When Love Had Reached Its End

I drew my pistol, aimed it at his head and pulled the trigger. Matteo did not duck at all, so I forced myself to miss the shot. My hands were shaking so badly that the bullet grazed his cheek and left a red line. Matteo lifted his hand and wiped the blood away.

"Victoria, stop trembling if you really want to kill someone!" he shouted.

He then continued, "You don't have to be so upset. No need for you to hate me."

"Wrong acts have costs. You killed my child, so I killed your brother. That's even, isn't it?" he asked.

How could Matteo dare to talk about evenness? What right did he have to speak like that? He was the traitor. He had thrown me into hell.

Matteo leaned close and brushed the tears from my face with a kiss.

"Victoria, you should be reasonable," he whispered.

"I won't sign the divorce, but I will give her a wedding and expose her to the world!" he added.

"You owe her that, so you must repay it!"

Repay? What could he possibly pay me back for what he'd done? He left in such a rush that he did not notice my eyes that had turned red and were burning with hatred.

I had already given him one chance. If divorce was not possible between us, then we would end as widows and widowers. People who betrayed true love did not deserve a good ending!

The wedding arrived sooner than I expected. Before my brother's body was even cold, an invitation reached me. Sylvia came in person, surrounded by dozens of guards.

"Victoria, why bother with the divorce? Matteo will marry me anyway," she mockingly said.

"You might have a piece of paper, but I have his heart," she continued.

While Sylvia’s smile looked sweet and polite, something proud and mocking was lying under it. I did not lift my eyes. Instead, I kept feeding the fish I owned. She quickly snatched the fish food from my hand, annoyed by my calm.

With a proud air, she had a gift box carried forward.

"Well, anyway. Victoria, this is a present I prepared especially for you."

I opened it and nearly lost my breath. Three blood-stained fingers sat inside. Each was marked with my brother’s unique sign.

"Victoria, don't you know? Your brother has actually woken up," she said softly.

"These fingers were cut off while he was alive!"

"He then screamed and begged Matteo to let him see you one last time!"

I smashed the fish tank with my bare hands, grabbed a shard of glass and lunged for her. Her men stopped me. But Matteo truly loved her. After all, he had given her his most capable guards. She watched my rage and helplessness with cruel delight.

Her smile grew wider.

"Victoria, the one who is unloved in a marriage is always the mistress. You have lost everything," she taunted.

"Do you want to know when you began to lose?"

She leaned close to my ear. My whole body trembled with pain. I already knew the relationship had rotted, but I had not known the truth would cut so deep.