Evan Peretti and I had been together for five years, but he left me at the altar on the day we were supposed to get married and publicly announced that my bestie, Yvonne Quinto, was his true love.

As I was about to become the laughingstock of the day, the heir and Don of the Linaris, Chris Linari, walked up the altar to profess his love for me. He claimed to have fallen in love with me at first sight when he first laid eyes on me years ago.

I married Chris, and he showered me with love after we got married. Everyone was envious of the love we shared, and even the media would publicize our love story in high profile.

However, I learned the truth when I found thousands of Yvonne's photos on his computer. His so-called love was a tactic he used to hold me back from destroying Yvonne's happiness.

I thought I was saved by love when he saved me from that embarrassing situation back then, but it was just a deception in the name of love. For the past five years, he had me tied up in a web of lies he had woven by carefully creating an illusion of happiness.

I decided to contact a private workshop that specialized in customizing and planning my 'disappearance'. I would fall into the sea three days later on our wedding anniversary, and my body would never be found.

Chris Linari, we would never meet again.

I heard footsteps outside the door after I was done making arrangements with a liaison from the dark web. I quickly hung up. The name Nina Secco would disappear from Don Lineti's world in three days.

The soft sound of unlocking was heard, and Chris Lineti walked in, smelling strongly of smoke. He held me tightly in his arms. His eyes were filled with tenderness, just like five years ago, when we first met on that rainy night. He asked me gently, "Who were you talking to, Nina?"

"It was just a marketing call," I replied with a smile, trying my best to act normal.

Everyone around me always said that Chris loved me and pampered me a lot, and how I was like a precious gem that he would go to great lengths to take care of. He would always whisper romantic words into my ears, and I would swim in ecstasy in his sweet murmurings.

However, none of them knew that Chris might have given me a grand wedding, but he had never married me legally, which was not something that had bothered me before. Looking back now, I realized that the woman he truly wanted as his lawfully wedded wife was Yvonne Quinto.

I used to think that I was the happiest woman in the world, but now, I knew that our love was filled with nothing but deceit. It was just a lie he made up to protect his beloved Yvonne.

Chris caressed my belly gently as if wishing that the IVF embryo transfer was successful.

"We'll give up if we fail again this time. The process has really been hard on you." He looked at me worriedly and changed the topic.

"By the way, the Perettis will be having a party tomorrow to celebrate their Donna getting pregnant with their heir and to congratulate Yvonne for entering the finals to become the chief pharmacist. I know you've never liked her, so it's not necessary for you to attend. I'll come home right away after delivering a gift to them."

"I'm running for chief pharmacist too—"

Chris interrupted me gently but firmly, "It's too tiring to run for chief pharmacist. You shouldn't tire yourself out, especially when you've tried so many times for IVF without any success."

I tried my best to hold back a sob. We had tried IVF numerous times but always ended up failing. I used to blame myself for having a weak body every time I lost a baby, but it now seemed that everything was fated.

Our baby must have sensed that its father did not love its mother at all and was not willing to be born into a family like that.

Chris was preventing me from running for chief pharmacist for fear that I would be an obstacle to Yvonne's path to success. He kissed me on the forehead. "It's our wedding anniversary the day after tomorrow. I've arranged a boat party for you that I guarantee you'll love. Also, this is for you."

He took out a velvet box from his pocket, which contained a ruby necklace. "It's a ruby, your favorite gem. I knew it'd suit you perfectly the moment I saw it."

I stared at the necklace in a daze. The brilliant light reflecting from it was exceptionally blinding to my eyes.

We were married for five years, and he would always buy me ruby accessories every time he saw them. It used to cheer me up and fill me with happiness every time I received those presents from him, but now, I knew that he picked them based on Yvonne's preference.

His show of love was actually meant for her.

However, I forced myself to smile naturally. "I've prepared an anniversary present for you too."

I looked into his eyes, which were filled with love, and for a moment, I was puzzled by it. It never occurred to me that a person could put up such a convincing act of being in love with someone he was not.

That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to go to sleep. I accidentally knocked his watch onto the floor. That was when I noticed Yvonne's name engraved on the inner side of the strap. It was at that very moment that I lost all hope in Chris.

The next morning, I used the excuse of feeling unwell to get the bodyguard Chris arranged to watch over me to leave me alone. The moment he left, I quickly snuck out to the party venue. I knew Chris did not want me there, but I wanted to see my friends before I 'vanished' from this world after tomorrow.

All of the guests crowded around Yvonne at the party to congratulate her on her pregnancy and getting close to being appointed chief pharmacist. The Underbosses and Capos of the Perittis were busy buttering her up.

"Our Donna is a shoo-in to become the chief pharmacist. That super hemostatic agent you created helped decrease our death rates by a huge margin during our fights."

"I heard that the effects of the hemostatic agent created by the Institute of Biological Research can't even compare to what you've produced. Even their director has sent our Donna an official invite to give them a lecture."

"That's incredible! Our Donna isn't only beautiful, she's also really intelligent!"

The mention of the super hemostatic agent stunned me. That sounded like my research. I immediately looked at my invitation and saw the agent's formula foundation printed on it, along with accolades of how skillfully it was formulated. How did she manage to steal my research project?

That was when Yvonne spotted me. "That formula looks familiar, doesn't it? Your fiancé chose me five years ago, and five years later, your husband chose to take my side. What a failure you are at life, Nina Secco."

I was enraged and was about to argue with her when she suddenly clutched her belly while screaming as she fell to the ground. The crowd started to panic when they saw this.

"The Donna fell!"

"Who did this?!" A sharp voice was heard coming from the crowd. The accusatory shout had come from Chris, who was heard from afar. As he got nearer, he called out her name, "Yvonne!" His voice was filled with worry.

When Chris saw me, a flash of panic appeared in his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

He looked at me and spoke in a slightly accusatory tone. "You shouldn't have pushed her, no matter what happened. She's pregnant."

He was being protective of her. For once, he was being true about it, unlike the fake concern he always showed me. He said the words 'no matter what', which meant he knew why I was angry.

That was when the latest news report started to broadcast. Yvonne had won the position of chief pharmacist, beating four other contenders, because of her work on the super hemostatic agent.

To a mafia family, being a doctor, lawyer, or politician was nothing special. Those positions could be bought with money, and there was no reason for them to become one. However, possessing an ability like this meant a bigger deal to the family.

Everyone's admiration for Yvonne reached a new height. Chris was elated to hear the news. It was a joy from the heart that he could not hide.

I pretended to be nonchalant when I questioned him, "Why does Yvonne's super hemostatic agent formula look exactly like mine?"

Chris tried to hide his fluster as he answered with indifference, "It must be a coincidence. After all, both of you studied medicine, and you were classmates too."

I hid the sarcastic smile on my face because I knew that Chris was the only one who knew that I was researching this agent besides my mentor. My research on the agent could be found on the computer in my study, and it was not difficult to figure out how it had leaked.

I had been researching this agent for Chris. As the Don, Chris was kidnapped and tortured by a rival family two years ago, which caused him to go into shock from major blood loss. He nearly died.

The hemostatic agent I was researching could be used to prevent blood loss, but the ratio of the formula was different based on where one was bleeding. However, it looked like I no longer had any reason to continue the research.

I lowered my head as I pretended it did not bother me by smiling and nodding, but in fact, it hurt me so much that I could hardly breathe. Chris seemed to notice something wrong with me, and he held my hand guiltily.

"It's our anniversary tomorrow. How about visiting the beach in advance? We can watch the stars while lying down on the beach and see the sunrise tomorrow."

I nodded in agreement.

During our journey to the beach, Chris kept talking about how he wanted to build a large theme park for our child once the IVF was a success. I used to share with him happily about how our lives would be once our child was born, but this time, I stayed silent.

It was already dark when we arrived at the beach. His phone started to ring, and a tender look appeared on his face when he picked up the call. However, he quickly frowned and looked hesitantly at me.

I tried my best to smile at him. "You should leave if you're busy. I'm fine on my own."

"I'm so sorry, I…"

"It's fine. I know you're busy handling the family's affairs. I'll wait for you here."

Chris hugged me. "I knew you'd understand."

Tears stream down my face uncontrollably as I watch him leave. That call must have been from Yvonne, as she was the only person whom Chris would treat with such care.

I got onto the boat and felt the salty air of the sea breeze hit my face as my hair billowed messily in the wind. The waves hitting the rocks at a distance sounded like the crash of broken promises.

I took out my phone to look at Yvonne's social media post. [He came running to my side from the other end of the city just to cook for me. This is what it feels like to be loved!]

The comments were filled with envious voices.

[Your Don really pampers you! I can't believe he's making barbecue for you with his own hands!]

[The Don is the kind of man a woman should marry!"

My gaze fell onto the custom-made watch on the man's wrist in the photo. It was the watch that had never left Chris' side in the last five years, the very same one with her name engraved in it.

I called his number, but it was Yvonne who picked up. "Are you still waiting for Chris to watch the stars and sunrise with you? You should stop waiting because he won't be showing up."

Tears started to well in my eyes as she taunted, "What a failure you are as a woman. It's been years, and you still haven't managed to get him to fall for you. You were dumped during your engagement party, and you were dumped again during your anniversary…"

I hung up before she finished.

I went to the boat crew to get the keys to steer the boat away from the shore by myself. I waited as I lay down on the deck to watch the stars in the sky, but my phone never rang. My heart felt colder than the chilling sea breeze.

Years of our happy times together flashed through my mind like a film reel. The memories felt particularly sarcastic as I was reminded of how much trust and love I had given him. When the first rays of sunlight appeared, I called his phone, but no one picked up.

I clicked into my mailbox to send out two emails with the subjects, 'The Research Process of the Super Hemostatic Agent: From Start to Results' and 'A Goodbye Letter to Chris Linari'. After that, I raised my phone and flung it into the sea without hesitation.

I threw out the phone like a curveball and saw it vanish into the waves. It did not even make a splash.

It was like all those years when I had given my heart to Chris. It vanished quietly without making a sound but sank so deep into the dark depths where one could hardly breathe.

I could almost hear my five years' worth of happiness break into pieces as the freezing seawater rose up to my chest. The embraces, kisses, and promises that we shared floated far out into the sea along with the waves and out of my grasp.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink into the sea. I was finally able to break free.