Chapter 1

I let out a long sigh as I pushed the plastic surgery proposal toward my doctor, Corey Dickson. "I know you're loyal to the family, but don't forget that I'm the one who saved your life. So, tell me right now: will you help me or not?"

Corey froze. I had never threatened him before, but I had no other choice. The family had a wide information network and could check every record of every hospital. Corey was the only doctor with enough resources to challenge them.

He hesitated for a long time before suddenly looking up at me. "Will you really find happiness after leaving this place, Donna Gallo?"

I laughed softly and replied with conviction, "Yes, I will." At the very least, things could not get worse than the current situation I was in.

It took Corey a lot of courage to accept the proposal. I knew I had put him in a difficult position, as betraying the Don was essentially gambling with his life. As Corey looked through the proposal, he frowned. "Why would you want to change your eyes, Donna Gallo? You have beautiful eyes. It'd be a pity if you had work done on them."

I shook my head. It was because Stefan Gallo loved my eyes. Every time we left the house or made love, he would kiss the corners of my eyes. It was his favorite part of me. If I did not destroy my eyes, Stefan would immediately recognize me and trap me again. He would lock me up with the other traitors, and I would spend the rest of my days howling in pain.

At the thought of those disfigured and broken-down people, I looked up at Corey determinedly. "There's no room for discussion about my eyes. They need to be operated on."

Corey let out a long sigh and nodded in agreement. I patted him on the shoulder to console him. "Remember, only the two of us know about this. Once I erase my identity, I'll update you on the surgery date before I leave for Beyland."

"Erasing your identity? Beyland?" Corey's eyes widened. "Isn't that the country you hate the most? You almost died there, Donna Gallo! What are you thinking?"

I lowered my head and laughed bitterly. My laughter was so quiet that I was the only one who could hear it. "I want to go to a place where there is no Stefan."

When Stefan saved me from danger in Beyland, I thought we would live happily ever after. I had no idea that it would only take three years for him to fall for someone new and for my life to descend back to hell.

After estimating the time required to erase my identity and make all necessary arrangements, I decided that the surgery should be held three months from now. After Corey left, I went to a private pawnshop to change part of my money into gold. Payments in gold were easier to fly under the radar than online payments.

While I was waiting for the transaction to finalize, I stood by the roadside and lit a cigarette. A huge screen in the distance began broadcasting an interview with Trixie Carter. She was the most popular female celebrity over the last two years.

The reporters in the interview were eyeing the sapphire ring on her ring finger. "Miss Carter, that's the work of the world's most renowned designer, Andre Hove, isn't it? It's called Azure Heart, and it was supposed to be sold to a private collector at an auction. I can't believe that it's now on your finger!"

Trixie touched the ring gently and said in surprise, "Is this ring that valuable? I thought it was an ordinary birthday present."

"This ring is one of a kind in this world, and it's priceless. Your friend must be someone rich and powerful. It's making all of us curious!"

Trixie shook her head. "He's just a low-profile businessman. I hope no one will speculate on his identity."

Passersby looked up at the huge screen with envy, while I lowered my head to look at the same sapphire ring on my ring finger. I laughed self-deprecatingly. Was it really one of a kind? If that were true, what was I wearing on my finger?

After I finished converting my money to gold, I entered a store that traded jewelry and handed my ring to an appraiser. "Is this sapphire ring the work of Andre Hove?"

The appraiser inspected it closely before saying carefully, "This is a natural sapphire. Andre Hove's design uses the Kardamini sapphire."

I nodded. The truly one-of-a-kind ring was on Trixie's finger, not mine. "Sell it."

The appraiser gave me a troubled look. "The ring is going to be difficult to sell since the inside of the band is engraved. This looks like a token of love, Miss, and in my professional opinion, it's worth $2 million in the market. Whoever bought this was pretty generous and must have deep feelings for you. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"

"No. Sell it and give me the cash value in gold. All of it." I was very sure of my decision. If Stefan really did have deep feelings for me, he would never have given me a fake ring and cheated on me. Moreover, $2 million was nothing to him. It was the same measly price he had paid for Trixie to become a brand spokesperson.

Her so-called 'low-profile businessman' had spent well over $2 million on Trixie and turned her from a nameless actress into the hottest celebrity in the market. He even used all of his resources, from legal means to his underworld connections, to clear every obstacle in her way.

I used to lie to myself using the same reasoning the appraiser did, but the red marks on Stefan's neck told the truth.

After leaving the store, I headed back to the villa with a heavy box in my hand. A storm suddenly arrived, and rain pelted down hard on me, but I did not feel pain. In fact, I had never felt so relieved before. I was soaking wet by the time I got home, and I was surprised to see Stefan home as well.

He was holding a cup of hot tea while reading the financial papers on the sofa. He frowned when he saw me drenched. "Where have you been? And why are you soaking wet? " He said while using his silk handkerchief to wipe away the rainwater from my face gently.

I pressed down on his hand to stop him as I said softly, "I was out doing some shopping." With that, I walked past him to go upstairs.

"Stop right there," Stefan called out from behind me.