Chapter 3

Guglielmo slowly walked over and carefully reached for my hand. "Anna… Who did this to you? Who had the nerve to lay a hand on my Donna?"

I turned toward Rosa and pointed my trembling finger straight at her. Guglielmo followed my gaze, and his face went pale.

I thought, just like every other time, he would punish the person who had hurt me, but before he could say a single word, Rosa suddenly dropped to her knees. Her body shook as if she were about to collapse.

When he bent down to help her up, she burst into tears. "Don, I won't be able to stay by your side anymore. Signora already warned me that if I ever got close to you again, she'd make sure I died without a body left to bury.

"I only brought the doctors here because I was worried about her, but she lunged at me and attacked me!"

As Rosa spoke, she deliberately pulled back part of her clothing, revealing bloodstains on the fabric. That was my blood.

I assumed her clumsy story would give herself away in front of the brilliant Guglielmo, but instead, his gaze changed when he looked at me.

"Anna, I never thought you were this kind of person. I actually believed you were kindhearted. That was why I made you my wife, the Donna of our family."

I looked at Guglielmo and forced myself to speak with my last bit of strength. "She planned all this… She has leukemia and wants my bone marrow, so she… arranged my assassination."

His expression darkened. "Anna! You've already been exposed for everything you've done, and you're still lying to frame Rosa? How did I never realize you were this kind of woman?

"Did you take me for a fool? You've always refused to get medical checkups. Now all of a sudden, you went in for one. You even had the doctor send me your report. That was deliberate, wasn't it?

"You wanted Rosa to find out the two of you were a match so you could use your bone marrow to blackmail her, right? She has leukemia, Anna! Why couldn't you just show a little compassion?

"You could've donated your bone marrow, but instead, you chose to threaten her with it!"

I was thoroughly speechless. Where should I even begin to argue?

Behind Guglielmo, Rosa wore a triumphant smile. She reached out and lightly tugged at his sleeve. "Don Muratori, the doctors said my condition is worsening. I'm afraid the bone marrow they've collected won't be enough."

He didn't hesitate for even a second before barking an order to the surgeons. "What are you waiting for? Keep harvesting!"

I stared at the man I had once loved, unable to believe how ruthless he had become.

"Guglielmo, my body's already been through enough! If you keep taking it, I'll die!"

For the first time in a while, he hesitated. But it didn't last long because Rosa slipped her arms around his, her voice sweet and coaxing.

"Don't worry, Don. The surgeons I hired are the best. Signora will be fine, I assure you. Once I'm well, I'll go back to negotiating the shipping routes for you."

Guglielmo was silent for a moment, then nodded at the doctors. "Do it. Just make sure Anna stays alive."

The lead surgeon slowly picked up the scalpel again. I closed my eyes in despair.

Ironically, Guglielmo stepped closer and tried to comfort me. "Don't be afraid, Anna. Once the surgery's over, I'll take you to Barnalulu for a vacation."

"Papa!" I screamed out in tears.

The next second, the operating room doors were blown off their hinges.

Papa and Mamma stood in the doorway, dressed in immaculate bespoke formalwear. Behind them stood dozens of Made Men. Each one held an assault rifle trained squarely at the center of everyone's forehead.

When Papa saw me lying on the operating table, the warmth vanished from his eyes. "You dared lay a hand on my daughter. So tell me, how do you plan to die?"