Chapter 2

RAVENNA'S POV

(Half a Month Ago)

I wasn't trying to listen to their conversation. Not really, I was not one to poke into others' lives. But it's hard to ignore your name when it's being dragged through whispers and is said with obvious scorn.

"She doesn't suit him. Lily and Dante looked better together."

"She's just… there. I heard even his mom likes Lily more."

"I have no idea why he chose her. I mean, come on, it's a total downgrade from Lily."

"I would understand it if she had a resemblance to her, but she doesn't look a thing like her."

"It's probably just a phase that will be over soon."

"Yeah, when she gets back, he will send her away."

I stood behind the staircase for a moment, still holding the bottle of hand lotion I'd come down for. The maids were chatting over folded laundry like they weren't talking about someone who lived in the same house.

They were talking like I was not the partner of their employer, but that's how it has always been. I complained to Dante the first time it happened, and he apparently went to scold them, but it continued, and when I went again, he claimed it was my fault. The maids didn't respect me because there was nothing to respect. I apparently kept whining and pushing him to help me. I was weak, and it was not my fault—what could he expect from an illegitimate child?

I would never forget that day. I had never cried as much as I did. I hated my very existence and the blood flowing in my veins. I blamed my mother for putting me in such a situation where the man I loved didn't respect me. I was such a fool.

I should've confronted them, should have put an end to the nonsense. But instead, I just went upstairs. I told myself it was meaningless noise, just dust in the air, and it would be bad for me to doubt Dante due to the words of gossip. But something settled in my chest. Unease, quiet, and lingering.

I walked back to the room, and I heard his voice.

Dante was in the bedroom, phone pressed to his ear, pacing in front of the window. He didn't notice me at first when I came in.

"Yeah, I'll come get you. Of course."

A pause.

"No, don't worry. Ravenna won't be there. She's been busy lately."

Another pause, followed by a soft laugh and an expression so gentle that one would think he was speaking with the very essence of his existence. An expression he had never directed at me even once.

He turned, catching my reflection in the mirror, and ended the call a second later.

"Lily's coming back?" I asked, not bothering to soften my voice.

He shrugged, casual as ever. "Yeah. She just finished her degree. She's a close friend. You've probably heard me mention her before."

I didn't reply, just nodded and sat on the bed.

"She's cool with everyone," he added, grabbing a clean shirt and tossing it on. "Don't overthink things."

I didn't. But I definitely became suspicious because of the way he kept explaining.

I didn't think much of it, not until later that night, when he went to shower and left his phone on the dresser.

I shouldn't have looked. I'm not the type to doubt someone easily. But something told me if I didn't, I'd regret it.

The chat with Lily was open. No lock. No shame.

Lily: Can't believe I'm finally back. The first person I want to see is you.

Dante: And you will. We're planning something. Me, Ares, and the rest. Just like old times.

Lily: I can't wait to give you a big hug, but I cannot do that anymore.

Dante: What do you mean? Why can't you hug me? Don't tell me that you are feeling shy.

Lily: No, it's because you have a girlfriend now, and she wouldn't like it.

Dante: Forget about her. If she really loved me, then she wouldn't stop me.

Why wouldn't I stop him? My boyfriend was sending very concerning texts with another woman, and I was meant to be cool with it. It was the fact that he felt no fear or uncertainty while saying it.

Further down the thread, a group chat lit up:

Max: Is Ravenna coming too?

Ares: As in how? Hope not.

Dante: Lmao no.

Kevin: Why, Dante? Not bringing your precious princess along?

Dante: Please don't say such things. She's just an illegitimate daughter who doesn't have a family standing. She doesn't deserve such a title from me.

I stared at the screen for a long time. Not blinking. Not breathing. Just reading the words over and over, like maybe they'd change. But they didn't change. They were just there, an obvious testament to the image I had in their eyes. The image I had in Dante's eyes. To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie, but what could I do?

---

The next day, Dante left early. Didn't say where he was going, didn't ask if I wanted to come, and didn't tell me when he was going to be back.

I didn't ask either. I was not in the mood to hear him insult me and ask me why I was acting like his wife.

Instead, when a friend sent me free tickets to a Coldplay concert, I agreed. I probably needed the distraction and a break from everything. And so I picked up a dress, did some light makeup, and met Anny outside the house.

Anny was a friend I had had since I was six. I met her in the hospital when she was getting prepped for surgery. We clicked instantly. An illegitimate child who had no future and a cancer child whose days numbered. But she didn't die like everyone thought she would. Anny survived, and I purposely broke my legs so I would have a chance to see her again.

"Wassup, sexy? Love how you fit in that dress," she said, giving me a once-over that gave me goosebumps.

"Hands off, you pervert. Don't make me scream." I covered my chest with my hands, knowing my breasts were her next target.

"Ouch, girl, why are you threatening me with a good time?"

I just rolled my eyes as she sped down the road.

The concert was loud, chaotic, and blinding with neon lights. I was somewhere in the back, holding a soda I wasn't drinking and forcing myself to smile. Anny had run off somewhere to get alcohol that I swore I didn't need.

That's when I saw them. Dante, Lily, Ares, and a bunch of their other friends. They were in the front and center in the VIP section, laughing like this was their world, and I didn't exist in it. I recognized her easily because I had seen her pictures. She was beautiful but not in a real way. Like a doll that had been set exactly to be a certain way. Not natural.

I might've turned away. Might've left to look for Anny and take up her offer on the alcohol. But then the kissing cam began.

The screen above scanned the crowd, landing on couples to hype up the atmosphere. People laughed, cheered, and kissed under pressure. A carnival of performance to boost views and hype.

And then… the camera landed on them.

Lily looked caught off guard at first. She smiled shyly and leaned toward Dante. She then hesitated and turned to Ares instead.

The crowd erupted in a burst of cheers, chanting that she should kiss Ares. But Dante didn't even hesitate, didn't even think once before he did what he did.

He reached for Lily, pulled her back, and kissed her hard, like he needed everyone watching to know that she was his.

I didn't move, didn't even blink. I just stood there and watched.

And that was the moment something inside me cracked, not from heartbreak, but from clarity. He chose his image, his pride. He chose everything over me, and so I would do the same.

And I would never, ever, be the girl crying in the crowd again.