Chapter 3

Trixie chatted with the guests in the event hall with ease. The public figures attending the event took a liking to her and wanted to get to know her better. She was a very beautiful woman, after all. A wealthy bachelor approached Trixie to ask her for a dance, and she agreed with a smile.

Stefan stood where he was, gripping the wine glass in his hand so hard that I could hear it squeaking under the pressure. He stared at the dance floor like a wild beast eyeing its prey, and he suddenly turned to look at me. "It's been a while since we danced."

I felt my throat clench. I could hardly stand at this point because of my fever. I wanted to reject him, but Stefan had already grabbed my wrist. His grip on me was tight, as if he had nowhere else to vent his frustrations.

He pulled me onto the dance floor as he twirled me with precision, composure, and grace. We were the perfect couple in the eyes of others, but I was the only one who knew that his eyes were looking past my shoulders at Trixie.

The lights were dizzying, and my knees went weak as I fell to the ground. Everyone stopped dancing to look at me while Stefan quickly helped me up, asking in a grim voice, "Are you all right?" He did not sound worried, but unhappy, as if I had ruined his mood or failed him in his attempt to show off to Trixie.

I shook my head as I listened to everyone discussing the mishap.

"She fell? That should have been an easy dance, right?"

"Donna Gallo doesn't seem too happy. She was all right just a while ago…"

My fingers dug into the flesh of my palms as I leaned against the wall to slowly leave the dance floor. I could hear Trixie's voice from behind me. "Is Donna Gallo all right? Shouldn't you check on her, Don Gallo?" She sounded so soft and gentle.

Stefan replied in a low voice, "Do you really want me to?"

There was a moment of silence. "I…" She sounded hesitant.

My footsteps paused. My heart clenched painfully, and tears welled in my eyes. It has been quite a while since I last felt this way. Cold wind gusted into the corridor, and it chilled me to the bone through my thin dress. It suddenly hit me that it was not my fever that was making me feel cold. It was because I finally knew there had never been a place for me in this world.

I did not return to the event hall but walked deep into the gardens until I could no longer hear the guests' laughter. Then, finally, I slowed down. It was not long before I heard footsteps behind me, and Stefan appeared by my side.

He looked to be in a good mood as he passed me a glass of wine. "All you did was trip. Don't worry. No one will remember what happened with me around," Stefan said gently, as if trying to cajole a child that was making a scene.

I stared at the glass but did not take it from him. He was slightly taken aback, and his brows furrowed. He touched me on the shoulder, but his expression changed the moment his fingers came in contact with my body. "You're burning up."

Stefan should have noticed this when we were dancing, but his attention was not on me then. He took out his phone and said sharply to the person on the other end, "Get Dr. Dickson here within ten minutes." He hung up and grabbed my arm. "We should go inside. It's cold out here. What if your condition gets even more serious?"

He sounded anxious, but his concern had come too late. I pulled my arm away from him and replied in a calm voice, "It's fine. I'd like to stay here." He frowned even deeper and was about to say something when someone suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.

Trixie was standing there with red eyes. She took a step backward and turned to run off. Stefan released me almost immediately without hesitation. "Wait here for the doctor. I need to attend to something."

The sounds of their footsteps eventually disappeared into the distance, and the garden was quiet once more. All that was left was the sound of the gusting wind. I lowered my head to look at where he had grabbed my arm. I could still feel the warmth of his hand, but it no longer warmed my heart.

I picked up the glass of wine from the table and guzzled it down without hesitation. When the burning alcohol flowed down my throat, I finally felt a real sense of warmth.

It was not long before Corey arrived. He was surprised to see my eyes so red. "Donna Gallo…"

"Just give me a prescription." I avoided his eyes.

Corey was silent for a while as he gave me a simple checkup by taking my temperature and checking my breathing. He was gentle as always during the process. Before we left, he reminded me in a low voice, "It's better if you take an IV drip. You have to make sure you get better quickly, or it will increase your risk in the surgery later on."

I grunted affirmatively and followed him to the infirmary. When we walked past a resting lounge with its door slightly ajar, we heard a woman's low laughter coming from inside. "Don Gallo… Someone will discover us if we do it here…" Her voice was sultry and sickly sweet. I knew it was Trixie. Corey and I stopped in our tracks.

Stefan's voice came next. It was husky and tinged with jealousy. "Now you're worried? Why weren't you worried when you had your arms around another man when dancing with him?"

The sound of rustling clothes could be heard, accompanied by Trixie softly begging Stefan to be gentle. I could have left, but my feet were somehow rooted to the ground, and I could not budge an inch. "What if Donna Gallo hears us?" There was a brief silence that hung in the air.

Stefan chuckled. "Don't worry. She isn't around here. She's at the infirmary." He paused before continuing condescendingly, "It doesn't matter if she hears us. Even if she saw what we're doing, she'd pretend nothing happened. She's just a lost puppy I rescued. Without me, she'd turn back into the homeless puppy her gambling father sold to the underworld."

My eyes widened at that point. Even Corey's expression changed. It took him some effort to keep his emotions in check before saying to me in a low voice, "How could Don Gallo say something like that?! He made a vow never to let you back into that hell when you got married—" He stopped himself when he saw the stoic look on my face.

I stared silently at the door and took out my phone to record audio of what they were doing. The movements inside got increasingly chaotic as I recorded laughter, breathless panting, and things being knocked over. I did not budge until I heard the man grunt in low satisfaction, then I stopped the recording.

Finally, I looked up at Corey to give him a small smile. "Let's go. If we wait any longer, my fever won't ever subside."

Corey stared at me silently but said nothing as he followed obediently behind me. The lights at the end of the corridor cast long shadows on us as we walked. It was not until we stepped into the infirmary that I finally let myself go and fell unconscious to the ground.

"Donna Gallo! Donna Gallo! Wake up!" Someone was shaking my shoulder, but I could not muster the strength to reply. My sight became blurry, and it sounded like everything was miles away from me. My last memory was of Stefan slamming the door open and rushing into the infirmary to carry me in his arms.

He kept calling out to me in a panic, and he looked extremely worried, but all I saw were the fresh hickies on the side of Stefan's neck, and all I could feel was my heart splitting in two.

If I had a choice back then, I would never have allowed Stefan to take me away from the underground casino. My life would have turned out the same either way—living in misery. The only thing I had to look forward to now was that this time, I could walk away with my own two feet.