Chapter 1 A Betrayed Heart

"Bian! Your fiancé still hasn't arrived. The best man keeps calling, but it's going straight to voicemail! We've been waiting for almost an hour-what should we do?" Rafael's voice trembled with panic.

If Rafael was losing it, Bianca was on the brink of collapse.

A cold pit formed in her stomach, her hands shook uncontrollably, and a tear slipped down her cheek, heavy with sorrow.

Antonio had claimed to love her. What could have happened? Why hadn't he shown up for their wedding?

In one of the most beautiful churches in the city, a cello played a haunting melody as Bianca stood there, waiting to marry Antonio Moretti.

Both were prominent figures in the mafia world, bound by what Bianca had believed was love. As the eldest daughter of Massimo Bianchi, a ruthless Sicilian mafia boss who had amassed a great fortune through drug trafficking, Bianca had thought Antonio was her future.

But now, standing alone at the altar, the realization hit her like a wave-she was utterly abandoned, and everything she had trusted was crumbling around her.

Bianca Bianchi had just turned twenty-five. She was a blonde with long, beautifully toned legs. Her hair cascaded down to her small waist, and her big turquoise-blue eyes, along with the delicate features she inherited from her late mother, made her the kind of beauty most could only dream of-or at least, that's what she had thought until she met Antonio at a business meeting.

Antonio was one of her father's associates. Their relationship hadn't been love at first sight; the man had practically moved heaven and earth to win her over. It had taken him nearly three months to convince her to be his girlfriend, and after a year together, their wedding day had finally arrived. Bianca had been waiting for this day with so much anticipation.

Her sisters had helped her into her beautiful wedding dress and secured her headpiece. Her best friend, Natalia, had also been there, handing her the bouquet-the final touch she needed.

They had hurried to the church, and when they arrived, Bianca had expected her beloved and handsome fiancé, Antonio Moretti, to already be waiting at the altar. But to her great surprise, Rafael came running to tell her that he still hadn't arrived. They had waited for over an hour, but there was no sign of the groom.

"Rafael, get in!" Bianca ordered her brother. "Take us to Antonio's apartment!" she told the driver.

Antonio could be unconscious, and she had been thinking the worst of him. Her heart raced as the distance stretched endlessly before them.

"Are you sure about this, Bianca? We might be in for an unpleasant surprise. If that bastard didn't show up at the church, it's because he's not worth it! You're valuable, with such a big heart, sister," Rafael tried to console her.

"I have to see him, Rafael. I need answers. If he didn't love me, why didn't he break up with me before we got to the altar? Was it necessary to humiliate me like this?"

They finally arrived at the luxurious building. Bianca got out like a jilted bride from the countryside. Only God knew how she found the courage to get there because she didn't even know how she was still standing.

Everything spun around her like a nightmare filled with anguish and heartbreak.

The doorman didn't want to let her in, but Rafael, always armed, threatened him. The doorman relented, letting them pass but not warning Antonio that Bianca was heading to his apartment.

Trembling from head to toe, Bianca noticed the door was slightly ajar, and voices drifted from inside. She recognized Antonio's voice immediately; it was etched into her mind.

"I'm fed up! I can't marry that stuck-up woman who only lives to feel superior to everyone around her! She's exasperating! Egocentric! Used to getting her way, but she's hit a wall with me. To hell with her and the Bianchi family! The only thing I regret is not being there to see how all the guests laugh in her face!"

Antonio's voice echoed in her ears. What a son of a bitch! No one had forced him to marry her; if he didn't want to, he could've just said so! She stayed silent, straining to hear the second voice, and that's when her heart finally shattered.

"I know, my love! Bianca is unbearable, always acting superior, thinking she can do anything. But look, she couldn't catch you. You're with me, we're together, and we'll stay that way!"

"My best friend Natalia! That was her voice-her damn voice!" Bianca burst through the door to confront them. She didn't need to take many steps before she saw her lifelong friend kissing her miserable fiancé.

She interrupted them.

Having been in the mafia business for as long as she could remember, Bianca couldn't deny that it had taught her well how to hide her emotions, because, damn, she was falling apart inside.

Loving him was like holding onto a rose; the beauty was undeniable, but the thorns cut deep.

"What do you want, Bianca? If you're looking for an explanation, I'll give it to you right now! I'm not marrying you because I can't stand you. I feel nothing for you. I only pursued you so your father would accept me as a major partner and let me work on his routes. But now that I no longer need him, I'm not willing to sacrifice myself by marrying a woman who doesn't stir any feelings in me!"

"You didn't seem to feel nothing when you were begging me to sleep with you," Bianca shot back. Natalia looked at him, searching for an explanation.

Clearly, these two had been involved for quite some time.

"You're lying! Antonio feels nothing for you but repulsion and disdain! He only loves me! I am the true love of his life; we will get married and be very happy. You always thought you were invincible, Bianca, but now you're defeated. I've won-you're defeated, and your ex-fiancé is now my lover."

"I don't understand, Natalia. Why did you pretend for so long? What did you gain by acting as my friend?"

"Isn't it obvious, dear? To pass information to Antonio. You told me everything, and I made perfect use of it. Thanks to me, Antonio became independent from the Bianchi family. Now that he no longer needs them, we can live our dream life together."

"I see. You both used me for your own ends. But you forgot one thing: I don't just think I can do it all-I actually can! And you two won't defeat me. You're perfect for each other, no doubt about it. After all, dear ex-friend, you did me a favor by taking this treacherous rat off my back. Now that he's yours, don't get too comfortable. You know what he's capable of. The same goes for you, Antonio. Keep a close eye on each other to prevent mutual betrayals, you pair of rats!"

Rafael was about to draw his gun, ready to kill them, but Bianca stopped him.

"Don't do it-that would be too easy and merciful. Let life take care of making them pay for their disgusting actions!" She looked at them with pure disgust before leaving the penthouse she had visited so many times.