Chapter 1 Anniversary Sadness

A cold Mediterranean breeze blows through the stately Villa Caruso on the outskirts of Sicily. Elena Moretti clutched a tray of empty glasses tightly, trying to soothe her baby kicking restlessly in her seven-month-old womb. At 28, she never imagined she would be standing as a server at her own husband's wedding.

"You've ruined everything, Antonio," Elena hissed through her tears. Her heart broke when she saw the wedding ring that was still sweetly wrapped around her finger. The stabbing pain in her heart made her breathing difficult.

She suddenly felt something moving inside her stomach. The unborn baby gave a gentle kick, as if to let its mother know that it was there to encourage her. Elena smiled and stroked her belly lovingly.

Her black and white maid's dress felt suffocating, so different from the Valentino wedding dress she wore three years ago at the same venue. Elena watched the dancing guests, recognizing the faces that had been present at her own wedding. Those who used to congratulate her were now whispering mockingly the simple parlor girl who failed to keep her rich husband.

"Hey, waitress!" A sharp voice cut through the crowd. Sofia Caruso, her 59-year-old mother-in-law, stood proudly with a martini glass in hand.

From the very beginning, the mother-in-law had never hidden her dislike for the son-in-law from the orphanage, who defiled the Caruso family lineage. "Yes, you with the potbelly. Come here!"

Elena bit her lip, strolling. Every step reminded her of the hospital debt that forced her to accept this humiliation. Sofia had deliberately stopped her health insurance, knowing that Elena's pregnancy was high-risk and required expensive treatment.

"Yes, Signora Caruso?" Elena whispered, her eyes downcast.

"Why did you leave so many champagne glasses on the table empty? Hurry up and fill them up. Do your job as best you can!"

Elena nodded and moved around the table, filling the guests' glasses with champagne, trying to suppress her deep hurt. She had no choice but to stay in this marriage because of her great love for Antonio and the fate of the baby in her womb.

"Ouch," Elena squealed, clutching her stomach.

Suddenly, her stomach cramps stabbed her like a knife, making her gasp in pain. She tried to stifle her cries and pain as she strolled towards the kitchen to rest for a moment, but Sofia prevented her and continued to pressure her to serve the guests. Without caring about the pain Elena was experiencing.

"Uh, where are you going? Quickly get the champagne for our newlyweds. And don't let it fall. You know how much this champagne costs, right? It's more expensive than the cost of your future labor."

Elena could only surrender as she walked up to the wedding altar carrying champagne imported especially for the bride and groom. As she poured the golden liquid, memories of three years ago swirled in her head. How Antonio got down on one knee and proposed to her at the orphanage where she grew up. How she believed their love was pure, not knowing that the marriage was just part of the Caruso family's business plan with the owner of the orphanage.

"Look, Antonio," Sofia embraced the bride beside her, "isn't Beatrice much more deserving of your companionship? Beautiful, young, and most importantly, from a respectable family."

Elena lifted her face, her eyes meeting Antonio's, who stood beside Beatrice in a sparkling white wedding dress. Beatrice, her best friend since childhood, was now officially Antonio's second wife.

Antonio Caruso, 34, gave Elena a quick glance before looking away. Antonio took over PT Caruso Builders at the age of 29, following his father's sudden death from a heart attack five years ago. The company his father built from scratch is on the verge of collapse because of Antonio's reckless investments - something Sofia can't stop blaming on Elena's bad influence in her son's life. This is where her cunning idea came from. She forced her son to marry Beatrice Mancini, the daughter of the owner of a large property company, which had saved his business from collapse.

"Oh, dear Elena," Beatrice says in an artificially sweet tone. At 27, she was a famous model in Sicily's entertainment scene. "I still can't believe it all started when you introduced us to my home renovation project. Who would have thought Antonio would be more interested in me?"

Elena remembered that day vividly. Beatrice, who had been her roommate at the Santo Matteo Orphanage before being adopted by a wealthy family, had always envied the attention Elena got from the sisters. When Beatrice asks for a contractor reference, Elena innocently introduces her to Antonio, not realizing that behind the request for a special price for renovations, Beatrice is planning a total renovation of Elena's life.

"But yeah," Beatrice continues, stroking Antonio's chest, "maybe Antonio has finally realized he needs a wife who can help him with business, not just a clumsy wife at socialite parties."

Elena felt another powerful kick in her stomach. Her son, Antonio's flesh and blood, seemed to share his mother's pain. Antonio used to love her simplicity, fascinated by the sincerity he never found in his elite surroundings. But his mother's ambition and insistence on separating Antonio from Elena had changed everything.

"Elena," Antonio finally spoke, his voice hoarse with the guilt he was trying to hide, "go home. You've paid off half your debt by working today."

"And missed the chance to see you happy, Antonio?" Elena smiled bitterly.

"Elena! Watch your words!" Sofia shouted in a loud voice.

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her stomach. Elena staggered, the champagne bottle slipping from her hand. The sound of breaking glass filled the room, followed by the screams of Sofia, who was more concerned about her expensive champagne than her dying daughter-in-law.

"You useless servant!" Sofia screamed with both hands holding her ears as she widened her eyes to stare at the broken pieces of her expensive champagne bottle on the marble floor.

Elena didn't hear anymore. Her vision blurred as she saw blood running down her leg. In her fading consciousness, Elena sees Antonio move hesitantly to help her, but Beatrice holds him back, afraid of getting her wedding dress dirty.

Sofia's screams and the broken bottle instantly became the center of attention of the guests present. Seeing the chaos, the wedding organizer dismissed the guests. They decided to end the party earlier than they had planned. Now, the Villa, which was filled with guests and music, became empty.

"Please, take me to the hospital, Antonio," Elena pleaded to Antonio who stood in front of her but did not move an inch of his heart seeing Elena lying on the cold marble floor of Villa Caruso, he fell for Sofia's incitement who accused Elena of only pretending to ruin her wedding party.

In her dwindling consciousness, Elena remembered her time at the orphanage, how she learned to survive after losing her parents when she was only five years old.

"Forgive Mama, dear", Elena whispered silently before the darkness swallowed her. "Survive, child. Mama will take care of you."