Chapter 1

I have a husband, but I might as well be a widow.

It all starts on our wedding night, when my Don husband, Alessio Vescari, learns that his ex-girlfriend has died in a car accident.

Before he leaves, he tells me, "She's dead. I have to go say goodbye to her one last time."

That goodbye lasts five years.

For five years, he brings flowers to her grave every month.

Whenever I bring up sex, he shuts me down with the same cold words.

"Don't talk about something so disgusting. She wouldn't want to hear it."

Everyone praises him for his devotion, while everyone in our circle laughs at me behind my back.

Then, on our fifth wedding anniversary, I go to St. Michael's Cemetery looking for him.

There, right in front of her grave, I find Alessio kissing the woman everyone believes has been dead for five years.

"Since I faked my death, you really haven't touched her once?" Camilla asks.

Alessio pulls her closer, his voice gentle.

"Of course not. She was raped by some homeless guy. How could I ever touch her after that? Just thinking about sleeping with her makes me sick."

They both burst out laughing.

I stand a few yards away, and my whole body goes cold.

--

I can't stop shaking when I get back to the Vescari estate.

Alessio doesn't come home until eleven that night.

I slip on a robe and go to the bedroom door barefoot.

"Alessio."

He pauses while taking off his coat, his brow furrowing.

I walk over and put my hands on his shoulders.

"It's our fifth anniversary. Why don't we finally have the wedding night we never had?"

He looks me over with open disgust, then shoves me away.

"Have some self-respect, Sloane."

I stumble backward.

He laughs contemptuously and starts unbuttoning his shirt.

"Are you really that desperate to get into my bed? I just came back from the cemetery, and this is what you want? You're disgusting."

I straighten up, fighting back tears.

"If I disgust you so much, why did you marry me?"

He adjusts his cuff without even looking at me.

"Because you were the best choice. Obedient, easy to control, and no one would give a damn if you got ruined."

I look at him, unable to believe he married me for that reason.

I pull out my phone and open the video I recorded at the cemetery. Then I hold it out for him to see.

"Was making out in front of her grave fun?"

On the screen, Alessio has his arms around the woman who was supposed to have died five years ago, kissing her like he can't get enough of her.

His expression hardens.

He snatches my phone from my hand and hurls it across the room.

It slams into the wall and shatters.

Before I can react, he strides over and clamps a hand around my jaw, digging his fingers painfully into my skin.

"You'd better take everything you saw today to your grave, Sloane."

He tightens his grip until I feel like he's going to break my jaw.

"Otherwise, I'll show you how much worse living can be than dying."

He releases me and storms out.

The door slams behind him.

I sink to the floor beside it and curl in on myself, sobbing until I can barely breathe.

...

A few days later, the Vescari family hosts a gala.

I know this may be my last chance to tell everyone the truth.

I wear a plain dress and no makeup. Standing among the guests, I feel like a ghost.

Guests mingle beneath the chandeliers, champagne glasses in hand.

"Don Vescari still visits her grave every month. He's never gotten over her."

"Five years, and he's still that devoted. You don't see love like that anymore."

"You're a lucky woman, Mrs. Vescari. Not many men are capable of loving someone so deeply."

Every word makes my stomach turn.

Alessio stands in the center of the ballroom, composed and charming. To everyone here, he is still the untouchable Don Vescari.

Only I know what he's really like behind closed doors.

As he raises his glass to a guest, he catches my eye and holds my gaze.

The warning is clear.

I smile.

Then I walk onto the stage and take the microphone from the emcee.

The entire room goes quiet.

I grip the microphone so tightly that my knuckles turn white, but my voice comes out perfectly steady.

"Camilla Rinaldi isn't dead."