Chapter 1

Ophelia's POV

The first thing I saw when I reached the ballroom entrance was Matteo walking in late to our sixth wedding anniversary party, with Bianca Moretti beside him.

My husband was late to our sixth wedding anniversary party, and he had arrived with the one woman I had spent six years trying not to think about.

Bianca's hand rested lightly on his arm as they moved through the crowd. She wore a deep red dress that stood out among the dark suits and evening gowns, and she smiled at everyone who greeted her as if she belonged there.

In many ways, she did.

Bianca was the daughter of one of the De Lucas' oldest allies. She had known Matteo since they were children, and before me, she had been his first love. Even after their relationship ended, she remained close to his family and continued working with him.

My marriage to Matteo had also started as an alliance between our families. My family needed the protection of the De Lucas, while the De Lucas needed the connection to ours. In return for becoming Matteo's wife, I gained the De Luca name, security, money, and a place no one could easily take away from me.

My mother had been the one who believed the marriage would keep me safe, and I had trusted her judgment.

I looked down at the black silk dress I had chosen for the evening. I had spent hours getting ready because I wanted tonight to feel special. I had hoped Matteo would look at me and remember that this night was supposed to be about us.

Instead, his attention remained on Bianca.

His hand rested against the small of her back as they walked toward the main table, and the ease between them made my stomach tighten.

Bianca noticed me first. "Ophelia."

She leaned toward me as though she might kiss my cheek, then seemed to think better of it and stepped back.

“You look lovely. I hope you don't mind me coming tonight. I haven't seen everyone together like this in a long time.”

I held her gaze. "Is that so?"

Her smile tightened for a moment before she turned toward Matteo. Only then did he look at me.

“You're late. I was starting to think you had forgotten.”

“Traffic,” he said. “Bianca had a problem with one of the deals, so I had to handle it.”

I looked from him to her.

Before I could respond, Bianca touched his arm.

"I'm sorry, Ophelia. I didn't mean to keep him from you. The situation became complicated."

Her voice stayed polite, but something about the apology made my stomach twist.

I looked at Matteo. “Happy anniversary.”

He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Happy anniversary.”

Someone called his name from across the room. Matteo glanced over his shoulder, then back at me for barely a second. “I’ll see you later.”

He walked away before I could say anything else, and Bianca followed him without another word.

I stood there watching them disappear into the crowd.

I had spent the entire day hoping for something simple from my husband. I wanted a real smile, a hand around my waist, or even a few minutes alone with him. Instead, he had arrived late with Bianca, kissed my cheek like a polite stranger, and walked away with her.

I picked up my champagne and took a slow sip.

The ballroom was filled with people who knew the De Lucas well enough to notice everything. I could feel some of their eyes on me, but I kept my expression calm. I greeted guests when they approached and smiled when the conversation required it, even though I barely heard what they were saying.

Every time I looked across the room, my eyes found Bianca beside Matteo, leaning close, speaking like the years between them had never ended.

By the time the speeches began, I had stopped pretending I was enjoying myself.

I found Matteo standing near one of the side hallways and walked toward him.

"Can we talk?"

He glanced toward Bianca, who was speaking with his uncle, before looking back at me. “What is it?”

“You know what.”

His jaw tightened, but he followed me into the quiet hallway. When the door closed behind us, the noise from the ballroom faded.

I turned to face him. “You’re seriously going to walk into our anniversary party with her and act like nothing is wrong?”

“Don’t start, Ophelia.”

“You didn’t even tell me you were bringing her.”

“Bianca had a problem that needed to be handled.”

“On our anniversary?”

His eyes hardened. “You’re making this a problem.”

I stared at him. “You walked in with your ex on your arm, barely looked at your wife, and now you're telling me I'm the one causing a problem?”

“Watch your tone, Ophelia.”

“I’m your wife, Matteo. I shouldn’t have to beg you to treat me like one.”

For a moment, he said nothing. Then he looked away before answering. “Bianca needed me. I couldn’t leave her there and walk away.”

“And I was supposed to understand that?”

“You know how my business works.”

“I know how your business works. That doesn’t mean I have to accept this shit.”

His eyes returned to mine. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

I knew exactly what that meant. He would ignore the problem now and expect an expensive dinner, a gift, or a few kind words to make everything disappear later.

“Fine.” I stepped aside.

He walked past me without another word.

I waited a few seconds before returning to the ballroom.

Bianca was sitting beside Matteo when I came back. She leaned toward him and whispered something that made him glance in my direction.

"Ophelia."

I stopped beside the table.

"Bring Bianca the '89 Barolo. The special one. You know where it is."

I looked at him.

Several servers were already moving around the room, but he had asked me to serve her.

I said nothing.

I walked to the sideboard, picked up the bottle, and returned to the table.

Bianca looked up at me. “Thank you.”

I poured the wine into a crystal glass and held it out. As she reached for it, I loosened my grip before her fingers had fully closed around the glass.

The glass fell and shattered against the marble floor, red wine splashing across the front of her dress.

The conversations around us stopped.

Bianca looked down at the stain before raising her eyes to mine. “You did that on purpose.”

Her voice was quiet, but every trace of warmth was gone.

I met her gaze. “Maybe you should be more careful next time.”

Her pleasant expression disappeared.

She stepped closer. “You've spent six years calling yourself his wife, but you know I was the woman he wanted first.”

Before I could stop myself, I slapped her across the face. The sound echoed through the ballroom.

Bianca's face turned with the force of it, and for a moment, nobody moved.

Then Matteo pushed his chair back and stood.

"That's enough."

I turned toward him. “She insulted me first.”

“What she said was wrong. But that doesn't give you the right to hit her in front of everyone.”

I looked at him in disbelief. “She humiliated me in front of everyone, and you didn’t say a word.”

“You should have walked away.”

I glanced at Bianca. She was holding her cheek now, her eyes still lowered as she tried to compose herself. When she finally looked at me, her expression was difficult to read.

I looked back at Matteo. “Fine.”

His jaw tightened, but he seemed to think better of whatever he was about to say.

I turned and walked upstairs without another word.

By the time I reached our bedroom, the music downstairs had faded into a dull sound behind the closed door. I removed my earrings and placed them on the dresser before staring at myself in the mirror.

Then I reached for my phone.

There was one number I had not called in five years, my mother's number.

I had called her once during my first year of marriage, but after that, I had stayed away. She had been the one who supported my marriage to Matteo because she believed the De Luca family could protect me and give our family the security we needed.

My thumb hovered over her number before I finally pressed call.

She answered after several rings.

"Ophelia?"

Hearing her voice after so many years made my throat tighten.

"Mom."

There was a short silence before she asked, "Why are you calling me?"

I sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm leaving Matteo."

She did not respond immediately. So I continue, “I can't continue making excuses for a man who refuses to change. I kept telling myself things would change, but they never did.”

Her voice became quieter. “Ophelia, you know leaving the De Lucas is not going to be easy.”

“I know.”

“No, you don't.” She paused.

“You cannot simply walk out of that family and expect Matteo to let you go. If you are serious about leaving, you need to prepare carefully. You need money he cannot access, your passport, your important documents, and somewhere safe to go. You can't afford to make one careless move.”

I looked down at my hands. “I've already thought about that.”

“Then you need to think harder.”

“I am ready.”

My mother was silent for a moment before asking, "How far are you willing to go?"

I swallowed. "Far enough that if faking my death is the only way out, then I'll do it."

There was a long silence. When she finally spoke, her voice was firm. “Give me seven days. I'll work out what we need and contact you. Until then, I also have something I've been meaning to tell you. I'll text you soon.”

“All right.”

“Good.”

The call ended.

I stared at my phone for a moment before deleting the call from my recent history.

My hands trembled as I set the phone down. A few moments later, the bedroom door opened.

Matteo walked in with the top buttons of his shirt undone. He closed the door behind him and looked at me for a moment before walking toward me and kissing me.

I placed a hand against his chest and gently pushed him back. “Not tonight, Matteo.”

He studied my face for a moment but did not argue.

I turned away and got into bed with my back to him. A moment later, the mattress dipped behind me as he settled beside me.

After a while, his breathing became slow and even.

I stayed awake and stared into the darkness.

I had spent six years being patient, and accepted things I should never have had to accept because I believed this was the price of being Matteo's wife. Tonight, I finally understood that I could not spend the rest of my life waiting for him to choose me.

The De Luca name had given me security and a place no one could easily take away from me, but I no longer wanted to stay in a marriage where I had to fight for my husband's attention.

Until everything was ready, I would give Matteo no reason to suspect me. He would see the same woman who had spent years making excuses for him.

In seven days, I would disappear. And this time, Matteo would not see it coming.