Chapter 1

Celia Vaughn sent Roman Keller's mistress out of the country behind his back. That same night, he kidnapped her parents and offered a trade—their lives for his mistress' whereabouts.

Roman pushed his phone in front of her. On the screen, her parents were tied to chairs with explosives strapped to their chests, the countdown ticking down steadily.

Chapter 1

The timer on the screen ticked down from 59 minutes and 59 seconds.

Roman Keller sat across from Celia Vaughn in a tailored suit, his long fingers tapping lightly against the table as though he were waiting for some inconsequential contract to be signed.

"Celia, you have 59 minutes left." His tone was calm, almost gentle. "Tell me, where did you send Lana?"

Celia felt cold down to her bones. Her throat clenched as if a hand was wrapped around it, and she could not force out a single word. This was the third time he had asked.

The first time he asked where Lana Crawford had gone, she said nothing. The second time, he caught her chin between his fingers and traced his thumb along the line of her lips as he spoke in a low voice. "Celia, don't be difficult."

Now, the third time, he was using her parents' lives to force an answer out of her.

"Roman..." Her voice shook. "Those are my parents. They're the most important people in my life."

He let out a quiet laugh, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold. "Are they? Then when you sent Lana away, did you ever stop to think about how much she means to me?"

Celia stared at him, and the absurdity of it nearly made her laugh.

He had told her the women outside meant nothing, that they were just passing amusements he would tire of and throw away. He had told her she was the one he loved most, and now, he was ready to kill her parents for Lana.

"Roman." Her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like her own. "If I don't tell you, will you really let them die?"

He leaned forward slightly, her pale reflection caught in his dark eyes. "Try me."

Celia trembled from head to toe, tears falling onto the table. She did not understand how it had come to this. Roman had loved her once, so unmistakably, so completely.

Back then, she was just a girl from an ordinary family. Roman was the heir to one of the city's most powerful dynasties. Born into privilege, he was proud and untouchable, the kind of man who never lowered himself for anyone.

Yet he fell for her at first sight. He pursued her so relentlessly that the entire city knew about it. He made 99 declarations of love that each became a spectacle of its own.

He dropped roses from a helicopter, bought out every LED screen in the financial district for a single confession, and on her birthday, he set the city's entire fireworks display off just for her.

She was swept off her feet, but her parents were firmly against it. They knew exactly the type of man he was, the type who kept a wife at home and a mistress on the side. With men from families like his, love was never a fairy tale.

They wanted her to marry someone from their own world, but Roman showed up at their front door and refused to leave for an entire day and night. He stripped away every last shred of his pride just for the chance to marry her.

Eventually, her parents gave in.

After the wedding, he devoted himself to her completely, bending to her every whim. When she had bad cramps, he flew back overnight from abroad just to make her a cup of hot chocolate.

When she mentioned offhand that she wanted chestnut cake from a bakery across town, he drove halfway across the city to get it.

She thought she had married the right man, until the first time she heard the name Lana Crawford.

It came up during a casual conversation with his assistant, who mentioned that some college girl had deliberately tripped during one of Roman's speaking events. It was a cheap stunt that no one took seriously.

Celia laughed it off. Women were always trying to get close to Roman, and he had never given any of them the time of day.

Yet the second time she heard the name, it was in bed.

He was on top of her, lost in the moment, when he breathed out a single name. "Lana."

The world dropped out from under her.

She confronted him, and he held her close, trying to explain. He admitted to thinking about keeping Lana on the side but insisted it was nothing serious, just a bit of fun.

"Everyone in our circle does it, Celia. You're still the one I love the most. That's never going to change."

However, as time went on, he stopped bothering to hide it. He bought Lana jewelry, set her up in a mansion, and even brought her to private events. The rumors tore through the city like wildfire.

Celia cried and fought, but Roman no longer comforted her the way he used to. All he gave her was a cold, flat dismissal. "Stop making a scene."

In the end, she could not take it anymore and sent Lana out of the country.

She never expected his reaction to be this extreme. He kidnapped her parents and strapped explosives to them, all to force her to say where Lana had gone.

"She's in Valcourt." The words came out shaking. "At Reinfeld. The villa under my name."

He studied her for a few seconds as though weighing whether she was telling the truth, then picked up his phone and made a call. Once he had confirmation, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, his steps already urgent.

"What about my parents?" Celia lunged forward and caught his sleeve. "You promised you'd let them go if I told you!"

He glanced back at her, his expression flat. "The abandoned factory on the south side. Find them yourself."

Celia stumbled out the door and drove straight for the south side.

When she found them, there were ten minutes left on the bomb. Her parents were tied to chairs with their mouths taped shut. The moment they saw her, they shook their heads frantically, begging her to run.

She rushed over and tried to undo the ropes with trembling hands, but the countdown kept ticking, steady and merciless. The timer read three minutes and 21 seconds. It was still counting down.

She could not get them loose. Tears streamed down her face.

Her father suddenly threw his weight into her, knocking her backward. The next second, he threw himself over the bomb.

"Dad!"

The explosion was deafening. The blast wave threw her off her feet, and she hit the ground hard. Everything went red.

...

When Celia woke, she was in a hospital.

Her parents, Martin Vaughn and Ruth Davenport, were both badly injured, but they were alive.

She knelt beside the bed, sobbing. "I'm sorry... I picked the wrong person..."

Ruth lifted a weak hand and stroked her hair. "Silly girl. You just have to start over."

Celia shook her head. "He won't let me go."

After she first found out about Lana, she could not accept it. Divorce had crossed her mind more than once, but every time she drafted an agreement, Roman tore it up.

He told her Lana was just a fling, that he would get bored and drop her eventually. Celia was his true love, and he would never let her go.

Martin squeezed her hand. "No, Celia. There's something you don't know, and he's probably forgotten. The night we agreed to let you marry him, your mother and I made him sign a divorce agreement.

"If he ever betrayed you, the agreement would take effect. You could walk away on the spot, and our whole family would disappear for good."

Celia froze. Tears rolled down her face before she could stop them. Her parents had planned an escape route for her all along.

...

The next day, Celia did two things.

First, she and her parents took the signed divorce agreement to a law firm. The lawyer reviewed the document and nodded. "This is valid. The divorce takes effect immediately."

Second, the three of them filed to have their identities erased.

Once the process was complete, there would be no more Celia Vaughn—not on any record, not in any system, not anywhere in the world.

Roman would never find her again.

Chapter 2

When Celia learned the identity erasure would take two weeks to process, she talked it over with Martin and Ruth. They agreed she should go back to the Keller estate.

For the next two weeks, she had to stay by Roman's side and make sure he did not notice anything out of the ordinary. If he caught on, none of them would make it out.

Once she was back at the villa, Celia began going through her things. She threw all of it into the fireplace. The photos they had taken together, the love letters Roman had written her, the souvenirs from every trip.

The flames swallowed everything, like a ridiculous dream burning itself out.

The next day, Celia went to the backyard. An entire row of sycamore trees stood there, every one of them planted by Roman's own hands. He had told her sycamores were a symbol of faithfulness, just like his love for her. It was something that would never wither.

Celia picked up an axe and cut them down one by one.

The housekeepers watched from a distance, too afraid to come closer or stop her. Each trunk split with a dull, grating crack, like an obsession being hacked apart by force.

The day after that, Celia drove up to Lover's Cliff.

A love-shaped lock hung from the railing with both their names engraved on it. Years ago, Roman had held her in his arms and tossed the key over the edge, telling her they would be bound together for the rest of their lives.

Celia cut the chain with a pair of pliers. The lock hit the ground with a sharp, clean ring.

She turned and walked away without looking back even once.

When she returned to the villa, there were two people in the living room who had not been there before. Roman sat on the couch with Lana nestled against his chest. Her face was pale, making her look so fragile as though a breeze might knock her over.

Celia walked past them without expression and headed straight for the stairs.

"Stop." Roman's voice came from behind her, flat and cold.

Celia stopped but did not turn around.

"Do you know why I brought her back?" he asked.

"I don't care."

"After you shipped Lana overseas, she couldn't adjust. She barely slept for days." His tone carried an edge of accusation. "Celia, apologize to her."

Celia finally turned around and looked at the two of them. Lana was clutching Roman's sleeve with a timid expression, though a flicker of satisfaction passed through her eyes.

"What if I don't?" Celia asked calmly.

"It's fine, really..." Lana's voice came out soft and fragile. "I can handle a little unfairness. After all... she's the wife."

Roman immediately pulled her closer. "Haven't I told you to stop being so selfless?"

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You have me now. Whatever you want, it's yours."

Celia felt the corner of her mouth twitch. The irony was almost suffocating.

One of the housekeepers brought out a cup of chamomile tea, prepared specially for Lana.

Just then, Roman's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and spoke to Lana in a gentle voice. "You always get a headache when I talk shop. I'll take this outside. Drink your tea."

He stood and left the room.

Celia remained where she was. Something in her chest felt as though it had been hit with a blunt object. He had never taken business calls outside before, not when they involved confidential matters. Now, for Lana, he was willing to change even that.

The living room was empty now except for the two of them.

The fragility vanished from Lana's face in an instant, replaced by the smugness of someone who had already won.

"See?" She let out a quiet, satisfied laugh. "You might be Mrs. Keller, and you might've used that title to ship me off, but his body and his heart are both with me."

Celia looked at her with disinterest. "If you want him, he's yours."

Lana blinked, caught off guard, then her expression twisted with anger. "I don't need your permission! He'll be mine sooner or later, and so will your place in this house."

Celia did not react, which only made Lana angrier.

Then the sound of Roman's footsteps came from the hallway. Something vicious flashed through Lana's eyes. She snatched the scalding cup of chamomile tea and poured it over herself.

"Ah!" She let out a shriek and burst into tears on cue.

Roman rushed in to find Lana drenched and trembling, the tea still dripping from her clothes and her face a picture of tearful devastation.

"Celia!" His brow creased with barely contained fury. "It wasn't enough that you refused to apologize? You had to do this to her?"

"I didn't do it," Celia said calmly. "Check the security cameras."

"Fine. I will." He let out a cold, humorless laugh.

Lana immediately grabbed his arm, her voice breaking. "Roman, it's not her fault... I shouldn't have been foolish enough to think I could stay by your side. I'll go now..."

She managed a single step before Roman pulled her back.

"I just got you back, and you want to disappear on me again? Are you trying to kill me?"

He held her tight, the way a person held something precious they thought they had lost. Then he turned to Celia, and his eyes were cold enough to cut. "I'll make sure she gets justice for this."

Celia was locked in the cold storage room.

She struggled as the bodyguards dragged her inside. "Roman! Check the cameras! I didn't do it!"

He did not even look at her. "No need. I only believe her."

The heavy door slammed shut.

Darkness and freezing air swallowed Celia whole. She curled up in the corner, shaking, though the cold inside her ran deeper than anything in that room.

This was how he treated the person he claimed to love most.

The tears came before she could stop them.

She had always run cold, for as long as she could remember. After they married, Roman had spent a fortune installing a climate control system throughout the house, keeping even the outdoor courtyard warm in every season.

In winter, he used to pull her freezing hands and feet against his chest and laugh. "I'll keep you warm for the rest of our lives."

Looking back now, a promise was probably only real in the moment it was made.

Chapter 3

The next day, when Celia had been in the cold long enough to lose nearly all feeling in her body, the door finally opened.

A bodyguard stood in the doorway, expressionless. "Mr. Keller says next time, the punishment won't be this light."

She braced herself against the wall and stumbled out, trembling so hard her teeth chattered.

There would not be a next time. Soon enough, she would make sure he was out of her life for good.

That evening, Roman's assistant delivered a gown and a set of jewelry, along with instructions that Celia was expected to attend a charity auction gala.

Celia went. She saw Lana the moment she reached the entrance. Lana was wearing a couture gown and a diamond necklace that Roman had won at auction last month for an eight-figure sum.

Celia stopped and looked at Roman. "She's here too. What do you still need me for?"

His expression barely shifted. "I wasn't planning on bringing her, but she's never been to something like this and wanted to come."

He paused, his tone careless. "Celia, don't be so petty."

A faint tremor ran through her.

It was not about being petty. It had simply never occurred to him what it would mean for his wife and his mistress to show up at the same event. People would talk, and they would laugh at her behind her back.

Roman walked in with Lana on his arm, and she clung to him with an adoring smile.

The whispers started almost immediately.

"Mr. Keller and his wife look wonderful together, don't they?"

"You've got the wrong woman. That one over there is Mrs. Keller. The one on his arm is just... the other woman."

The first speaker glanced awkwardly at Celia. "Well, look at the way Mr. Keller treats her. She's in designer originals, and Mrs. Keller's wearing complimentary pieces... You can't really blame me for mixing them up."

Celia's fingers curled into fists, her nails digging hard into her palms.

Once the auction began, Celia raised her paddle for a few pieces without much thought. Every time she made a bid, Lana topped her by exactly one dollar.

Quiet laughter rippled through the crowd.

"The wife getting bullied by the mistress right out in the open. That's a first."

Celia's expression did not change. She lifted her hand and made the signal for an unlimited bid, meaning she would take the piece at any price, no ceiling.

Lana's face went white. She tugged at Roman's sleeve, looking wounded. "Roman, I really love that piece..."

Roman frowned and turned to Celia. "Celia, let her have it."

"No. She can't place an unlimited bid, but I can, because I'm your wife and marital assets are shared property." Celia looked directly at Lana. "It doesn't matter how much you give her. She'll never outrank me."

Lana's eyes welled up instantly. She shot to her feet. "You..."

The next second, she covered her face with her hands and burst into tears. "You're right, you're his wife... I'm just the dirty little secret who had no business dreaming. Roman, let's just end this."

She turned and ran.

Roman's expression went rigid. He grabbed Celia's wrist, squeezing hard enough to bruise. "I told you I'd get tired of her eventually. Did you have to push her this far?"

Celia met his gaze evenly. "Whether she stays or goes has nothing to do with me."

His eyes went cold. He dropped her wrist and strode after Lana.

Celia stood alone in the middle of the room. The stares around her ranged from mocking to pitying.

She did not care. She would be gone soon enough.

…

The next morning, however, Celia was jolted awake by a news alert on her phone.

The headline read: [Breaking news! 999 intimate photos of Keller Corporation CEO's wife to be sold at a public auction through Kingsley's.]

Her blood ran cold. Those photos existed in only one person's possession.

Chapter 4

Celia's hands were shaking when she dialed Roman's number. Her voice came out raw. "The photos... Did you leak them?"

On the other end, Roman let out a cold laugh. "You liked placing unlimited bids, didn't you? If you don't want anyone else seeing those photos, then get over there and buy them back. One by one. Bid to your heart's content." His tone was cruel.

In the background, Lana's voice floated through, sweet and delicate. "Roman, is that Celia calling? I should go. I really shouldn't be here..."

"Don't be ridiculous." His voice softened instantly. A moment later, the unmistakable sound of a kiss came through the line. "I already stood up for you. Try walking away again and see what happens."

The call went dead at some point after that.

Celia felt the floor drop out from under her. She rushed to the auction venue. When she pushed through the doors, her entire body was trembling. The room was full of men, and her intimate photos were flashing on the large screen at the front.

There was one of her sleeping face. Roman had called it adorable and saved it.

There was one of her back as she stepped out of the bath. He had coaxed her into letting him take it, saying he wanted something to look at when he missed her.

There was one of her bare in bed, her skin covered in marks he had left. He had told her those were proof of how much he loved her.

The men in the room stared at Celia with undisguised hunger, and the murmuring cut into her like a blade.

"That body... Keller's a lucky man."

"Didn't he used to be crazy about his wife? Why's he putting her photos up for sale?"

"He's gotten bored, obviously. These trophy wives look good on the surface, but behind closed doors..."

Every word drove itself deeper. Celia thought of how ferociously possessive Roman used to be.

Years ago, on an island vacation, she had worn a backless dress and a man glanced at her one too many times.

Roman pulled her straight back to the hotel room and pinned her against the floor-to-ceiling windows, refusing to stop until she repeated after him—"Celia Vaughn belongs to Roman Keller."

Now, for the sake of another woman, he had taken her most private photos and handed them to a room full of strangers.

She bought them back one at a time. With every press of the bidding paddle, something inside her grew a little colder. By the time she bought the last one, the love she had carried for Roman was completely spent.

Her phone rang as she walked out of the auction house.

"Did you enjoy your unlimited bidding?" Roman's voice dripped with mockery.

Celia gripped the phone until her nails bit into her palm. "You did this without worrying that I'll divorce you?"

His tone was flat, almost bored, like an adult explaining something obvious to a child. "You can't divorce me, Celia. If I don't sign, the marriage doesn't end."

She said nothing.

He had forgotten. She already had a divorce agreement with his signature on it.

When she stayed silent, Roman's voice eased slightly. "Today was just a lesson."

There was a short pause. "I've told you before. Stop going after Lana, and I'll come back to this family when the time is right. Your birthday's coming up in a few days. I'll throw you a party to make it up to you."

Celia was about to say she did not need one, but the line was already dead.

Over the following days, Lana's social media posts appeared in Celia's feed like clockwork. The latest was a photo of Roman holding Lana on a yacht, captioned: [I wanted to see the ocean, so he bought me an island.]

Below that was: [He's allergic to cat hair, but he got me a Ragdoll anyway.]

There was also: [His entire camera roll is just me. Hehe.]

Before, something like this would have hurt Celia so badly she could not breathe. Now, she felt nothing at all.

Roman had been staying at Lana's place most nights. On the rare occasion he came home, he did not even notice that things had gone missing around the house. He probably would not notice if she disappeared either.

Chapter 5

On the day of the birthday gala, Roman came to pick Celia up himself. He was alone in the car.

"You didn't bring Lana?" Celia asked, her voice flat.

Roman frowned. "I'll keep the two of you apart from now on, so you don't keep getting upset."

Celia's mouth twitched. It was not about sparing her feelings. He was just protecting Lana from her. In his mind, Celia had already become the villain.

The gala was lavish. Roman held Celia's hand the entire evening, presenting her with jewelry and paintings. He even lowered his voice to coax her. "I've made it up to you this time, haven't I?"

Celia looked at him and thought of how things used to be. Whenever he upset her, he would humble himself just like this, and she would always soften and forgive him.

This time was different.

He had used her parents' lives as leverage, ground her dignity into the floor, and put her intimate photos up for public auction. Even if he laid the whole world at her feet, it would never be enough.

Celia was about to respond when the doors of the banquet hall swung open. Lana stood in the doorway wearing a white gown, looking timid and uncertain.

Roman's expression changed. "I told you to stay at the villa."

Her eyes glistened. "I... I wanted to celebrate her birthday. I even brought a gift..."

"I don't want to see you," Celia said coldly.

Roman had already waved a server over to arrange a seat for Lana. He leaned toward Celia and spoke under his breath. "She came all this way to celebrate your birthday. Consider it a fresh start after what happened."

The gala was supposed to be for Celia, but Roman's attention stayed on Lana the entire time.

When the band began to play, he reached for Celia's hand. Then he caught a glimpse of Lana across the room, her eyes brimming with tears, so he let go. He turned and walked toward Lana instead.

Celia stood in the corner and watched them dance together. She felt nothing.

When the music ended, Lana pouted and complained that her heels were hurting her feet. Roman went downstairs himself to buy her a pair of flats.

The moment he was gone, Lana walked over to Celia and held up her phone. "You probably don't know this, Celia, but every gift Roman gave you tonight was something I had already turned down.

"He even had to get my permission before coming to your birthday party. He's been texting me every minute."

She tilted the screen proudly to show the chat log. "Look. He wrote, 'Baby, just a little longer. I'll be back with you soon.'"

Celia was long past caring. "What do you actually want?"

"I want you to step aside."

"Soon." Celia looked at her calmly. "I'll be stepping aside for good."

Lana narrowed her eyes, studying her. For a moment, it seemed as though she believed it. Then, without warning, she grabbed Celia's hand and swung it hard across her own face. The slap rang out across the room.

By the time Roman came rushing back, all he saw was Lana clutching her cheek with tears streaming down her face.

"Celia!" His voice shook with rage. "You hit her again?"

"I didn't."

"I saw it myself!" He grabbed Celia's wrist, squeezing hard enough to bruise.

"Wasn't the last lesson enough? I told you, whatever you do to Lana, I'll pay it back tenfold."

Lana shook her head through her sobs. "Forget it... It's fine..."

"You don't have to be afraid while I'm here." Roman wiped the tears from her face, his voice tender. "I've told you, you can do whatever you want. Even if you burn the whole place down, it doesn't matter. Stop being so timid. That's how you end up getting pushed around."

He turned to the bodyguards and ordered them to hold Celia in place, then looked at Lana. "However she hit you, you hit her back ten times over."

Lana put on a frightened face. "I... I can't..."

"I'll show you."

He took Lana's hand in his and struck Celia across the face. The sound was sharp enough to silence the room.

"That one's for teaching you to fight back."

He struck again.

"That one's for teaching you not to be so timid."

Then again.

He struck a third time, then a fourth. Celia's vision blurred, her ears rang, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, but she clenched her jaw and did not make a sound.

Roman stopped at ten.

Around them, the guests whispered among themselves. "Mrs. Keller... How awful. It's her birthday too..."

"She had it coming. Shouldn't have picked on the girl..."

Roman cradled Lana's hand gently in both of his. "Does it hurt? Let me get something for that."

He swept Lana into his arms and walked out without looking back.

The bodyguards released Celia, and she crumpled to the floor, her cheek burning. The pain in her heart was a thousand times worse, though.

She regretted it. She regretted ever falling in love with Roman Keller.

She regretted it so much.

Chapter 6

Celia staggered out of the banquet hall, her cheek still burning. The blood at the corner of her mouth had already dried.

She did not call the driver. She got behind the wheel herself and drove to the hospital.

While the doctor treated her wounds, she stared at herself in the mirror. One side of her face was red and swollen, the skin at her lip was split, and her eyes were laced with broken blood vessels.

She looked wrecked.

She tried to smile, but the movement pulled at the wound, and the pain made her suck in a sharp breath.

Once the doctor was done, she headed back to her car. In the parking garage, two people were waiting for her. They were Lana's parents, Gerald Crawford and Patrice Engel.

They flanked her car door, their voices pleading. "Ms. Vaughn, please, stop holding on to the title of Mrs. Keller. If not for yourself, then have some pity on us and let our Lana take your place..."

Celia looked at them coldly. "Move."

"Lana truly loves Mr. Keller. Just let them be together..."

"I said move."

She had no interest in dragging this out. She pushed past them and pulled the car door open.

The moment her foot hit the gas, Gerald threw himself at the front of the car. The dull thud came before Celia could even process what had happened. She looked up and saw him on the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.

Patrice screamed and threw herself down beside him. "Honey!"

Celia sat frozen, her fingers locked around the steering wheel.

He walked to the front of the car himself. It was deliberate.

There was no time to think it through. She got out of the car and got him to the emergency room.

In the hospital corridor, Lana came running. The moment she saw Celia, she did not say a word. She just swung her hand and slapped her across the face.

Celia's head snapped to the side, her ears ringing.

"Celia Vaughn!" Lana was sobbing, every inch the picture of heartbreak. "Do whatever you want to me, but why would you go after my parents?"

The bandage on Celia's cheek split open, and fresh blood seeped through, but she could not feel any of it.

"Your father threw himself at the car," she said flatly.

"If you're going to lie, at least make it convincing!" Roman's voice cut in from behind her, sharp and cold. "Why would Lana's father deliberately run into your car? Celia, when did you become this cruel?"

Celia looked at him. Whatever was left of her heart had already gone numb.

He would not even investigate. He had already decided she did it on purpose. He seemed to have forgotten entirely what it had been like when he loved her.

A doctor hurried out. "The patient has lost a significant amount of blood and needs a transfusion urgently. He's type A. Can anyone here donate?"

Lana shook her head through her tears. "I'm immediate family. I can't donate..."

Roman's gaze landed on Celia, cold and deliberate. "She's type A. She'll do it."

Celia's head snapped up. "I'm not donating."

"You hit him. You take responsibility." His eyes were dark. "If anything happens to the man in there, I won't let it go."

Celia felt the cold settle through her entire body, and her voice shook. "Are you going to do what you did last time? Threaten me with my parents' lives? Threaten me with mine?"

Something flickered in his eyes, as though the words had struck a nerve, but it lasted less than a second. He hardened again and gave the order to his bodyguards, "Hold her down. Draw the blood."

Celia was forced into the donation chair. When the needle pierced her vein, her fingertips trembled from the pain.

The blood bag filled slowly, and her awareness faded with it.

She remembered how it used to be. She was anemic, and Roman used to panic over the smallest scrape. A paper cut was enough to send him into a fit of worry.

Now, he was holding her down and draining her blood to save a man who had thrown himself at her car.

Her vision darkened in waves until she finally lost consciousness.

Chapter 7

When Celia woke again, it was already dark. She forced herself out of bed on unsteady legs and made her way out of the hospital. As she passed one of the rooms, she heard Lana's voice through the door, sugary and sweet.

"Dad, Mom, this is Roman. My boyfriend."

Celia stopped.

Through the half-open door, she could see Roman with his arm around Lana's waist. His voice was warm and reassuring. "Don't worry. I won't let Lana be mistreated ever again."

Patrice was beaming. "Good, good. Lana's so lucky to have found someone like you."

Celia stood outside the door, and a memory surfaced before she could stop it.

Years ago, Roman had stood exactly like that, with an arm around her waist as he spoke to her parents with the same sincerity. "Don't worry. I'll never let Celia be mistreated."

The same words, now spoken for another woman.

His promises, it turned out, came with a very short expiration date.

Celia bit down on her lip until she tasted blood, then turned and walked away. Once she was outside, she checked the time. There were three days until the identity erasure was finalized.

Three more days, and she and her parents would be gone for good. No matter how hard Roman searched, every trail would lead to a dead end.

Back at the villa, she packed quickly, just a few changes of clothes, her ID, and her passport. She did not want to take a single thing that belonged to this life.

The bedroom door swung open just as she was slipping her passport into her bag.

Roman stood in the doorway with Lana behind him, tears streaming down her face.

"My dad's out of danger, but at his age, this really took a toll on him..." Lana's voice hitched between sobs, the tears coming one after another.

Roman reached over and wiped her cheeks, his voice gentle. "Don't cry. I'm handling it for you right now."

He paused. "How do you want her to apologize? As long as it's not too extreme, I'll make it happen."

Lana glanced timidly at Celia and said in a small voice, "I... I want her to spend a few days in a cell."

Roman frowned immediately. "Lana, that's a bit much."

"I know you can't bear to do it." Lana tugged at his sleeve, her eyes red and swollen. "But my dad was seriously hurt. If she doesn't face some kind of consequence, she'll just keep going after us."

She bit her lip, her voice dropping even lower. "It's only a few days. Just enough so she won't dare do this again. Roman, I know Mrs. Keller is the one you truly love. I'm just a distraction. If you really can't bring yourself to do it, then... let's just end things."

Roman was quiet for a few seconds. In the end, he pulled her into his arms with a resigned sigh. "We're not ending anything. I'll do what you want."

Celia was taken to a detention center.

Roman did not spare her a second glance before he left.

Once Lana was sure he was gone, she turned back toward Celia and let a cold, thin smile spread across her face. She leaned toward one of the officers and murmured something Celia could not hear while pressing a stack of bills into his hand.

Chapter 8

The next three days were the longest nightmare of Celia's life. She was shoved, cursed at, and tripped on purpose. Her knees split open and bled. No one treated her wounds, and no one even gave her a clean glass of water.

She curled up in a corner and counted the hours through gritted teeth.

Just three more days, and she would be free.

On the evening of the third day, the iron door finally opened. Roman stood in the doorway, backlit so that Celia could not read his expression. It was not until he stepped closer that she saw something shift in his expression.

"What happened to you?"

Celia's clothes were so filthy that their original color was unrecognizable. Her arms and knees were covered in bruises and scrapes, and dried blood still clung to the corner of her mouth.

Lana immediately took his arm and said in a soft, soothing voice, "She probably hurt herself on purpose to get sympathy."

She wrinkled her nose. "It was only a few days. How bad could it have been?"

Roman stared at Celia for several seconds, then his expression hardened. "Celia, are you ever going to stop with this?"

Celia managed a faint twitch of her lips. She did not even have the energy left to explain.

Back at the villa, Roman stayed for once instead of leaving right away. He sat on the couch and announced in a matter-of-fact tone, "From now on, I'll spend Mondays and Tuesdays with you. The rest of the week, I'll be with Lana."

Celia stood at the foot of the stairs and said nothing.

"Today's Wednesday, so I should be with her." He stood and reached for his coat. "Don't bother me for the next few days."

At the door, he added, "I'll be back on Monday."

Celia looked at him and said in a light voice, "Sure. Goodbye."

He actually thought she would still be here waiting for him.

Roman frowned slightly, as though her response was not what he expected, but he said nothing and walked out.

The moment the front door closed, Celia's phone buzzed. The message read: [Ms. Vaughn, your identity erasure has been fully processed.]

Celia stared at the screen. Her eyes burned, and her heart pounded so hard that she could feel it in her throat.

She was free. She grabbed the bag she had packed days ago and walked out of the villa without looking back.

At the airport, her parents were already waiting at the gate. The moment Ruth saw her, her eyes reddened as she pulled Celia into a tight embrace. "Sweetheart, it's over."

Celia nodded, her own eyes stinging. It was over.

Six years ago, on a snowy night, Roman had knelt at her family's front door and promised to make her a permanent part of his life. Now, she was the one cutting his name out of hers.

Before boarding, she took out her phone, removed the SIM card, and snapped it in half.

"Here's your boarding pass." The attendant at the gate handed it over politely.

Celia tossed the broken SIM card into the nearest trash bin, took the boarding pass, and held her parents' hands as she walked toward the gate. Her back was straight, and there was not a trace of hesitation in her step.

From this day forward, Roman Keller no longer existed in her world.