Chapter 2

I went to the office and printed the materials I needed for the visa.

By the time I got home, it was past midnight. I heard noise from inside.

The moment I opened the door, I froze.

Their little group was throwing a party in my apartment.

Loud music. Champagne and beer sprayed everywhere. Trash all over the floor.

They saw me. No one looked embarrassed.

Isabella stumbled over, grabbed me, and grinned.

"Shamo, you're really something. Amazing."

"You were with Alessandro, but you still kept a backup plan."

She waved a charm in front of my face.

It was the one Lorenzo got for me when I was sick, before surgery. He climbed the family chapel mountain overnight.

It was pouring rain. He climbed up and back, soaked and wrecked.

But his eyes were bright. He pressed the charm into my hand.

"Shamo, God said yes. Your surgery will be fine."

I touched his head and called him an idiot.

Before I even went into surgery, he collapsed from exhaustion.

After the breakup, I threw away everything connected to Lorenzo.

Except this charm. And those bright eyes. The most blazing feeling I'd seen when I was young.

I snatched it from her hand. My chest heaved.

"Who said you could come into my house!"

Lorenzo looked at the charm, a smile at the corner of his eye.

"Didn't expect you to still keep this."

He started to walk over, but Isabella grabbed him.

She turned to the crowd and shouted.

"Friends, what's a top-tier gold digger? This is a top-tier gold digger."

"Always keeping a backup. I'm impressed."

"Lorenzo, seeing this charm, are you about to cry from emotion?"

Lorenzo's tender gaze turned cold.

The friends caught on, whistling and mocking.

"Sister-in-law's amazing. If Alessandro dumps her, she can turn around and use this charm on Lorenzo."

"Then Lorenzo sees his worthless childhood gift treasured by his crush, and he's moved."

"They get married, and the slum Cinderella becomes the family lady. Genius!"

They spun a whole story out of nothing, one sentence at a time.

I walked to the window and tore the charm to pieces, throwing it out.

Lorenzo's face darkened as the pieces blew away.

"Shamo, what do you mean by that?"

My hands clenched. I spoke word by word.

"I mean get out. Get out of my house."

Lorenzo hesitated. Before he could speak, Isabella cut in.

"Lorenzo, this is called retreating to advance."

"Bet you if you propose right now, she'll say yes."

"On one condition: you share the family with her."

Lorenzo's face went cold.

"Shamo, don't push it."

"I'll give you anything you want. But I hate being played."

My fiancé, who'd been enjoying the show, spoke up.

"Shamo, Lorenzo already said that. Take the out. Stop pretending."

I took a deep breath. Just as I was about to call the police,

Several security guards appeared at the door.

"We've received multiple noise complaints. Please cooperate with our investigation."