Chapter 2

While speaking, Ricardo reached out and habitually ruffled my hair. "My Elena is generous now. You finally carry yourself like a proper First Lady."

It sounded like praise for a well-trained pet.

Disgust churned in my stomach.

Back then, when I first found out about his affairs, I lost control. I turned over negotiation tables in public, shattered whiskey bottles on his head so many times he landed in the medical wing at least fifteen times.

The media ran wild with the stories... I stripped him of every ounce of pride.

Yet he never changed.

Every time, he'd just say to me: "Look around. In our world, what man in power doesn't have a few women on the side? I may mess around, but the title of the family's lady belongs to you—always."

He repeated it over and over: "No matter how many women I have, you're the First Lady. The one they all look up to."

It wasn't until the day my father died—gunned down in a family feud—that I finally woke up.

Three years. Three years of playing blind and deaf.

And all I got in return was a pat on the head and a compliment: "My Elena finally looks like the true matriarch."

For the past three years, I stopped interfering in his life. To him, I was as present as air.

He didn't even know he had a son.

On the day I nearly died giving birth, he was out at the dockside market with Leah, selling her handcrafted cider.

He said he adored her independent spirit—that she didn't cling to power or wealth, that she stood on her own.

I let out a cold, silent laugh. I said nothing.

In my heart, he'd already turned to dust.

On the day of Victoria Moretti's birthday banquet, I intended only to make a brief appearance. To play the part of the dutiful daughter-in-law.

But the moment I stepped into the grand hall with the gift in hand, I saw Ricardo and Leah standing on either side of Victoria.

The matriarch was all smiles, exchanging pleasantries with the guests.

"Mrs. Moretti, your hairstyle today is so elegant—and it pairs beautifully with your custom gown."

Victoria's updo was done with more care than usual, pinned with a vintage diamond hairpin. She smiled softly, eyes glowing with satisfaction, and gently patted Leah's hand.

"My daughter-in-law styled it. She's clever with her hands."

So, Victoria had accepted Leah.

Leah smiled gracefully. "As long as you like it, Mother."

Ricardo chimed in, "Mother always tells me how lucky the Moretti family is to have you as a daughter-in-law."

A cold sneer twisted in my chest. I didn't bother staying another second.

Just as I turned to leave, Leah's clear voice rang out behind me.

"Elena."

Her tone was light, deliberately trying to create the illusion of warmth between us.

I stopped, turned slowly, and smiled with poise.

Surprise flickered in her eyes—she must've expected me to lose it, storm out in fury, or at the very least show some sign of distress. The calm was not what she anticipated.

"Elena, you look beautiful today," she said, her voice syrupy sweet.

"Thank you." I smiled and replied without a trace of sincerity. I had long stopped caring about her.

Her little provocations no longer held any weight for me.

Victoria, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, said to me, "You two, come help me greet the guests."

Suddenly, her words from years ago echoed in my mind.

"From now on, you are my daughter. I will love you like my own. If Ricardo dares betray you, I'll be the first to break his legs with my cane."

Her voice was sharp in my memory, as if I had just heard it yesterday.

And yet now, she was the one humiliating me.

She gently patted the back of my hand and said softly, "Elena, Leah is a good girl. She's nothing like those other women."

I gave her a faint smile and lied through my teeth. "You're right, Mother."

It didn't matter anymore. I was leaving soon. None of this would matter.

Victoria smiled with relief. "I'm so glad you understand."

She looked up at Ricardo and said, "See? I told you Elena is the most sensible."

Ricardo gave me a proud smile and said, "That's because I trained her well."

As if he were boasting about taming a hawk.

In the past, I would have torn the banquet hall apart by now.

But today, I wouldn't waste a single breath or ounce of strength on people who no longer mattered.