Chapter 2

"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.