The night wind was chilly, so I went back to the living room and sat down for a bit. Unknowingly, I drifted off to sleep.

In my dream, I saw the day Lucaro left me. He was riddled with bullets, his body torn and bloody, yet he still managed to hang on just to see me one last time.

Once he saw me, the pain-twisted expression on his face softened a little. "Wen… don't forget me."

I cried until I fainted, murmuring over and over, "Caro, I beg you, don't leave me!"

When I woke up, I met Carlo's inscrutable gaze. I froze in place, and my back was covered in cold sweat.

Carlo was born privileged. If he knew the real reason I was with him, not only would I be punished, but even Lucaro's remains wouldn't be safe.

I trembled, unsure of what to say to Carlo.

Unexpectedly, he gently wiped the tears from my face and asked, "Why are you crying? I said I wouldn't leave you."

I was still in shock when Carlo pulled me into his arms and said, "You calling me by my full name always makes you sound so distant."

My lips parted, but I couldn't think of what to say.

Carlo didn't press me to speak up. He said gently, "If you don't like me being away, you can just tell me. I'll spend more time with you.

"Or is it that you don't like me seeing those dancers? I'll delete all their contacts right now, okay?" Carlo muttered to himself, sounding sincere.

Still, I knew his flirtatious nature—this sincerity was only temporary, and his love would fade with time.

I reached up to wipe the tears from my cheeks and smiled. "I told you, I don't mind."

Before, when I said this, Carlo was always pleased. Now, his expression suddenly shifted and darkened.

He stared at me and asked, "What if I said I've changed now, that I don't like this indifferent and understanding act of yours anymore? What would you do then?"

I quickly put on an appeasing smile. "Whatever you say goes. If you want me to care, I'll care. If you want me not to, I won't."

Carlo grabbed my wrist, gradually increasing the pressure until it hurt enough to make me frown. Only then did he finally let go.

"Wendy Santoro, don't get any ideas. We agreed from the start that no matter what I do outside, you'll stay out of it. Don't you dare go back on your word!"

Carlo's shift in mood came suddenly, leaving me momentarily at a loss. By the time I gathered my wits, all I could see was his back as he walked away.

The vast manor fell silent once more.

I saw Lucaro's spirit chasing after Carlo, punching and kicking him.

Then, he returned to me, murmuring, "Your wrist is all red. It must hurt a lot."

I met Lucaro's concerned gaze and felt my chest ache. I quickly hid the injured wrist with my sleeve, bit my lip, and held myself back from making a sound.

I was afraid I'd instinctively run to Lucaro and throw myself into his arms, crying and acting spoiled like I used to.

I missed Lucaro terribly, but to ensure that he could ascend to heaven smoothly, I had to keep the secret. I could only steal glances at him when he wasn't paying attention.

After Lucaro died, I had wanted to join him countless times.

However, I was afraid that his soul wouldn't reach heaven, that he'd be lost in this world with no home, and that I might forget him after I died.

And so, I was trapped here, with nowhere to go.

After a while, I finally calmed down and got up to cook myself a steak. Just as the pan heated up, a maid came to tell me, "Ms. Santoro, you have a visitor. She says she's your friend."

I couldn't help but feel puzzled. My friend? Who was it?

I looked where the maid pointed and saw a strikingly stunning face that was completely unfamiliar to me.

The moment the woman saw me, she slapped me several times. Caught off guard, I fell to the floor, feeling my cheek burn with pain.

A second later, a bottle was thrown at my head. "Wendy, how dare you steal my man! You bitch!"

I curled up helplessly in a corner. In my daze, I saw Lucaro's spirit step before me.

"Don't hit Wen! If you want to hit someone, hit me!"

Unfortunately, he was just a spirit. He couldn't protect me.

The things thrown at me passed straight through his body. He tried desperately to block them, but there was nothing he could do. For a moment, his movements looked almost absurd.

Still, I couldn't laugh at all. Instead, tears streamed down from the corners of my eyes.

When Carlo rushed back, he found me covered in blood, with shards scattered all around. I was curled up in a corner, silently crying.

Carlo's eyes reddened. Then, for the first time ever, he lost control and grabbed an antique vase, hurling it at the woman.

He ran over and gently held me. "Wen, I'm back. No one will hurt you again."

I looked past him to Lucaro, who was standing aside. He stood frozen, with one hand still outstretched, before slowly lowering it in defeat.

Tears spilled from my eyes like a broken dam.

Carlo had never seen me like this before and was momentarily at a loss for how to comfort me.

His movements were a little clumsy, but his voice was incredibly gentle. "I'm sorry I was late. Please don't cry. If you stop crying, I'll do anything.

"Wen, seeing you cry breaks my heart."

Carlo was usually domineering, and anyone who saw him like this would be shocked. After all, who'd believe that a once-promiscuous Don could now humbly coax a woman?

The woman who hurt me was the same. She went completely mad seeing this side of Carlo, screaming, "Carlo, our engagement was something you agreed to and something my Nonno acknowledged! You can't just abandon me like this!"

Carlo didn't even glance her way. "Anna Fiore, if you want to make such a scene, I don't mind having a chat with your Padre."

Anna instantly shut up, not daring to make a sound.

Carlo picked me up and carried me back to the room. The family doctors came in shortly after to treat my wounds.

However, my tears wouldn't stop, and my body trembled uncontrollably from crying. Several doctors stood around me, helpless, and they had no choice but to turn to Carlo for help.

Carlo walked over and hugged me tenderly. "That azure necklace you liked before, I'll have someone buy it for you right away, okay?

"And you said you wanted to see the ocean. Once you're healed, I'll take you there, hmm? I'll buy you a villa by the sea so we can go whenever you want.

"Wen, do you miss your parents? I'll have someone bring them to you right away, alright?"

Lucaro couldn't help but speak up in a low voice. "They've been dead for a long time. How are you going to do that? You planning to dig them up?

"You've bought her all those things many times already. She doesn't care about them. Just hold her tightly in your arms. You've been together for three years and still don't know how to comfort her."

…

By the time my emotions had calmed, it was already dark.

Surprisingly, Carlo continued holding me without leaving my side. He even kissed my cheek after seeing me calm down.

"How about I take you to the seaside tomorrow to clear your mind?" he offered.

I lowered my head, gently refusing. "No, I promised the priest I'd go to church to pray tomorrow."

Carlo was puzzled. "It's supposed to snow tomorrow. The roads will be slippery and hard to walk on. Do you really have to go?"

I looked down and said softly, "After you were almost killed in that assassination attempt, I went there day and night to pray. I made a vow to go every month so you would be protected."

Carlo was moved by my words. "Alright, then. I'll go with you."

I closed my eyes, suddenly exhausted. My eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

Carlo gently tucked me in and slipped out quietly. Drowsiness gradually overtook me.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard my phone chime. I reached for it but realized it was Carlo's phone.

Normally, I would never invade his privacy. But that day, for some reason, I tapped open the message.

"Don Altieri, how was it? Wasn't Anna's performance today great?"

"Before, you were upset that Wendy never allowed you to touch her. Now that you've played the hero, was Wendy so moved that she cried?

"I guarantee that after today, Wendy won't refuse your advances anymore."

Even after reading the texts, my expression remained calm.

"Wen…" Lucaro's voice sounded in my ear.

I didn't look up, but I heard him let out a sigh.

A moment later, I set the phone back where it was, pretending nothing had happened.

The next morning, I woke to find Carlo gone. Only his trusted man, Enzo Lombardi, was waiting for me.

When he saw me, he explained, "Don Altieri has matters to attend to today, so he asked me to take you directly to the church."

I lightly replied, "Okay."

Enzo probably thought I was upset because Carlo wasn't with me, so he quickly added, "Don Altieri cares about you very much. He knew you were going there, so he specifically contacted the church to receive only you today."

I nodded in acknowledgement. Years ago, this church caught fire by accident. The Altieri famiglia donated money for its renovations, so naturally the priests there would show Carlo some courtesy.

"Let's go and not waste any time," I said.

Enzo hurried off to get the car.

I waited for a while, but when I still saw no sign of Enzo, I started walking toward where the car was parked.

There, I saw him instructing others. "Whatever you do, don't let it slip today that Don Altieri went shopping with Ms. Amy, understand?"

I stopped in my tracks and smiled wryly.

I really didn't mind Carlo fooling around outside. After all, the nature of my relationship with him was clear to both of us—I was just the decoy he put up to appease the famiglia.

I only complied with everything just so Lucaro could truly let me go and ascend to heaven smoothly.

But even such a performance had its limits. I couldn't truly sleep with Carlo, especially in front of Lucaro. Even sharing a bed was unacceptable to me.

Fortunately, Carlo didn't like forcing people to do things. He said he was willing to wait until I truly accepted him.

The car stopped at the church entrance, and I walked in alone. Despite the bright sunshine, it started raining the moment I stepped inside.

I saw Lucaro standing outside, unable to enter. The priest had explained before that spirits couldn't enter holy places like churches.

That was also why I could pray inside with peace of mind.

Inside the church, the priest, Piero Volta, had been waiting for me. He smiled when he saw me. "God has heard your prayers. Each candle you light brings your wish one step closer."

Father Piero and I had known each other for years. He was the first to extend a helping hand after Lucaro's incident.

After all these years, I really would never be able to repay all the kindness I had received. All I could say was, "Thank you, Father Piero."

He handed me a candle. Just as I was about to take it, I heard him say, "Ms. Santoro, it's not too late to change your mind. I believe that Mr. Ricci wouldn't want to see you do this if he knew."

I smiled, took the candle, and lit it. "Father Piero, after all these years of effort, I'm only one step away. As long as I willingly sacrifice myself when Lucaro gives up on me, he'll be able to enter heaven.

"For him, I will never regret it."