Serafina's giggle broke the silence. She walked up, swinging her hair, voice sweet but sharp. The thin gold bracelet on her right wrist caught the light as she gestured.
"Arianna, Marcello really dotes on you. He even prepared all this for your anniversary."
She pointed to a pile of gifts stacked in the corner. My eyes followed her hand and that's when I saw it. A wet patch, soaking into the fabric of the sofa beneath the gifts.
The smell. The mark. The truth.
So this was love? He really had sex with her right next to my anniversary presents?
The ache in my chest spread like fire, but I kept my lips shut.
Marcello, blind as ever, walked over with a velvet box. He opened it, lifted a bracelet, and clasped it gently around my wrist. His right hand brushed mine, and I felt the weight of his grandfather's silver ring, the old Don's signet, cold against my skin. "Happy anniversary, sweetheart. I set up a candlelit dinner for us. Just you and me."
I shivered and pulled back. "No. I don't feel well."
Every second near him felt like punishment.
He frowned instantly, all concern, all performance. He called private doctors, one after another, refusing to rest until they said I was fine. He ordered Mateo, his right-hand man, to fetch health supplements. He even brought me a glass of warm milk, pressing it into my hands until I drank it.
That night, exhaustion finally dragged me under. But when I woke in the dark, my throat was dry, I left my room for water.
And froze.
The door across the hall was wide open. Moonlight spilled through the window, lighting up two figures tangled on the bed.
Serafina's voice carried in the quiet. "That bracelet you gave Arianna… worth millions, right? I begged you for one, and you ignored me. She doesn't even ask, and you hand her the best gift in the world."
Marcello's shadow shifted. He pushed her legs from his waist, sat up, and lit a cigarette. His face was calm, almost bored. "I told you already… We were going to separate soon. I love my wife, but for now, we keep it a secret. If she finds out, it's over."
Serafina climbed onto him, naked. "I know, but I love you too. I can't help being jealous."
Marcello sighed, then reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a bracelet the same style as mine, just a different color. He dangled it in front of her like a treat.