I collapsed to the ground, and a puddle of blood appeared beneath me.

Mama nervously rushed forward and exclaimed, "Jovi, you hit her too hard! If she dies, this will get troublesome!"

Jovina glanced down at me with vicious eyes as I struggled to breathe. "She won't die. She's still useful."

She bent down and yanked my hair to force my head up. "I told you to be obedient. You just had to be stubborn. All that you're suffering now is your own fault."

Jovina then straightened up and tugged at her evening gown. She said smugly, "To look exactly like you, I lost weight, adjusted my figure, and even got the same curls as yours. I have the perfume you always use prepared too.

"Tonight, at the banquet, I'll be the one standing by Carlo's side. No one will be able to tell us apart. Once the banquet is over, you'll disappear completely."

She leaned in close and added in an icy voice, "I want you to watch with your own eyes as I take back everything that belongs to me."

My parents immediately stepped forward. They roughly ripped the jewelry off me and stuffed my battered body into the trunk.

The car pulled up at the venue where the banquet was held. I could hear the music and chatter coming from the hall.

Jovina adjusted her clothes and looked down at me from above. "I've already contacted someone. Tonight, I'll send you to an old rich man on the west side of the city in exchange for a sum of money."

Mama held a syringe in her hand. "She's a troublemaker. Let's give her another dose of sedative, so she doesn't try anything on the way."

Right at that moment came a few light taps on the car door. A low, familiar voice came from outside. "Cara mia, are you inside?"

It was Carlo.

My body tensed up with excitement. I was just about to struggle and cry out when Papa immediately taped my mouth shut and pressed me hard to the floor with his feet. He warned me not to make a sound with a menacing expression.

Jovina's expression changed slightly. She quickly adjusted her skirt and forced herself to stay calm. "I am. I'll be out in a moment."

She turned and shot my parents a look. Mama hurriedly hid the syringe, while Papa kept me pinned down.

Jovina took a deep breath and opened the car door.

She put on a gentle smile and asked, "Why are you here?"

Carlo swept his gaze over her. An inscrutable glint flashed across his blue-gray eyes.

"The banquet is about to start, and I didn't see you. I came to check," he replied. His gaze unintentionally drifted past her, and he caught a glimpse of the mess inside the car. Frowning slightly, he asked, "What's going on in there?"

"It's nothing. Something fell, and it got messy while we were looking for it," Jovina said quickly, moving to the side to block his view.

Then, she reached out and tried to pull him away. "Let's go inside."

A sense of dread surged through me. If Carlo left, they would send me away. I would never get the chance to see him again. Everything I had worked hard for over these years by Carlo's side would go down the drain.

Seizing the moment when Papa's attention slipped, I struggled violently. As my mouth was covered and I was unable to make a sound, I slammed my head hard against the car window.

When the loud thud rang out, Carlo's gaze instantly turned cold. "Is there someone else inside the car? Who is it?"

"It's… It's the driver! He made the noise by accident," Jovina stammered.

She reached out to block Carlo again, only to have him raise a hand to stop her. He looked at the crimson liquid seeping out through the crack in the door and lifted his eyes to stare at Jovina. In a stern and cold voice, he commanded, "Be quiet and move."

She tried to stop him again, but Carlo had already pushed her aside and grabbed the door handle.

Upon seeing that, Papa hurried to lock the door. However, he was too slow. Carlo used a bit of force, and the door flew open. He immediately saw me, with my clothes torn and my body covered in blood.

I was curled up on the floor of the car. Meanwhile, my parents were straddling me, pinning me down with all their strength.