Chapter 4

My mind went blank.

Alessandro's words hit like a bomb, exploding in my ears.

He wanted me from the start?

How could that be?

I was just an obscure street artist, nothing but Leo's fiancée.

What could he possibly want from me?

"Surprised?" Alessandro straightened, savoring my stunned expression.

He walked to a liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of whiskey. "Three months ago, the graffiti wall in Eastside."

He handed me a glass. "A painting called Caged Bird."

My pupils contracted sharply.

I had painted that.

It showed a bird trapped in a golden cage, its feathers vibrant but its eyes full of despair.

I created it on the anniversary of my engagement to Leo.

That day, he took me to a high-society gala.

Glamorous dresses, clinking glasses, everyone wearing polished masks.

I felt like an outsider, out of place.

Leo was busy networking, leaving me alone.

I watched him charm politicians and elites with ease.

In that moment, he felt like a stranger.

I realized we belonged to different worlds.

Marrying him was like stepping into a gilded prison.

So, I painted Caged Bird.

After finishing it, I never spoke of it to anyone.

How did Alessandro know?

"That bird was you, wasn't it?" His voice pulled me from my memories.

I didn't answer.

"Desperate, yet defiant." He took a sip of whiskey, a strange glint in his blue eyes. "Fascinating."

So, because of one painting, this volatile man orchestrated this elaborate scheme to bring me to his side?

It was absurd.

"Leo's a fool." Alessandro set down his glass. "He handed over the only thing of value he had."

The only thing of value...

Was that me?

Looking at this man, I felt a bone-deep chill for the first time.

He wasn't a madman.

He was a meticulous hunter, controlling everything.

Leo, Isabella, me-we were all pawns on his chessboard.

"As of today, you are Mrs. Marcello." His tone left no room for argument.

"And you? What do you want with me?" I asked.

"What?" He raised an eyebrow. "To have you do what a wife does, of course."

His gaze roamed over me, bold and predatory.

I stepped back instinctively, clutching the hem of my wedding gown.

He laughed. "Relax. I won't touch you until you're willing. I enjoy watching my prey struggle."

He turned, leaving me with his cold, unyielding silhouette. "Take Mrs. Marcello to her room."

A maid led me to a second-floor bedroom.

The room was spacious and ornate, yet it felt starkly empty.

Outside the balcony, a vast rose garden stretched endlessly.

The red roses bloomed vividly, almost unnaturally.

I shed my wedding gown and slipped into a silk nightdress the maid had prepared.

Exhausted, I lay on the soft bed but couldn't sleep.

Leo, Isabella, Alessandro...

Their faces flickered through my mind.

My life had been upended completely.

Hours later, my phone vibrated.

It was Leo.

I stared at his name flashing on the screen, hesitated, then answered.

"Ava!" Leo's voice came through, laced with urgency and panic. "Are you okay? Has he done anything to you?"