Chapter Two

My phone buzzed, reminding me I had to help my mother-in-law with her laundry at home. I had been the typical good housewife for Luciano for four years taking care of his family, his mother who never stopped yelling at me, and his rude sisters. And all I got in return was this?

A tear rolled down my cheek before I realized it. I quickly wiped it away, knowing this was all fake. He must have planned it with Amanda to boost his reputation.

Amanda wasn’t an ordinary lady. Her father owned the entertainment company Luciano was signed to. She was also the best female actress at the moment, and this whole performance in front of me and everybody might just be for business. Strictly business.

When the party was ending, I hurried through the crowd to find Luciano and get an explanation directly from his lips. He would never do that to me, announce such an engagement when he knew I was coming.

Soon, I saw him among a few people. He was with the same lady Amanda, who clearly knew Luciano was married. That was part of why I was convinced this was just a play.

“Luciano,” I called, grabbing his attention.

The moment he turned to me, his expression changed. The softness on his face when he had been greeting some ladies earlier disappeared, replaced with some sort of anger. I thought he would be happy to see me, but his expression said otherwise—or maybe I was just seeing things.

I ignored the thought and walked into his arms when I saw no one else was there or watching, except Amanda. His sweet cologne immediately calmed me down. It had been so long since I held Luciano in my arms. But then he slightly pushed me off, taking a few steps backward. His expression hardened completely.

“What are you doing here?”

The question caught me off guard. “What do you mean? You sent me the invitation, Luciano,” I said quickly.

He ran his fingers through his hair, looking more frustrated. Suddenly, he caught my hands and dragged me somewhere quieter. Amanda followed us, and I couldn’t understand why.

“What’s going on, Luciano? I’ve been calling you for days…” I said, tears filling my eyes. “You sent me the invitation, but you announced…” My words broke off as I looked at Amanda again, nearly choking on my tears. I bit my lower lip and lowered my eyes.

“I think there’s a mix-up somewhere. I never sent you any invitation. I don’t want you here!” he yelled in my face.

He didn’t send the invite? And what did he mean, he didn’t want me there?

“Babe.” Amanda stepped forward, holding Luciano’s arm.

Her words shocked me to the core. The seriousness in her tone told me this was not what I had thought.

“What’s going on, Luciano? Why is she calling you that?”

“I think it’s high time you told her,” Amanda said, making me even more confused.

“Mr. Luciano?” More people started to gather around.

“Let her go home. I bet you don’t want people seeing her with you. I don’t want any weird rumors,” Amanda rolled her eyes.

Luciano inhaled sharply. “You should go home. I’ll explain everything to you at home.”

“You don’t even come home for months,” I choked out, my tears falling faster. I had thought he was always busy, but maybe it was something else.

“Looks like you’re busy, Mr. Luciano?” someone murmured.

“Go home now! I said I’ll fucking see you at home!” Luciano yelled through gritted teeth.

The harshness made me shiver, and I hurried out.

The drive back home was slow and solemn. I couldn’t stop my tears from flowing. It felt like I had just been caught visiting my boyfriend unannounced, except I hadn’t. The invitation was delivered right to our door. Only Luciano knew our address. No… I had to be wrong. Luciano would never cheat on me. He promised to explain everything once he got home. I must just be imagining things.

When I got home, I waited all night, but Luciano never showed up. The rays of the sun ran across my face, jolting me awake from the sofa I had accidentally fallen asleep on. I glanced at the clock. Morning already, and still no sign of Luciano.

Before I could think further, I heard a car drive into the compound. He was back. The front door soon opened. I hurried up to welcome him, but my heart sank when I saw he wasn’t alone, Amanda was with him.

“What’s this rotten smell?” she covered her nose and rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t clean up?”

No, I cleaned up 24/7 even his parents’ house.

“That’s why I told her to quit those filthy jobs. But she did nothing but sleep all day,” Luciano replied in disgust.

That wasn’t true either. I hardly had time for myself, taking care of his sisters’ children like my life depended on it while they went to parties. And those ‘filthy jobs’ had put food on our table when Luciano had nothing. But I couldn’t say a word. I just stood there, playing the good wife I always was.

I was his good girl, so I stayed quiet. If I don’t speak, we can’t fight. That was the rule I had lived by to keep our marriage going for years. But I could see it breaking apart right before my eyes, and I wasn’t ready to let it happen.

“Luciano, let’s talk,” I said quietly. “Without her.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Amanda butted in, then turned to him. “It’s time you tell her everything, babe. She doesn’t even deserve you.”

“What is she talking about? And why does she keep calling you that?” My voice shook.

Luciano finally said the words that shattered me. “I don’t love you anymore. I’m in love with her. I want her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”

A tear immediately rolled down my cheek.

“Don’t think I’m dumping you because I’m rich and famous now. You’re just… out of my league.”

“Don’t try to paint me as the bad one. That spark isn’t there anymore. I don’t feel anything for you. My heart races for her now.”

More tears streamed down my face as I watched my husband spill those words without guilt. I looked around, hoping this was some prank show, but there were no cameras.

“What about everything I sacrificed for you, Luciano? I stayed by you through the storms,” I cried.

“You did nothing. All you ever made was those tasteless meals. She’s the one who helped my life! She turned me into what I am today, not you. Don’t think staying with me made me rich and famous!”

Those words cut like knives.

I broke down, watching them hold hands tightly, declaring they were real lovers. I didn’t even know when I crawled to Luciano’s feet, begging. I literally couldn’t live without him.

“Please, Luciano. I don’t mind if you keep her as your girlfriend at work as long as I remain your wife at home. I don’t mind being hidden for more years, just—”

Luciano scoffed. “What wife? We never legally registered our marriage, remember? You were never my wife. You only moved in with me!

“And now, you’ll move out. Because tomorrow, Amanda and I are registering our marriage.”

He threw a paper at me. When I looked, it was a check for two million dollars. “That should be enough to repay you for all the times you keep bringing up. Use it to start a new life. You still have years ahead of you.”

That amount wasn’t worth a quarter of what I had sacrificed.

“I… I don’t want your money, Luciano. All I want is you.”

“Let’s call it quits. Leave my life, my house. Right now, Ella.”

“Please, I don’t—” I grabbed his feet, pleading.

But Luciano kicked me hard in the stomach. I wasn’t sure if it was my body or my heart that hurt more.

“Do you think I’d ever want someone as useless as you? Get out of my house! I gave you enough to start over!”

He hissed and stormed inside with Amanda.

“Don’t let me see you here when I get back.”

I stayed frozen, my life completely shattered.

I was still there when Luciano’s mother came. I thought she had come for me. But no, she pampered Amanda like they had known each other for years.

“You did the right thing, son. You shouldn’t have wasted such money on that wench.”

“Oh, my darling,” she said to Amanda. “You’re even prettier in real life than on TV.”

At that moment, I realized I had been nothing but a fool—used, and treated like trash all these years. I lay there groaning in pain, but no one saw me. They were too devoted to their new family.

My eyelids grew heavy, closing weakly.

I broke all my rules for Luciano cause they were only habit, just to be with him.

I had always believed the Cinderella shoe fit me perfectly. But what Luciano didn’t know was that I was nothing but a bad bitch.

And what do bad bitches do? They get their revenge. They make the people who offend them pay.

Father was right; love doesn’t exist, only death does.

And right now, Cinderella is dead.