"Aurora, I was in a meeting with some of the capos. Is it urgent?"

"We need to talk. I'm on my way over now."

Harrison hesitated, his voice strained.

"Now? I'm afraid it's not a good time. I have a meeting with some of the family elders tonight. If this is just about something trivial, like picking out jewelry, wait until I get back to the estate and..."

"I can't wait another second," I cut him off.

My uncharacteristically firm tone made Harrison pause.

After all, for the past five years, I had been obedient and agreeable. I had rarely even said the word "no" to him.

Let alone showed such open defiance.

His voice lowered, thick with displeasure. "Are you still throwing a fit about the permanent residency? I've already announced to everyone that you're my woman, the future Donna of the Moretti family."

"Under my protection, on this turf, a piece of paper won't stop you from having everything."

"As for all that tedious government paperwork, I've been busy taking over new territory. I just don't have time to deal with it. Besides, all you do is manage the estate. What do you even need that for?"

"Aurora, be good. I'm always here to protect you. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Harrison had whispered similar sweet nothings in my ear on countless passionate nights.

But hearing them now, every word dripped with bitter irony.

Protecting a woman who wasn't his legal wife?

Then what did that make me?

The other woman? His mistress, hidden away in the shadows? Or just an accessory to be discarded whenever he pleased?

At best, I was little more than a bedmate, to be used at his whim.

I didn't confront him over the phone.

I just said coolly, "I'll be there in twenty minutes," and hung up.

There were some things I needed to hear from Harrison's own lips, while he was looking me in the eye.

Since I never involved myself in family business, I had rarely set foot in this private club he owned.

Harrison was always busy. I felt that showing up unannounced would only be a disturbance, not a help.

My unfamiliarity was obvious. The bodyguards at the door questioned me for a long time before his assistant, Marco, finally led me up to the VIP room in the furthest corner of the second floor.

When I reached it, the thick, soundproofed wooden door was slightly ajar. Through the crack, I could hear the raucous laughter of men inside.

I recognized their voices. They were the family's trusted Capos, each in charge of their own district.

One of them downed a shot of liquor and shouted boisterously,

"Boss, when are you finally gonna throw a proper wedding for Cathy? The boys have already stocked up on ammunition to celebrate."

"Yeah, you're legally husband and wife. By all rights, you should have produced an heir by now. Why are you still keeping her so hidden?"

Cathy's coy protest followed. "Oh, you guys, stop it. Harrison only helped me get legal status for the sake of our families and our childhood friendship."

"If Aurora heard you talking like this, she'd get jealous."

The man who had spoken was clearly not giving up.

Instead, he took his cue from Cathy and started badmouthing me.

"So what if she gets jealous? If the Boss wasn't spending a fortune on that little canary, a helpless woman like her would've been passed around and killed on the streets by now. She can't compare to you, Cathy. You're a woman who can hold her own with the Boss at the negotiating table."

"Besides keeping the Boss happy in bed, what is she good for? Laundry and cooking? We have servants for that. She's just a pretty decoration."

He then added with a low chuckle, offering Harrison some advice.

"Boss, if you ask me, you should just make this thing with Cathy official and make her our real Donna."

"As for the one you're keeping at the estate, just toss her a check and send her packing back home."

My hand, resting on the brass doorknob, froze.

Like the men in the room, I held my breath, waiting for Harrison's answer.

His silence was a clear sign of his approval of the insulting banter.

The sound of his fingertips tapping the table stopped for a few seconds, followed by a soft chuckle.

"Alright, shut your mouths. Cathy's sensitive."

"As for the one at home... she's been a bit temperamental lately. Nothing a little coaxing in bed can't fix. And if that doesn't work, well... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

The subtext was crystal clear.

As his words fell, the VIP room erupted in knowing, complicit laughter.

I refused to stand outside like a fool any longer.

Amid the jeering laughter, I pushed open the door.

The boisterous men in the VIP room fell silent at once. Every head snapped toward me as I entered.

The room was dead quiet. Everyone stared, stunned.

Harrison turned as well, the lazy smile on his lips freezing instantly.

"Aurora? How did you..."

After a brief moment of shock, Harrison recovered quickly.

He strode toward me, his voice a frantic whisper. "How did you get here so fast? I told you to call and have a bodyguard bring you up."

I didn't answer. I just stood there, looking at him calmly.

My placid demeanor seemed to unnerve him; he couldn't read me.

Harrison moved to put an arm around my waist, his voice low as he tried to explain. "Did you... hear what they were saying?"

"I was just joking around with them. Don't worry, next month I'll personally put the pressure on and get your residency sorted out."

I remained silent.

My gaze drifted past his broad shoulders, sweeping coldly over the mob bosses who were watching the drama unfold.

After a long moment, I finally spoke, my voice flat.

"I just got here. I didn’t hear anything." I paused, looking at the room full of people.

"But clearly, I came at a bad time and spoiled your fun. "

"Since you're so busy, let's just forget it."

I had heard enough.

Making a scene and demanding answers about his marriage, not here, not in front of them, would earn me no pity.

It would only be a public humiliation.

My flight was tonight. All I wanted now was to go back to the estate and get my documents.

In eight hours, I would be gone from this place for good.

But I never expected that as I turned to leave, Cathy would grab my wrist in a death grip.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

"Aurora, I know you’re jealous of me, but must you keep Harrison on such a tight leash?" Cathy asked, her voice dripping with false innocence.

"You knew he had an important meeting with the Capos today. Did you have to follow him all the way here just to check on him?"

At her words, the men exchanged knowing smirks, their gazes on me turning colder, more disdainful.

My brow furrowed. Cathy was always like this, effortlessly throwing mud at me while playing the victim.

I met her eyes. "If you’re so afraid of angering me, then let go of my hand. And for the record, I’m not here to check on anyone. I’m here on business."

Instead of letting go, Cathy tightened her grip.

She began to wail, completely unhinged.

"No, I won’t let go!" Cathy wailed loudly.

"Not until we clear this up, right here and now! You have to tell them that Harrison and I are just family, that there’s nothing between us."

"And you have to promise you’ll stop throwing these jealous fits and let us be together like always. I won’t let your petty jealousy ruin his reputation!"

Even with my best attempts at composure, her blatant provocation and two-faced act finally lit the fuse of my anger.

"What kind of act are you putting on?"

"Your mother was a conniving, social-climbing snake who slept with my father while pretending to be his wife's best friend."

"And now you're following in her footsteps, using the title of my sister to shamelessly seduce Harrison, and you have the nerve to ask for my forgiveness?"

"Is it in your blood to do despicable things while painting yourselves as saints?"

My words shamed Cathy so much she buried her face in her hands and burst into tears.

Seeing her sobbing, Harrison's eyes flashed with rage. He whirled on me and roared, "That's enough!"

"Aurora, show some respect! Cathy is the Principessa of this family! If you have a problem, we'll deal with it behind closed doors at the estate. Don't stand here acting like a madwoman and making a scene for everyone to see."

Watching him so shamelessly defend her, the last thread of affection I had for him snapped.

My heart was dead. I couldn't be bothered to tear him apart in front of all these people.

I gave my arm a sharp tug to break free from Cathy's grasp.

I had barely used any strength at all.

"Ah—!"

But Cathy let out a piercing shriek. She threw herself backward, crashing hard against an expensive, solid-wood display cabinet.

With a sickening crash of shattering glass, she collapsed into a pile of broken shards and spilled liquor, her face pale as she clutched her stomach and cried out in pain.

"It hurts... blood... it hurts so much!"

"Harrison, help me... our baby!"

Baby?!

The absurd word had barely registered before I was shoved violently aside. My back slammed against the cold wall, and Harrison's furious tirade rained down on me. "Aurora, have you lost your mind?!"

"Cathy was trying her best to help us make up, and you attack her? What the hell is wrong with you?"

I fought through the searing pain in my back and stared in disbelief at the man I had once loved so deeply.

"You were standing right here. You saw I didn't even push her."

"You knocked her up, and you have the gall to stand here and lecture me?"

I never imagined he would use my love for him to be so brazen, so cruel.

Harrison, consumed by his own anger, threw back words that were each more cutting than the last.

"Aurora, you've disappointed me more than I can say. Have you forgotten who's been supporting you here for the last five years?"

"Since you can't even follow the most basic rules... Someone, pull her security detail! Now! And freeze all family assets in her name."

"I've spoiled you rotten all these years. It's time you faced reality and saw for yourself if you can survive without the support of the Moretti family!"

With that, Harrison didn't spare me another glance. He swept the still-moaning Cathy into his arms.

He then roared at the stunned men around him.

"What the hell are you all standing there for? Get the family doctor!"

"Get the car! We're going to the best private clinic! Now!"

His men swarmed around them, rushing them out of the room in a panic.

The vast VIP room was suddenly empty, leaving me alone, rubbing my bruised shoulder, frozen in place.

I lowered my eyes and let out a self-mocking laugh.

Look at yourself, Aurora.

This is the man you gave up everything for, the man you followed with blind courage.

What does it matter how much you loved him? It all ended up like this.

But maybe this was for the best. At least now, there would be no lingering attachment.

I knew Harrison's personality too well. He was a man of his word.

I abandoned the idea of going back to the estate to pack.

Since he was so convinced that everything I had was a gift from him, I had no reason to take anything he had paid for.

Fortunately, I had brought my passport and all my identification with me today for the trip to the immigration office.

That was enough.

I stepped over the mess and walked out of the club. Using the last of my cash, I hailed a taxi and headed straight for the airport.

In reality, Harrison knew Cathy was probably faking it.

But he couldn't resist testing me.

Just as his men had said, he had protected me for five years, given me the lavish life of a future Donna. I was supposed to be a tamed pet, completely surrendered to him.

Even if he was entangled with other women, a few sweet words and a few passionate kisses from him should have been enough for me to gratefully let it go.

After all, he was my protector, and I was the one hopelessly in love with him.

With these thoughts, Harrison pursed his lips and went ahead with revoking my security detail and access to the estate.

He stared at his phone, firing off an aggressive message. "Do you realize what you did wrong yet?"

"Apologize like a good girl, and I'll be generous enough to forget this ever happened."

But Harrison had forgotten that in my home country, far away, I had a family, a job, and friends. I had a life of my own.

When I gave all that up to cross an ocean, it was because I loved him, and I did it willingly.

I never begged for his protection. I simply thought that as the wife of the heir, these things came with the territory.

So when I received his message, I found it laughable.

I didn't even reply. I just glanced at it coldly and shut off the screen.

The minutes ticked by, turning into hours. Outside the window, the sky grew dark.

The chat window remained silent. Something was wrong.

Harrison slowly began to realize things were spiraling out of his control.

Because of the unresolved residency, I had no private bank accounts under my name.

On this turf, crawling with rival crews, the streets were a constant threat of violence. The amount of cash I had on me was pitiful, not even enough for a room in the cheapest motel.

He yanked at his tie in frustration. Even though he was furious with my defiance, he never actually wanted anything bad to happen to me.

Moreover, he had publicly declared me the future Donna of the family.

Without the protection of the Moretti name, I was a target for every rival organization.

A knot of panic tightened in his chest.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore. He sent me a rare message of compromise.

"Your security access at the estate has been restored. The black card is yours to use. Be good. Stop this, and come home."

"It's too dangerous for a woman like you to be wandering around in mob territory. I won't hold tonight against you. Just come back, and I'll give you whatever you want."

I still didn't respond.

As the night deepened, Harrison descended into a full-blown, indescribable panic.

He frantically refreshed his banking system. The black card, its limit restored, showed no activity. He immediately cut into the estate's security network; the camera feeds showed I hadn't been back since the afternoon.

A beautiful woman, publicly branded as a Moretti, stripped of her security, exposed and alone in dark alleys filled with junkies and rival gangs...

She was like a tempting piece of meat, ready to be torn apart.

Harrison's brow twitched. A wave of cold dread washed over him.

He couldn't sit still. He paced back and forth, his finger hovering over the screen for a long time, typing and deleting.

He sent one last message:

"Stop this foolishness. Come home."

Still, there was no reply. Because at that moment, I was sitting quietly by the window of an airplane.

In the cold light filtering through the glass, I calmly read his message, then popped the SIM card from my phone and snapped it in two.

I powered the phone down and watched the screen go completely dark.

The turbine engines roared to life as the plane accelerated down the black runway.

I watched as the land I once thought was my romantic destiny shrank in the distance, until it disappeared completely from view.

No tears. No regrets. Only liberation.

Harrison.

From now on, we are dead to each other.

And back at the private clinic, my complete disappearance finally shattered Harrison's forced composure.

Just as he was about to swallow his pride and mobilize his underworld forces for a city-wide search, a call from his right-hand man, Marco, beat him to it.

"Boss, I just finished a job at the international terminal. I was about to head to the estate to see you and Mrs. Aurora."

"But I could have sworn I just saw her boarding the flight to her home country."

"Boss... did you know she was leaving?"