I used to think if death ever came for me, I would welcome it with open arms. It wasn’t that I couldn’t take my own life, but there were no sharp objects anywhere in the villa on Valentino’s command. I was also under 24/7 surveillance by both security cameras and the watchful maids that lingered around me at all times.

Death was not an escape option from the horror that was my life.

But as I watched those two strange men approach me, my heart did something it hadn’t done in three years. It began to beat, jackhammering away in my chest so hard I thought I was going to have a cardiac arrest.

I did not want to die…

I had no plan, no clear escape route. My mind was a chaotic swirl of terror and determination. I had to think fast. If only there was a way to confirm. Shit! I didn’t have my phone with me. My gaze snapped to Aella as I scrambled away from the approaching bodyguards.

“Wait! Just call him!” I yelled, stretching out trembling, pleading hands in desperation. “Please, I know Valentino loves you more. But you can prove it, yes?” Even my voice trembled, but I pushed on, “J- Just call him and see—”

“I’m giving you both this bitch to do as you see fit.” Aella cut me off, ignoring my pleas completely. “Whoever tortures her the most gets a reward of two million dollars this very evening!”

Immediately, one of the men lunged toward me and I screamed as I fell over myself trying to get away. Their eyes gleamed determinedly at the promise of money but determination settled in my gut beside the fear.

I did not want to die!

Adrenaline surged through me, fueling every inch of my body as I scrambled backward, falling over the concrete table beside me. The vase that was on it shattered on the floor and my hand darted toward the largest shard I could find, fingers trembling as I wrapped them around the jagged edge. The pain of it slicing into my palm barely registered over the fear coursing through me.

“Stay away!” I screamed, holding the shard out in front of me. My voice was hoarse, shaking, but filled with raw desperation.

The bigger of the two men paused, a smirk tugging at his lips as if amused by my pathetic attempt to defend myself.

“She’s got some fight in her,” he said, turning to Enzo.

“Not for long,” The other man replied, stepping forward.

The two men surged forward, but to my utter shock, it wasn’t them who got to me first. Aella and her clique took matters into their own hands and descended on me, a chaotic flurry of clawing hands and mocking laughter.

They tore at my clothes, ripping the fabric away as I thrashed and screamed, trying to fight them off. I fought like I hadn’t fought in years, not since three years ago when I was dragged kicking and screaming from that church into a black SUV.

But my strength was no match for their numbers, and soon I was left exposed and trembling. My dignity was stripped away along with the last shreds of fabric.

Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to let them fall. I refused to let her see me cry. “Valentino will—”

“Valentino will what?” she snapped, cutting me off. “You’re nothing to him. You think you can waltz in here and steal what’s mine?” Aella sneered, her eyes glinting with malice. “Since you’re so desperate for men, you can have a few, you slut.”

Aella stepped away and as promised, she ordered her bodyguards to defile me till I bled all over the floor.

Valentino did arrive that day, albeit late. His eyes were wide and unmoving as he took in the gruesome scene. And Aella, so foolish, ran to meet him.

“My love, I found this impostor dressed up like me to try and steal you from me. She called herself your wife, can you imagine?! Look, I took care of her for you.”

She smiled up sweetly and proudly, unaware of the murderous rage brewing in Valentino’s mind.

⋆⁺₊⋆☽ | Verity’s POV | ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Pain.

So much pain I’d never felt before. Pain I knew I didn’t deserve.

“Valen… tino…” I moaned weakly. Pathetic.

Even though I did not care for this monster, I still felt unbearable shame as his eyes took my sorry state in. My eyes were swollen shut, but I felt it. The heat of his gaze.

“What are you doing here, Aella?” Valentino spoke finally, voice cold and empty. “You know I strictly warned you about this island after you asked, so why would you disobey my orders like this?”

Aella stuttered, clearly at a loss for words. She’d obviously never been told off by her beloved husband before, but I guessed there was a first time for everything. A sick satisfaction rolled deep in my disfigured gut as I waited for this to play out how I’d warned Aella, how I’d warned all of them.

No one messed with Valentino’s prized possessions. No one did and lived.

“Honey,” Aella’s voice turned sweet once again, “I met this suspicious woman who snuck into the villa and was creeping around. She made so many ridiculous claims to try and get away with it but I followed her and taught her a lesson.”

“Is that so?”

Aella laughed happily at the deceptively approving tone Valentino had taken. “Yes!”

“It’s true.” One of her lackeys piped up in support. “Aella knows how much this place means to you. We won’t go messing around in it however we like.”

Such useless words. I could practically feel Valentino’s anger radiating off him in waves. Any time now, he was going to tear into these girls.

“Did any of you go into the main residence?” A chorus of ‘No’s filled the space and Valentino continued, voice deep and dangerous, “Good. Thank you, my dearest Aella. You shouldn’t come here again in the future, but I can rest easy knowing you’re so dedicated to my safety.”

Wait.

What?

Where was the anger? The punishment?

“Goddamn,” Valentino swore. “You f*cked her up so bad she’s barely recognizable. I’m proud of you.”

The sound of kissing reached my ears along with an obnoxious female moan, and disbelief filled me achingly. Was I really so swollen and disfigured that Valentino could not recognize me? That he did not question for a moment the coincidence of Aella and her men violating some random woman when I was the only one here?

I wanted to sob. I wanted to scream and curse Valentino out for believing a fake ‘me’ over the real Verity he claimed he knew inside and out. The Verity he claimed he loved.

I wanted to laugh at the idea that I could have fallen for him eventually, and all his lies. But I could not manage a sound anymore, not to talk less of his name to utter a curse. Just a single tear rolling down the side of my face.

Even as I lay there, awaiting what came next for my abused body, I had to listen to more of Valentino’s pretenses of love for Aella.

“Do you know what I like about you the most?” He asked in a sweet voice. An unfamiliar twinge of jealousy went through me at the thought of him using a tone he reserved only for me on that fake version.

“What, dear?”

“I love it when you get all ferocious when it comes to me. It’s so hot.” The monster murmured softly. “But next time, don’t take these matters personally into your own hands. Just as you want to protect me, I want to protect you too. And this place is private. If not for you, no one here would leave alive.”

“Oh, baby… I love you.” More kissing sounds of kissing. I wanted to retch.

“Enzo, take care of her.” Finally. I needed relief from the pain. I just wanted them to get this display over with so Valentino could go in the house and discover I wasn’t there. When he realized truly what his precious ‘wife’ had done, I would watch him make Aella pay. But as was my luck in this world, that wasn’t what Valentino meant.

His next words, spoken with pure disgust, sent a chill down my spine. “Find somewhere on the island and bury her alive so she can suffocate to death. This'll be another lesson for future trespassers.”

Huh…?

⋆⁺₊ ☼ | Valentino’s POV | ☼ ⋆⁺⋆

I turned to the bodyguard that was left since the other one was busy disposing of the unfortunate trespasser. “Go to the kitchen and let the chef know I’m around. Oh, and when you’ve done that, search the outskirts of this island for a boat or any transport that woman could have used to get to this island.”

☼☼☼

The garden buzzed with quiet activity as I placed dish after dish on the table. A lavish spread carefully tailored to Verity’s tastes.

Aella’s face lit up with delight, her hands clasping together in joy. “Valentino, you did all this… for me?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. None of this was for her. I’d instructed the chef to prepare it for the date I had planned for Verity and I.

Instead, I offered Aella a faint smile while my real focus remained elsewhere — Verity’s window which I could see from where I was. “You’ve worked hard today, Aella. My beautiful queen deserves a reward.” My voice carried just loud enough to ensure the right ears caught every word. Words carefully chosen to incite jealousy.

Aella’s blush deepened as I picked up a piece of food and fed it to her directly. She hesitated, overwhelmed by the rare show of intimacy, before chewing slowly, her gaze never leaving mine.

Her friends sat nearby, watching with envy thinly veiled behind their plastered smiles.

“Do you see that?” One whispered. “I told you Valentino adores her. He’s completely devoted.”

“That’s right,” Another chimed in with a sneer. “The nerve of that plastic-surgery knockoff thinking she could steal him from Aella. Ridiculous.”

I tuned out their chatter, my focus still locked on that window. Was she watching? Did the sight of this little performance bother her? The goal was to provoke her, but there was no movement, no flicker of her shadow.

Seeing my efforts were in vain, I rose up from my chair suddenly, despaired and wanting to leave immediately.

“Let’s go,” I said, extending a hand to Aella. “I’ve decided to gift you that new manor I recently bought. If you like it, it’s yours today. As long as you leave this island.”

She gasped and latched onto my arm, eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Really? I’ve been eyeing it for a while now, I couldn’t dream of anything better.” She left a sloppy kiss on my cheek and screeched, “Let’s go!”

Aella tugged me forward eagerly and I faked a fond chuckle. In reality though, my mind wasn’t even here anymore. I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder one last time. Still nothing. Did she really not care for me at all to even show her face at the sound of my voice?

She was supposed to meet me here in the first place. Verity knew I didn’t like when she ignored me. But she had the guts to stand me up.

I’d been trying to keep my anger under control but this was my last straw — something inside me snapped. Shaking Aella’s hand off, I turned abruptly and strode toward the main villa without a word.

“Valentino?” she called after me, her confusion plain. But I didn’t stop.

Inside was deathly quiet as I climbed the stairs, heading straight for Verity’s room. I pushed the door open with a force that made it slam against the wall.

“I know you hate me but you could at least show some…” Huh? My words faltered as my eyes swept across the empty room. She wasn’t here.

Anger rose like a tidal wave as I stormed through the villa, searching every corner. Every step only fueled my frustration further. Each empty room only confirmed the lingering fear that had begun to burn in my mind. But I couldn’t let myself assume. It couldn’t be…

By the time I returned to the garden, fury burned hot in my chest.

“Where is she?” I demanded, my voice low but sharp, struggling to contain an outburst.

Aella blinked at me, clearly startled. “Who?”

“The woman who was inside,” I said, stepping closer and struggling not to blow up in Aella's face. “Where the f*ck is she?”

Her confusion seemed genuine, but her hesitation betrayed her. And her next words shattered me completely.

“The only person I saw was that plastic-surgery freak. I reported to y- you and you even p- praised me!” She stammered. “You told Enzo to go bury her. Have you forgotten?”