My phone vibrated. It was a message from Ian.

[Vivian, just go with the bodyguards. Head to my private mansion in the suburbs and wait for me. Don't cause a scene.]

With trembling fingers, I sent a response.

[Why did you lie to me?]

He soon sent another message.

[Be good and wait for me there. I'll explain everything.]

I finally understood everything. Every time when I wanted to look for him, he would use being on dangerous missions as an excuse.

He was not afraid that I would get caught up in trouble. He was worried that a poor woman like him would embarrass him and ruin his marriage.

I looked up to see people nearby pointing at me, whispering to each other. Some even secretly took videos and photos of me.

I heard one of their insults.

"She looks harmless, but she's actually the mistress."

I choked up tears, explaining, "I'm not a mistress. He was the one who lied to me…"

What came was only more mockery and judgmental glares.

Two men in black escorted me into a black luxury car. Once the door was closed, my heart completely sank.

Lipsticks were scattered everywhere along with various fertility supplements, and there was a black lace thong, still marked with traces of intimacy, tucked into the seat crevice.

They brought me to Ian's secret private mansion. It was secluded and desolate.

Five years ago, I ventured into the wilderness deep in the mountains to collect research samples. There, I found Ian drenched in blood by a stream.

Using my medical and pharmacology knowledge, I treated his wounds and stayed by his side for an entire month in a makeshift shelter, day and night.

He told me he was a bodyguard for the Gambino family in South Bordington.

I had not revealed my true identity. Instead, I said that I was a simple girl from an ordinary family who came to the mountains to clear my mind.

Although he was badly injured and weak, he was extremely gentle with me.

At night, the mountain winds were bone-chilling, yet he pulled me close, shielding me with his fragile body.

I was afraid of the dark, so he stayed awake all night, holding my hand until dawn.

After his recovery, he insisted on following me back to the city, cramming into my tiny 20-square-meter apartment, and we began our relationship.

He never let me touch cold water. In the freezing winter, he did all the chores.

Late at night, I buried myself in research data, and he thought I was just working a simple part-time job. He would quietly stay close to me, warming milk for me, whispering softly for me not to tire myself.

When I had a mild fever, he would cancel all his so-called missions just to stay with me, watching over me the entire night.

He would hold me tightly in deserted alleyways, burying his face in my neck, his voice low and anxious.

"Vivian, I have nothing but you. Please don't leave me."

Back then, I had received an offer from a top international research institute, a dream opportunity that promised limitless prospects.

However, seeing his insecurity and anxiety gleaming in his eyes, I chose to stay in that small town.

I told Ian that I would be his safe harbor for him to return at any moment.

His eyes instantly reddened. He said, "Vivian, I will surely marry you."

Back then, his love was real. There was not a hint of pretense or insincerity.

However, in the end, he still chose family, status, and the socially perfect Jeanine Santoro.

The wind howled outside the window as I clutched the shattered fragments of my memories.

His love was real, but his choice was stronger than love.

I picked up my phone and made a call.

"I'm ready to join Professor Lindt's secret research team abroad."

The person on the other end of the line leaped with joy.

"Amazing! Ms. Walter, with you on board with us, our project will surely make breakthrough progress! We'll send a private plane to pick you up in five days"

"Vivian, who are you talking to?"

Ian's voice rang out from the entrance. He entered in a custom-made suit with a huge bouquet of roses on one hand and a gift box in the other.

When he saw me standing in the middle of the living room, he handed me the gift and flowers. "Vivian, who were you talking to on the phone? Are you leaving?"

I hung up and calmed down as I replied, "You misheard me. I was talking to the landlady."

Ian did not press further. He softened his tone and said, "Don't get mad. I know you've suffered."

I did not respond, merely looking at him icily.

He placed the bouquet down, then took a step forward and tried to touch my shoulder, but I dodged.

He paused for a while but did not get mad.

He explained, "I married Jeanine not because I had a change of heart, but because of the Santoro family's support. My position in my family isn't secure. Only through this union can I stabilize my position as the Don of the family and control everything."

Ian spoke as if I would immediately understand where he was coming from and forgive him.

He tried to reach out to hold my hand.

He promised, "Jeanine is just the family's arrangement. I will give you the best life. Jewelry, money, power. Anything you want, I'll give it to you. We're still the same as before. I only have you in my heart, and no one can take your place."

He had kept me like I was some pet that was too embarrassing to show others. He wanted me to continue to be his secret lover.

For five years, we had no material luxuries. In fact, most of the time, I was waiting for him to come back to my rented place.

What I wanted was an acknowledgment. An acknowledgment that I was his only lover. An acknowledgment of his promise to give me a home.

However, even until that point, he thought that he could keep me just with material gifts and empty promises.

My heart ached so much that I could not breathe.

Ian took my silence as a tacit agreement. He raised his hand and combed my hair with his fingers.

"Just stay here. I'll come and see you often. Don't try to cause any trouble or try to run away. I won't let you leave me."

He took my phone away and said, "I'll keep this for you. It's better to not let public comments affect you."

Then, he ordered the housekeepers to lock the door.

I was imprisoned.

For the next few days, the housekeepers kept a constant eye on me. They were respectful, but they never let me out of their sight.

On the third day, Jeanine came over. She sat on the couch as if she was the owner of the house.

"Vivian Walker, I've been searching for you for a long time."

"I don't know you," I replied.

Jeanine snickered condescendingly, "Is that so? Mistresses like you should always know a thing or two about the legitimate wife."

She sized me up as if I was some piece of trash.

Then, she showed me her phone. "Have a look at what your lover has been doing for the past few days."

The trending headlines were jarring to the eyes.

[Woman Breaks Into Auction, Suspected Gambino Family Mistress]

[Unknown Woman Ruins Rich Marriage As Mistress]

[Vivian Walker Exposed]

The footage of the auction had been maliciously edited, only showing me standing at the scene, flustered and confused, framed as a deliberately provocative intruder.

Photos from my part-time jobs, my family's old address, even information about deceased relatives… Everything had been dug up and exposed. The comment sections were filled with obscene insults and curses.

I grabbed my phone, typing frantically, trying to tell the world about five years of love, his lies, and our past.

However, every time I hit the 'send' button, the page immediately flagged my account as abnormal. It displayed a content violation, and my account was banned.

Jeanine looked at me in agony and smiled, saying, "Your presence at the auction has dragged the Santoro and Gambino families down. Their stocks have been plummeting, and the elders and shareholders have been pressuring Ian.

"Don't you see? This is his choice. Only by putting blame on you, the union between the two families will be stronger.

"Stop clinging to delusions. The heir to the Gambino family can only be the child in me. I'm the only one who is Ian Gambino's legitimate wife.

"I'll send a car to take you to the docks in two days. Ian won't find out about it. Think about it. Do you want to give up whatever is remaining of your cheap dignity to stay here, or leave? At least, your pride is intact if you leave."

I stayed in the mansion like a soulless, hollowed shell for the next two days, quietly waiting.

Two days later, a black sedan appeared by the gates of the mansion right on time.

When the car arrived at the docks, the surroundings were eerily empty with only a few battered fishing boats in sight.

Before I could react, a few masked men suddenly rushed over and pounced on Jeanine.

They pretended to kidnap her. Jeanine's screams echoed in the seabreeze with utter terror.

In the midst of chaos, I fought with all my might. I wanted to break free and call out to Jeanine, but everything was in vain.

Right at that moment, a loud car honk pierced through the air. Ian had arrived in a hurry with a troop of his bodyguards.

When he spotted me, he paused for a moment. His gaze gleamed with mixed emotions.

"Jeanine!"

He pulled Jeanine into his arms, carefully checking up on her. He worriedly asked, "How are you? Are you hurt? Is the child fine?"

Jeanine buried herself in his arms, sobbing.

She pointed at me and said with a trembling voice, "Ian, it was her! Vivian Walker! She's jealous that I'm pregnant with your child! She's jealous of our marriage, so she hired someone to kidnap me! She wanted to kill me and the child!"

Ian walked over to me with an icy glare. "Vivian, I promised you that we'll still be the same as before. Why did you have to go after Jeanine and my child?"

He ordered his soldati to cover my mouth as if he would never trust a single word I said anymore.

I pleaded with him with my gaze, hoping he would give me a chance to explain, hoping that he would have mercy and think about our past.

However, he was still ruthless. He avoided my gaze and instructed, "Take her away. Find a place and lock her up."

The soldati immediately came to me and dragged me out of the car.

Ian had already turned around and was once again comforting Jeanine in his arms, carefully caressing her abdomen.

What he did not know was that when he turned around, Jeanine had secretly given her trusted confidantes a look.

The soldati who were dragging me had long been bought off by Jeanine.

The next second, they shoved me right into the icy sea waters. Jeanine wanted me gone forever, so I would never become an obstacle to her.

As days passed, Jeanine was still being pampered and spoiled by Ian. The Gambino family's shares finally stabilized.

Everything had calmed down, but somehow, Ian started to feel an inexplicable sense of suspicion and annoyance.

He felt that somehow I would not just be so obedient and quiet.

In the past, even if he had just left me alone for a little while longer, I would always come looking for him demanding attention.

However, I did not even contact him. I did not look for him to explain myself nor send him a single message.

A soldato entered and bowed as he greeted Ian.

"Don Ian."

"Well?"

Ian looked impatient. He had gotten his soldati to find out where I was. He wanted to know what kind of tantrum I was throwing, to see if I was waiting for him to come to me.

The soldato lowered his head and said troubledly, "Don Ian, we've checked the surveillance footage all around the docks and asked around. No one saw Ms. Walker. Even the soldato that was supposed to look after her didn't know where she went."

"What did you say?"

Ian suddenly sprang up. He somehow felt a jabbing pain in his heart. "Say that again. What happened to her?"

"Ms. Walker has vanished by the docks. No one has seen her. It's as if she never existed."