Chapter 1

Seven years into our relationship, Lucian always told me he was working so hard for our future—that was why he was constantly busy expanding the family's reach.

He was so busy he forgot my birthday. Forgot the trip we'd planned. Forgot to bring me medicine when I was burning with a hundred-and-four fever.

But the moment his adopted sister, Nora, showed up, suddenly he wasn't busy anymore.

He always managed to carve out time to take her to the movies, shopping, on trips.

And today, when my grandmother wanted to see him one last time before she died, Lucian turned me down, citing "urgent family business."

Then I saw the latest post on Nora's Instagram.

Successfully dragged Don Moretti to the movies today!

That was when it finally dawned on me. It wasn't that Lucian was busy. It was that his time was never set aside for me.

...

The heart monitor stretched into one long, unbroken tone.

I drew in a slow breath and gently closed my grandmother's eyes—the eyes she couldn't bear to close even in death.

When I went to sign the death certificate, my hand shook so badly I couldn't hold the pen steady. The nurse, her face full of concern, asked if she should call another family member to help.

I forced a small smile and shook my head.

My parents had died in a car crash years ago.

My grandmother had raised me on her own.

The villagers had all called me a burden, a little runt, good for nothing, and pushed her to marry me off as soon as she could.

But she leaned on her cane and chased every one of them away, stubbornly scraping together every penny to put me through school.

Even at the very end, the only thing on her mind was me—she just wanted to see whether my boyfriend would take care of me the way she had.

Lucian never gave her that chance.

In the end, I took three days off work and had my grandmother cremated.

The moment I held that small urn in my hands, the loss finally became real, and I broke down sobbing.

That was when Lucian's call came through.

"Why did you request leave? What's the reason?"

His tone was hard.

I choked the tears back, but my voice still came out hoarse.

"I'm just tired. I wanted to rest for a couple of days."

He paused, then spoke hesitantly. "Mia... were you crying?"

There was a lump in my throat. I was about to explain when a surprised female voice cut in on his end.

"Mia, what's wrong? You're not upset because Lucian's with me, are you?"

"Don't worry, I only think of Lucian as an older brother, that's all!"

It was Nora.

She was a child the Moretti family had adopted, and she was very close to Lucian.

The old me would have demanded to know why Nora was with him and torn into him over it.

But now, I didn't even have the strength to fight.

Sensing my unusual silence, Lucian cut off Nora's teasing in an offhand, almost breezy tone.

"Nora. Don't talk nonsense."

Half scolding, half indulgent.

Then he turned back to me.

"Mia, Nora's young, she doesn't know any better. Don't hold it against her."

"So did something happen? I'm free now. If there's something on your mind, just tell me."

His voice was still soft.

But I felt no warmth from it. I mumbled a few empty words and hung up.

Once I'd made temporary arrangements for my grandmother, I dragged my exhausted body—three days without proper sleep—back home.

The moment I opened the door, I saw Nora curled up in Lucian's lap. The two of them were tucked into the sofa, watching a movie.

My feet stopped dead. For a second I actually thought I'd walked into the wrong house.

I had once begged Lucian to watch a movie with me too. He would just pat my head and turn me down in that gentle voice of his.

"I've still got a project to finish. Next time, okay? Good girl."

Lucian Moretti was the Mafia godfather every man in the Italian underworld feared, presiding over a sprawling business empire with no shortage of things to attend to.

So whenever he brushed me off, I understood. I told myself the weight of the entire Moretti family rested on his shoulders, and I shouldn't be another problem for him.

Yet here he was, watching a movie with another woman...

Nora heard me come in and looked up first.

She was wearing Lucian's shirt, the hem barely covering the tops of her thighs. She came pattering over and handed me a pair of shoe covers.

"Oh, Mia, you're home. Come sit down."

I looked down. She was also wearing my slippers.

As though she were the woman of the house.

Lucian draped a throw blanket over Nora and warned her not to catch a chill. Only then did he spare me a glance.

"Mia, Nora's going to be interning at my company for a while. She'll be staying here in the meantime—it'll be easier for me to drive her to and from work."

"You've always been sensible. I know you won't mind."

Sensible. I'd heard that word too many times.

I lifted my swollen, red-rimmed eyes and looked at him.

"And what if I do mind?"

He froze.

I said quietly, "Lucian, let's break up."