Chapter 1 Chapter 1

So all these years, my men have been professing their undying love for me while one after another sleeping with my sworn enemy. Lorenzo hadn't noticed I was awake yet, and continued pouring out his disgust and torment for me. And his deep affection for Marina. "This explosion—don't you understand? I couldn't let her destroy DiMarco. That's Marina's lifeline!" When he finished speaking, there was a long silence from Silvio, with only the sound of suppressed breathing. "Fine, you should leave now. And remember, though I married Isabella, I will always love Marina unconditionally!" After Silvio left, Lorenzo pushed open the door, wearing a perfectly calibrated look of concern, as if genuinely worried about me. "Darling? Are you awake? Are your wounds still painful?" His voice was gentle, every bit the concerned husband. I turned away, avoiding his hand as he reached to check my forehead, my voice hoarse. "How strange. Every time Marina and I come to a final confrontation, something unexpected always happens.""Perhaps... that's fate. In the underworld, who can really say?" Lorenzo's hand paused in mid-air before slowly withdrawing. I forced a cold smile, looking toward the crucifix outside the window. "Maybe Marina has too many followers who can't bear to see her lose? The police are already investigating the arsenal explosion." Lorenzo carefully chose his words, trying to pacify me. I closed my eyes, feeling a dead emptiness inside. "Lorenzo, what about you? Do you believe some people are born actors?""I..." Lorenzo froze, his lips trembling slightly before abandoning any explanation. His brow furrowed as he suddenly grew agitated. "Isabella, what are you implying? Are you actually suspecting me? I'm your husband!""I'm just asking. Why are you so nervous?" 2 I stared at him calmly, watching as murderous intent flashed across his face. Lorenzo's expression changed abruptly, and after a moment he forced a cold laugh through clenched teeth. "Spineless waste—don't go crazy on me now!" His words grew more heated as he spoke, his expression twisting. That face I had loved upon for five years now seemed as unfamiliar as a demon's. In that moment, I finally confirmed that Lorenzo had never belonged to me. These five years had been an elaborate performance from beginning to end. I remained silent, but Lorenzo clearly didn't appreciate my quietness. He rose and approached the bed, looking down at me imperiously. "Isabella, I need you to swear you'll keep your head down from now on and stop dreaming of the impossible! As for our marriage—well, some things are better left unsaid for both of us.""I can't have ambition? Why the hell not?! If I eliminate Marina, all of Sicily would be mine! As for our marriage... Lorenzo, do you really think we have anything left to discuss?" I clenched my fists, burning pain shooting through my injured skin. "Let me tell you! Eliminating Marina is my only reason for living! If I failed this time, I'll try again. If five years isn't enough, I'll take ten!" Lorenzo paused momentarily, then folded his arms and let out a sinister laugh. "You truly never learn.""Fine, I was actually wondering how to keep up this charade with you.""Isabella, since you've stripped away all pretense, don't blame me for being ruthless." My heart tightened as his smile sent chills down my spine. Only then did I notice the smell of iron and fresh blood permeating this abandoned monastery in the remote mountains. It was ghastly and nauseating. "What are you going to do?!" No sooner had I spoken than Lorenzo knocked three times on the wooden door: "Come in." A man in military uniform with a cold demeanor stepped inside. "Mr. Lorenzo, what are your orders?" Lorenzo took a vial handed to him by the man, glanced at it briefly, then fixed his gaze on my bandaged hands. His tone was flat. "Famous arms dealer Isabella suffered a mental breakdown after the explosion, developed a severe morphine addiction. Her hands shake uncontrollably and she is unable to handle any weapons. The military doctor has done his best. Understood?" My blood instantly froze as I stared at him in disbelief and fury. "This... this seems irregular," the man called "Dottore" hesitated. "Just destroy her. After it's done, Marina's share of those smuggled diamonds will be enough for you to live lavishly for generations." The hesitation in his eyes vanished instantly. I understood their dirty deal, and a chill spread from the soles of my feet. With all my strength, I grabbed the iron candlestick from the bedside and smashed it against the window frame. In the next second, Lorenzo lunged at me, gripping my wrists tightly. After five years of living together, I had kept nothing from him, while he knew every one of my habitual movements intimately. So he also knew exactly how to destroy me fundamentally, where my deepest vulnerability lay. "Isabella, stop your pointless struggle. You can't escape." Lorenzo stared at me, a momentary flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes. I roared, "You vicious man! I am your wife!" I fought violently, but my explosion-weakened body couldn't summon enough strength. My wounds reopened in the struggle, seeping fresh blood. Several black-clothed enforcers rushed in, expertly producing chains. "Let go of me! You're committing a crime!" I shouted, my voice breaking with fury. My furious struggles only earned me heavier chains, until cold iron rings locked around my wrists and ankles. I gave up resisting. Survival instinct stripped me of all dignity. "Lorenzo! I was wrong! I admit defeat! I'll never appear before you again, alright? Let me go, I swear I'll vanish without a trace!" Lorenzo stood with folded arms, quietly savoring the sight of my breakdown before finally shaking his head. "Isabella, I don't believe you. I know you too well. You've obsessed over this for five years. You would never let go." At his signal, the man approached me with a syringe. Before consciousness was stripped away, I abandoned all explanations and pleas, glaring at him fiercely. "Lorenzo, my feelings for you... were always genuine." Through my haze, I saw Lorenzo's resolve crack slightly before quickly hardening again. "I'm sorry, Isabella.""I promise you'll never suffer again."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Before consciousness faded, my final thought was that I would never trust anyone again. For five years of marriage, he had provided me shelter when I was in most dire straits. But it turned out that shelter had been designed from the beginning to push me into a deeper trap. When I regained consciousness, the body's craving for morphine was the only thing I could perceive. Despair swept over me like a black tide, swallowing me instantly. Lorenzo had truly succeeded. He had been my most trusted confidant, and now he had turned me into an addict. Tears flowed silently while hatred boiled like magma in my heart. Withdrawal symptoms erupted hours later—a craving and torment rising from the depths of my soul, more terrifying than any physical injury. My body convulsed in pain, cold sweat pouring out as I stared blankly at the ceiling. At moments I even wishwed I were dead. "Look at you, still alive?""Really a tough one, isn't she? hahahahha..." A familiar voice shattered the room's silence. With what little rationality remained, I painfully turned my head. Marina stepped into the room, her eyes filled with the smugness of victory. She looked me up and down, with her expression mockingly playful—a silent ridicule. "Isabella, look at you.""Five years and you couldn't even keep your husband. Now you're just a junkie.""You lost to me in love, and you've lost your territory too! You'll never be a threat to me again in this lifetime.""What nonsense are you talking about?" I croaked. It took a long while before my sluggish mind understood her meaning. In that moment, everything collapsed—my dignity, my family's honor, everything I'd built. Rage coursed through me, shattering what little composure I had left. "Get out!" I screamed. "You have no right to be here! You're nothing but parasites, all of you!" My outburst clearly entertained Marina; she even burst out laughing. "Look, Isabella, your husband will do anything despicable for me. But in your current state, I doubt you can even appreciate my happiness.""Get out!" I ripped the IV needle from my arm with my left hand and grabbed everything within reach to throw at her. Iron crucifix, Bible, candles—one after another. But I had overestimated this broken body of mine. After just a few throws, I was completely exhausted, collapsing on the bed, unable to speak through the convulsions wracking my body. Marina continued her taunting without pause. But with her words, the rage in my heart gradually subsided, leaving only an empty void. I was left with nothing—broken, defeated, hollow. What purpose remained? "Why aren't you screaming anymore?! Isabella! Say something! Weren't you the most arrogant? Didn't you call yourself the Queen of Sicily? Why are you mute now?!" Marina was confused. My sudden calm had robbed her of the satisfaction she expected. Angrily, she tried to reignite my fury. "Why won't you answer, you worthless addict?! Weren't you just throwing things at me? Now you're playing dead for whom to see?" Marina suddenly approached me and, in a swift movement, pulled out a small knife. Before I could react, she turned it upon herself, cutting several bloody gashes across her own cheek. She immediately jumped back, covering her face and screaming. "Isabella! You're insane! You tried to cut my face with a knife!" I froze, completely bewildered by what was happening. "I didn't—""You are still trying to deny it!" Marina covered her bleeding cheek, with her expression agonized. "I just came to visit you, and you tried to disfigure me?!""I was only being kind and checking on you!" At that moment, footsteps outside the door heard her cries and immediately quickened. Silvio pushed open the door, and seeing the blood on Marina's face, immediately glared at me furiously. Lorenzo, who entered after him, also froze: "Marina?! This vicious woman dared to hurt you?!" Watching them circle lovingly around Marina, I curled my lips into a painful laugh. "Isabella! You're insane! Kneel and apologize to Marina immediately!" Lorenzo was provoked by my laughter. He rushed forward, grabbed my arm, and dragged me from the bed to the floor, regardless of my injuries. "I want you to grovel before Marina this instant!" Silvio now supported Marina as he walked over, grabbed a bottle of red wine from the table, and unhesitatingly poured it over my face. The alcohol seeped into the wounds on my face, causing such pain that my vision darkened. "Kneel!" he said coldly. I collapsed on the cold stone floor, the burning on my face and the withdrawal pain in my right arm intertwining until my consciousness blurred. Seeing I wouldn't speak, Silvio bent down, grabbed my hair, and forced me to look up at them. "Can't you understand human language?! Kneel to my woman immediately!" They humiliated me with the most merciless methods until I was drenched in cold sweat, lying helplessly on the floor, struggling even to breathe. Only then did the torture finally end. I don't know if it was a hallucination, but at one moment, I thought I glimpsed a flash of reluctance and hesitation in Lorenzo's eyes. He was probably afraid I might die. But that no longer mattered. By now, whatever I had done in the past had received its due punishment. Now, I just wanted to escape from them, to escape this hell. When I woke again, the room had been neatly arranged, and my wounds were freshly bandaged. The evening sun streamed through the window, warm as spring, yet I felt only confusion, as if everything before had been just an absurd nightmare. I thought this might be my chance to escape, but Lorenzo soon returned. He carried a package containing an exquisite statue of the Madonna. "You're finally awake. Try this."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

He placed a set of silver cutlery and a string of family prayer beads on the bedside table. His demeanor had softened considerably, his tone carrying a hint of regret. "Why must you be so stubborn and suffer like this?" As he spoke, he picked up the prayer beads, intending to put them on me. "If you just behave yourself, I'll take good care of you in the future." I jerked my hand away, my stomach churning, feeling instinctive revulsion at the sight of him. "Don't touch me." Lorenzo's patience seemed exhausted by my refusal. He angrily slammed the items on the table. "Isabella, I go to the trouble of finding holy relics for you, and you still can't show any gratitude?!" I closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down. When I spoke again, my voice revealed no emotion. "Lorenzo, let's make a deal. I'm willing to sign a lifetime exclusion agreement and give all my remaining territory to you or Marina. I have only one request: let me leave." I offered my freedom as the final bargain. Lorenzo was taken aback by this attitude; he hadn't expected me to propose such an "exchange." After a long moment, he shook his head. "Isabella, your current state isn't just to reassure her, but because you owe Marina a debt.""I owe her? What do I owe her?!" I asked in confusion. Lorenzo's lips curled in mockery, saying I truly had a convenient memory. He said that the first smuggling route I discovered—the arms channel that changed my fate—was a path Marina had developed through countless sleepless nights. It was I who had stolen it through despicable means, leading to my subsequent prosperity. "So your current situation is just returning what rightfully belongs to her! Stop pretending to be innocent—I was almost fooled by you again!" I paused slightly, then recalled that past incident, a bitter smile appearing on my face. I finally understood the source of their bone-deep hatred toward me. So in their eyes, I had been a thief from the beginning. The smuggling opportunity back then was indeed public information—I was just faster and more willing to take risks. But explaining this now was completely meaningless. For a ruined person, all achievements and mistakes lost their value for debate. Seeing I no longer argued, Lorenzo gave a cold laugh. "So, Isabella, you have no right to complain! All of this is your karma!" I fell completely silent. Lorenzo also lost interest in conversing with me and turned to leave the room. I stared blankly at his figure for a long while, then buried my face in my hands without making a sound. Life afterwards became a day-to-day "treatment" process. Different priests would come every day to guide me in using those religious artifacts. Lorenzo, seemingly to maintain his "good husband" fa?ade, provided me with only the most expensive items. I appeared wooden and compliant, speaking less and less. After more than half a month, they finally relaxed their surveillance of me. I used an absolutely accurate arms deal tip to bribe a young shepherd from the kitchen. At four in the morning, fighting through the aching in both arms, I hid in a massive grain cart and left that prison amid the bumpy journey. Finally, at a small church at the foot of the mountain, I looked back at the lit building, my eyes as calm as still water. Since you all wished for me to disappear, so be it. At that moment, Marina was at a grand family gathering, raising her glass to announce to all family members that she had thoroughly defeated me. Lorenzo stood beside her, his smile radiant. "I would give anything for you," he gazed at Marina's profile, his eyes filled with adoration. "I know. We can finally be together now," Marina responded tenderly, and was about to clink glasses with him when hurried footsteps shattered the warmth. A black-clothed messenger rushed into the hall, heading straight for Lorenzo. He whispered a few words in his ear. Monastery. Isabella. Lorenzo's face grew increasingly grim. He suddenly pushed Marina away: "What did you say?!""Bad news, Mr. Lorenzo! Isabella, she—she's disappeared!"