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The blood clot that had been lingering in Claudio Falcone’s brain finally dissipated. The moment he regained his normal state of mind, the very first thing he did was to shove me aside forcefully. He said with revulsion, “You repulse me. Keep your distance from me.” With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, not sparing a single backward glance.
When we met again, what lay before our eyes was precisely this scene.
He violently tossed the agreement right at my face, his voice as frigid as ice as he spoke, “Stay out of my sight for the time being. I’ll reach out to you when it’s time for our divorce.”
The sharp pages of the agreement slashed across my cheek. Gritting my teeth against the burning pain and swallowing the acrid ache in my heart, I didn’t utter a single word.
I entered the Falcone family through marriage. On the outside, I was seen as a glamorous
and affluent matron of a wealthy clan. Little did they know the reality of my daily existence. The truth was, I was nothing more than a glorified nanny to look after Claudio. Even the household staff felt entitled to treat me with disdain, casting haughty looks and giving me the cold shoulder
at every turn. Thankfully, over the course of these years, while it was ostensibly my role to care for him, he, in his own way, was constantly trying to reciprocate my kindness. He would trail after me like a devoted puppy, his voice filled with affection as he chirped “Sister” over and over again. Whenever I was downcast, he would do his best to lift my spirits. If I wasn’t feeling well, he’d promptly fetch me a cup of hot water. And during those carefree moments when we were lost in the joy of playing games, he’d beam with delight and proclaim loudly that I was the one he loved
most in the world.
It was truly a pity that all those wonderful moments evaporated completely after he came back to his right mind. When lucid again, the way he looked at me underwent a drastic transformation. It was no longer delight and tenderness. Now, all that remained was cold indifference and blatant disgust. He was in his tailored suit, groomed every detail of his appearance with precision, and transformed into Mr. Falcone. Then he claimed, “You should know the gap between us. Don’t go dreaming about stuff that wasn’t yours.”
Indeed, I was nothing more than a commodity, disregarded by my own parents and bartered away to settle debts. There was no place for me beside him. I stooped to retrieve the agreement from the floor, smoothed it out, and placed it neatly back on his desk. Without a backward glance, I turned around and walked away. On reflection, perhaps I hadn’t lost all that much. After all, I was merely returning to a time when love was absent and happiness a stranger. It was a past I knew all too well, a life without the warmth of affection.
I used to have absolutely no connection with Claudio until that fateful accident seven years ago. Word around the social circles was that his father had brought home an illegitimate son. His uncle was also scheming in the shadows back then. The three of them were locked in a cutthroat, overt, and covert power struggle. However, it wasn’t long before misfortune struck Claudio. He had an accident that left a blood clot in his brain. This clot was pressing c a particular nerve, reducing his mental capacity to that of a mere child. As a result, he was compelled to step aside from the fray.
While recuperating in the hospital ho managed to speak out Coincidentally. I happened to
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a particular nerve, reducing his mental capacity to that of a mere child. As a result, he was compelled to step aside from the fray.
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While recuperating in the hospital, he managed to sneak out. Coincidentally, I happened to cross paths with him. From that moment on, he latched onto me. Strangely enough, no one else could get close to him.
Samanta Luna came up with the idea of having me marry Caludio and take care of him on behalf of the Falcone family. It so happened that my own family was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time, drowning in debts. She came to our rescue and bailed us out of the crisis.
Subsequently, we set up an agreement. The terms were straightforward. During his period of mental impairment, I was to stay by his side and take care of him at all times. If he ever regained his sanity, he had the right to seek a divorce whenever he wished, and I was not to oppose it. This was her final safeguard for Claudio as well as a precaution to prevent my family from clinging onto their family.
Now that he had come to his senses, I had presumed he would lose no time in filing for divorce. To my astonishment, however, he didn’t. I was well aware that it was not out of any
lingering affection for me. Rather, circumstances prevented him from doing so. After all, having just recovered his normal faculties, if he were to sever our marital ties right away, rumors and speculations would swirl around both him and his family.
Nevertheless, on further reflection, only the day before yesterday, someone caught him
sharing a dinner with Alessa Gallo, his dream lover. After that, he even escorted her home in
person, and the affectionate embrace they shared on her doorstep was also caught on camera.
Given that the news had already spread far and wide, why should he still bother clinging to this farce of a marriage?
Confronted with a marriage that could potentially dissolve into divorce at any given
moment, my parents urged me to hold on as long as possible. My mom mentioned, “Dora Castro, you’re Mrs. Falcone now. Even if it’s just for show, it’s still better than being an average Joe, isn’t it?”
My dad jumped in and replied, “Yeah, you’ve been together for seven years. I don’t buy that
he didn’t see all the work you put in. Hang in there. He will find out how great you are. And when
he does…”
Swallowing the pain in my heart, I interrupted, “You all think I can just sit pretty as long as I
cling to this title? You know we’ve been married for seven years. Now he was back to his senses
and had seen that agreement, yet he didn’t even flinch. That means he’s okay with the deal. I got
no place in his heart. He just doesn’t wanna dump me right now so people won’t start talking.
Rather than waiting to get the boot and be made a fool of, I’d rather take the lead myself. At least I can save some dignity. You don’t wanna be slapped in the face and laughed at either, do you?”
Both of them fell silent, unable to utter another word.
In fact, it was an eventuality that Claudio would come to his senses sooner or later, and we were all well aware of it. However, the timing of his recovery was uncannily precise, as if het meticulously planned it down to the very second. Just when his uncle had fallen from grace and his illegitimate brother was at his most vulnerable yet also in the throes of overconfidence, he emerged from the shadows and struck a decisive blow, smoothly ascending to the throne as the
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