It was the third year of my marriage to Antonio Rizzo, Don of the Rizzo mafia family. He kept a younger woman on the side and had everyone keep it from me.

They all said I was his first love, his weakness, the treasure he brought back from Cocily. However, when he got drunk, he laughed and told the family members, "I love Elena, but she's a bit boring in bed. She's just not wild enough.

"You all know how it is. Men like a little excitement, like Caterina. She's young, beautiful, and knows how to have fun."

The boy who had sworn in church at 17 that he would love me forever now held a young, beautiful blonde in his arms as he coaxed her, "As long as Elena doesn't find out, you can do whatever you want."

The day I left, everything seemed normal. No one noticed anything unusual. The maid, Maria Russo, even smiled and asked me, "Signora, are you going shopping?"

I smiled lightly and nodded. "No need to prepare dinner tonight."

Antonio did not know that the 'boring' Elena he spoke of was the daughter of the Santoro mafia family. The women of the Santoro family never forgave betrayal.

The hallway of the Rizzo estate stretched long before me. Caravaggio originals hung on the walls, their surfaces catching the glow from floor lamps that spilled across the oak floorboards in dappled patterns.

At the end of the hall, the study door stood slightly ajar. Laughter burst through in waves, each one louder than the last.

Today was the day my husband, Don Antonio Rizzo, handled family business. Every member of the family had come.

Outsiders were not allowed within ten feet, so they had not even bothered to close the door.

I carried my Hermès Kelly bag and was about to push the door open when my heel caught on the foreign rug. As I bent down, the diamond ring on my ring finger suddenly slipped off. The 60-carat ring tumbled onto the deep red carpet like a fallen tear.

My heart stung for no reason I could name.

I was about to crouch down to pick it up when I heard Antonio's voice.

"Come on, I'm not like you scum." His voice carried the blur of alcohol but swelled with pride. "My first love, my one true love for this lifetime is my wife."

I pressed my lips together. The cold diamond sat in my palm, but warmth spread through my chest.

"It's just a shame." Antonio suddenly sighed. "I only found out after I married her that Elena's nothing special. Women are only fun when they're young and beautiful."

My hand clenched tight. The diamond dug into my flesh as the smile froze on my lips.

"What about me, Don?" A sweet, soft voice suddenly rang out, full of wounded injustice. "You said your one true love is your wife, so what am I? Last night, you said you loved me most!"

The men all burst into laughter. "Silly girl, you actually believe what a man says in bed? Besides, it's only natural for a man to love his wife."

"You're the mistress. What are you even fighting for?"

"Don! Look at them!" The woman's voice turned tearful, sounding so delicate and soft. It really made a person's heart ache.

"Enough. Leave her alone." Antonio's voice dropped. "What mistress? This is my girlfriend. Watch your mouth."

Someone whistled. "No way, Don. Are you serious about this?"

Antonio made a low sound of agreement. "She's been with me since she was 18. I have to take responsibility."

"Don, you really know how to live."

"Haha, exactly. Aren't you afraid the Signora will make a scene?"

Antonio laughed. "Elena depends on me to survive. What's she going to make a scene with? But you all better keep your mouths shut. I love my wife very much. I don't want to make her sad."

"You love your wife very much, so what about me?" The young lady started up again, relentless.

Antonio reached out and pulled her in front of him, holding her in his arms as he coaxed her. "Sweetheart, is this really worth your tears?"

The young lady sobbed and whined. "Antonio, I want you to say you love me most. Even if you're lying."

"Alright, baby. She's not as young or beautiful or wild as you. Right now, of course, I love you most."

I stood outside the door in the shadows and suddenly smiled. The man who had once sworn he would love me for a lifetime was now coaxing a younger woman, but I did not even feel the urge to walk in and confront him.

One betrayal meant no second chances. That was the rule of the Santoro family.

I turned and walked back down that long hallway.

On our wedding day, Antonio lowered his eyes and swore before every member of the family, "Through poverty, sickness, hardship, pain, wealth, health, joy, and happiness, Elena, I will never leave you. I will love you for a lifetime."

A lifetime.

A single tear slid down my cheek.

He promised a lifetime, but a lifetime cut short by a year, a month, a day, or even an hour was not a lifetime at all.

The day Antonio came home, I was already downstairs having breakfast.

He carried a large bouquet of white roses and a Tiffany blue box in his hands as he rushed through the door, his face full of apology. "Sorry, baby. The dinner ran way too late last night. I couldn't make it back."

When we married, he promised that no matter how busy he got, he would never stay out all night. However, over the past six months, he had been coming home later and later. Last night, he did not come home at all.

I set down my knife and fork and looked up at him. His suit, shirt, and tie had all been changed. He smelled clean and crisp. It was Creed's Aventus. How thoughtful of the Don to be so meticulous.

He set the flowers down and walked over to kiss me. "Elena, I swear, this is the first time and the last time."

I raised my hand to stop him and asked, "You stayed at the Rizzo estate last night?"

Antonio did not hesitate for even a moment. "Yes. Look, the clothes I changed into are all from the ones you prepared for me at the old house."

He gripped my shoulders and looked at me carefully. "Are you angry? I'll spend the whole day with you today. I won't handle family business, okay?"

I looked at him too. I looked at my own reflection in his deep blue eyes.

His gaze did not waver or dodge. There was not a trace of guilt. I could hide my heartbreak just as well. "I'm not angry."

I pushed his hand away. "Eat your breakfast first."

Yet as soon as he sat down, his phone rang. I saw him frown and decline, but it rang again almost immediately. He hesitated for a few seconds, then declined it again. Right after, a message came through.

After Antonio read it, his brows furrowed tight.

"Elena, there's something urgent with the family."

"Go ahead."

"Forget it. I'll have Luca handle it first. I promised to spend the whole day with you," he said, but he was clearly distracted.

"It's alright. Family business is more important. Go."

I looked at him calmly. Even my aching heart had gone numb.

Antonio only hesitated for a moment before standing up. "I'll try to come back early to be with you."

I made a sound of agreement and watched him hurry to his car and leave. Only then did I belatedly wipe the cold tears from my face.

I called my best friend. "Sofia, can you schedule a checkup for me at your hospital? Today."

When the test results came back, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

My body was healthy, and I was not pregnant. When I married Antonio, my health was very poor, so we never tried for children. However, just to be safe, I still did a thorough examination.

"Doctor, how is my body recovering now?"

After receiving a positive answer, I felt the heavy weight in my chest lift by more than half.

I clutched the report and walked out. Just as I turned the corner in the hallway, I happened to hear Antonio's name.

"Antonio, if I really am pregnant, can I keep the baby and raise it myself?"

I stopped in my tracks and looked at the two people not far away.

Antonio held a cigar between his fingers. His brows were locked tight, and he looked somewhat impatient.

The blonde lady wore no makeup. Her face was streaked with tears, and she tugged at his sleeve as she swayed and begged.

Antonio laughed coldly. "My wife hasn't even had a child yet. What makes you think it's your turn?"

"But this is my first baby. I can't bear to lose it. I promise I'll be good. I won't cause you any trouble, and I'll never let your wife know I or the baby exist."

Antonio's hand holding the cigar patted her face. "Don't be naive, sweetheart. There's no way I'm letting you have my child. Be good. Don't make a scene and I'll buy you another place on Lacon Hill.

"But if you insist on making trouble, Caterina, let me be clear. Your school is full of beautiful, obedient girls. I could sleep with a different one every day without breaking a sweat. You're not irreplaceable."

Caterina was cowed by his few words. Her face went pale, and tears hung on her cheeks. "Don, I was wrong. I'll be good. Please, Antonio, don't leave me."

"Good girl. Go get the test done."

"I'll go. It's just that you said before that your wife's health is too poor to have children. If I really am pregnant, just think of it as me having the baby for her. The baby can be raised by her too. I promise I won't let her know I exist, okay?"

Antonio was silent for a moment. "Get the test first. We'll talk after the results."

Caterina went in, still crying and sobbing as she pushed through the door.

Antonio finished his cigar and stubbed it out. When he turned around, I pretended I had just walked up.

When he saw me, he seemed to freeze for a moment. However, he quickly put on a tense, worried expression. "Baby, why are you at the hospital? Are you sick or did you get hurt somewhere?"

Antonio gripped my arm and looked like he could not be more anxious.

"Why didn't you call me? Why'd you run to the hospital all by yourself?"

He looked me up and down, his eyes full of urgent concern. It was as if over these ten years, his love for me had never diminished by even half.

A chill settled into my hands and feet, spreading through me like frost. How could Antonio act so devoted?

While he called me "baby" over and over, his mistress was in a room not far away, checking whether she was pregnant. Yet he could stand before me without revealing a single crack in his facade—so much so that I could almost no longer tell which side of Antonio was the real one.

I lowered my eyes and avoided his too-burning gaze. My fingertips curled unconsciously. The smell of disinfectant hung in the air, stinging my nose until it ached.

"I'm fine. I just came to see a friend."

He let out a long breath and pulled me into his arms. "You scared me to death, baby."

His fingers stroked gently along my arm, the movement as tender as if he were handling a priceless treasure. But all I felt was the touch burning like a branding iron. I wanted nothing more than to shake him off immediately.

I could hear my own heartbeat clearly. One thud after another, heavy and powerless.

The door to the examination room next door seemed to move. I glanced over instinctively.

Antonio followed my gaze, then turned back with his smile still perfect. "What's wrong? Did you see someone you know?"

I shook my head. "No. I must've been mistaken."

People came and went in the hallway, everyone hurrying along. No one knew what unbearable truth lay hidden beneath this seemingly calm surface.

I looked at Antonio's broad back and suddenly felt he was a complete stranger.

I had loved this man for ten years. Did I truly know him at all?

"Antonio, are you really that worried about me?" I looked at him and asked quietly.

"How could I not be?" He held me tight. "When I married you, your health was a disaster. I spent three years painstakingly nursing you back, and you only just started to improve.

"Baby, do you know how terrified I was when I saw you just now? If something happened to you, how could I go on living?"

I wanted to laugh, but the corners of my mouth were stiff. My lips would not stop trembling.

I asked him, "So, why are you at the hospital?"

His arms around me tightened slightly. "Oh, I came to see a family member. He's admitted here."

This was the maternity ward. I did not call him out on it.

On the drive home, Antonio's phone kept ringing.

He simply turned it off. "Even if the whole Eastern Seaboard catches fire today, I'm staying home with you."

I said nothing. I only watched the Black Bay streetscape through the window.

The route home happened to pass by Biston University. Familiar scenes, one after another. What used to be sweet now felt like sugar-coated blades stabbing at my heart.

My vision blurred somehow. In that blur, I seemed to see the Antonio and Elena of the past.

"Elena, stop being mad, okay? Please, just let me explain. Just hear me out once."

"Fine. Once."

"Two times, okay? Just two?" The young Antonio grinned cheekily and tugged at my sleeve, refusing to let go.

"Get lost, Antonio."

"Don't cry. Hit me, Elena. Beat the hell out of me, just don't cry, okay?"

The phone in my bag suddenly chimed. It cut through my thoughts and yanked me back to reality in an instant. I pulled out my phone. The messages were from an unknown number.

[He said your health is too poor. You've never been able to satisfy him. Three years married and you've never switched positions. He's sick of it.

[He doesn't like using condoms. He feels bad for me, so he won't let me take birth control. He said if I get pregnant, he'll let me keep it. After all, you can't get pregnant anyway.

[Signora Rizzo, you're so useless. Why are you still occupying the position of the Rizzo family's Madre?]