Chapter 1

On our wedding day, my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer.

I urgently asked Dante for fifty thousand dollars.

He immediately decided I was a gold digger.

From then on, every single expense of mine had to be approved by his female assistant, Bianca.

I explained countless times that the medication was expensive.

My mother had no choice but to do this.

Dante remained cold:

"If you're after money, fine. As long as you can get past Bianca, I'll give it."

Until my mother was critically ill and urgently needed five hundred thousand dollars for surgery.

I stopped submitting approval forms that were never approved.

Instead, I took Dante's black card and swiped five hundred thousand.

That night, Dante brought detectives to find me.

Accusing me of grand larceny.

I was desperate to explain.

But from the hospital room came a tremendous crash.

A nurse rushed out, heartbroken:

"Miss Vivienne, your mother said she didn't want to drag you down."

"She just... jumped."

Dante sneered:

"Vivienne, tell your mother to stop acting."

"Return the money, and I won't pursue it. At most, you'll be locked up for fifteen days."

I stared blankly at the empty hospital bed, suddenly drained of all strength.

"Is fifteen days enough?"

"Dante, sue me. I'm willing to serve fifteen years."

...

After being held at the police station for fifteen days, Dante posted bail for me.

He wrapped his arm around his female assistant Bianca's waist.

Carelessly:

"Don't threaten me with prison so dramatically."

"Vivienne, since you want in so badly, I'll grant your wish."

"The trial is in three days. All the evidence is here."

I numbly took the evidence.

Densely packed.

Bianca never approved a single expense of mine.

So the black card charges, from one or two dollars for groceries to hundreds or thousands for utilities.

Clearly household expenses, all became evidence Dante used to lengthen my sentence.

But I had long lost the will to fight.

Obediently: "Okay."

The female detective who'd been handling my case couldn't stand it.

"Mr. Vitale, you're husband and wife!"

"Is fifteen days of detention not enough? Vivienne took five hundred thousand only to save her mother. Does it have to go to court?!"

"Money can be earned again. A life lost is gone forever!"

Bianca exaggerated:

"Officer, you don't know."

"At the wedding, Vivienne's mother demanded an extra fifty thousand from Don. No money, no marriage!"

"This family of gold diggers, when they couldn't scam more, started stealing. Don only now planning to sue is already showing mercy for the marriage!"

"But she's already..."

The female detective tried to persuade more.

Dante coldly interrupted: "A family of gold diggers isn't worth sympathy."

He grabbed my wrist and forcibly dragged me out of the station.

"Get in."

"The divorce papers are at home. The Vitale family doesn't need a Donna with a criminal record!"

I pressed my lips.

Obediently reached for the passenger door.

Bianca pushed me aside and got in first.

She blinked.

"Sorry, Miss Vivienne. Don's passenger seat has always been mine. I can't get used to other seats~"

I staggered.

Instinctively looked at Dante.

He curled his lips.

Looked at me amused.

"Bianca was right. Now that it's come to divorce, you can't keep up the act."

"The passenger seat is Bianca's. You have no right to fight for it."

"But if you beg me, I might consider postponing the divorce."

I came back to my senses.

Shook my head, said softly: "I won't fight."

"Dante, give me five dollars. I'll take a cab myself. I won't trouble you."

His face went cold.

"What cab! Did you fill out the approval form? Bianca hasn't even nodded. What are you using to take a cab?"

Then he shoved me into the back seat without another word.

In the car, I felt dizzy.

Only then did I notice. The jasmine-scented car fragrance I'd used for five years.

Had been replaced with something sickly sweet.

The AC was on full blast.

Bianca sneezed and cooed:

"Don, it's all her fault for leaving the door open so long. The heat all escaped!"

Dante draped the wool coat he'd prepared over her.

Helplessly: "The seat heater's already on the highest setting. Stop fussing."

He glanced at the rearview mirror.

Saw I was still in the short sleeves from fifteen days ago, shivering.

His fingertip hovered over the center console for a second, then didn't press.

"Bianca likes this temperature. You're not as cold-natured as she is. I won't adjust it."

My lower belly cramped.

I gritted my teeth and nodded.

Seven days ago, at the police station medical exam.

I was found to be three months pregnant.

But I still stayed silent.

The hospital called again.

"Mr. Vitale, it's been fifteen days!"

"Miss Vivienne's body has exceeded the morgue's storage time. If you don't claim it by five, we'll have to cremate her!"

"Cremation is free. If you confirm, you only need to pay fifty dollars for the urn!"

Dante said impatiently:

"Confirmed. But I won't pay. Scatter the ashes in the sea. Don't ask me."

My heart lurched.

Before I could stop him, he hung up.

In the records.

Fifteen missed calls. Over sixty texts asking him to confirm my mother's body.

All read, none answered.

I finally couldn't bear it. My eyes went completely red.

"Stop the car. I'll go claim her!"