They descended for dinner, Dante’s usual devil-may-care expression firmly in place.

Only when she confirmed he was unharmed did the knot of anxiety in her chest finally loosen.

Dante’s parents were long gone, and his grandfather, in the end, was too soft on his only grandson to ever truly discipline him.

Prawns graced the table that night. Knowing his preference, Celine scooped a few onto his plate.

Dante shot her a look. “Not eating prawns. Too much effort to peel them.”

The subtext was clear: he expected someone else to do the tedious work.

Celine set down her fork, her fingers deftly starting to peel.

The maid hovering nearby moved to fetch gloves, but Dante waved her off. “Faster this way.”

The maid froze. Celine, however, said nothing, keeping her head down, methodically peeling one prawn after another as if it were a labor of love.

She presented Dante with a full plate of peeled prawns.

Her ten fingers were dotted with tiny, raw cuts, yet not a single complaint escaped her lips.

This woman seemed to accept his every whim with unshakeable devotion.

Perhaps sensing this, Dante found it all rather tiresome. He tossed his fork aside. “Lost my appetite. Not eating.”

Without another glance at the meticulously peeled prawns, he turned and left.

Even his grandfather let out a weary sigh and a muttered curse.

After they’d returned from the family estate, Dante didn’t linger. He was off to meet his friends.

Celine knew she couldn’t control him. Guessing he’d be out drinking, she prepared hangover remedies and stomach medicine at home.

Just as she was about to start simmering some broth, Dante’s assistant called.

“Ma’am, Mr. Williams… he’s going racing again.”

The word “racing” sent a jolt through Celine. Her expression shifted instantly, and she bolted.

She found him still with his crew, not yet departed.

Celine rushed to block his path.

“Dante, you can’t go racing.”

Her panicked plea was met with a chorus of mocking laughter from his friends.

“Look, Dante, your wife’s here to rein you in.”

“Did your household switch to girl power?”

“Does your wife always have to ruin the fun? Please tell me she’s not planning to throw herself in front of the car again.”

There was a time Dante went racing, and Celine, terrified by the danger, had literally flung herself in front of his car, narrowly avoiding being hit.

That incident remained a prime piece of gossip fodder within their social circle.

Dante’s brow furrowed. “Why should I listen to you?”

Celine’s grip tightened on his arm. “What will it take for you to stay?”

Dante maintained his nonchalant pose. “I need some excitement.”

Celine blurted out, “If you want excitement, I’ll give it to you. Anything!”

Dante blinked, taken aback for a beat, then burst into laughter.

“You love me that much? Celine, I sometimes genuinely wonder, is there anything you won’t do?”

Before Celine could reply, he yanked off his wedding ring. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it spinning into the ornamental lake nearby.

“Go on. If you can find that ring in the lake, I won’t go racing tonight.”

“Whoa! Dante, you absolute legend. Just yeeting a ring worth eight figures like that.”

The guys behind him, witnessing this spectacle, immediately deemed it more entertaining than any race.

The lake, though ornamental, was vast and deep.

Moreover, it was winter. Diving into that frigid water for a ring was clearly meant as a cruel test.

Everyone waited for the show to begin.

Celine stared at the frigid, dark surface of the lake.

She shed her coat and, without a second’s hesitation, plunged in.

The lake water was an icy shock, carrying a faint, murky stench. The recent lash marks on her skin stung ferociously in the cold.

The onlookers on shore watched with avid interest.

Bent double, she scoured the lakebed inch by painstaking inch. One hour, two hours, three hours…

Until darkness descended.

Just as she was collapsing from exhaustion, her lips tinged blue, her fingers finally brushed against the ring, buried in the silt.

A wave of relief washed over her. Shivering violently, she stumbled out of the water.

“I found it.”