I caught the sound of soft crying drifting in from the garden.

Before I even realized it, my feet were already carrying me toward it.

Pushing aside the hanging wisteria vines, I stepped into the clearing.

Then I stopped breathing.

Luca.

My husband.

Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, every inch the untouchable kingpin people feared. Power clung to him as naturally as the air he breathed. In one hand, he held a leather riding crop, bringing it down against Celeste again and again as she lay completely naked, restrained on the antique chaise lounge I'd spent weeks searching for to complete our villa.

Then, without warning, he tossed the crop aside.

He bent over her.

And kissed her.

Hungry. Possessive.

His hands roamed over her body while sweat glistened across his back.

Everything inside me lurched.

It felt as though someone had ripped my chest apart with bare hands.

Only then did I realize I'd misunderstood what I'd heard.

Those weren't cries of pain.

They were moans.

Breathless laughter slipped between Celeste's gasps as she clung to him.

The punishment I'd imagined...

It had never been punishment at all.

It was intimacy.

Their intimacy.

The prison Luca always claimed she'd been locked inside wasn't a prison in the slightest.

It was where they hid their life together.

Their sanctuary.

I stumbled backward, my gaze falling onto the chaise lounge.

I'd chosen that piece myself.

I remembered spending days comparing fabrics and carvings because I'd wanted everything in our home to be perfect for him.

Back then, he'd smiled at me with such tenderness.

"Camille deserves nothing less than the most beautiful things," he'd murmured. "This is yours. Just like my heart."

Apparently...

Neither had ever belonged to me.

I clenched my fists until sharp pain shot through my palms.

Why?

Why would he do this to me?

Then I heard them speak.

"You're incredible, sweetheart." Celeste's cheeks were flushed as she beamed at him. "Sometimes I still can't believe I actually became your wife."

"You earned it," Luca answered evenly while buttoning his shirt, as if nothing extraordinary had happened moments before. His voice remained calm, effortless, impossible to read.

Then he said something that made my blood run cold.

"Four years ago, all I wanted was to keep Camille by my side forever. But you..." His tone hardened. "You swung an axe and destroyed her hand so she'd never leave to chase her dreams. Then you surrendered yourself, convinced that sacrificing your own freedom for my happiness was worth it."

Each word felt like another blade sinking into my heart.

"Sometimes I wonder whether I'm too cruel," he continued quietly. "But I can't ignore someone capable of loving me that selflessly. Camille gets my love in the open. You have this villa, and I've given you my name. That's as fair as I can make it."

Fair.

He actually believed that was fair.

I nearly lost my balance.

Years ago, a spoiled heir had mocked me, calling me a fallen angel with broken wings.

Luca had made sure the man paid dearly for those words.

Yet now...

The woman who had permanently shattered my future stood before him, receiving kisses, affection, expensive gifts...

Even his surname.

My throat burned.

I wanted to scream until my lungs gave out.

I wanted to disappear.

"What if Miss Hart learns the truth?" Celeste asked softly. "She'll never forgive us."

Luca's expression never changed.

"My feelings for Camille haven't changed." His confidence never wavered. "I'll spend the rest of my life protecting her. She'll never discover this. And you'll never hurt her again."

Then he knelt before Celeste.

Carefully, he slipped a pink diamond ring onto her finger.

Her eyes widened.

"Isn't this the pink diamond from the Paris auction? The one worth over a hundred million?" she whispered in disbelief. "Do I really deserve something like this?"

Luca brushed a gentle kiss against her lips.

"You're my wife," he said softly. "Of course you do."

His smile was warm.

"Happy fourth anniversary."

I stood hidden among the vines, watching the man who had once promised I was his entire world celebrate another woman instead.

**

I didn't leave the mountain until long after Luca's black sedan had disappeared around the bend.

Even then, I couldn't move.

It felt as though my body had forgotten how.

As if taking one step would force me to accept that everything I'd seen had actually happened.

My phone buzzed.

Almost mechanically, I looked down and opened the message.

Camille, I'm heading home now. I can't wait to celebrate our seventh anniversary with my favorite girl. I love you.

For several seconds, I simply stared at the screen.

Then...

I laughed.

The sound burst out of me so violently that I doubled over.

I laughed until tears poured down my face.

Until my shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Until I sounded completely unhinged.

Seventh anniversary?

He had just spent the afternoon celebrating four years of marriage with another woman.

Now he was coming home to celebrate seven years with me.

What exactly was I?

His backup plan?

His favorite toy?

Or just someone too blind to notice she'd been replaced?

There had been no seventh anniversary.

Legally, we'd been divorced for four years.

Four entire years.

And if this was Luca's idea of love—destroying my future, trapping me inside a gilded cage, smiling while deceiving me every single day—

Then I wanted no part of it anymore.

Not now.

Not ever.

He believed I'd never uncover the truth.

Slowly, I wiped away my tears.

"No," I murmured, my voice barely audible.

"I'm the one who's leaving you."

This time...

For good.

My fingers tightened around the application until the paper wrinkled beneath my grip.

Then I walked away and completed the only two tasks that still mattered.

First, I filed the paperwork to erase every trace of my identity from this country.

Every record.

Every document.

Every connection.

It would be as though Camille Hart had never existed.

Then I resubmitted my competition application.

This time...

Under a different name.

A different identity.

A different future.

Four years earlier, when Celeste hacked off my right hand, she hadn't stopped there.

She'd thrown it to a pack of wild dogs as if I were nothing.

Luca had nearly gone mad afterward.

He spent billions finding the world's best specialists until they fitted me with a prosthetic hand realistic enough to fool almost anyone.

It gave me back an ordinary life.

But it never gave me back my career.

I had been a surgeon.

Steady hands were everything.

Mine would never be the same again.

The dream I'd devoted my life to died alongside that hand.

I couldn't accept it.

Three different times, I tried to end my own life.

Three different times, I failed.

Eventually, there were no tears left to cry.

After countless sleepless nights and endless grief, I forced myself to keep living.

I enrolled in rehabilitation for my new hand.

People called it therapy.

To me...

It was torture.

More than a thousand days of relentless practice.

Blood staining the equipment.

Blisters tearing open.

Skin hardening into calluses before splitting apart again.

Over.

And over.

And over.

But eventually...

I did it.

Against every expectation, I clawed my way back.

Not to who I'd once been—

But to someone who could stand on her own again.

I never told Luca.

I wanted it to be a surprise.

I wanted him to see that the woman he claimed to love hadn't been broken forever.

Now...

I was grateful I'd kept it secret.

If he'd known I'd found my way back...

Would he have taken my other hand too?

The thought made bile rise in my throat.

My phone vibrated once more.

A new notification appeared.

Your identity cancellation request has been received and will be completed within eight business days.

Eight days.

That was all that remained.

In eight days, Camille would cease to exist.

No records.

No identity.

No trail.

Not even Luca Devereaux—with all his influence, wealth, and reach—could ever find someone who no longer existed.

As dusk settled over the hills, I returned to the villa.

The instant I walked through the front doors, I sensed that something was terribly wrong.

The air was thick with fear.

Luca stood in the center of the living room, surrounded by armed men. Every servant in the house had been forced onto the floor, their wrists bound, their faces drained of color as they trembled.

His voice cut through the silence like a blade.

"Where is she?" he demanded. "Start talking before I decide to make every one of you regret staying silent."

The moment the servants spotted me, relief flooded their faces.

"Miss Camille!" one of them cried.

Luca spun around.

In the blink of an eye, the ruthless expression disappeared from his face.

Relief crashed over him so completely that it almost looked like he'd been in pain.

"Camille."

He closed the distance in seconds and wrapped me tightly in his embrace, holding me as though letting go wasn't an option.

"Where have you been?" His voice dropped into a rough whisper. "I've called you over and over. I thought something happened to you. You scared me half to death."

My body stiffened instinctively before I forced myself to relax.

"I went shopping," I replied softly. "I lost track of the time."

He leaned back just enough to study my face before exhaling.

"I can't even stay angry with you," he muttered, gently brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Next time, let me come with you. That's what your husband is for. I'll carry every shopping bag, pay for everything, and be wherever you need me the moment you call."

Your husband.

The words drove straight into my heart.

No.

You haven't been my husband for four years.

"Come on," he said with an easy smile. "It's our seventh anniversary. I've got a surprise waiting for you."

He laced his fingers through mine and led me outside toward the private helipad.

Before I could ask where we were going, he effortlessly scooped me into his arms and carried me into the helicopter.

Moments later, the rotors thundered overhead as the aircraft rose into the evening sky.

I stayed silent.

All I could do was watch him.

The man beside me looked exactly like the Luca I knew.

Yet somehow...

He felt like a complete stranger.

When we were high above the city, he gently lifted my chin toward the window.

"Look down."

I followed his gaze.

Below us, thousands of lights shifted across the darkness, slowly rearranging themselves until glowing words stretched across the city.

LOVE YOU, Camille.

My breath caught.

It was breathtaking.

Completely outrageous.

Exactly the sort of thing only Luca would do.

He leaned close, his lips barely brushing my ear.

"I love you," he whispered. "I always have... and I always will."

My chest tightened painfully.

Anyone looking at us would think I was the happiest woman alive.

So why did it feel like I was suffocating?

The helicopter eventually descended, touching down outside an enormous estate hidden far beyond the city lights.

The moment I saw it...

I knew the night wasn't over.

...

The mansion before us looked less like a home and more like something built for royalty—or perhaps a king of monsters.

People used to talk about it in hushed voices after Luca reportedly paid five billion for the property.

Towering iron gates stood before it, covered in intricate carvings.

At their center were two familiar words.

Camille's Palace.

My breathing faltered.

Every detail reflected me.

The architecture matched the design style I'd once casually mentioned liking during a conversation years ago.

He'd remembered.

The gardens overflowed with orchids.

Not ordinary ones.

Rare species worth more than many people earned in a lifetime.

Then my eyes wandered farther inside.

I froze.

There...

An amusement park.

Built just for me.

A glowing carousel.

A Ferris wheel.

Roller coasters weaving through the night.

Even a small petting zoo where dozens of rescued dogs happily ran, played, and slept together.

All because...

One afternoon, I'd stopped to feed a stray dog.

I'd quietly remarked that it looked lonely.

That single comment had been enough for Luca.

My eyes stung.

He had remembered everything.

Every passing remark.

Every tiny wish.

For seven years, he'd loved me with a devotion so overwhelming that he'd turned my smallest words into reality.

He'd given me everything I'd ever dreamed of.

Even the dreams I'd never spoken aloud.

So why...

Why did my heart feel like it was breaking apart?

Because now I knew the truth.

His love had never belonged solely to me.

He'd divided it.

Half for me.

Half for the woman who had ruined my life.

Luca stepped closer, brushing away the tears on my cheeks with his thumb so tenderly that it hurt more than if he'd slapped me.

"Hey," he murmured. "A husband is supposed to make his wife smile. If you keep crying, you're going to break my heart too."

I nearly laughed.

A husband?

Which wife was he talking to?

Without warning, he lowered himself onto one knee beneath the night sky.

He opened a velvet box.

Inside rested a dazzling ring that sparkled beneath the lights.

"Camille."

He looked at me as though I were the only person who existed.

"Marrying you was the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I love you so much that even a few hours apart feels unbearable."

My hands trembled.

"So I had something special made."

He lifted the ring.

"There's a tracking chip hidden inside it. Mine carries the receiver. No matter where you go, I'll always know where you are."

His smile softened.

"I'll never lose you."

A chill crept through me.

Was that love...

Or possession?

The intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine.

It looked as though he'd tear the world apart before he'd ever let me leave.

He reached for my hand.

Just as the ring was about to slide onto my finger...

His phone rang.

A unique ringtone.

I noticed the faint shift in his expression.

Celeste.

He glanced at the screen, his face quickly returning to normal.

Without missing a beat, he placed the ring on my finger.

Then he stood.

"An important client needs me," he said casually as he turned away. "I'll be back soon. Don't wait up."

Client?

The word almost made me laugh.

Before I could answer, he was already walking toward the helicopter.

Whatever waited on the other end of that phone call mattered more than finishing this moment.

More than me.

The helicopter lifted into the sky.

Its roar gradually disappeared into the distance.

Silence settled over the estate.

Slowly, I crouched down and picked up one of the puppies wandering nearby.

It gave a tiny bark as it curled against my palm, warm and trusting.

The strays had found somewhere they belonged.

Why hadn't I?

Something slipped from my finger.

The ring.

I bent down and picked it up.

Only then did I realize...

Luca hadn't even noticed.

He'd given me the wrong one.

The ring in my hand wasn't the one with the tracking chip.

It was the receiver.

Which meant...

He had accidentally taken the transmitter with him.

For several long seconds, I simply stared at it.

Then I pressed the hidden switch.

Voices crackled through almost immediately.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Celeste's voice quivered. "I didn't mean to fall apart like this. I've been trapped here for four years. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind."

My grip tightened around the ring.

"You don't need to worry about me," she continued, forcing a laugh. "Today's your seventh anniversary with Miss Hart. You should stay with her. I've survived four years already. I'll be okay."

There was a brief silence.

Then Luca answered.

"Stop saying nonsense."

His voice was firm but gentle.

"You think I'd leave you alone when you're sick? I'm your husband. Looking after you comes first, no matter what day it is."

Something inside my chest shattered completely.

“I don't care whether it's your anniversary, a business meeting, or anything else,” Luca said, his voice gentler this time. “When you're in this condition, nothing comes before you. Let's get out for a while. Some fresh air will do you good.”

“Really?” Celeste exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. “You're letting me leave? You're serious?”

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

“Have I ever made promises I didn't keep?” he replied. “Go get ready. We're leaving.”

A few moments later, I heard the unmistakable roar of helicopter blades.

Loud.

Familiar.

Taking her away...

Once again.

...

Four years earlier, after Celeste had taken my right hand, the pain had been so unbearable that even breathing felt impossible. Through it all, Luca never left my side. He barely slept, forgot to eat, and refused to leave my hospital room, as if looking away for even a second might cause me to fall apart.

One evening, he suddenly lifted me out of bed and carried me straight to his helicopter.

I was so weak that I could barely hold onto him, but his arms only tightened around me.

When we were high above the city, he gently turned my face toward the window.

"Look down," he said quietly. "See the buildings? From up here, they don't seem so big anymore, do they?"

I gave a weak nod, my vision blurred by tears.

Resting his forehead against mine, he spoke with a tenderness I had never forgotten.

"That's what life's like, Camille. Problems always look enormous when you're standing beneath them. But once you rise above them, they become smaller than you ever imagined."

He squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"And you won't face any of it alone. I'm here. No matter what happens, I'll help you through it. I promise."

Back then...

I believed every single word.

Now I knew better.

The nightmare I'd survived...

The suffering that almost destroyed me...

It all began because of him.

...

The fading sound of rotor blades pulled me back to the present.

I looked toward the neighboring property.

For a moment, I wondered if exhaustion was making me imagine things.

It wasn't.

The helicopter had landed next door.

Another mansion stood there.

An exact copy of mine.

A painful knot tightened in my chest.

The ring resting in my palm vibrated softly before Luca's voice came through.

"Celeste," he said, his tone warm in a way I hadn't heard directed at me in years, "you've spent too long confined to that villa. So I prepared something else."

There was a brief pause.

"This house belongs to you now."

"My anniversary gift."

I forgot how to breathe.

"And today..." he continued, "I'm staying here with you."

Celeste laughed with pure happiness.

It sounded like someone who had just been given everything she'd ever wanted.

At that exact moment, my phone lit up.

Camille, I've got a meeting with an important client. I'll be home tomorrow night instead. Don't wait up. Go enjoy yourself. If you need anything, call your husband. Love you.

My grip tightened around the phone.

A single tear landed on the screen, blurring the word husband until I could barely read it.

He had recreated the same life twice.

Two grand homes.

Two anniversaries.

Two wives.

The same promises.

The same affection.

But there was only one woman he truly chose.

It wasn't me.

Separated by nothing more than a single wall, he was spending his evening with the woman who legally carried his name.

And me?

I felt like the hidden one.

The secret.

Someone tucked away where no one else could see.

A mistress disguised as a wife.

The ache in my chest remained.

But the tears never came.

There wasn't much time left anyway.

I wiped my face, turned my back on the mansion, and went home.

Instead of dwelling on everything I'd lost, I buried myself in work.

I picked up my surgical instruments.

Both hands still felt stiff, but years of rehabilitation had finally made them steady enough.

I'd only cleared the first stage of the competition.

If I wanted to make it to the end...

I needed to become even better.

Faster.

Sharper.

Better than everyone else.

Maybe heartbreak had stripped away every distraction.

Every decision came effortlessly.

Each movement felt precise.

It was as though pain had carved away hesitation, leaving behind nothing but instinct.

Hours later, I finished outlining the first surgical procedure.

Leaning back in my chair, I stared quietly at my work.

My fingers accidentally brushed the ring resting on the steel tray.

Click.

The hidden receiver activated.

"I know one day together isn't enough..." Celeste's voice drifted through softly. "After today, I'll have to go back into hiding again... won't I?"

Every muscle in my body froze.

"I understand," she continued, her voice trembling. "Miss Hart can never find out about me. I know I don't deserve anything else."

She laughed weakly.

"But sometimes... I wish I could stand beside you the way she does."

Her voice broke.

"Just once... I'd like everyone to know I'm your wife."

Silence filled the room.

My breathing caught.

My arm began trembling uncontrollably.

It felt exactly like that day.

The flash of steel.

The sickening pain.

My hand being severed.

The agony returned all at once.

Phantom pain.

Real pain.

It hurt.

God...

Why did it still hurt so much?

Luca knew exactly what she'd done to me.

That's why he'd hidden her away.

Because he knew seeing her would destroy me all over again.

He would never allow that...

Would he?

The silence stretched on.

Then he finally answered.

"Alright."

Just one word.

Nothing more.

It was enough.

Something inside me shattered beyond repair.

I pressed a hand against my chest, struggling to breathe through the crushing pain.

...

The following day, Luca returned home as though nothing unusual had happened.

Perfectly on schedule.

The perfect husband.

He walked in carrying expensive gift boxes, smiling as if yesterday had never existed.

Inside one was a sapphire necklace whose brilliance rivaled the sea.

The other contained a custom-made evening gown covered in shimmering diamonds.

"Camille," he said warmly, "it's our seventh anniversary."

His eyes softened.

"I want everyone tonight to see how happy we are."

Happy.

The word felt hollow.

I said nothing.

I quietly changed into the gown.

Allowed him to clasp the necklace around my neck.

Allowed him to admire me as though I were priceless.

Then I slipped my hand into his, letting him lead me outside.

The anniversary banquet was held at one of his seven-star hotels.

Naturally.

Every inch of it belonged to him.

The ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers.

Celebrities mingled with business tycoons, mafia leaders, politicians, and the wealthiest families in the country.

Everything looked flawless.

Yet something immediately caught my attention.

Every waiter wore an identical uniform.

Every face was concealed behind a mask.

Luca barely spared them a glance before turning toward me.

"Tonight belongs to you," he said calmly. "No one's taking attention away from you. The staff are only background. Masks keep it that way."

A sinking feeling settled inside me.

Deep down...

I already understood.

Guests soon surrounded us.

"Mr. Devereaux still worships his wife."

"Mrs. Devereaux really is blessed."

"I heard he bought her a five-billion-dollar estate."

"Every anniversary, his gifts become even more extravagant."

"And so does his love."

Love.

The word made me nauseous.

Then—

Riiip.

The sharp sound of fabric tearing echoed across the ballroom.

A waitress had stumbled.

Her uniform had ripped high along her thigh.

Flustered, she hurried to cover herself.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Nobody moved.

Nobody dared.

Fear swept through the room.

Everyone knew Luca had no patience for mistakes.

Especially not tonight.

Judging by the terrified expressions around us, they all expected the poor woman to be punished.

Luca's voice cut through the silence.

"Come with me."

The ballroom seemed to freeze.

Then he turned back to me.

His expression softened instantly.

"Camille," he said gently, brushing his fingertips across my arm, "rules exist for a reason. Sometimes people have to learn that lesson."

He smiled reassuringly.

"I'll deal with this and be right back."

Without thinking, I nodded.

He grabbed the waitress by the wrist and led her away.

Something inside me twisted.

Something wasn't right.

Several minutes passed.

Then...

I found myself following them.

I didn't know why.

Maybe part of me already knew exactly what I was going to find.

Upstairs, the conference room door hadn't fully closed.

I eased it open just enough to look inside.

The world stopped.

The waitress was sitting on top of the conference table.

Her legs were wrapped around Luca's waist.

Her mask was gone.

It was Celeste.

Of course it was.