Amelia woke from sleep when someone called her name.

Cristian had taken over a new venue that day and threw a masquerade party. He sent someone specially to wake Amelia and bring her to join the fun.

Amelia followed the person to the underground club. Her eyes landed immediately on the man in the center of the room. He wore a lion mask and sank deep into the sofa while swirling a glass of whiskey.

His powerful presence fixed on the woman dancing provocatively in front of him.

The woman wore a leopard mask, but Amelia recognized her instantly as Natalie.

A massive lion tattoo covered her back. The lion was Cristian's favorite symbol.

The woman turned suddenly. When their eyes met through the masks, a triumphant smile curved her lips.

Amelia realized then that Cristian had not sent for her. Natalie had.

She turned to leave, but several men in wolf masks blocked her path. They spoke crude words. Some reached out and groped her waist and arms.

Goosebumps rose all over her skin. She raised her hands to remove her mask, only to find her wrists tied.

The next second, someone forced her to face the stage.

Amelia's eyes widened.

Natalie straddled Cristian's lap. She snatched the glass from his hand, tilted her head back, and drained the whiskey. Then she fed it to him mouth to mouth.

Cristian's large hands gripped Natalie's waist hard. The two pressed tightly together in an instant.

Even though her heart had turned cold and she had decided to leave, tears still welled in Amelia's eyes.

She lifted her hand instinctively to wipe her face. To her surprise, the rope around her wrists had loosened at some point. The masked men had vanished.

She knew Natalie wanted her to witness this scene.

Amelia turned to go. Before leaving, she glanced back at Cristian one last time.

He caressed Natalie's face with one hand. A satisfied smile played on his lips. His eyes held deep contentment and relaxation.

Amelia knew that expression all too well. Every time he woke from a coma, he looked at her the same way.

"Amelia, I only feel at peace when I see you beside me."

She pulled her gaze away. A mocking smile touched her lips. She closed the club door and shut out the noise behind her completely.

Her phone rang. It was Ellen. "Amelia, I have good news. Come home quick."

A smile returned to Amelia's face. She stepped toward the opposite side of the street. Halfway across, blinding headlights flashed toward her.

In the brief moment she squinted, a runaway truck slammed into her and sent her flying.

When she woke again, Cristian's cold, hard face stared down at her.

Their eyes met. She saw the deep weariness in his gaze. She opened her mouth instinctively to ask if he was okay, but his icy voice cut her off. "Amelia, why couldn't you just stay home? Why do you keep creating trouble for me?"

Amelia tried to speak. Her throat burned with pain. No sound emerged.

Cristian frowned when she stayed silent. "I've arranged a private flight three days from now. It'll take you and Ellen to an island for a vacation first. Then to Floran. I bought a manor there."

He stepped forward and pulled Amelia into his arms. His voice softened. "Amelia, these years I've held back a lot for you. To give you the stable life you wanted, I've yielded again and again to those people outside. But they think I'm weak now. They keep provoking me. Amelia, for our future, go abroad and stay safe for a while. Once I deal with them, I'll come get you. Okay?"

His chin rubbed gently against the top of her head. Moments later, he sighed. "Amelia, I really can't bear to let you go."

Amelia said nothing.

Years ago, when Cristian confessed his love, he swore personally that he would gradually leave that world. He promised to work hard so they could live a normal life.

The proud man who ruled everything bent himself to ordinary life for her.

It touched Amelia deeply.

That was why she agreed.

But now she saw that world was his true battlefield.

Amelia listened to his strong heartbeat. She pulled a divorce agreement from her bag. "Cristian, sign it."

Cristian stared at the large words on the cover. His face darkened instantly as he questioned her. "Amelia, what do you mean by this?"

Amelia looked at him and let out a soft laugh. "Silly, it's fake. When you're not by my side, no one protects me. If we divorce, those people won't target me anymore. Cristian, my mom is getting older. She can't handle this stress."

Cristian flipped through the papers with lingering doubt in his eyes.

Amelia turned to the signature page and pressed a pen into his hand. "Cristian, you've taken knives for me, and I've blocked bullets for you. Our love has long surpassed life and death. We'll never part in this lifetime. Don't you think so?"

Cristian's fingers paused on the pen.

As he hesitated, a subordinate burst in with a tense expression. "Boss, bad news. Natalie got hurt."

Cristian's face changed. He dropped the pen and started to leave.

Amelia grabbed his hand firmly. "Sign it first, then go."

Disappointment flashed in Cristian's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but Amelia cut him off. "Cristian, does Natalie's business matter more to you than mine now? Do you remember what you promised me?"

He had promised to keep distance from Natalie. He had promised to always put her first.

Cristian fell silent. Guilt surged through him as he thought about his recent actions.

Under Amelia's indifferent gaze, he picked up the pen again.

Each letter he wrote sent a stab of pain through his heart.

By the final stroke, the ache nearly stole his breath.

He had no time to dwell on it. His men urged him repeatedly until he left.

Before going, he glanced back at Amelia. She seemed different from before.

Cristian suddenly realized he hadn't seen her smile in a long time.

Pain pierced his chest, but he forced himself to look away.

In truth, he had already decided in his heart. Once he stabilized the situation here, he would hand all the operations to Natalie.

He would retire completely and live the peaceful life Amelia always wanted.

On one side stood his brothers who had followed him for years and grown resentful. On the other stood the wife he loved most. Cristian refused to let either down.

With his mind made up, his steps grew firm.

The moment the elevator doors closed, a voice drifted into his ears. "Three days from now, we'll meet at the airport. Remember to prepare fake identities for us."

Cristian found the voice somewhat familiar, but he had no time to think deeper. The elevator reached Natalie's floor.

His subordinate led him quickly to her hospital room. She was already getting dressed.

Cristian frowned. "Why aren't you resting properly?"

Natalie smiled casually. "What injury haven't I survived? As long as I'm not dead, I can fight alongside you anytime."

Her eyes turned seductive. She reached out to touch Cristian's face, but he caught her wrist midway. "Natalie, I have something to say."

Natalie sensed trouble from his cold, distant gaze. Cristian released her hand and addressed everyone in the room. "After this job, I'll hand all operations to Natalie. From then on, she'll be your boss."

Shock rippled through the room. Natalie clenched her fists tightly and ground her teeth. "What did you say? Then what were we doing all this time?"

Cristian only gave her a cold glance before looking away. "My decision is final. Let's move out."

He walked out first. He never noticed the unwillingness and venom in Natalie's stare as she watched his back.

Amelia handled her own discharge papers.

The moment she closed the hospital room door, she seemed to glimpse herself lying unconscious on the bed while Cristian hovered nearby with deep worry on his face. He wiped her face one moment, fed her water the next, then kissed her hand and whispered how much he missed her.

A faint smile lifted the corners of Amelia's mouth, but the vision vanished in an instant.

An empty room and two people heading toward separate futures—that was the reality for her and Cristian now.

Amelia returned home and stood in the center of the living room. Memories flooded her of the entire process when they decorated the house together.

They mixed and applied the wall paint themselves. They laid the floors with their own hands.

The sofa, cabinets, and table lamps—they traveled across the country to pick each one out and bring them back.

They dreamed of raising children in this house and growing old together.

Yet they never imagined that after only three years, before the lamps even wore out, everything would fall apart.

Amelia rubbed the ring on her finger and started to remove it. In a daze, she saw Cristian's hand reach over to stop her.

At the same time, his tender murmur echoed in her ears. "Amelia, you're my wife for life. Don't take it off."

Amelia snapped back to reality and moved to pull the ring off again. One of Cristian's men burst in with panic on his face. "Cristian is hurt. He specifically asked to see you. Amelia, come with me."

Amelia reached the hospital and saw Cristian lying on a gurney outside the emergency room, barely breathing. He fiercely resisted the doctors treating his wounds.

His voice was faint, but his attitude remained firm. "I said it already. If my wife doesn't come, I won't have the surgery."

Amelia approached his side. Blood covered his chest. It glued his eyes nearly shut.

Yet he sensed her presence immediately.

"Amelia." Cristian called her name with deep affection and weakly lifted his hand. Amelia instinctively placed hers in it.

He felt the ring. A smile touched his lips. "Babe, I have something to tell you. Wait until I wake up, okay?"

He seemed to have waited for her a long time. After those words, he slipped into unconsciousness.

The doctor who had waited nearby grew tense at once.

He shouted, "Get Mr. Patel into the operating room."

Cristian woke again suddenly. His voice came out hoarse and broken. "Amelia, wait for me when I come out. You have to wait."

The door slammed shut. The operating room light turned on.

Tears reddened Amelia's eyes.

Years ago, the first time Cristian ended up hospitalized from injuries, she froze in terror. She waited outside the room for six full hours until they finally wheeled him out.

The doctor said then that the patient survived only because of his incredible will to live.

Cristian opened his eyes groggily. The moment he saw Amelia, his own eyes filled with tears.

His voice shook with fear and caution. "Amelia, I was so scared I'd never see you again."

Amelia wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye. She turned resolutely and walked away from the operating room.

Suddenly someone rushed up and grabbed her collar. "Amelia, I always knew he risks his life every time because of you. Did he kill your whole family in a past life? Is that why he suffers like this now? He went all out on the job so he could get you away safely. If luck hadn't been on his side, that bullet would have hit his heart. Does he have to die before you'll finally stop?"

The man grew more agitated. He raised his fist to smash it into her face.

But the punch never landed. Natalie blocked it in midair.

She spoke coldly. "The boss's wife isn't someone you can touch casually."

The man spat. "The only real boss's wife in our hearts is you, Natalie. What is she?"

Natalie's lips held a faint smile. She ordered the man to back down.

The smile vanished from her face instantly. "Amelia, have you ever counted? Over these years, how many times has Cristian landed in the hospital to save you? How much blood has he lost? How many wounds has he taken? How many times has he danced with death? Thirty-seven hospital visits. He received a total of 3856 milliliters of blood. Doctors issued critical condition notices three times. Today makes the fourth. Amelia, do you really love him?"

In Amelia's mind, Natalie was a ruthless and venomous beauty.

No one failed to fear her smiling facade that hid deadly schemes.

Her love for Cristian was open and known to all.

Her hatred for Amelia showed plainly in her gritted teeth with no attempt to hide it.

Amelia had no doubt.

If Natalie wasn't worried about angering Cristian, she would have killed Amelia directly long ago.

But now, seeing the slight redness in Natalie's eyes, Amelia couldn't help but ask. "Why do you love him so much?"