Chapter 1: The Seven-Year Betrayal

On our seventh wedding anniversary, I was straddling my Mafia husband, Lucian Marino, kissing him beneath the warm glow of the chandeliers.

The mansion was overflowing with guests.

Music played softly in the background while the members of the Marino family raised their glasses to celebrate another year of our marriage.

My fingers slipped into the pocket of my silk dress.

Inside was a small pregnancy test.

Positive.

I had discovered the news that morning.

I had spent the entire day imagining Lucian's reaction.

I wanted to wait until the end of the evening.

I wanted to surprise him.

For seven years, I had been his wife.

His Donna.

His supposed partner in everything.

I thought tonight would become one of the happiest nights of my life.

Then Marco, Lucian's right-hand man, lifted his glass with a mischievous grin.

He switched to Italian.

"Don, your new little canary, Sophia. How does she taste?"

Lucian laughed.

The sound vibrated through me.

Then he answered casually in Italian.

"Like an unripe peach. Fresh and tender."

His hand remained around my waist.

His expression looked almost affectionate.

But his next words froze my blood.

"Keep this between us. If my Donna finds out, I'm a dead man."

The men around us laughed.

Several raised their glasses.

My fingers tightened around the champagne flute.

No one noticed.

They couldn't.

The one thing they didn't know was that my grandmother had been Sicilian.

I had understood Italian since childhood.

Every single word had reached me.

Every joke.

Every insult.

Every filthy implication.

And the worst part wasn't even the affair.

It was the fact that Lucian had looked me directly in the eyes while saying it.

A man who could lie so naturally was terrifying.

I forced a smile.

The same perfect smile I had worn for years as the wife of the most feared man in the city.

"Baby," Lucian murmured beside me.

"Are you alright?"

He reached for a blood orange he had peeled earlier and gently wiped a small mark from the corner of my mouth.

His expression was affectionate.

Warm.

Perfect.

For everyone watching...

He was the devoted husband who adored his wife.

But now I saw the performance for what it was.

A masterpiece of deception.

"I'm fine," I answered.

"Just a little tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

He kissed my forehead.

My stomach turned.

How many times had he done that after coming back from Sophia?

How many times had he told me he loved me after betraying me?

I looked toward the other wives in the room.

They smiled at me enviously.

"Our Donna is truly blessed."

"The Don throws such a beautiful celebration every year."

"You are the queen of the Marino family."

I almost laughed.

A queen.

What was the value of a crown when the man beside you was already replacing you?

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat.

"What were you all talking about just now?" I asked lightly.

Lucian casually pinched my cheek.

"Business."

"An arms deal."

"I know you don't like hearing about that side of the family, so we used Italian."

I stared at him.

He had forgotten.

My Sicilian grandmother.

My childhood spent listening to Italian conversations.

Seven years of marriage, and he had forgotten the smallest detail about me.

Or perhaps he had never cared enough to remember.

The smoke and alcohol in the room suddenly felt suffocating.

I gently removed his hand.

"Carry on."

"I'm going to get some fresh air."

I walked toward the terrace before he could stop me.

The moment the doors closed behind me, I exhaled.

My hands were shaking.

Not from fear.

From humiliation.

Yesterday, I had gone into Lucian's study to place his anniversary gift on his desk.

The study was restricted.

Even as his wife, I rarely entered without permission.

But I had wanted to surprise him.

Instead, I smelled Sophia's perfume.

That cheap, overly sweet scent was everywhere.

On the leather sofa.

On Lucian's jacket.

In the air.

At first, I had tried to convince myself there was an innocent explanation.

There wasn't.

The truth had been waiting for me in that room.

My husband was cheating on me with my own sister.

My phone vibrated.

I glanced at the screen.

It was a message from my former professor.

"Eleonora, I saw that you accepted the research project."

"You gave up your medical career for the Marino family years ago."

"I'm happy you're coming back."

"I'll arrange transportation in three days."

I stared at the message.

Three days.

That was all I needed.

Three days to disappear.

Three days to erase the woman Lucian Marino thought he owned.

I called my professor.

"Professor."

"Eleonora, are you alright?"

"I need the highest level of security clearance."

"I want all public records connected to me erased."

There was a long silence.

"Do you understand what that means?" he asked carefully.

"Once the procedure is completed, Eleonora Vettori will officially disappear."

"No public records."

"No traceable identity."

"Even Lucian may not be able to find you."

"That's exactly what I want."

He sighed.

"I thought it was strange when you accepted the offer so suddenly."

"What happened?"

My eyes burned.

"Lucian betrayed me."

"After everything I gave up for him... he chose someone else."

My professor was silent for a moment.

"Then I'll help you."

"Just make sure you're ready to leave in three days."

"Thank you."

I ended the call.

For the first time that evening, I felt something close to relief.

I had spent seven years building my identity around being Lucian's Donna.

I abandoned my medical career.

I stood beside him through gunfights and political conflicts.

I patched his wounds after nights that ended with blood on his shirts.

I protected his secrets.

I loved him.

And what had he given me in return?

A beautiful prison.

A title.

And betrayal.

I touched the pregnancy test through the fabric of my dress.

The baby was the only part of this marriage that didn't lie to me.

I didn't know what the future would look like.

But I knew one thing.

My child would never grow up believing betrayal was love.

A deep voice suddenly sounded behind me.

"Darling."

I froze.

Lucian had followed me onto the terrace.

I turned around slowly.

His expression was affectionate again.

Perfectly controlled.

"Who did you say betrayed you?"

For one dangerous second, our eyes met.

I smiled.

The perfect smile of the Donna.

"No one."

"I was talking about an old medical case."

Lucian studied my face.

He wasn't convinced.

But he smiled anyway.

"You're hiding something from me."

"Maybe."

"Should I be worried?"

I stepped closer and rested a hand against his chest.

"Very."

He laughed softly.

Then he pulled me closer.

I leaned against him while my other hand remained over the secret in my pocket.

My husband thought he still knew me.

He had no idea that his Donna was already gone.

In three days...

Eleonora Vettori would disappear.

And Lucian Marino would finally learn what it felt like to lose the woman he had taken for granted.