Chapter 2

No sooner had I hung up the phone than Arturo frowned at me.

"Who were you calling? I remember you said you had no family in Marinella."

I looked up silently at the man I had loved for five years.

The memory of that fateful encounter five years ago came rushing back.

I had been at the Marinella harbor that night, just passing an old abandoned warehouse on my way to a private yacht, when I stumbled into a shootout.

The moment the gunshots rang out, the driver slammed on the brakes. Bullets shattered the car window, and the flying shards cut my cheek, leaving a shallow gash.

I let out a small gasp when a man suddenly yanked open the car door and pulled me into his arms. Another three loud bangs rang out as more bullets grazed the door. The man shielded my head with one hand while returning fire with the other.

After what felt like forever, silence finally returned, leaving only the smell of gunpowder and sea air.

Suppressing my wildly beating heart, I spoke the first words I had ever said to Arturo.

"Is this what nightlife in Marinella is like?"

He fell silent for a moment, then flashed me a handsome smile.

"No… it was just Sfortuna—bad luck."

To prove that Marinella was a safe city, he took me to all the nearby attractions, showing me a sight completely different from Brenlor.

I fell in love with the city… and him.

But Alexander Aldric, my father and the head of Aldric Conglomerate, strongly opposed my choice.

"Selena, you're my daughter, the sole heiress of the Aldric family. You've received an elite education since you were a child. How can you fall for a street thug?

"If you dare step out of this house, then I, Alexander Aldric, will disown you!"

So back then, I had lived with Arturo pretending to be an orphan. To this day, he still didn't know I had a family who loved me. Despite my willfulness in leaving them, they still dropped everything and rushed to my side at the sound of a single phone call.

"Si, I don't have relatives in Marinella, because they're in Brenlor. They're already on their way here with the best medical team. Arturo, believe me, Per Favore. They can save Nina—"

I hadn't finished speaking when Avelina's soft laugh interrupted me.

"Donna Selena, sorry to interrupt your story. But even if you really do have family in Brenlor, there's no way they can get here in time to save your critically ill daughter. Right now, the only person she can rely on is me!"

She held up a new consent form.

"The patient's in critical condition right now. I have to warn you that she simply cannot hang on until your relatives from Brenlor arrive."

Arturo's brows, which had only just relaxed, furrowed deeply again.

"Selena, whether or not you actually have family in Brenlor, it's already too late. Avelina is my childhood friend. She wouldn't lie to me. Our daughter is on the operating table right now, waiting for a life-saving surgery.

"Let's sign the consent form first. The medical team you called can handle the follow-up treatment instead," he persuaded gently, trying to break me out of my irrational stubbornness.

But I refused to give in, even throwing the torn form to the floor.

Minutes ticked by. I kept glancing up at the clock on the wall, feeling that time was moving far too slowly.

Finally, Arturo lost his patience and summoned two bodyguards.

"Selena," he said, his gaze icy. "I don't know why you're stopping the doctor from saving Nina, but she's dying right now. I have to sign the form and save her! If you insist on causing trouble, I'll have no choice but to have the bodyguards escort you away."

Panic surged through me. Memories from my past life assaulted me like a nightmare.

I clutched Arturo's sleeve desperately, my voice trembling.

"You can't sign, Arturo! The moment we sign our names on that form, they'll hollow out Nina's body like monsters! And… And her daughter will take Nina's heart!"

Avelina's face stiffened instantly.