I've been with Giovanni Rossi for ten years. In fact, I'm the only lover he has.

During countless nights of passion, he promised me that he'd marry me as soon as he became the Don of his family.

But on the night he sits on the throne, he decides to cast me out for the sake of my replacement, Lisa Esposito.

"Selena, she's different from you. You can stay as my secret lover, but she needs an official title. Lisa has been living in a clean world. The love she has for me is pure as well. She's just like you when you were 19 years old."

After that, Giovanni gets down on one knee and puts on a pair of ballet flats onto Lisa's feet in a tender manner.

As I step out in the heavy downpour, I never look back.

What Giovanni doesn't know is that Vincenzo Bellini, the strongest Don of the mafia world, has been waiting for me for the past ten years with a crown in his hands.

The night Giovanni Rossi became the Don, he took me hard and without mercy.

By the time it was over, my legs were still trembling. Staring at my slip dress lying on the floor, one strap torn clean off, I asked, "Giovanni, is this the end of us?"

He leaned back against the headboard and lit a cigarette. The smoke blurred his eyes and the scar on his wrist, which he'd gotten from protecting me.

"Serena." He exhaled slowly and asked as calmly as if we were discussing the weather, "If I say it's over, will you make a scene?"

His words were light, yet they sent a chill down my spine.

I'd been with Giovanni for ten years. I knew the meaning behind every shift in his expression.

I took the cigarette from between his lips and inhaled deeply to steady my trembling voice. "Giovanni, do you still think I'm that young lady who didn't even know how to fire a gun?"

If I were still 19 years old, I'd have torn his world apart if he dared to abandon me. I'd force him to either kill me or go mad with me.

But I was 29 years old now.

The words died on my lips, leaving nothing but the soft rustle of falling ash.

Giovanni smiled. He brushed the smudged lipstick from the corner of my mouth with his thumb, then plucked the cigarette from my fingers and crushed it out.

"Let's end this here, Serena. Smoke less. Your lungs can't handle it. It's time you lived a normal life like other women."

He paused, then added, "Arvandor is a good place. I've arranged a house and gallery for you there. Haven't you always wanted to paint? Leave this place and start over."

I froze.

At 29, I was being broken up with and gifted a beautifully packaged exile.

In the mafia world, the one who cried first was the loser.

I fumbled for my lighter, trying to light another cigarette, but my hands shook so badly I couldn't spark a flame even after three tries.

That final tear slipped out anyway. I wiped it away quickly with the back of my hand and bent to pick up my dress.

Suddenly, Giovanni wrapped his arms around me from behind.

Like he had countless times before, he pulled up the zipper at my back with practiced ease, then bit gently at my earlobe and murmured, "Do as I say. I don't want to issue an expulsion order."

Thunder rolled outside. Rain lashed against the windows.

"It's pouring," he said, glancing outside. "The flight will be delayed. Leave tomorrow morning. I'll stay with you tonight."

I didn't answer, and he didn't mind.

For ten years, I had never questioned his control.

But Giovanni forgot that compliance was never my nature. If we were going to end this relationship, we would end it cleanly.

I pushed him away and straightened up. "It's just rain. When someone wants to leave, not even a storm can stop them. Since there's someone else you care about, there's no need to act in front of me."

For a brief second, I saw his jaw tighten.

Then, it relaxed.

"Good that you know." He walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

Without looking at me, he said, "Her name is Lisa Esposito. A 19-year-old ballet major. Serena, she's different from you. She lives in a clean world. She's been loved properly, and the love she gives me is pure."

He paused for a moment, his voice dropping an octave. "Unlike you. You've been different for a long time now."

My throat tightened at his words.

He'd molded me into a rose with thorns. Now that he had become the Don, he complained that I had changed?

I wanted to question him and tear that calm mask off his face.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was a very unusual ringtone—a soothing piano melody that clashed with everything in this room.

Giovann's gaze softened instantly. He pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to keep quiet.

The woman's voice trembled over the phone. "Giovanni… It's thundering. I'm scared…"

I stood in the middle of the mess, listening as he spoke to her in a tone I'd never heard from him before.

"Hey, don't worry. It's just rain. I'll have Antonio pick you up, alright? I know you hate strangers, but tonight's different."

The woman's crying only got louder. "I don't want him! I want you here tonight! No one else!"

He left without a word.

I put on my coat and replied to the person who had been messaging me nonstop, "Come get me. I accept the engagement."

Giovanni's convoy roared out of Rossi Estate.

My phone buzzed, and the screen lit up with a message from Giovanni. "Clear out your things tonight. All locks and codes will be changed in a week."

I didn't reply.

Silently, I began erasing every trace of myself from the villa I'd lived in for seven years. From the haute couture gown he'd given me to the ivory-handled pistol he'd engraved by hand for my birthday last year.

I packed up every memory and tossed it in the trash.

My phone lit up again.

Giovanni's last message sounded like a dignified closing to our relationship. "If you run into trouble, contact Antonio. I can't give you the title of wife, but you'll have a Don's protection."

I stared at that last line and laughed.

I'd been by his side for ten years, taking knives for him and firing guns for him. Now that he'd made it to the top, all he offered me was condescending "protection".

The typhoon's storm delayed all flights. I couldn't leave, and I couldn't sleep. I woke in the dead of night and smoked one cigarette after another.

The smoke blurred my vision but sharpened my memories.

The year I met Giovanni, he was still the unrecognized illegitimate son of the family. I was 19 years old, fresh out of home. My wallet was stolen, and I was nearly dragged into an alley. He saved me with his fists.

I fell in love at first sight and stubbornly followed him three streets down.

He sneered at the prestigious academy uniform I was wearing. "Signorina, I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow. Why do you love me? Go home and hug your doll to sleep. We're not from the same world. There's no future between us."

Back then, I was both innocent and stubborn. Once I set my sights on him, I wouldn't let go.

Amid his stunned stare, I rose onto my tiptoes and pressed a fierce kiss to his lips.

"I don't care about a future with you. I only want you."

That night, we made our first promise to each other.

After that, I followed Giovanni, climbing out step by step. While he fought for territory, I patched his wounds. While he dealt with traitors, I kept watch and ran errands.

Countless nights, we became each other's only salvation, clinging to one another like life depended on it.

Between labored breaths, he promised over and over, "Serena, once I become the Don, the first thing I'll do is marry you."

Now that he was the Don, the first thing he did was erase me from his life.

I wasn't naive anymore. I wouldn't waste myself on someone unworthy.

My phone buzzed again, but this time, it wasn't another message from Giovanni.

"The engagement still stands. Welcome home, my Donna."

Seeing that, I deleted every photo and chat history with Giovanni.

I picked up the suitcase I had already packed and held the keys in my hand.

By the time I opened the door, the rain had stopped.

I didn't look back.

Giovanni was right. Arvandor was a good place. That was where my home was.

It was where the man who had waited for me for years—now the Don of the most powerful mafia family—stood waiting.

And where a wedding long overdue was meant to take place.

I held the keys and the access card to the family archives and headed to the Rossi family headquarters.

In no mood for dressing up, I simply wore a white dress.

When I pushed open the door, the usual greetings were gone. Those who once called me "Donna" now fell silent, as if by unspoken agreement.

But whispers still reached my ears.

"She still suits Don Rossi best. Ten years, and she's been the only one by his side…"

"Hah! You don't get it. You need a crutch only when you have a broken leg. First thing you do when it heals? You throw it away. Seeing it reminds you of when you couldn't stand!"

I forced a small, bitter smile.

Ten years with Giovanni, and no one had ever dared speak to me like that.

A business partner had dared to touch my hand once. The very next day, Giovanni had his fingers cut off.

If I frowned, he would drop every meeting just to calm me.

All the privileges that came with being favored had now turned into jokes.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed. A shot ripped through the air, grazing the scalp of the one who'd used the crutch metaphor.

Giovanni's expression darkened as he lowered the gun.

"What's going on?" he asked coldly. "I'm gone for a moment, and this place turns into a gossip market? Anyone who didn't know might think Serena Bianchi is your Donna!"

The council room went dead silent.

This was Giovanni's power. But now, that power was pointed at me.

I opened my mouth to bring up leaving, but Lisa poked her head from behind Giovanni and timidly asked, "Giovanni, is this Serena you were talking about?"

She sized me up with feigned innocence, then gasped and covered her mouth. "Oddio! Serena's outfit today… Is she trying to copy me?"

Same white dress and bare face. Her eyes—especially—carried a 60% resemblance to mine when I was 19 years old.

A flicker of doubt crossed Giovanni's eyes as he looked at me. "Serena, did you run a background check on Lisa?"

I was so disappointed in him that I didn't want to talk to him.

When I stayed silent, his doubtful gaze shifted into a mocking sneer. "No matter how much you copy, you're not 19 anymore. If you're leaving, just leave. What's the point of playing these little tricks with me?"

What did he just say?

"Actually, it's fine you're here. Saves me the trouble of looking for you." He pulled out a checkbook, tore a blank check, and tossed it my way.

"Name your price for your ten years of youth."

As I stared at the blank check and his arrogant expression, my mind went utterly blank.

"Giovanni," I called out in a trembling voice. "Say that again."

He put his hands in his pockets and replied, "I said, I'm buying out your last ten years. Plus a little hush money."

Lisa grabbed his sleeve. "Don't do that. You're treating her like some mistress you're just brushing off. Serena has dignity, too."

Giovanni gently pinched her cheek. "I have to take care of this now. That way, no one will whisper behind your back, and you won't get hurt."

Such familiar words. He used to protect me like this.

My stomach churned.

I lowered my gaze to the silver ring on my finger. When I first put it on, it fit perfectly. But over the years, as Giovanni's power grew, his heart drifted farther away.

The ring had dulled along with whatever tiny thread of us remained.

I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, only calm remained in my expression.

Under Giovanni's casual gaze, I tore the check to shreds. "Giovanni Rossi, you can't afford my ten years of youth, and I don't need you to pay for it."

I lifted my left hand and yanked the ring off with force.

His expression changed instantly.