay, okay. I’ll come and see you right now. Don’t cry. Hearing you cry makes my heart ache,” he said patiently.

Riley’s choked voice came through the phone. “But if you leave, what about Sofia? It’s already past one in the morning… Did I interrupt both of you in bed?”

Matteo answered honestly, “No.”

As he spoke, he was already getting dressed and heading out the door.

I quietly wiped the tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. Then, the phone on the table vibrated. I thought it would be a message from Matteo trying to explain himself, but when I picked it up, it was Dad calling.

“The immigration paperwork has been processed. As for you and Matteo…”

“I’m divorcing him, Dad.”

He fell silent for a moment before he finally said, “I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

I choked back my tears and agreed.

At dawn, just before boarding the plane, I took one last look at the photo of Matteo and me on my phone and deleted it.

Matteo Cross, we would never see each other again.