---- Chapter 12 Alex POV: The breaking point came at a pre-wedding dinner for the son of a European business ally, a powerful Patriarch whose respect was crucial for De Luca expansion. Aria was giddy with excitement, wearing a dress that was too tight and too bright. | was just trying to get through the night. We were making our way through the crowd when the Patriarch himself, a formidable old man named Antoine Dubois, spotted us. His face broke into a wide smile. "Katarina, my dear!" he boomed, enveloping Aria in a hug. "You look as radiant as ever. Alessandro, you lucky man." Aria froze. | felt the color drain from my own face. "Antoine," | said quickly, trying to salvage the situation. "This is not Katarina. This is my... fiancée, Aria Diaz." The Patriarch's smile vanished. He looked from me to Aria, his eyes lingering on her cheap jewelry and nervous posture. A look of unmistakable disdain crossed his face. He was a man from the old world; he understood what this meant. | had discarded a queen for a commoner. It was a sign of weakness, of poor judgment. ---- Aria, humiliated, mumbled an excuse about the ladies' room and fled. | knew in that moment that she could never be the woman on my arm. She didn't have the class, the strength, the presence to be a Mafia Queen. She was a liability, a walking, talking symbol of my own bad taste. | tried to explain to the Patriarch. "Katarina and |... we had an amicable separation." He just nodded, his expression cold. "A shame. She was a great asset to your family." The alliance felt suddenly fragile. My personal life was damaging my business. | found Aria crying in the lounge. | tried to comfort her, but the words felt hollow. "You're the one | chose," | told her, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth. | said it more to convince myself than her. | spoke of our "heirs" and the future, propping up the fantasy that was crumbling around me. Back in the suite, she tried to initiate sex, to reclaim me, but | couldn't. All | could see was Katarina's face. | pushed her away, using "family security" as an excuse. The truth was, | was disgusted. Disgusted with Aria, but mostly, disgusted with myself. | sat in the dark, staring at the last photo Mark had sent me. The one of Katarina with that man. | had traded a diamond for a piece of glass, and the whole world was starting to notice. ---- Then my phone buzzed. A new photo from Mark. It was Katarina again. At a different cafe. With the same man. This time, he was leaning in close, his hand covering hers on the table. They were laughing, a shared, intimate moment that felt like a knife in my gut. She wasn't just surviving without me. She was thriving. She had moved on. And | was left here, in this gilded cage with my cheap replacement, realizing with sickening clarity that | had not just lost a wife. | had lost the only part of my life that was ever truly worth a damn. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!