The bus came to a stop near our old house.

It had stood vacant ever since Luca passed away. The walls were mottled and peeling, and rainwater trickled down the cracks, dripping onto thick cobwebs.

As I pushed the door open, I held my breath.

A faded toolbox leaned against the wall, showing four rusty pistols inside. They were designed and made by me, Luca, Sergio, and Elena.

Back then, Sergio and Luca were into modifying weapons, and Elena and I just tagged along.

Elena would hand tools to Luca with admiration and trust shining in her eyes.

I couldn't help but reach out and touch one of the guns.

Luca and I came from a happy family.

Our Papà, Aldo Lorusso, was the Don of the Lorusso family. He was the one who established the massive mafia empire.

However, he was betrayed by his closest allies and killed in a planned purge.

After that, they hunted Luca and me, forcing us to stay on the run.

One night when I was 16, during our escape, we rescued a badly beaten young man in an abandoned warehouse—Sergio.

He said he was an orphan who'd been bullied his whole life.

When he found out who we were, he wasn't afraid and even hid us in the orphanage where he stayed.

Even though we were always on the run, Luca treated me with deep care, and I grew somewhat spoiled.

Sergio hated me the most. He always frowned and called me a troublemaker who just dragged Luca down. But whenever anyone dared hurt me, he was the first to protect me.

Years later, Luca quietly rebuilt his position in the Lorusso family with help from Papà's old men.

But to keep me safe, he kept many things from me.

Once, when Luca went to a private bar for business, I sneaked after him but got separated.

When I turned around, I found myself surrounded by a group of thugs. They cornered me, their eyes leering as they insisted I drink with them.

I refused, but they forced the drink on me. The harsh liquor made me cough convulsively, and tears blurred my vision instantly.

Just as I was losing hope, a dull thud sounded. One of the thugs howled in agony as he hit the floor. His head was slick with blood.

Sergio stood behind him, holding a broken bottle.

Sergio, who always wore the mask of a perfect gentleman, now had a terrifying rage seething in his eyes. He kicked the rest of the thugs aside and carried me out of the bar.

As I leaned against his chest, I heard his rapid, restrained breathing. That was the first time I felt he really didn't hate me.

I asked, "Sergio, didn't you always call me a troublemaker? Why did you save me?"

"Luca cares so much about you. Of course I can't let anything happen to you."

Sergio paused, his ears turning red before he continued, "And… I never truly thought of you as a burden."

My heart skipped a beat at that moment.

That night, something unspoken grew between us.

Worried the drink was spiked, Sergio took me to the hospital.

After the checkup showed nothing was wrong, we were about to leave when I spotted Elena huddled in a wheelchair in a corner. With her legs wrapped in thick bandages, she was weeping in silence.

Her father, Rocco Lazzari, was a loyal enforcer who stood by Papà through thick and thin.

After Papà's death, the traitors forced him to surrender. When he refused, they shot him down on the spot.

Caught in the crossfire, Elena was shot in the legs. She had to crawl out of there.

She'd been hiding ever since, scraping by on odd jobs to pay medical bills that never seemed to end.

Luca and I didn't hesitate to take her in.

To cover her medical expenses, Luca worked even harder to reconnect with Papà's old loyalists, hoping to reclaim the family as soon as possible.

He took on more dangerous jobs and was always showing fresh wounds.

Fortunately, Luca was talented and rose quickly. The first thing he did after gaining power was send Elena to the world's best orthopedic hospital.

Their bond grew in those long days and nights.

But the lingering effects of his severe injuries haunted Luca forever. On rainy days, his hand would ache so badly that he could barely pull the trigger.

That was Luca's weakness, and only the four of us knew about it. We kept it secret and shared some of the happiest times of our lives.

I truly thought we would stay this close forever.

Suddenly, footsteps outside startled me.

I turned sharply and saw Sergio and Elena standing at the door.

I forgot that they had keys to this house too.

Elena clung to Sergio's arm. The ruby necklace around her neck glowed with a blinding brilliance.

She smiled at me warmly. "Janella, Sergio said you were back, so we guessed you'd be here. Why didn't you contact us? Hearing you're okay made me so happy. This place has been empty for ages. Come back to the estate with us. The helper is on leave, and we've cleaned the spare room."

She tried to reach for my hand, but I coldly avoided her touch.

I only came here to sort through Luca's things, not to stay.

Besides, someone else was waiting for me.

I said flatly, "Give me the keys. You're not welcome here."

This house had been in my name since Luca died. It had nothing to do with them.

Sergio's complex gaze fixed upon the gun in my hand. "Janella, if Luca were here, he'd want you living with us. He wouldn't feel safe if you were alone. Come back with us."

Elena looked away, unable to look at the gun carved with Luca's name.

I replied with only one word. "Scram."

Sergio ignored my words entirely. Instead, he took off his blazer and rolled up his sleeves, preparing to clean. "Elena, open the windows. Let's get some fresh air in here."

For a moment, I felt like I was back in the old days.

Luca would be cooking in the kitchen with Elena helping by his side. Sergio would be vacuuming, and I would be standing on a chair, giving orders.

But now, the house was covered in dust. Even the echoes of our past laughter had grown dull under the layers of time.

I pulled out an old suitcase and began sorting through Luca's things—tie clips, a family badge, his diary, and a teddy bear with a voice recorder inside.

I pressed play without thinking. Luca's gentle, deep voice came through. "Happy birthday, Janella."

Tears welled in my eyes instantly.

Suddenly, Elena stormed over and slammed the teddy bear to the floor. "Why the hell did you bring that out?"

Her voice trembled.

Watching her panic, I couldn't help but sneer.

It turned out that she could feel fear after all. She was afraid of being stung by the remnants of Luca's past, and of the buried truths coming to light.

"I'm the owner of this house. I have the right to handle these things. What are you so afraid of?" I asked.

Sergio frowned. "Janella, Elena just worries about you. That teddy bear… It's been stained with blood before. It's just unsettling."

I looked up at them, a sharp chill in my gaze. "You know exactly whose blood it was."

Sergio and Elena went pale instantly.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the wind rattling the windows like a silent accusation.

This used to be the safest place for Luca and me, but everything changed in the second year after he got married.

After Luca officially became the Don, he got busier than ever. Sometimes, I wouldn't see him for weeks.

Then one night, there was a massive explosion at the harbor. Smoke and the smell of saltwater swept across the balcony.

Luca had led his men to wipe out the rival faction and seize the shipment of smuggled weapons. The haul was worth a fortune, enough to multiply the Lorusso family's profits several times over.

When Luca came home that day, he smiled for the first time in ages as he carried two gift boxes into the living room.

One was a license granting me the rights to run his chain of bars. The other was a couture dress Elena had wanted for half a year.

As we were opening the gifts, Sergio, who wasn't home, called Luca.

"Don Lorusso, the Capone family used the negotiations as a cover to set me up. They cornered me in an underground club, demanding the location of the weapons."

Luca rushed out without even putting on his coat. "Janella, take care of Elena. I'll be back soon."

That was the last thing he ever said to me.

He led his top-tier Soldati into a deadly firefight against the Capones to rescue Sergio.

Sergio broke through safely, but Luca was ambushed. Both his hands were shattered, and the back of his head was smashed bloody and raw.

When we got to the hospital, Luca was saved but slipped into a coma, never to wake up again.

My world collapsed at that moment.

I forced myself to manage the family mess during the day, but at night, I'd cry silently by Luca's bedside.

Elena never left Luca's side, rejecting both food and water.

When I saw her swollen, red eyes, my heart ached in sympathy.

I pushed her out of the ward. "Go now! Luca would never want you to waste your life waiting for him. I'm making the call for him. Get a divorce. You're still young. You shouldn't be dragged down."

Elena clung to Luca's arm, crying uncontrollably. "I'd rather die than divorce! I want to stay by his side!"

Her determination moved me.

I handed all of Luca's assets to Elena, keeping only the old house for myself.

Meanwhile, Sergio locked himself away in his apartment, drowning his pain in alcohol. He couldn't bear what happened to Luca.

One day, Elena kicked open his door and slapped him hard.

"If you really care about Luca, stop throwing your life away like this! Avenge him and protect those he cares about!"

That slap seemed to wake Sergio up.

He officially took over the family and vowed to make those who had hurt Luca pay. At the same time, he took on the responsibility of looking after me.

Back then, I was drowning in grief and confusion. Sergio became my only lifeline.

I remembered it clearly.

Sergio had dropped to one knee and proposed to me in front of Luca's hospital bed. He said he'd love me in Luca's place for the rest of my life.

Just then, Sergio's phone rang, pulling me out of my memories.

Elena quickly changed the subject. This time, her tone was lighter. "Don't blame Sergio. He's the Don of the Lorusso family now. He's busier than ever."

She flicked her hair and deliberately showed off the huge ruby necklace around her neck.

It looked similar to the jewelry pieces Sergio showed me not long ago, the ones he claimed to have designed for me.

"Sergio designed it himself for my birthday recently. The ruby alone costs eight figures."

Sergio put away his phone and walked over with a casual expression. "What are you two talking about?"

Elena shyly linked her arm with his. "I was just saying Janella dresses too plainly. I'll dig out some of my necklaces I've never worn to give her later."

I said flatly, "No, grazie. I have a low tolerance for filth."

Elena's face instantly turned pale, and she acted like she'd been slapped in public. "Janella, how can you say that? I'm only doing this for you—"

Before she could finish, I glared at her and enunciated every syllable as I asked, "Really? Do you really think everything you did was for me?"

Sergio's expression darkened. "Janella, let's not bring up the past."

I snorted.

After Luca's accident, I was deeply moved to see Elena staying by his side.

At that time, I was convinced Luca hadn't loved her in vain. He had picked someone loyal and devoted.

When I hesitated about going back to school, both Sergio and Elena supported me.

Sergio promised he'd take good care of Luca. To ease my worries, he transferred Luca to the best hospital, into a VIP ward with 24/7 care.

No matter how busy he was, he always made time to call me and update me on Luca.

"Janella, the doctor says Luca's condition has improved recently. We should have the wedding on your birthday this year. Maybe Luca will wake up and see you as the most beautiful bride."

Filled with anticipation, I secretly booked a flight home for the day before my birthday. I just wanted to see Luca and Sergio sooner.

But when I opened the door to Luca's ward, the scene hit me like a storm.

Luca was lying in bed, hooked up to all sorts of tubes. His once-strong frame had shrunk to skeletal thinness, stripped of all its former vitality.

On the nearby couch, two naked bodies were tightly entwined.

They were Sergio and Elena.

"Ugh!"

As I looked at the scene before me, my first reaction was pure nausea. It was disgusting.

Luca's chest rose and fell slowly. Every single breath seemed to require every ounce of strength he had left.

His lips were cracked and pale, making it obvious that no one had cared for him in a long time.

The muscles on his arms, once muscular and firm, were now sunken and misshapen.

This was the man who used to rip guns from enemies' hands and lift heavy crates of weapons with ease. Now, he looked fragile and broken.

Sergio and Elena hadn't just neglected Luca. They took advantage of his vegetative state, fooling around right at his bedside.

My tears burst forth instantly. Like a person possessed, I charged forward, grabbed Elena by the hair, and wrenched her out of Sergio's arms.

"This is what you call loyalty?" I screeched.

While struggling, Elena screamed, "Janella, I know I betrayed you and Luca, but I'm still young! I don't want to spend my life taking care of a man who's basically dead!"

Without hesitation, I slapped her hard. I wished I could choke her. "I asked you to leave back then, but you insisted on staying!"

"I was stupid!" Elena cried, covering her face.

"I regret it now! I don't want this life! I love Sergio now. I never wanted to replace you as Madre. I just wanted to be with Sergio. My Papà died for yours. Without him, you and Luca would have been dead long ago. Can't you show some gratitude and let me have him?"

There it was. That "gratitude" again.

Luca had risked his life for that word, and now Elena was using it to threaten me.

I finally realized how sinister people could be. Love and gratitude were nothing more than stepping stones for their own interests.

I raised my hand for another slap, but Sergio grabbed my wrist tightly. The next second, he swung me back hard.

My back slammed hard against the cold wall. The impact was so violent that my vision went black and my ears started ringing.

Just then, Luca, somehow sensing danger, found some strength to bite through his oxygen tube. The machine screeched alarms, and blood poured from his mouth.

Startled and overwhelmed with panic, I frantically pressed the call button.

But Sergio merely frowned. He looked annoyed, as if he weren't witnessing Luca on the brink of death but was simply bothered by an irritating noise.

Doctors and nurses rushed over but just stood at the door with their heads bowed. No one came inside.

I screamed, "What are you waiting for? Save Luca!"

Silence fell over the room, and no one moved.

Finally, Sergio looked up and said calmly, "Calm down, amore. He's just a vegetable. Keeping him alive is a waste."

"Sergio, how can you be so heartless?" I yelled, grabbing a metal IV stand beside me and swinging at him.

He sidestepped, dodging easily. His gaze had turned cold and unrecognizable.

I knew then he wasn't going to help, so I pulled out my phone to call for help.

Before I could dial, he snatched the phone and threw it off the 13th floor.

"Janella, stop this. You'll still be Madre. I'll provide you with all the money and status you need, and I'll even hire the best doctors to treat Luca. But don't you dare interfere with Elena and me. If you want Luca to stay alive, do as you're told."

Luca's breathing grew fainter and fainter, and the look of agony on his face tore my heart to shreds.

At that moment, he lay on the bed like a fish gasping for air on dry land.

I gave in. I had no choice in the face of absolute power. One word from Sergio, and both Luca and I could vanish without a trace.

After that, Elena and Sergio got even bolder. They were even caught kissing in public.

As word spread, the made men of the family collectively felt that Sergio had crossed a line by taking his life savior's wife.

Once word got out, the Lorusso family's reputation would be permanently tarnished.

The Consiglieri did their best to talk sense into Sergio, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

Then, Elena got pregnant, and everything blew up.

Sergio came to me and said, "Janella, sign the divorce papers. Then, call a family meeting and admit that Luca forced himself onto Elena years ago. You became the other woman just for revenge. If you don't, you'll never see Luca again."

I knew he meant it, so I agreed, begging only that Luca wouldn't be hurt.

At the family meeting, I recited the confession he had prepared for me. The words were agonizing.

"…It was Luca who forced himself on Ms. Lazzari back then. I seduced Don Wexler out of revenge…"

Murmurs rippled through the room. Their looks of scorn and derision cut through me like cold blades.

I almost couldn't finish my statement.

Behind me, Sergio whispered, "Think of Luca."

Choking back my fury and resentment, I recited the rest of that distorted web of lies.

After I left the room, all I wanted was to see Luca. But Sergio's Soldato told me Elena secretly recorded me reciting the confession and played it to Luca in his ward.

Luca, though in a vegetative state, nearly lunged forward in fury, but Elena had people restrain him. In the end, overcome by rage and shock, he stopped breathing.

In his final moments, his lips shaped my name.

I held Luca's lifeless body and cried for an entire day, until it felt as if I were weeping blood.

Meanwhile, my phone was flooded with news that Sergio and Elena had finally ended up together.

In the photos, they were linked arm in arm, smiling sweetly. Their smiles were absolute daggers to my eyes.

Elena sent me a taunting message. "Did you know? Sergio and I loved each other long before you thought it happened. Luca became a vegetable because Sergio exposed his weak arm in front of the enemies that day."

I lost my mind after reading that.

I grabbed a gun and broke into Sergio's villa, ready to kill them both for Luca.

The first shot was blocked by Sergio's Soldato. Before I could fire again, they pinned me down.

When the gun was taken from me, I screamed at the top of my lungs, accusing Sergio and Elena of their crimes.

Sergio just frowned and told everyone calmly, "Janella lost her mind after Luca died. It's tragic. Scusa, but I promise you, I'll never give her another chance to hurt anyone again."

Then, he bribed witnesses and forged evidence to put me into a forensic psychiatric ward on charges of intentionally harming the Don of the Lorusso family.

For seven long years, I was locked away in a room where the sun never shone. My cellmate was a violent woman who beat me up every single day.

For food, they gave me nothing but moldy crusts and murky water.

It wasn't until a sudden, raging fire broke out that I was able to seize the chance and escape that living hell.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, pulling me back from my memories. I looked up to find Sergio watching me with a hesitant expression.

I pulled out my phone. It was a text from my fiance, Zefiro Palo. "Cuore, my car is parked just outside."

A faint smile touched my lips as I replied, "Okay."

With the contrast clear in my mind, I turned around and treated Sergio and Elena with even more coldness. "If you don't return the house keys, I'll shoot you for trespassing."

Their faces paled at once, and they finally left.

I went into Luca's bedroom and hurried to pack his things.

By the time I finished packing and stepped out, I was met by the sound of a heated quarrel.

"Why is she getting half of the Lorusso family's profits? She gave everything to me willingly! Don't think I don't know you've been looking for her ever since she disappeared from the psych ward. You just can't let her go!"

Elena screamed with venom, "I got pregnant and endured all the insults for you! And now you want to please her? She belongs back in the psych ward! Someone needs to teach her a lesson there!"

A sharp slap cut through the curses.

"Luca nearly died saving your leg. Without him, you would've been crippled! You destroyed Janella's family, ruined her life, and betrayed Luca. Aren't you afraid he'll come after you and drag you down to hell?"

The moment I heard Luca's name, all warmth drained from my eyes.

When I grabbed the suitcase and walked out, I saw Zefiro appear behind the two of them. He walked right past them to my side, then took the suitcase from my hand.

Sergio froze. His gaze locked onto Zefiro with a deadly intensity as his fists clenched tight.

"Who is he?" he asked, his voice raw and hoarse.

I reached out and intertwined my fingers with Zefiro's.

For the first time in seven years, Sergio saw me wear a look of pure happiness, but it wasn't for him. It was for a man he didn't know.

"Let me introduce you. This is Zefiro Palo, my fiance," I said.