I laughed bitterly. So, in his eyes, me expressing a little bit of dissatisfaction was just being difficult.

My phone vibrated again. It was a message from Sierra.

【Sorry to bother you, but I was just curious, what do you think of this perfume?】

She sent a photo. It was a bottle identical to the one Dante gave me at the gala, but this one was engraved with a custom jasmine crest made just for Sierra.

The room started spinning. I grabbed the sofa to steady myself but stumbled and fell, hitting my forehead on the corner of the marble coffee table.

My mother passed away in a room that smelled of that exact jasmine perfume. My father's betrayal had pushed her deeper and deeper into despair.

He only stopped his affairs after she chose to end her life.

"Never let love make you a fool, Ilara. It only makes you weak."

Her last words still echoed in my ears on lonely nights.

My story with Dante didn't start with romance. He was a rising star in the Chicago mafia, and I was the daughter of a rival family.

My father, Silas, saw his power fading and tried to marry me off to the son of an East Coast tycoon for protection.

Dante came to me then, his eyes red and pleading. "Why can you say yes to a man you've never even met, but you won't give me a chance?"

The next day, Dante went to my father with a partnership agreement. "Ilara has the freedom to choose. You can't make this decision for her."

He had bruises on his face that day. I knew he must have gone through a brutal "negotiation" to get my father to sign.

As I held an ice pack to his face, I asked him if he wanted to be with me. He just looked at me, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

After we were married, Dante treated me like a queen, making me the envy of everyone.

He remembered everything I liked and planned elaborate surprises for every anniversary.

When I had nightmares, he would hold me gently and soothe me back to sleep.

I used to think my mother was wrong. Love didn't make you weak; it could make a withered heart bloom again.

It wasn't until a few months ago, when he insisted on hiring Sierra as his personal assistant, that I realized Dante was just like any other man.

He never understood why I was so against hiring a fresh-faced college graduate.

But I only needed to see one picture of her to know exactly why he chose her. She looked just like I did all those years ago.

The version of me that Dante wanted but could never have.

After sending the picture, Sierra updated her private social media.

【I'm such a failure. I screwed up a huge family project, so there goes my annual bonus. I just want to find a place to cry my eyes out.】

Dante replied almost instantly.

【Everyone makes mistakes. Take the afternoon off and get some rest.】