Even in a moment where a husband should protect his wife, Donovan chose to oppose me.
"And don't think I didn't notice the way you kept making that smug, bored face all night! You looked completely uninterested! Maybe next time, I'll just lock you in your room during my gatherings. You're nothing but an embarrassment to me!" He spat.
With my head bowed, I quietly replied, "I agree, Donovan. I'd rather be locked in my room than forced to smile at your parties, pretending to be happy, only to be beaten later. I'm sick of it—"
Before I could finish, another slap landed on my cheek, harder this time, splitting my lip and drawing blood.
"I'm leaving to see a special friend who just returned from abroad. I'll be gone for a week, and as punishment, you're not allowed to leave this mansion until I return. Try, and you'll get more than just a split lip," Donovan sneered before grabbing an open bottle of wine and pouring it over my head. "Fuck you, Clara. You're such a pain in the ass."
He smashed the glass at my feet and stormed out, leaving me, as always—broken and bruised.
I collapsed in sobs, watching as the maids silently cleaned up the aftermath of the party. One of them cautiously approached, offering to help me, but I shook my head, refusing. A while later, as I stood trembling, that same maid came closer again.
"Madame Mancini," she began hesitantly, "with all the abuse you suffer from Don Mancini, why… why haven't you left him?"
I smiled through the pain, gently placing my hand over hers. "Because my foolish heart," I whispered, "despite everything, still loves him."
Staring at the vanity mirror, I gently dabbed the slit Donovan had created on my lip with a cotton ball. I winced at the pain, but the real pain wasn't from the wound—it was from how our relationship had devolved into something so heartbreaking and cruel.
"Why can't my heart learn to stop loving you?" I whispered, closing my eyes as memories of a different Donovan flooded my mind—the man he used to be.
We were on a yacht then, and I was standing on the deck, admiring the sunset, when I heard him call my name. I turned and saw him on one knee, eyes shining as he held out a ring to me.
It wasn't an expensive ring, just a simple silver band, but I accepted it without hesitation. Back then, I knew it was the best he could offer. But I also knew that his love was genuine.