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."

I was too frantic to carefully consider Lucaro's words.

The word "assasination" cast a shadow over me, making me forget everything else in that moment.

I followed Enzo all the way to the spot where Carlo had fallen, where spent bullet casings and scattered droplets of blood were on the ground.

It all painfully reminded me of the scene from three years ago when Lucaro was assassinated.

Enzo stood there anxiously, making call after call.

Seeing that I wanted to go down, he quickly stopped me. "Ms. Santoro, I've already made the call. An ambulance and the Soldati are on their way. Don't be reckless."

Despite what he said, I shook off his hand and charged down. The slope was steep and slippery, and I fell several times before reaching Carlo.

He was riddled with bullets, his body mangled as he lay on the ground. He was barely alive.

This scene almost overlapped perfectly with the one from three years ago when I saw Lucaro.

Trembling, I grabbed Carlo's hand, calling out over and over, "Caro…"

I begged him softly not to leave me. I was afraid he'd fall asleep forever, just like Lucaro did.

I started shaking Carlo. During this, he regained consciousness.

He slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing me in such a state of despair, couldn't help widening them in shock.

Suddenly, it started to rain. I quickly dragged Carlo up and began pulling him up the mountain.

Along the way, I kept stumbling and falling. Every time I fell, I used my own body to cushion him. As a result, stones scraped my hands and legs until they were bloody.

As I trudged on, I kept saying, "Caro, don't fall asleep. I'm saving you. I'm taking you home."

Carlo just stared at me with his mouth agape, unsure of what to say.

At the top of the slope, an ambulance was already waiting.

Mia Bianchi, the woman who had been in Carlo's passenger seat, had also been thrown from the car. She was being loaded onto the ambulance.

Just as Carlo was being loaded in, the medic saw my injuries and hesitated, saying, "The ambulance has limited space. We can only take two patients."

The medic looked at my wounds and said, "This young lady's injuries also need treatment."

As everyone hesitated, Carlo spoke from inside the vehicle. "She can wait. We'll go first."

Then, he said to me, "Wendy, your wounds don't look as severe as Mia's. Let Mia get treated first."

I said nothing. I merely stood by the roadside, watching the ambulance take Carlo and Mia away.

The onlookers gradually dispersed after that.

Enzo stayed by my side, glancing at my wounds several times. He didn't know what to say.

A cold wind blew, and I shivered. "Can you take me back first? In this state, I'd probably just get in the way at the hospital."

Enzo quickly nodded.

I stood and walked to the car. The woman reflected in the window was far from elegant—her clothes were torn, and her body was covered in blood.

Enzo found me a shawl. As he draped it over me, he said, "Ms. Santoro, don't worry. Don Altieri has been taken to the best hospital. He'll be fine."

I hummed in acknowledgment before getting into the car.

On the way home, Enzo tried to make conversation. "Ms. Santoro, you're truly amazing. You risked your life to save Don Altieri. He'll be very touched and will definitely treat you even better in the future."

I only smiled when I heard this. It was useless, for the one who was truly "Caro" to me died long ago.

My eyes stung, and a tear slid from the corner of my eye.

Enzo dropped me off at the manor and went to the hospital to see Carlo.

Just as I entered the living room, a maid informed me, "Ms. Santoro, Madre Altieri is here."

Carlo's parents were here?

In the three years I'd been with Carlo, his parents had never accepted me as his girlfriend. In fact, they often criticized me.

But now, seeing me, Marta Basile quickly stood and pulled me to sit beside her. She gently asked, "How could Carlo let you come back in such a wounded state?"

She turned to a maid and instructed, "Quick, call the family doctor to dress Wen's wounds."

Marta turned back to me and patted my hand, saying solemnly, "Wen, don't worry. I've heard about what happened today. You carried my son up the slope and ignored your own injuries.

"I admit that we were biased against you before. But you have my word—from now on, we will only recognize you as our daughter-in-law. Once Carlo is discharged, I'll have the wedding preparations started."

I didn't want to marry Carlo.

But when I looked up, I saw Lucaro's spirit standing by the window. It seemed noticeably fainter than before.

I recalled what Father Piero had told me.

"When Lucaro's spirit begins to fade, it means that he isn't far from ascending to heaven."

Was Lucaro finally about to go to heaven?

Thinking of this, I felt no joy at all—only a twisting pain in my chest.

I swallowed all my emotions and looked at Marta, nodding. "Okay."