"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."

By the time I finished praying and left the church, it was already late at night.

I saw Lucaro standing to the side, quietly watching the entrance. This scene made me think of the times he used to wait for me while I shopped.

I had always enjoyed looking at every new item in a store. He wasn't interested, but he would just stand there, waiting for me.

Back then, with him standing quietly to the side, I thought he was unromantic and dull.

Now, looking back, I realized that what we had was beautiful. Lucaro loved me too much, and that love truly filled every little detail of our past life together.

It was also because of that love that he now found it hard to ascend to heaven, leaving him only as a faint spirit lingering by my side.

Unfortunately, I was "cold-hearted and unfaithful", having fallen for his rival soon after his death.

Even so, for the past three years, he had never let go of his obsession with me. It wasn't until he heard about Carlo and me discussing marriage recently that he realized that he had to leave.

What a fool. He was just a wisp of a spirit now. How could he protect me like before?

Although I was mad at him, I still slowed my pace to see if he was keeping up. It was so cold here. Even as a spirit, he had to be cold, too.

It would be best if he followed me home.

Lucaro followed behind me, complaining about why I didn't wear more clothes, telling me to walk more slowly and to be careful of the slippery path.

When he noticed Enzo, he asked carefully, "Wendy, when you spend so long praying at church, is it really only for Carlo? Did you think of me, even for a moment?"

I didn't dare look back or show any expression that might give me away. I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands tightly inside my pockets.

I had thought of him—every thought in my heart, every longing, was only for Lucaro.

But I couldn't say it, nor did I dare to.

Enzo approached me and said, "Ms. Santoro, Don Altieri is going up the mountain to race with a few friends. He asks if you would like to come, and that he wants you to bring him luck."

As soon as he finished speaking, I saw a black sports car approaching from a distance and stopping in front of me.

The car was extremely expensive, and I had heard that there were only five like it in the world. After Carlo bought it, he had it specially modified, spending hundreds of millions of dollars to do so.

The car window rolled down, revealing Carlo and a beautifully dressed woman in the passenger seat.

Before Carlo could explain, I calmly said, "Have fun, you guys. I'll head back first."

In the past, Carlo rarely troubled me. Especially now, since he had a beautiful companion by his side, I figured he wouldn't invite me out again.

That was why I hadn't expected that when Carlo heard this that day, he would make the beautiful woman get out of the car.

Carlo patted the passenger seat and called my name. "Wen."

I instinctively glanced at Lucaro beside me. I had promised him before that I would never do anything that endangered my safety.

But if I said that out loud, Lucaro would definitely become suspicious.

No. I only had one last step. I couldn't falter now.

"Alright." I obediently got in.

I was smiling, but my heart ached deep inside. I didn't even need to look at Lucaro to imagine his expression right now.

He had to be utterly disappointed in me.

Carlo hadn't expected me to agree. A flicker of emotion crossed his face as he lowered his head and kissed the back of my hand.

He was saying something gentle, but I didn't pay attention. I only heard Lucaro's voice in my ear.

"Wendy, did you forget your promise to me so quickly? Don't go! It's too dangerous! Have you already forgotten everything before? Or was I never important to you in the first place?"

A sharp pain pierced my heart, and for a brief moment, it felt almost impossible to breathe.

Just then, Carlo suddenly kissed me. But because I instinctively flinched, his kiss only lightly landed on my cheek.

Carlos didn't get angry. Instead, he just chuckled softly. "Wen, you're my lucky charm."

I didn't respond to him. I just looked out the car window at Lucaro's figure gradually fading into the distance.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face, but I quickly wiped them away.

Just wait a little longer, Lucaro.

In 12 days, all of this would come to an end.

The sports car roared along the road, stopping at the foot of the mountain after a sharp drift.

I got out after Carlo and saw spotlights flashing everywhere. Deafening music from speakers seemed ready to burst out, with chaos and noise happening all around.

I instinctively sought someone to hold onto amid the ruckus. When I looked up, I saw a graceful figure throw herself into Carlo's arms.

Carlo glanced back at me. In the next instant, he wrapped his arm around the woman's waist.

Encouraged by his response, the woman grew bolder and kissed Carlo as if no one else were around. As I stood very close to them, I could see their intimate entanglement clearly.

Everyone else clapped and cheered, yet when they looked at me, their gazes were mocking.

They clung to each other in front of me until the woman sweetly called, "Caro…"

Only then did I speak up. "You can't call him that."

As soon as my words fell, I remembered that Carlo was still there. Afraid he might notice something amiss, I paused and added coldly, "It doesn't sound good."

The woman glared at me, then coyly said to Carlo, "Carlo, isn't this the person who helped drive us around last time? Look at her, daring to boss me around."

Carlo turned to look at me, his eyes tinged with desire, and with red lipstick stains on his cheek. He smiled dismissively.

"Wen, why are you so jealous? It's just a nickname. Is it worth getting so upset about it? At worst, I'll just make sure she doesn't say it in front of you again."

I lowered my head, feeling my heart ache—but it wasn't because Carlos refused to grant me this small wish even after three years.

It was because I couldn't even protect Lucaro's one and only special name.

For the first time, I stood my ground. "I said, she isn't allowed to call him that."

Carlo's expression darkened. He hadn't expected me to be so firm on this matter, leaving him embarrassed in front of everyone.

He frowned and waved his hand. "Understood. Someone, take her to the grandstands. Don't let her disrupt things here."

Enzo quickly came over to pull me away. "Ms. Santoro, these are all Don Altieri's associates. Don't do this. Otherwise, you'll humiliate him."

As I watched Carlo walk away with his arm around the woman, I felt my heart harden. I then turned and followed Enzo.

On our way to the grandstands, the whispers around me never stopped.

"That's the lapdog who always follows Don Altieri, right? Why did she show up today? Is she trying to claim her territory?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Don Altieri doesn't care about her at all. He's been openly flirting with others right in front of her. What kind of authority does she have?"

"I heard that Wendy's just an ordinary person. She's no match for someone like Don Altieri. Being able to get close to him is already her greatest luck."

"If she wants to keep her spot, she'd better bring condoms whenever Don Altieri is with other women. Otherwise, if she waits too long and someone uses the chance to climb the ranks, she'll be left with nothing."

When Enzo heard the increasingly harsh gossip, he couldn't help but speak up. "All of you—"

I stopped him. "Forget it. I don't mind."

No matter how harshly they spoke, it didn't matter. As long as Lucaro could make it to heaven safely, nothing else mattered to me.

Enzo looked at me with a trace of pity in his eyes.

When we reached an empty spot, he suddenly said to me, "Ms. Santoro, let me tell you something.

"Don Altieri isn't completely indifferent to you. He's already secretly planning a proposal. He said that once he proposes, he'll settle down. He'll cut ties with all these other women and be with you forever."

As I looked at Enzo's earnest expression, I briefly felt a wave of helplessness.

"Okay," I merely responded.

Enzo saw me to the grandstands and then left.

As I sat in my seat, the wind kicked up dust. I instinctively closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, Lucaro was sitting beside me.

I clenched my jaw at the sight.

Lucaro's voice was hoarse as he said, "Wen, you once told me that even if a man had money and looks, if he couldn't make you laugh or treat you as well as I did, you wouldn't like him."

I gritted my teeth and looked up at the sky, pretending to be calm. However, inside me, a storm was raging.

Lucaro gazed at me deeply. He was about to say something more when, the next second, I heard someone shout, "Bad news! There was an assassination attempt on Don Altieri! He was shot and fell down the mountainside!"

I froze for a moment, feeling my blood run cold, then dashed forward like a madwoman. I tripped several times, causing my knees to scrape and bleed, yet I didn't even notice it.

The wind howled, and Lucaro's sigh of despair was carried to my ears.

"Wen, it turns out that Carlo is the one you truly love."