Thanks to Sofia Columbo, Luca Vitale and I keep breaking up and getting back together for three years.

Exhausted and desperate to get out of this situation, I end up choosing to be with Don Marco Rossi, who has been pursuing me for many years.

Since then, we've been together for five years. His love for me never wavers, and I truly believe that I've chosen the right man to be with.

But at the bachelor's party that takes place one week before the wedding, Marco's Underboss, Enzo Ferrari, begins running his mouth without any filter whatsoever after he gets completely wasted.

"Don Rossi, Anna actually fell in love with you for real! Does she even know that you're only marrying her just so Sofia can be with Luca?"

Marco just smiles without denying the allegations. He merely says, "As long as Sofia can be with Luca, I'm fine with marrying whoever. Honestly speaking, I did get close to Anna with ulterior motives at first, but I still ended up falling in love with her for real.

"By the way, do not let Anna find out about this, no matter what. You know how much she hates it when people lie to her. If she ever finds out, she'll leave me just like how she left Luca. That mustn't happen at all."

After wiping my tears, I tell my father that I wish to marry the man he has picked out for me.

"Mamma, I think I'll accept the marriage alliance."

The living room was pitch black. My voice was soft, but in the dead silence of the night, it sounded clear and numb.

Mamma was overjoyed. "Brava! Now, you don't have to worry about the wedding because your papa and I will handle it all. I'm confident the man we picked will be a good match for you.

"Not only that, I promise his character and his family are first-rate. After all, my daughter deserves the very best."

"Grazie, Mamma."

"And happy birthday, amore. Right—you should say a proper goodbye to the Don of the Rossi family. You've been in Liberty City all these years, and he's taken such good care of you. We must invite him to the wedding."

I fell silent for a moment before answering, "Sure."

A sound came from the doorway. The lights in the living room flicked on.

Marco Rossi stopped when he saw me sitting there. For a second, he looked surprised. Then, he smiled and walked over, pulling me into his arms. "Who upset you, amore?"

He rubbed his face against my neck, leaning in like he wanted a kiss. I turned my head away to dodge him. "You smell like whiskey. Go take a shower first."

He squeezed the palm of my hand. "Alright, alright. I'll listen to you, amore. I'll make sure I get nice and clean."

As he got up, it seemed like he remembered something. "Oh, by the way, who were you talking to on the phone just now?"

I looked at him. "My mamma."

His furrowed brow relaxed. He turned and draped a tourmaline necklace around my neck. "I knew it was meant for you the moment I saw this. Amore, you'll look stunning in it with the wedding dress. I can't wait for our wedding."

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my face blank, and forced a bitter smile.

No, there wouldn't be a wedding… because we weren't getting married, Marco.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. I hadn't meant to look, but as I got up, my eyes caught the contact name, Sofia.

"Marco, Luca wants to break up with me again. He doesn't want me anymore. What should I do? I need you now."

My hands and feet went ice-cold all at once, and my breath hitched for a second.

When Marco came out of the shower, I was pouring water. He picked up his phone out of habit, his expression unreadable the moment he read the message.

He rushed to the bedroom to throw on clothes. As meticulous as he usually was, he didn't even notice he had buttoned his shirt wrong this time.

At the door, it seemed he finally remembered I was standing silently by the table. He hurried back. "Amore, there's an emergency in the family. I have to go right now. Don't wait up for me tonight."

With that, he pressed a half-hearted kiss to my forehead and left.

The door slammed shut, and the apartment sank into silence. I lowered my head, staring at the puddle spreading across the table. I grabbed a napkin and carefully wiped it dry.

I sank onto the couch, clenching the crumpled napkin in my hand, while that glaring message kept replaying in my mind, along with Marco's panicked expression.

So, it was all because of Sofia Colombo, the woman who had tangled Luca and me up in three years of on-and-off drama. Now, she even wanted to steal Marco from me.

I laughed bitterly and shook my head at myself. Maybe this was just fate messing with me. Mamma was right—I did deserve the best. The man I was meant for had never been Marco or Luca.

I didn't know what kind of man Papa had arranged for me to marry, but one thing was clear—he wouldn't come near me with ulterior motives like Marco, and he wouldn't leave me exhausted and drained like Luca.

I took a deep breath, wiped away my tears, and headed into the kitchen.

Soon, this would all come to an end.

Before the refrigerator, I took out a birthday cake. After lighting up the candles, I solemnly made a wish before the clock struck midnight.

"Happy birthday to me."

Marco didn't come home until noon the next day. When he pushed open the door, I was wearing gloves, tidying up. He rubbed his brow and gestured at the pile of black bags by the door.

"Do we have this much trash at home?" he asked.

"Yeah, we do."

They were, after all, everything he had given me over the past five years.

I had spent the whole night scrolling through Sofia's Instagram. Every single thing Marco had gifted me was something she had mentioned, bought, or liked. He had poured all his devotion for her onto me.

Meanwhile, I had been a fool to treat his false affection like it was treasure. Now, the trash had to go into the bin.

He didn't press on or linger, just went straight past. It wasn't until he saw the half-eaten cake on the table that he stopped and dabbed a little cream onto the tip of my nose.

Seeing me freeze, he raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Look at you, little glutton. Suddenly craving cake, huh?"

Marco had beautiful and intense eyes. Over the past five years, those eyes had smiled at me countless times. However, this was the first time I looked deeply into them, and I still couldn't see a trace of deceit.

What a top-tier actor he was.

A few seconds of silence passed before I answered softly, "It was my birthday yesterday."

His smile froze instantly. He smacked his forehead, frustration written all over him, and pulled me into a tight hug. "Sorry, amore. I've been too busy and completely forgot. Enzo's throwing a party tonight. Let me take you there to celebrate, alright?"

Enzo Ferrari was the Underboss from the night before, the one who had gotten drunk and run his mouth freely.

I was about to refuse when Marco's phone rang. He glanced down, eyes flickering, and forced a smile at me. "It's my Consigliere. I need to take this. I'll come for you tonight, okay? Ti amo."

I pretended not to see Sofia's name flashing on his screen and nodded quietly.

It had been five years. Even if we were separating, I wanted us to part amicably. This dinner would be our last farewell.

When the agreed time came, Marco didn't show. Instead, a young family member arrived. He had just turned 18, wide-eyed and eager, rambling on about his admiration for Marco.

"Mr. Rossi is amazing. He's the Don, yet he's still so thoughtful toward his woman."

Meeting my eyes, he got even more excited. "Last night, Sofia had a headache, and Mr. Rossi was freaking out, rushing her to Dr. Giacchi. I've been following him for two months—never seen him so flustered.

"He stayed with her all night, giving her medicine, pouring her water, doing everything. He's so devoted and considerate… If I were Sofia, I'd be the happiest woman alive. I heard they're getting married next week.

"Well, at least Mr. Rossi and his true love are getting their happy ending.

He jabbered on until he noticed my silence was… deafening. "Signorina, you're… Mr. Rossi's younger sister, right?"

I turned away. My hollow reflection in the glass was shattered by the streetlights outside. I lifted the corners of my mouth faintly and whispered, "Yeah, I am."

Near the party, I sat in the car as a ruckus rose inside. "Kiss her! Kiss her!"

The young man opened the car door for me. As soon as I stepped out, two figures were standing in the middle of the spotlight, face to face, just inches apart.

Marco saw me and jerked his head away. When Sofia's lips landed on his cheek, I caught the flash of regret in his eyes that vanished almost instantly.

Marco hurried over, nervously grabbing my hand. "Anna, don't get the wrong idea. We were just playing a game. I—"

I laughed and cut him off. "It's fine. I don't mind. I trust you."

He stammered, flustered, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Everyone, keep it down! I won't forgive anyone who even scares my lady the slightest."

Sofia appeared, gliding toward us in a tight slip dress, her sway all confidence. "Long time no see, Anna. I heard you two are getting married. Congrats. You're so lucky to find a man who loves you… unlike me."

Before I could respond, Marco blurted out, "Who says no one loves you?"

She covered her mouth, giving an ambiguous smirk. The party fell into an awkward silence until someone tactfully changed the subject, and the noise picked back up.

Marco kept glancing at me nervously, like he wanted to explain, but I didn't care anymore. I ignored his hesitations and walked to a corner to sit.

He followed, poured me a drink, but his eyes couldn't stop darting toward Sofia, laughing and drinking a few feet away.

The drink sloshed over the rim of my glass. I was about to warn him when he suddenly shot to his feet, yanking Sofia, who had just lost a game and was about to take off a piece of clothing, away.

"Are you insane? Do you even know what you're doing?"

She shrugged him off, half-drunk, half-aware, and smiled slyly. "What's it to you? Who do you think you are to me? Don't you know I'm single? Never mind taking off some clothes—if I wanted, I could sleep with anyone I want!"

The commotion slammed the room into silence. Enzo, still drunk, elbowed Sofia lightly, and she nearly toppled over. Without a second thought, Marco caught her in his arms.

She started struggling, crying violently. "Let go of me! Neither you nor Luca wants me anymore! None of you wants me, so just leave me alone! I don't need your pity!"

Marco's face twisted with raw pain, his eyes red as he yelled, "I do, okay? I want you! You're the only one I want!"

Sofia froze for a moment, then shook her head, crying harder. "You're lying! You're about to get married, so there's no way you want me! I'm going to find someone right now—whoever wants me, I'll sleep with them!"

She staggered toward the door, tears streaming.

Marco was livid. He couldn't take it anymore. Without a word, he strode forward, scooped Sofia up in his arms, and marched out of the private room.

Most of the people here were his friends and family. They all seemed so used to scenes like this. A few murmurs, a shake of the head, and they went back to their fun.

No one remembered my existence in the corner, except for the young man who had driven me here. "I'm sorry, Signora. A-Are you okay?"

I must've looked so pathetic to make him on the verge of tears. I tried to force a smile, but couldn't even manage a fake one. In the end, I turned and left alone.

No sooner had I stepped out of the room than someone suddenly clamped over my mouth and nose and yanked me backward. Fear shot through me, and I struggled wildly.

However, their grip was astonishingly strong, and the stench of sweat and alcohol from him made my hair stand on end.

"Sofia wasn't lying. You're young and beautiful. I bet you'd be a fun one to play with," a man said.

I was forcefully thrown into an empty private room. By then, I could feel my limbs going weak.

The second the man lunged onto me, I bit my tongue to keep myself awake while flinging a few beer bottles from the table in his direction.

"Puttana! You really thought you were some hotshot? You're nothing but a used whore!"

He was ready to throw himself on me again when a smashing sound came from the door. Flustered, he covered his bleeding forehead, cursed at me, and made a run for it.

I forced back my tears and tried to steady my trembling arms. Without wasting a second, I bolted out of the private room. As soon as I turned a corner, I saw Sofia standing there.

A malicious smile tugged at her lips when she saw my torn skirt. "You're done so soon? I bet you're not satisfied yet. Should I find you a couple more eager men?"

I knew Sofia was wicked to the core. She had never bothered to conceal her cruelty. From Luca to Marco, she had used every underhanded trick in the book to get what she wanted. Honestly, I was impressed.

Still, recalling the man's words earlier, I knew I couldn't hold back anymore. I slapped her, but not only did she not dodge me, she even wore that same, wicked smile.

By the time I realized something was off, she was already rolling down the stairs.