"You're finally back, Ms. Bellucci," a nurse said, carrying a tray as she entered Pia's room with a professional smile on her face. "It's time for your IV drip."

Pia lay down on the bed like an obedient puppet. However, she happened to catch a glimpse of the nurse's movements behind her.

The nurse took advantage of the time Pia took to adjust her position in bed to swiftly rip off the label from the IV bag, crumple it into a ball, and stuff it into her white coat pocket. She did it with much haste and looked a little suspicious about it.

Since Pia was a top-tier bodyguard, her senses and intuition for danger kicked in at once. She remained calm as she asked, "Why does today's IV drip feel like it's a lot more than usual?"

She then kept a close eye on the nurse's expression.

The nurse, who was in the midst of hanging up the bag, froze for a second before she resumed her actions and said, "It was specifically instructed by your doctor. He said that it was to help you recover much quicker."

However, the nurse's actions and facial expression just now made Pia extremely suspicious of her.

After the nurse was done adjusting the syringe on her arm, she left the room. Pia immediately pulled the needle out, jumped out of bed, and locked the door.

She then used a sterile kit from the first-aid kit to extract a trace amount of the remaining IV medication on the tube walls and tip of the syringe before sealing it up to preserve it.

Then, she changed out of her clothes and avoided all of the surveillance cameras as she slinked out of the manor, bringing the samples to a private testing facility for expedited testing.

One hour later, the words on the report she held in her hands shook her.

Pia stared at the report in her hands. The words on it pierced right into her eyes, telling her that the medication had actually been a highly concentrated dose of memory inhibitors.

Long-term usage of this drug wouldn't just cause irreversible damage to her nervous system—it would also gradually cause her to lose her memory.

And to a bodyguard like her, who relied on her clear, sharp memories for the job, it was a devastating blow.

Vito couldn't possibly not have known about it.

It wasn't until then that she finally realized the truth.

Since the Cuomo Famiglia was already destroyed, she was of no more use to him. That was why Vito wanted to erase everything she knew about the Castaldo Famiglia from her memories like this.

Suddenly, all of the care and concern that she'd perceived from him felt suffocating to her.

She collapsed to the ground in despair, the gunshot wound in her chest throbbing in pain, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

She had been nothing but a tool to Vito after all—a tool that he was planning to dispose of after he had reached the top.

However, she refused to believe it. How could she possibly believe it?

After all, Vito was the person who had rescued her from the slums, given her a new identity, taught her all her skills, and transformed her from a nobody into a top-tier bodyguard.

He was the one who had rescued her from her abductors and tormentors and even chased after them before slaughtering them all, just to avenge her.

He was the one who had shared passionate nights and moments with her in the sheets, showering her with love and affection.

He was also the one who was now engaged to her and had personally slid the diamond ring onto her finger, promising her the world with all of his heart.

How could he possibly not love her at all?

If he was only using her as a decoy for Alessia, then why did he always use the Castaldo Famiglia resources to save her and treat her wounds every time she was injured?

"It must be a mistake… It had to be a mistake! That nurse must have gotten it all wrong!" she exclaimed to herself.

Pia stood up abruptly, her eyes bloodshot, thinking that she had to go and find Vito and demand an explanation for everything. She had to get to the bottom of things!

She stood in front of Vito's manor, feeling her heart thumping wildly in her chest. It was thumping so quickly that she felt as though her chest was going to shatter at any moment.

After taking a quick glance around and seeing no one, she inhaled deeply and started into the manor. However, as soon as she lifted her leg, she suddenly hesitated and drew it back.

She then froze for a nanosecond before ducking and hiding behind the low wall around the manor's perimeter.

Just then, the sound of a car engine grew louder. It was Vito's car.

The car came to a solid stop in front of the manor, while Vito hurried out of the door at that moment as well.

The car door was opened, and a young woman hopped down from the driver's seat in a lively manner.

"Vito!" she exclaimed happily, running into his arms.

Vito caught her tightly and hugged her.

This scene pierced Pia's eyes. She felt her throat running very dry.

The young woman then looked at Vito bashfully and said, "Look at yourself! How could you not even know how to take proper care of yourself? I came over as quickly as possible when I heard that you were injured!"

While speaking, she hooked her arm around his in a natural, intimate way.

The look in Vito's eyes softened. "Alessia. You should have told me earlier that you were coming over!"

Alessia? Alessia Serra?

Was she the woman who was supposed to be Vito's real fiancee after all?

Pia's eyes widened in shock, her gaze fixated on Alessia the entire time.

Alessia's back was to her, and Pia saw loose curls cascading down her shoulders. She also had a graceful, slender back, making her look like an angel.

Then, Pia instinctively looked down at her own body.

Her palms were calloused, her knuckles were scarred, and every inch of her body was marred with welts and ugly bumps.

She used to be very proud of these battle scars, wearing them out like medals in the past. But now, they were the main source of her inferiority instead.

When Alessia finally turned around, Pia's world completely crumbled.

Alessia's face bore a striking resemblance to Pia's own, except that Alessia looked a lot more delicate and innocent as a flower.

Pia stared blankly at Alessia's face, feeling her heart struck once again with excruciating pain.

Vito's conversation, which she overheard in his office, immediately echoed in her ears, and the words on the test report jumped out at her in her memories.

All of the fragments pieced together at once, and suddenly, it all dawned on her.

So, this was how it was.

Pia understood everything now. Vito had completely set her up from the start!

And in this grand scheme of things, everyone played the roles of the audience, watching her make a fool of herself as she fell deeper and deeper into the game by falling in love with Vito and even getting hypnotized by him.

She had been nothing but a clown for other people's amusement after all.

The person Vito loved had never been her. He'd only picked her because she bore a resemblance to Alessia. She was nothing but Alessia's "counterfeit," who could also take a bullet or two for him.

The truth dawned so heavily on Pia that her vision began turning black. All of the pain and grievances she'd suppressed for years immediately burst forth like a broken dam.

She was still hurting from the gunshot wound, and now, her entire chest was beginning to hurt as well. She had to lean against the wall to even keep herself upright in the first place.

A metallic taste rose in her throat, mingling with the taste of tears seeping in through her lips. Yet, she bit on her lips so as not to make a sound while she sobbed.

It was a long while later when she clutched her aching chest, trying to suppress her surging emotions and closing her eyes to calm herself down.

Then, she opened her eyes again. The pain in her chest gradually turned into that of stern determination.

She abruptly turned on her heels and went down another alley before disappearing.

Pia wandered aimlessly for a while. It wasn't until midnight that she finally went back to her ward.

When she went in, however, she realized that Vito was already there, waiting for her.

Vito's face darkened as soon as he saw her walk in. His voice was tinged with displeasure as he demanded, "Where have you been, Pia? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

Pia pulled out her phone and saw that it had been turned off a long time ago. She hesitated for a moment and then said perfunctorily, "Sorry, I didn't know that my phone was out of battery. I just went out for some fresh air."

Vito's expression softened slightly, and he didn't press further after that.

"Alright. I didn't mean to blame you. You're mine, after all. From now on, you should tell me in advance wherever you're going so that I'll always know where you are and I won't have to worry."

Then, he looked at all the injuries on Pia's body with a grave expression on his face and said, "Santi is holding a document containing the Cuomo Famiglia secrets in his hands. He messaged me just now, offering to exchange them for you.

"I need you to cooperate fully in my plan to get the documents from him. His remaining forces are still a constant threat to me, and I must get rid of him once and for all."

Pia's breath caught in her throat. Her face turned deathly pale when she finally realized why Vito had come to see her today.

He hadn't been worried about her injuries after all. It was only because she was still of some use to him.

He wanted her to act as bait to wipe out Santi and his remaining forces in one fell swoop and eliminate all future threats.

This realization shattered Pia's last remaining hope.

As it turned out, she was nothing but a lowly tool, forced to risk her life for him, even though she was severely injured.

However, she really didn't want to continue being his puppet anymore!

She gripped the hem of her hospital gown tightly. For the first time in her life, she mustered the courage to refuse Vito's orders.

"I haven't healed fully from my injuries yet. I'm afraid that I can't participate in your plan this time."

Before she had even finished speaking, however, Vito had already gotten up and slung an arm around her waist.

His force was strong and powerful as he forcibly pulled her into his embrace.

The distance between them suddenly closed, their noses almost touching.

When their eyes met, Pia saw a burning spark in his eyes. A split second later, Vito's fingertips traced provocatively along her waist as a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.

His voice was deep and dangerous.

"Didn't you say that you would always willingly do anything for me? Hmm?"

It was true that she said that last time, but it was all in the past now.

In the past, she thought that he was her savior, and that he had already treated her as his fiancee.

But now, the truth was out, and the bubble had burst. Pia didn't want to continue being that fool anymore!

Her hair all stood on end as she instinctively tried to break free from Vito's grasp.

"But… But my wounds are still bleeding. I can't move around too much."

Vito refused to let go of her. He just cocked his head to the side and asked in a teasing voice, "Are you seriously going to refuse me? Or, are you just asking for a reward afterward?"

His words pierced into the scars in Pia's heart like needles.

The sweet nothings he used to whisper in her ears now seemed like sugar-coated bombs that could go off at any second.

He continued coaxing her into it, tempting her, in the name of love, to willingly go through heaven and hell for him.

She felt a wave of nausea in her throat, and she could no longer bear to feel his hands on her anymore. She shoved him off roughly and exclaimed, "Let go of me, Vito Castaldo! I already told you that I'm still bleeding from my wounds!"

Pia's resistance caught Vito off guard. He staggered back by a few steps after getting shoved, barely regaining his balance afterward.

He stared at her in disbelief. His demand had just been rejected by her, and his eyes grew sharp at once.

"How dare you defy me!"

Pia clutched at her wound that was now bleeding through the bandages and trembled with pain. Yet, she still met his angry gaze.

"Do you truly care if I'm dead or alive? I've already blown off Santi's ear, and you're still offering to give me up in exchange? You're sending me to my death!"

Vito's expression softened slightly. He soothed her and said, "You're my fiancee, Pia. How could I not care about you? I will immediately find a way to save you as soon as the document is in my hands and make sure that you're not at all harmed in any way."

However, his words were nothing but lies to Pia now.

She looked at him with red-rimmed eyes, her voice trembling as she asked, "Who do you actually see me for, Vito? Your fiancee? Or just a commodity used as a transaction?"

Vito didn't expect her to ask him such a question. He frowned and said in displeasure, "Of course, you're my fiancee. We're already engaged to each other. Are you telling me that you can't feel how sincere I am toward you?"

She recalled the hypnotizing engagement party that had been just for show and chuckled. Every word she said pierced straight into Vito's heart.

"So, you're willing to push your fiancee to the forefront and watch her die?"

Vito's face was dark, his eyes burning with anger at being defied.

They continued staring at each other as the tension around them grew even more suffocating than ever.

After a long silence, Vito reached out and gripped Pia by her chin, uttering words that sent a deep chill straight down her spine.

"You will go to him in three days."

This wasn't just a statement, but a direct order.

His piercing gaze cut through Pia, the cold indifference in his demeanor causing a sharp pain in her chest.

She felt herself being consumed by a burning hatred. A single thought suddenly crossed her mind.

She had already repaid all the debts she owed him over the years when she risked her life multiple times for him.

And now, she was completely done playing the fake fiancee.

She was going to run away and escape him completely. She was going to escape from the clutches of the Castaldo Famiglia!

After Vito was gone, Pia left the hospital, making sure to avoid the surveillance cameras in the hospital, and went straight home to pack.

She stuffed her clothes and belongings higgledy-piggledy into her trunk until it nearly burst at the seams. After multiple failed attempts to zip it up and having the zip break and fall to the floor instead, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears, no longer knowing what to do.

She just suddenly realized that she had no place to go.

Ever since Vito brought her back from the Hughlin slums when she was 15 years old, he had been her only refuge.

But now, she realized with a start that her entire world had been built on Vito's lies after all.

Now that the lies had shattered, her whole world collapsed, leaving her with no place to go.

She felt so helpless that she went completely numb, subconsciously rubbing the diamond ring on her ring finger.

Vito was the one who had personally placed it around her finger. It was engraved with her name on it, proving that she was the "one and only person" in his heart.

But now, it was pathetically ironic after all.

She plucked off the ring in a temper, meaning to throw it in the trash. While raising her hand, however, she hesitated as a final, almost-pathetic shred of devotion pulled her back as if she was bewitched.

Just as her fingertip brushed against the prongs, she suddenly sensed a slight looseness in the stone.

Her eyes narrowed as she carefully pried it open.

To her shock, she discovered a tiny tracking device that was almost invisible to the naked eye hidden underneath the diamond.

Pia's eyes widened at once as a chill crept into her bones.

Then, she burst out laughing.

Her sorrowful, self-deprecating laughter gradually turned colder and fainter with each passing second until tears finally rolled into her mouth.

As it turned out, everything had been nothing but a facade—Vito's care for her, his sincerity toward her, and even the ring, which was supposed to be a symbol of promise, turned out to be an invisible shackle instead.

He had wanted to make sure that she would never escape his grasp, ever!

It only just dawned on her then that she could probably never escape Vito's control on her own without any outside help.

The more she thought about it, the more desperate, fearful, and anxious she was.

She sat on the cold floor the entire night as she thought for a long time.

When dawn broke, she inhaled deeply and dialed a number.

"I want to discuss a potential offer with you."

Less than half an hour later, Pia received a text message on her phone.

It said, "The money has been transferred into your bank account, and your new identity will be finalized tomorrow. I'll be sending someone to take you to the airport at 2:00 pm sharp tomorrow afternoon, and you will no longer have anything to do with the Castaldo Famiglia anymore.

"Also, you had better not try any funny business, or you will never be able to bear the consequences!"

Pia stared at the text message and finally managed to relax her taut nerves.

It finally dawned on her that after sitting on the cold floor for the entire night, she was now burning hot everywhere on her body.

Her wounds hadn't healed yet, and now, she was also running a high fever.

She hurriedly took some meds and went to bed, slowly closing her eyes. Finally, she could get a good night's rest now.

Just when she thought she could get through her last night here in peace before escaping the next day, she received a blaring phone call that immediately shattered the illusion.