He Saved His Patience for Another Woman

I'm a bit of a chatterbox with an irrepressible urge to share everything. People around me usually find me annoying. At times, even Papa and Mama grow impatient with me. Only my boyfriend, Ronaldo Brunelli, the Don of the Brunelli Famiglia, patiently replies to every message I send. "Mi cara, it just shows you have an eye for beauty. I love everything you share with me," he writes back. But later, when I'm being followed by one of his enemies and reach out to him for help, he simply replies, "OK." When I'm trapped in a mudslide and text him, terrified, he replies, "OK." Then, the dog we'd raised together for five years, Anda, dies unexpectedly. I'm inconsolable and quickly text him, "Ronaldo! Our Anda is gone!" Once again, he replies, "OK." I can't understand why he's so cold with me and call him, sobbing on the phone. But he only picks up after many missed calls, his tone heavy with weary resignation. "I'm doing this for your own good, Liliana Cirillo. Helena says this is a sickness of yours, that you're just desperate for attention. She says that you might only turn 'normal' if I continue being cold with you." "Just because she says I'm sick?" I ask, bewildered. "But what about our Anda…" In the background, I can faintly hear Helena's cloyingly sweet voice saying, "Didn't we agree to ignore her for now? You promised to bring me to get a new pet." Ronaldo chuckles and answers her, but I can't make out what he says. He then comes back to me on the phone and says, "Alright, I have some business to attend to. I'll get back to you later. Try not to be so clingy all the time." Then, the line goes dead. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. So, it's not that I'm being "too clingy" with him. It's just that he's chosen to give his patience to someone else. If that's the case, then I'll leave him. Seven days later, I vanish on my way to our wedding. When Ronaldo finds out, his eyes turn bloodshot. Chapter 1 After laying my pet dog, Anda, to rest, I wandered the streets aimlessly. As I passed by a pet shop, I glanced through the glass window and saw my friend, Helena Vecchi, cradling a puppy and playing with it while my boyfriend, Ronaldo Brunelli, had his arm around her. They looked like a real couple. Helena spotted me first. She nudged Ronaldo with her elbow, a triumphant look on her face. "See? Liliana came to find you on her own. She wants to reconcile. I told you my method would work best! You owe me a reward again." Ronaldo tapped the tip of her nose, letting out a soft chuckle. "Anything you want, Helena. It's yours." Then, his gaze met mine for a fleeting second before his expression hardened once more. "Didn't I tell you I was busy? Stop trying to cling to me all the time." My eyes remained fixed on the puppy. "You said you were busy, but you were really just buying her a dog? Do you even realize that Anda just died—" Helena hurried over and placed the puppy into my arms, her eyes filled with feigned guilt. "Liliana, please don't be angry. I was the one who begged him to come with me. Just look at this puppy! Isn't it adorable and well-behaved?" As I looked at the puppy, I was haunted by the memory of Anda and the trembling, low whimper he had struggled to let out before he died. Ronaldo shook his head with a smile, stepped forward, and took the puppy from me. He sounded weary as he said, "Don't let your dog get too close to her, Helena. Otherwise, it'll end up just like Anda, always running and jumping around like it was never properly house-trained." I stared at him in disbelief. He was the one who used to say that Anda was cute and lively, just like me. It felt as if something had gripped my heart, making every breath a source of agony. Tears spilled from my eyes before I could stop them. "That's enough, Ronaldo." Ronaldo's voice turned even colder. He said, "What? I'm just telling the truth. Look at yourself right now, Liliana Cirillo. Did I even say anything wrong?" That hurt me even more, and I felt as though I might collapse at any moment. Helena let out a playful, coquettish laugh and tapped Ronaldo lightly on the chest. She said, "Alright, Ronaldo, that's enough. I'm going to get angry if you keep doing this." Ronaldo looked at her with a smile and pressed a finger to his lips. Helena forced her laughter to stop, then stepped toward me, feigning sympathy as she reached out to embrace me. "Don't be sad, Liliana. I know it hurts that he's been ignoring you for some time. I've already scolded him for it, so he certainly won't dare to be harsh with you again." "Spare me the hypocrisy," I said, raising my arms and breaking free from her embrace. The next second, Helena let out a startled cry as she tipped backward. Ronaldo caught her. His gaze turned chillingly dark as he turned to me. "Helena is right. I've been too indulgent with you. That's why you've become so spoiled and rude." It felt as though a piece of my heart had been hollowed out. "But you used to say I had a pure, simple nature and that you loved my carefree spirit—" "Enough. Don't be ungrateful," he snapped. "Everything Helena and I are doing is for your own good. You're going to be the Donna of the Brunelli Famiglia in seven days. Do you want everyone to laugh at me for having a wife who doesn't know how to conduct herself? I finally understand why you always got yourself into trouble in the past." As he finished speaking, he caught sight of my reddened eyes, and his lips tightened. "What I meant was—" Helena suddenly interrupted him, sobbing, "Please, Ronaldo, don't be so hard on her. She just likes to be the center of attention; that's why people target her. But she's still my friend…" A wave of icy dread surged from the depths of my heart as I stared fixedly at Helena. Memories flashed before my eyes of us being at school, having my clothes torn to shreds, being submerged in freezing water, and being forced to drink milk laced with tons of black pepper. I remembered how I had rushed in without a second thought to help her the moment I saw her being bullied—only to end up being the one tortured in her place for an entire night. I remembered how, that day, Helena had clung to me, weeping until she nearly fainted. She said, "Liliana, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault for being such a coward. I swear, from now on, if anyone dares to accuse you of being an attention-seeker, I'll be the first one to go after them." I was so deeply moved that I became even more fiercely protective of her. When someone snatched away her spot in a competition, I stormed into the principal's office to demand an explanation. When her parents passed away and she was mistreated by her Zia and Zio, I marched straight to their home to stand up for her. I even pressured Papa to hand over a lucrative, high-value business partnership to her Zia and Zio, all so she could gain some leverage within her family. And now, she claimed I only did all of that to show off. I let out another self-deprecating laugh. "Helena, do you actually consider me a friend?" She looked away, her eyes flickering, and whispered, "I'm the only one who doesn't mind how stupid you are." I turned to look at Ronaldo, laughing until tears streamed down my face. "I bet you think the same about me too, don't you?" Ronaldo instinctively reached out to wipe away my tears. However, just then, Helena leaned right into his arms, saying, "Ronaldo, I'm feeling so dizzy… I don't feel so good…" Without hesitation, Ronaldo pulled his hand back, scooped up Helena in his arms, and headed toward the door. At the exit, he suddenly paused, looking conflicted. He turned back and let out a sigh. "Actually, I like you no matter how you are. But you really should try to be more reserved and composed like Helena. You need to ensure that you carry yourself with the proper decorum expected of a Donna at the wedding in seven days. I don't want those old-timers giving you a hard time." The sincerity in his eyes didn't seem feigned. But I was done playing this part. Chapter 2 When Ronaldo returned, I was in the middle of packing my few belongings. He glanced at the suitcase by the bed, and a flicker of impatience crossed his face. "What kind of game are you playing now, Liliana? Trying to play hard to get?" I stopped what I was doing and looked straight at him. "Let's call off the wedding, Ronaldo." Ronaldo's face went pale for a split second. He yanked off his tie and said, "When are you going to outgrow these temper tantrums? Our marriage is like an alliance between our two families. It's inevitable. "You know perfectly well that you were the one who upset Helena so much she fainted. That's why I left you there. You really should apologize to her." A lump formed in my throat. It turned out that every time I'd been accommodating and compromising with the person I loved, or patient and forgiving with my friends, they took it as permission to trample all over me. In the end, all anyone ever expected from me was an apology, no matter the situation. Seeing that I wasn't firing back as I usually would, Ronaldo's tone softened. "Alright, no need for an apology today. I even went out of my way to pick up your favorite marzipan cake." My phone screen lit up with a message. "Liliana, I've discovered a super exclusive, members-only restaurant, but I don't mind taking you with me next time!" I stared at the cake in the takeout box, which was now a mangled, unrecognizable mess, and my knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge of the table. Ronaldo had originally established that private, non-public restaurant specifically to look after my health and ensure my safety, but now, he had brought in an outsider without my knowing. "Why did you take her to that place?" Ronaldo replied nonchalantly, "You were the one who upset her enough to make her faint today. Isn't it only fair that I treat her to a good meal? "You haven't even asked a single word about how she's doing since the moment I walked in. All you care about is that she ate at your restaurant." His tone grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, his shirt coming untucked from his trousers from his large gestures. "You're being completely unreasonable right now, Liliana." I never imagined that this calm, composed man could ever lose his self-control like this, all for another woman. But then again, it made complete sense. When Helena complained of feeling dizzy, he abandoned me, swept her up into his arms, and walked away. He took Helena out for exquisite, fine dining, while bringing me nothing but scraps. Worse yet, he acted on her suggestion and turned a deaf ear to me when I was being stalked by an enemy and trapped in a mudslide. Even when Anda was dying, he dismissed it, convinced I was merely feigning a crisis to trick him into coddling me. I stood up, my eyes red-rimmed, and walked right up to him. "Am I really the one who's being unreasonable, or is it that you and Helena both have something to hide?" Ronaldo's throat tightened at my sudden, pointed question. Just then, his phone rang with the ringtone he'd set exclusively for Helena. He pulled it out and answered immediately. The rigid expression on his face instantly melted into a smile. As he headed for the door, he shot me a final, frowning glance. "I think you need to spend the night reflecting on your behavior." Though my mind was already made up, the sound of the door slamming shut still sent a sharp, aching jolt through my chest. I took a deep breath, reached for the phone on my nightstand, and placed a call to arrange a staged death. "Set up a car accident for me in seven days." Chapter 3 Sometime in the middle of the night, a sudden, violent spasm gripped my stomach. The pain was so intense that even breathing hurt. My first instinct was to call out for Ronaldo, but the memory of his cold indifference just before he closed the door flashed through my mind. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to reach for the bedside drawer instead. However, the nightlight got knocked over, and I tumbled out of bed. The room's main lights flickered on, and a tall, slender figure loomed over me. "You knew that you had a delicate stomach. Why were you so stubborn about not eating anything?" I squeezed my eyes shut. I really didn't want to hear another lecture. The next second, Ronaldo scooped me up and laid me back on the bed. He brought a glass of warm water to my lips and said, "Be good and take your medicine first." His tone was so gentle it felt unreal. "You shouldn't gamble with your health, even if you just wanted to get my attention." As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together to warm them, then placed them on my upper abdomen, massaging it slowly and ever so lightly in circular motions. Looking at the man before me, his face etched with genuine concern, tears welled up and spilled over without warning. However, I couldn't tell if I was moved or simply feeling aggrieved. "There, there. You're a grown woman now, yet you're still a crybaby," he cooed. "Get some sleep. I'm going to make you some cream of corn soup. I'll wake you up when it's ready." He stood up, tucked the blanket snugly around me carefully, and stepped out, his movements soft and quiet. I didn't know how long I slept, but I was eventually roused by Ronaldo. The air was still filled with the creamy aroma of the corn soup, but his expression had grown noticeably colder. "Have some soup." His tone was back to its usual icy stiffness, as if the tenderness from earlier had been nothing more than a dream. Confused, I picked up the bowl of corn soup. But just as I brought a spoonful to my lips, he spoke again. "Why did you put your name on Helena's work and enter it into the design competition?" I froze, my mouth still slightly open, my face a mask of utter bewilderment. "What work?" Ronaldo let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "I thought you were just prone to petty tantrums and a desire for the spotlight. I had no idea you were also so skilled at playing the fool." He pulled out his phone and thrust it in front of my face. A jewelry design sketch appeared on the screen. I was even more bewildered. This was clearly my own work. "But this is actually—" "Enough," he snapped. "I was hoping to resolve this calmly, but instead, you'd rather make excuses. You know perfectly well that Helena is completely isolated in her family. She was counting on this award to help her seize control of her Famiglia's jewelry business. "Yet, just to grab some attention, you went and tampered with her design. Since when did you become so cunning and malicious?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Me? Cunning and malicious?" He was so convinced that I was obsessed with being the center of attention that he hadn't even stopped to consider why I had pressured Papa to hand over that high-stakes partnership to Helena. Otherwise, how could he possibly believe I would ruin her career just for the sake of a jewelry competition? Ronaldo let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Isn't it true? You're her only friend. She shares everything with you. You're the only one who could have had access to these materials. "Liliana, I've accepted every one of your flaws. Even when you lied about being followed, or getting trapped in a mudslide—even lying and telling me Anda was dead—I chose to look the other way. But now, you've gone and destroyed Helena's future just to show off." "Even if I were willing to overlook this, the Brunelli Famiglia would never tolerate a woman of such poor character as their Donna. You have six days to fix this, and fast." My hands trembled with rage, and I tried to stop him, my voice weak. "Ronaldo, how dare you slander me like this?" Ronaldo didn't even acknowledge me. He simply called the event organizers for the jewelry competition and walked straight out. Feeling a crushing tightness in my chest, I stood up and dragged my luggage toward the exit. However, the moment the door opened, the blinding flashes of the media's cameras seared my eyes. "Signorina Cirillo! Is it true that you've been cast out because of your poor moral character? Or are you running away on purpose, just to garner some sympathy?" "Is your mind so twisted because your boyfriend realized that your best friend is actually better than you?" "Word is you're always posting things just to grab attention. Don't you think that's incredibly pretentious of you?" Caught off guard by the barrage of attacks, I found myself unable to retort at all. Instinctively, I turned back inside and braced my body against the door. Ronaldo was standing right there, his arms crossed, watching me with a cold, detached gaze. "It looks like this little lesson was effective. Don't let this happen again," he said. "I'll have those people cleared out, but consider this a one-off warning." I would never give him another chance. Chapter 4 For the next two days, my stomach was all up in knots. I lay in bed, completely dazed and listless. On the morning of the third day, I was jolted awake by a cool, intermittent sensation on my face. As I sat bolt upright, I saw Helena quickly pull her hand behind her back. "What are you doing?" I demanded. Helena lowered her head and began to sob softly. "Liliana, please don't blame me. The public outcry has gotten so intense. So many people are demanding justice for me, insisting that I make you pay before they'll let this go." My heart lurched. I scrambled to the vanity. There, written across my face in large, bold characters, were the words, "I AM A LIAR." I scrubbed frantically at my skin, trying to wipe the words away. Helena approached timidly and caught my hands. She said, "Liliana, don't hurt your face by rubbing it so hard. It's a special kind of pigment that won't come off for a few days. "The netizens said that since you love attention so much, this would serve as a dual purpose by punishing you and letting you go viral online, giving you all of the attention you've always wanted. "Please don't hold it against me, Liliana. I'm only trying to help you get back on the right path as your friend." With that, she held up her phone and snapped several photos of my face. I lunged for her hand, trying to snatch the phone away. However, Ronaldo stepped in, gripped my wrist, and shoved me hard. My lower back slammed into the corner of the vanity. The pain forced me to my knees, and cold sweat broke out all over my body. "Ronaldo! Are you just going to stand there and let her humiliate me like this?" I yelled at him. He reached out to steady Helena, whose eyes were red with tears. "There have been overzealous netizens gathering outside the door every single day. How else are we supposed to calm them down? Have you forgotten how you were cornered at your own doorstep just a few days ago?" he replied coldly. "Besides, they have a point. If you've done something wrong, you deserve to be punished. That's the only way you'll truly realize your mistake and ensure you don't repeat it." He knew full well that I valued my face more than my own life. Yet he went ahead and defaced it just to stand up for Helena, scrawling humiliating words across my skin. I stared at Ronaldo, my gaze growing colder by the second. "You were so worried that I might not appear 'proper' enough in front of your family—that I might make a mistake or fail to win them over—yet you weren't the least bit concerned about them seeing my face like this?" I demanded. "You'd rather I show up to the wedding looking like this and become the laughingstock of your entire family just so you could vent Helena's grievances, right?" Ronaldo's expression changed instantly, letting go of Helena at once. She swayed, her body trembling as she sobbed. "Liliana, please don't blame Ronaldo. He's been under a lot of pressure. I'm sure the paint will wash off by the day of the wedding." Hearing this, Ronaldo snapped his head toward Helena. From the look on his face, I knew immediately that he hadn't even considered that. He pulled out his phone with shaking hands and hurried outside, looking completely flustered. Helena stepped closer to me, wiped the tears from her face, and a faint, mocking smile played on her lips. "You think he's just getting worried about you again, or that he'll help you get rid of these marks?" she sneered. "Let me tell you one thing. No one can ever wash this off. You either skip the wedding, or you show up with your face looking exactly like this." I clenched my fists and demanded, "I've never done anything to wrong you. I even treated you like family, Helena. Why on earth are you doing this to me?" She let out a cold, derisive laugh. "Family? Who wants your charity? You just enjoy the feeling of being needed. You love having me by your side, nodding in agreement to whatever you said, all to satisfy your sense of superiority. "That's why I'm going to ruin you completely. I want to watch you fall from your pedestal." Helena stared at the photo she had just sent out and began laughing wildly. "Oh, by the way, I was the one who tipped off the person following you the other day. And when that mudslide hit, Ronaldo was watching an opera with me. "As for that jewelry design sketch—I framed you for that, too. And Anda? That mutt kept barking at me every single time it saw me, acting all bold just because of who its owner was, so I poisoned it. I made sure it would stay quiet for good. "But Ronaldo believed every word I said. He even took it upon himself to write these beautiful words right across your face." Blood rushed to my head. I swung my hand and slapped her across the face, yelling, "You vicious bitch!" Ronaldo, who had just walked in, lunged forward and blocked me with his arm. "You're the vicious one!" he yelled at me. "You took advantage of my affection to do all sorts of terrible things to Helena, and now, you have the nerve to curse her and hit her? Don't you dare push me any further, Liliana Cirillo!" Trembling with rage and unable to find the right words, I pointed at Helena, exclaiming, "Ronaldo! Anda! She was the one—" "Shut up," he seethed. "If I hear you insult Helena even once over the next three days, the wedding is off." With that, he wrapped his arm around Helena and walked away. I collapsed to the floor, laughing and crying at the same time. So, this was it. He stopped believing me the moment he stopped loving me. … Over the next two days, I donated every single gift Ronaldo had ever given me, keeping only a few basic items of clothing in my wardrobe. Early on the morning of the wedding, Ronaldo brought in a top-tier makeup artist to completely remove the words from my face. I put on my wedding dress and gazed at my reflection in the mirror. My face was clear, and my heart was perfectly still and calm. A message arrived from Ronaldo just then. "I know you're still angry with me, Liliana. I promise I'll make it all up to you once the wedding is over." The wedding car passed through streets we had walked down countless times. The cake shop I loved was still bustling with a crowd, but the person who used to stand in line there to buy me treats was nowhere to be seen. As the car crossed the bridge over the sea, it suddenly swerved into the guardrail and plunged into the water below. A helicopter, positioned nearby for this very moment, lowered a hoist to pull me to safety. As I sat in the helicopter cabin, I gazed toward the spot where the car had vanished beneath the waves, feeling a profound sense of calm. Meanwhile, at the wedding venue, Ronaldo was checking every detail over and over, ensuring that every arrangement was exactly to my liking. But he didn't know that the bride he was waiting for would never arrive.