I heard faint sobbing coming from the garden and my legs moved before my brain could catch up. I stepped closer, ducking under the drooping wisteria, and froze.

Felix. My husband. Dressed in a suit, looking untouchable, a predator in every sense. He held a soft leather whip, striking Shannon over and over. She was tied to the antique chaise lounge I had spent weeks choosing for our villa, completely naked.

And then, just like that, he dropped the whip, leaned over her, and kissed her. Hard. Dominant. His hands everywhere, his sweat slick on his back.

My stomach turned over. My chest felt ripped open, bleeding in ways I didn’t even know were possible.

It wasn’t sobbing I’d heard. It was her moans. Pleasure. Laughter whispered through her gasps. The so-called “punishment” I’d imagined wasn’t torture. It was… love. Their love. The prison he’d spoken of all those times wasn’t a cell. It was their playroom. Their nest.

I stumbled backward, staring at the chaise lounge I had painstakingly picked out for him, imagining him sitting there with me, hands blistered from carrying the weight of my life in his hands. He’d said once, soft but with fire, “Danica deserves all the beauty in the world. This lounge is yours alone. And so is my love.”

Now it wasn’t mine. Not mine at all.

My hands clenched until they bled, pain ripping through me. Why? Why the hell would he do this?

And then I started listening.

“Honey, you’re amazing. I’m so happy,” Shannon said, her face flushed and glowing. “Just thinking about how I finally married you makes me feel like I’m dreaming.”

“You deserve it,” Felix said, calm, almost casual, sliding on his shirt like the chaos behind him didn’t exist. His voice was velvet with steel.

I froze at what he said next.

“Four years ago, all I wanted was for Danica to stay here, to be with me forever. And you,” he hissed, “you took an axe and chopped off her hand so she could never chase her dreams again. Then you turn yourself in like some idiot martyr, thinking even if you rot in jail, my happiness matters more than yours.”

I felt like someone was dragging a knife through my chest.

“I ask myself if I’m heartless,” he continued, “but I can’t ignore selfless love like that. Danica can have my love openly, you only get to hide in this villa. I give you a title. That’s fair.”

Fair? Fair? Wow.

I staggered back, heart pounding, eyes burning. Years ago, a noble brat mocked me, called me a broken-winged angel, and Felix made him eat his own tongue, cold as ice. And now he’s here, kissing the woman who shattered me, giving her gifts, giving her his life, giving her… a title.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to vanish.

“What if she finds out?” Shannon asked, voice worried, “Miss McKellar won’t accept it.”

Felix smiled, calm, his power radiating from every pore. “My love for Danica has never changed. I’ll protect her for life. She’ll never know. And she’ll never be hurt by you again.”

He knelt and placed a pink diamond on Shannon’s hand.

Shannon gasped, eyes wide. “This is the final item from Paris’ auction a few days ago. Worth a hundred million. Am I… worthy?”

“You’re my woman, baby.” He kissed her gently, and my blood froze. “Of course you’re worthy. Happy fourth anniversary, my wife.”

And I stood there, broken, watching the man I loved, the man who’d sworn I was his world, give himself to someone else.

...

I didn’t leave the mountain until his black car disappeared down the road. I just stood there for a long time, like my body forgot how to move, like if I moved everything would become real.

My phone started vibrating in my hand. I looked down at it, numb, and tapped the screen.

[Danica, I’m on my way home. I can’t wait to celebrate our seventh anniversary with my darling. Love you.]

For a second, I didn’t react. Then I laughed. God… I laughed so hard I had to bend over, my shoulders shaking, tears streaming down my face like I’d gone insane. Seventh anniversary? He had just finished celebrating four years with another woman, and now he was coming home to celebrate seven years with me? What was I to him? A joke? A pet? Or just… someone too stupid to notice?

There was no seventh anniversary. We had been divorced for four years. Four whole years. And love? If Felix’s version of love was cutting off my future, locking me in a golden cage, and lying straight to my face… then I didn’t want it anymore. Not even a little.

He said I’d never find out. I wiped my tears, my fingers trembling. “No,” I whispered to myself. “You’re the one who’s going to lose me.” Forever.

I tightened my grip on the application form in my hand, the paper crumpling under my fingers, then I turned around and did the only two things that mattered.

First, I applied to erase myself. Every identity record I had in this country. Gone. Clean. Like I never existed. Second, I submitted my application again. Under a new name. A new life. A new me.

four years ago, when Shannon cut off my right hand, she didn’t just take it, she threw it to wild dogs like I was nothing. Felix lost his mind back then, spent billions, replace and transplant me a hand that looked real enough to fool anyone. It worked, I could live normally, but I couldn’t operate the way I used to. I was a surgeon, precision was everything, and now… it was gone. My dream died that day.

I tried to follow it. Three times. Three times I tried to end everything. And failed. After that I cried until I couldn’t anymore, night after night until my throat burned and my chest felt hollow, and then one day I forced myself to stop. I went to hand rehab for my transplant hand. Simple, right? It wasn’t. It was hell. More than a thousand days and nights, blood and pain, my fingers splitting open, calluses forming and breaking again and again. But I made it. I fucking made it. I got back to where I could stand again.

I kept it from Felix. I wanted to surprise him, wanted him to see that the woman he “loved” didn’t break so easily. Now? I was just glad I didn’t tell him. If he knew… would he have taken both of my hands too? The thought made my stomach twist.

My phone buzzed again. I looked down.

“Your cancellation application has been submitted and will be processed within eight business days.”

Eight days. After eight days, I’d be gone. No name. No trace. Even someone like Felix, with all his power, all his connections, he wouldn’t find someone who didn’t exist.

As the sun went down, I went back to the villa. The moment I stepped inside, I felt it. Tension. Fear. Chaos. Felix stood in the middle of the living room, surrounded by his men. The servants were tied up on the floor, shaking, their faces pale. His voice was cold, sharp, dangerous. “Where the fuck is she?” he demanded. “You think I won’t break every single one of you until someone talks?!”

The moment they saw me, it was like they’d been saved. “Miss Danica…!” someone gasped.

Felix turned. And everything about him changed. The cold in his eyes melted instantly, relief hitting his face so hard it almost looked painful.

“Danica!” He crossed the room in seconds and pulled me into his arms, holding me tight like I might disappear. “Where the hell did you go?” his voice dropped, “I’ve been calling you. I thought something happened. You scared the shit out of me.”

I went stiff for a second, then forced myself to relax. “I was shopping,” I said quietly. “Lost track of time.”

He pulled back, looking at me, then sighed like he couldn’t even be mad. “Next time, take me with you,” he said, brushing my hair back gently. “Your husband can carry your bags, pay for everything, and show up the second you call. That’s what I’m here for, yeah?”

Husband. The word stabbed right through me. No… you’re not. You stopped being that four years ago.

“Today’s our seventh anniversary,” he continued, smiling slightly. “Come on. I’ve got something for you.”

He took my hand and led me outside, straight to the helipad, and before I could say anything he picked me up like I weighed nothing and carried me into the helicopter. The blades roared to life, wind whipping around us as we lifted into the sky. I didn’t speak. I just watched him. This man. This stranger.

After we climbed high enough, he tilted my chin toward the window. “Look.”

I looked down. The city lights shifted, moving, aligning until they formed words stretching across the dark.

LOVE, DANICA.

My breath caught. It was beautiful. It was insane. It was him.

Felix leaned close, his lips brushing my ear, his voice low and soft. “I love you, Danica,” he murmured. “Always have. Always will.”

My chest tightened. If someone else saw this, they’d think I was the luckiest woman alive. So why did I feel like I was drowning?

The helicopter slowly descended, landing outside a massive estate far from the city. And I knew… this night wasn’t over yet.

…

The helicopter landed in front of a massive mansion, the kind that looked like it belonged to royalty or monsters, maybe both. Felix had bought it for five billion, people whispered about it like it was some legend. The gates were carved in insane detail, and right in the center were the words that made my chest tighten.

Danica’s Palace.

I couldn’t breathe for a second.

Everything about it… it was me.

The whole place was built in that aesthetic style I once mentioned I liked, just casually, like it didn’t matter. The garden was filled with orchids, rows and rows of them, rare ones, the kind that cost more than most people made in years. And further in… I saw it.

An amusement park.

My amusement park.

Carousels, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, all glowing softly in the night like something out of a dream. Even a small petting zoo, full of dogs running around, playing, sleeping, safe.

Because I once stopped to feed a stray.

Because I once said they looked lonely.

That was all it took for him.

My eyes burned.

He remembered everything.

Every little thing.

For seven years… he really did love me like that. He gave me everything I ever wanted, even the things I didn’t dare to ask for.

So why… why did it feel like I was dying?

Because now I knew.

That love wasn’t just mine.

He had split it.

Given half to me… and half to the woman who destroyed me.

Felix stepped closer and wiped the tears from my face with his thumb, so gentle it almost hurt more.

“Hey,” he murmured, voice low. “A husband’s supposed to take care of his wife. If you keep crying like this, it’s gonna mess me up. Don’t do that to me.”

I almost laughed.

Husband?

Which one?

Under the stars, he suddenly dropped to one knee. My breath caught as he opened a velvet box, a ring inside catching the light.

“Danica,” he said, looking up at me like I was everything. “Marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love you so damn much I can’t even stand being away from you for a second.”

My fingers trembled.

“So I fixed it. This ring… it’s got a chip inside. And mine has the receiver. Means I’ll always know where you are, what you’re doing. I won’t ever lose you again.”

Something inside me went cold.

Love?

Or control?

His eyes were intense, almost frightening, like if I tried to run he’d burn the world just to drag me back.

He reached for my hand.

And right before the ring slid onto my finger…

His phone rang.

A specific tone.

I saw it in his eyes. Just for a second.

Shannon.

He checked it quickly, face unreadable, then slipped the ring onto my finger anyway like nothing happened. Like I didn’t matter enough to pause for.

“Danica’s an important client,” he said casually, already turning away. “I’ll be right back. Don’t wait too long.”

Client?

I almost choked on that. Before I could even respond, he was gone. Already moving, already boarding the helicopter, like whatever was on that phone mattered more than this moment.

More than me.

The sound of the blades faded into the distance.

And then it was quiet.

I lowered my head slowly and picked up one of the puppies near my feet, holding it close as I crouched down. It bark softly against my palm, warm, alive.

But my chest felt empty. The stray dogs found a home. So why didn’t I?

Something slipped from my finger. It was the ring. My heart sank as I picked it up. He didn’t even notice.

He gave me the wrong one.

The one meant for him. The one that receives. Which meant… The one he took was the one with the chip.

Tracking.

Monitoring.

For a long second, I just stared at it. Then… I pressed the switch.

A voice came through almost immediately.

“I’m sorry, honey… I didn’t want to get like this,” Shannon’s voice trembled, “But I’ve been locked here for four years, I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

My fingers tightened.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” she continued, trying to sound strong. “It’s your seventh anniversary with Miss McKellar today. Go be with her. I’ll be fine. I mean… we made it through four years already, right?”

Silence for a second.

Then his voice.

“Don’t talk bullshit,” Felix said, sharp but controlled. “You think I’d leave you like this? You’re sick. I’m your man. I take care of you, no matter what day it is.”

My heart cracked.

“I don’t care if it’s a damn anniversary or a meeting or whatever,” he continued, softer now. “You come first when you’re like this. We’ll go out, get some air. Clear your head.”

“Really?” Shannon gasped, her voice lighting up. “I can leave? I’m not dreaming, right?”

Felix let out a quiet breath, almost amused. “Since when do I lie to you? Get ready. We’re leaving now.”

And then the sound of the helicopter.

Loud. Familiar.

Carrying her away.

Again.

…

Four years ago, when I had just lost my right hand and the pain was so bad I couldn’t even breathe, Felix stayed with me the whole time. He didn’t sleep, didn’t eat properly, just stayed there like if he let go for even a second, I’d break.

One night, he dragged me out of bed and carried me straight to a helicopter. I remember clinging to him, weak, barely holding on, and he just held me tighter like I was something fragile.

When we were high up in the sky, he tilted my face toward the window.

“Look,” he said softly. “See that? All those buildings… they look small as hell from up here, right?”

I nodded, my vision blurry.

He pressed his forehead against mine, his voice rough but gentle. “That’s life, Danica. No matter how big something feels, it’s not bigger than you. You hear me? There’s no problem you can’t get through.”

His hand squeezed mine. “And you’re not doing it alone. You’ve got me. I’ll get you through anything. I swear.”

Back then… I believed him.

I really did but now I knew the truth. That nightmare… that pain… it started because of him.

...

The helicopter sound pulled me back to the present. I looked up, my eyes narrowing slightly. For a second, I thought I was imagining it.

But I wasn’t.

It landed right next door.

Another mansion.

Identical.

My chest tightened.

The ring in my hand buzzed faintly, and his voice came through.

“Shannon,” Felix said, calm, almost soft in a way I hadn’t heard in a long time, “you didn’t get to leave the villa before. But I’ve got something for you now. This place… it’s yours. Your anniversary gift.”

I stopped breathing.

“I’ll stay here with you today,” he added quietly.

Shannon laughed, bright and happy, like she’d just been handed the world.

At the same time, my phone lit up.

[Danica, I’ve got to meet a client about a project. Won’t be back until tomorrow night. Don’t wait up. Go have fun or whatever you want. If you need anything, call your husband. Love you.]

My fingers tightened around the phone.

A tear slipped down and blurred the word husband on the screen.

He could build the same life twice.

Same house. Same love. Same everything. But he could only belong to one woman.

And it wasn’t me.

Just one wall away, he was with his real wife.

And me? I felt like a dirty secret. Like something hidden in the dark. Like a mistress he couldn’t show the world. My chest hurt, but this time… I didn’t cry.

Not anymore.

It was almost over anyway.

I wiped my face and turned away from the mansion. I didn’t stay. I went home.

And I worked.

I picked up my instruments, both hands stiff but steady enough now, and forced myself to focus. I had only passed the preliminary stage. If I wanted to go further, I had to be better. Stronger. Faster.

Better than everyone else.

Maybe it was everything that had just happened… but decisions started coming to me fast. Sharp. Precise. Like pain had carved something open inside my mind, turning hesitation into instinct.

When I finally finished the first procedure plan, I leaned back, staring at it, breathing slowly. My fingers brushed against the ring on the steel tray by accident.

A soft click.

And then—

“I know one day isn’t enough…” Shannon’s voice came through, soft and breaking. “After this, I have to go back and hide again, right?”

My body went still.

“I get it,” she whispered. “I know I can’t let Miss McKellar see me. I know I don’t deserve that. But I really want to be like her. I want to stand beside you openly. Not hide like this. Just once, I want to be your wife in front of everyone.”

Silence.

My breath got stuck in my throat.

My arm started shaking.

God… it felt like that day again. Like the blade coming down, like my hand being torn away. The pain came rushing back, phantom and real all at once.

It hurts.

Why does it still hurt this much?

Felix knew.

He knew exactly what she did to me. That’s why he kept her hidden. Because he knew if she showed her face… I would break.

He would never allow that.

Right?

Right…?

After a long silence, his voice came through.

“Okay.”

Just one word.

But it destroyed everything.

I clutched my chest, gasping like something inside me had been ripped open.

....

A day later, Felix came back like nothing had happened.

Right on time.

Like a perfect husband.

He walked in with gifts like it was just another normal day. A necklace, blue and shining like the ocean itself, worth more than I could even process. And a dress, custom-made, covered in diamonds that caught every bit of light.

“Danica,” he said, his voice softer now, almost warm. “It’s our seventh anniversary. I want everyone to see how happy we are.”

Happy.

I didn’t say anything.

I just changed into the dress.

Let him put the necklace on me.

Let him look at me like I was something precious.

And then I let him take my hand and lead me out.

The banquet was held in one of his hotels. Of course it was. Seven stars, private, untouchable. His territory.

The ballroom was packed. Celebrities, mafias, business elites, people with power and money, all dressed like they belonged in a different world.

Everything sparkled.

Everything looked perfect. But something felt… off. All the waiters wore the same uniform and masks.

Every single one of them.

Felix barely looked at the masked staff and then glanced at me like none of it mattered. “Danica,” he said calmly, “you’re the center of tonight. No one’s stealing your spotlight. Masks keep the background where it belongs.”

My stomach dropped. I think… I already knew.

Before I could say anything, people started crowding in, all smiles and fake admiration.

“Mr. Gallardo’s still crazy in love, huh?”

“Mrs. Gallardo is so lucky.”

“I heard he bought her a five billion dollar mansion for their anniversary.”

“They say every year his gifts get bigger. His love too.”

Love. The word made me feel sick.

Then suddenly—fabric tearing. The sound cut straight through the room.

A waitress had fallen, her dress ripped high up her thigh, exposing way too much. She scrambled up, shaking. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

No one moved. No one even looked at her properly. Because everyone was scared. Felix didn’t tolerate mistakes. Not tonight. Not ever. I saw it in their faces. They thought she was dead.

Felix’s voice came out cold enough to freeze the room. “Come with me.”

Then he turned to me, and just like that, his tone softened. “Danica,” he said gently, brushing my arm, “rules matter. People need to learn them the hard way sometimes. I’ll deal with her and come right back, alright?”

I nodded without thinking.

He grabbed the waitress by the wrist and dragged her away like she weighed nothing. Something felt wrong. Really wrong.

A few minutes later… I followed. I don’t even know why. Maybe I already knew what I’d find.

The conference room door upstairs was slightly open. I pushed it just enough to see.

And my whole world just… shattered again.

The waitress was sitting on the table, legs wrapped around Felix’s waist. The mask was gone. It was Shannon. Of course it was.