There are two dogs who will forever revolve around Leonardo Zeller.

The first one is his pet dog. The second one is me, his devoted lapdog.

But I've successfully risen to the ranks as his fiancee.

On the day before our wedding, Leonardo gets into an accident from car racing for the sake of his first love, Renee White.

I rush over to the hospital immediately, but I don't see the scar that's supposed to adorn his chest.

My complexion goes insanely pale out of panic. "Where did the scar from his heart surgery go?"

"Hey! Don't you dare jinx my son! Since when did he go through such a cursed surgery?"

Suddenly, I realize that I've gotten the wrong person this whole time for three years.

On the day Leonardo gets discharged, he tells me that he regrets proposing to me and that he wants to call off the wedding just to be with Renee.

Everyone wants to see me break down and humiliate myself by showing my hysterical side.

But I merely reply, "Okay."

What they don't know is that I've never loved Leonardo before. After all, the man I love is already dead a few years ago.

Vanessa Richardson's POV

When I agreed so easily, the shock on Leonardo Zeller's face was palpable. Then, his expression darkened.

"Look, I know you're desperate to marry me. It's not like there's no room for negotiation. If you're willing to put Renee White's name on your designs, I might consider going through with the wedding."

I simply stared at him. "There's no need for that. Just answer me one question, and I'll help you."

The shadow over Leonardo's features lifted slightly, his lips curling into a derisive smirk.

"What? You want to know if I ever loved you? Vanessa Richardson, don't you think that's a bit childish?"

I didn't give a damn about who he loved or who he wanted to marry. I had only ever loved one person—a man who had died in a car crash trying to save my life.

After he passed, his heart was donated. That was the only reason I had ever sought out Leonardo.

I had gone from being the envied heiress of the Richardson family to Leonardo's pathetic lapdog, trailing behind him while everyone in his circle looked down on me with utter contempt.

But to me, it was worth it. As long as I could hear my lover's heartbeat one more time, I would have walked through fire.

"That's not the question," I said, my voice steady as I braced myself for the final confirmation.

"Leonardo," I began, keeping a measured tone, "have you ever had a heart transplant?"

Leonardo's brow knitted together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"My heart is perfectly fine," he snapped. "Why would I ever go through a cursed surgery like that?"

So, it was true. I had spent years with the wrong man.

A crushing wave of disappointment washed over me. I lowered my gaze and whispered, "Fine. I agree to call off the wedding. I'll withdraw from the design competition and credit the work to Renee."

After a brief pause, I added, "I wish you both happiness."

The moment those words left my lips, Leonardo and his entire circle of friends froze, mouths agape. Then the jeering began, wave after wave of mockery crashing down on me.

"Holy crap! I didn't think the high-and-mighty Richardson heiress could sink any lower. She's literally agreeing to anything just to cling to Leo."

"She's the Queen of Simps. At Leo's slightest whim, she'll drop everything, even her own wedding and career. She's completely devoted. Too bad Leo's heart only belongs to Renee."

"Enough. Everyone shut up," Leonardo barked, cutting off the insults directed at me for the very first time.

He stared at me, his eyes burning with an unreadable frustration. "Vanessa, do you have any self-respect at all?"

"I tell you what to do, and you just do it?" he snapped. "You never fight for yourself. I call off the wedding, and you don't even care enough to make a scene?"

I looked down, a faint, weary smile touching my lips. He wasn't the man I was looking for. So what was the point of fighting?

"At this point," I whispered, "none of it matters anymore."

My hollow expression seemed to strike a nerve. Leonardo's gaze wavered, and he grew inexplicably irritated, his grip tightening painfully around my hand.

"Vanessa, you…"

"Leo," Renee chimed in. She had been quietly watching the drama unfold, but now she looked at Leonardo with downcast eyes. "Should we step outside and give you and your fiancee some time alone to talk things through?"

"She's not my fiancee!" Leonardo snapped and instinctively shoved me away.

I lost my balance and fell straight backward, my lower back slamming hard against the table behind me. The glass on the edge slid off and shattered on the floor. Shards flew across the tile, grazing Renee's delicate ankle.

She let out a soft, dramatic gasp. "It hurts…"

Leonardo's face paled instantly. He dropped to his knees to check her wound before scooping her up in his arms. "Let's find a doctor."

Meanwhile, I was left clutching my lower back, the sharp pain anchoring me to the spot.

Inside the hospital room, their friends—all too eager to suck up to the golden couple—grabbed a bucket of filthy mop water and splashed it all over me.

"Vanessa, don't think that just because you were willing to give up the credit for your designs, you get to act all high and mighty in front of Renee. To us, and to Leonardo, you're nothing but a dog."

"Look at how panicked Leonardo got over a tiny scratch on Renee. Have you ever been treated like that in all your years of groveling? Do yourself a favor and leave quietly, or you'll just end up embarrassing yourself even more."

The room erupted into a chorus of mocking laughter. Every word was a calculated jab meant to belittle and degrade me.

I wiped the filthy water from my face, my voice calm and unruffled. "I'm not going to get in their way, because I never actually liked Leonardo anyway."

That single sentence left everyone in the room rooted to the spot.

Just as they were gearing up for another round of insults, the door swung open, and Leonardo walked in. Seeing the mess on the floor and me drenched from head to toe, his brow furrowed in irritation.

"What the hell is going on here?"

No one expected him to come back, let alone get angry over me, his so-called devoted lapdog.

After a long pause, someone forced out a nervous laugh. "Leo, come on. We were just joking around with your little pet."

"This is your idea of a joke?" Leonardo's expression darkened. "Even if she's a dog, she's still mine. No one else gets to lay a finger on her."

His voice dropped, cold and dangerous. "Anyone who laid hands on her, slap yourselves. Don't make me do it for you."

This time, I was the one caught off guard. Since when did Leonardo possess a conscience? Since when was he this decent to me?

As the sound of rhythmic slapping filled the room, Leonardo draped his jacket over my shoulders and led me out.

I followed him out of the hospital room, completely bewildered.

Then, his phone buzzed again. It was Renee.

"Leo, where did you go?" her voice whined through the speaker, soft and cloying. "I'm scared of being alone in the hospital. Can you come back and stay with me? Please?"

Leonardo hesitated, his gaze flickering toward me. "Vanessa, can you find a doctor on your own?"

I looked down at my drenched dress and scraped palms, and a smile bloomed across my face. "Of course I can."

At that, Leonardo looked as though he had just been granted a pardon. He let out a visible sigh of relief. "Then just head home once you're done."

I nodded. "Alright."

I skipped the doctor and went straight home.

As soon as I stepped inside, I called the private investigator I had hired years ago to track down the recipient of the heart transplant.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Richardson. We made a critical error in the initial investigation. Leonardo wasn't the only one involved in the car accident that day. His best friend, Adrian Jenkin, was there too."

He added, "After the heart transplant surgery, Adrian and his family moved to Northwell. They haven't been back since."

The voice on the other end sounded genuinely apologetic. Silence stretched between us for a long moment before I finally found my voice.

"I see. Please continue tracking his exact whereabouts. As soon as you find him, book me the first flight out. I want to see him as soon as possible."

…

I had always been frail. After the emotional toll of the day, my body finally gave out.

I didn't know how long I lay unconscious in my apartment. In the haze, I felt a warm hand gently brushing my forehead. The touch was achingly familiar—like my late boyfriend, Neil Thatcher.

Whenever I fell sick, Neil would stay up all night by my side, patiently coaxing me to take my medicine before watching me drift off to sleep. The memory made tears spill uncontrollably from the corners of my eyes.

I reached out, gripping that hand like a lifeline as I murmured, "Neil…"

The next second, a searing pain shot through my wrist. I bolted awake, my eyes meeting Leonardo's livid stare.

"Vanessa, who is the man you were calling out for?" he demanded.

I lowered my gaze, my heart sinking with quiet disappointment. "Just an old friend. I was dreaming about my childhood."

Though suspicion still lingered in his eyes, he chose to believe me in the end. He didn't know anything about my past lover or why I had pursued him so relentlessly.

But after witnessing my devotion over the years, he was convinced that a lapdog like me couldn't possibly have room in my heart for anyone else.

"What are you doing in my house?" I asked.

Leonardo stiffened slightly. "You gave me your door code before. I called you several times, but you didn't answer, so I came over."

He abruptly shifted the topic. "There's a dinner between our two families tonight. I hope you—"

"Don't worry," I cut him off. "I know what I should do."

I knew exactly why he was here in such a rush. This so-called mercy mission had nothing to do with concern. He just needed me to play along tonight.

All these years, I had mistaken him for someone else. I supposed it was my own fault for holding on so long. Tonight's performance would be my way of making it up to him.

I forced myself out of bed and applied delicate makeup to conceal the sickly pallor of my skin.

Leonardo went downstairs first to wait for me in the car.

When I opened the passenger door, a strange scent mixed with perfume hit me, making me feel inexplicably nauseous.

Renee was sitting in the front passenger seat, beaming at me. "Leo said tonight was important, and he wanted the woman he loves by his side. You don't mind, do you, Ms. Richardson?"

I replied coldly, "I thought this was a private dinner between our families."

Leonardo glanced at me, clearly uncomfortable. "There will be a lot of people there tonight. Renee just got back to the country. She wants to make the rounds and meet people."

He cleared his throat. "Besides, my parents actually like you. You could put in a good word for Renee while you're at it."

I watched them from the back seat, acting affectionate as ever, and felt absolutely nothing.

"Alright."