[Isabella's POV]

The house was still empty when I woke up.

There was a text message from Vincenzo. "Babe, I'm a little too busy today and can't take the day off. But don't be mad. I'll come home and accompany you tomorrow no matter how busy it gets. I also got you a present. Just wait for me to come home, alright?"

Right under his text message notification was another one from Claudia. She had sent a photo an hour ago. It was a selfie of them both at the hot springs, looking like they were having the time of their life. The smiles on their faces were exceptionally eye-piercing.

I gripped my phone harder, almost unable to stop myself from calling him right then and there and asking him if he was busy closing a business deal or having fun with his "adoptive sister".

However, when I thought about my plan, I suppressed the anger and replied to him with an "Okay."

It was fine that he wasn't coming back today. I could start packing up without worrying about him.

I packed up all the clothes Vincenzo had ever given me and put them into a box, ready to donate them to a shelter.

I removed our portraits from the wall and fed them into the paper shredder. I had once written him a hundred well-wishes too, and I took them all out and burned them in a fire on the balcony.

The next day, Vincenzo finally came home.

As soon as he caught sight of me, he immediately set down the cake in his hands and threw his arms wide open as he hurried toward me. "I'm so tired, Isabella! Can I recharge with a hug?"

I took a step back, neatly avoiding his hug.

Vincenzo cocked an eyebrow. "Are you still mad at me? Don't be mad. Come, I prepared a surprise for you."

He didn't say anything, he just pulled me into the car and drove off really fast.

The vehicle finally stopped in front of a new building that looked very modern.

"Do you like it?" he asked, pointing at the building. "This is my gift to you—the Isabella Wright Microsurgery Research Center. It has the most advanced equipment and laboratories in the world. I know you've always wanted a place where you could focus on surgical research."

He lifted the silk cloth, and a bronze plaque with my name on it was revealed. Everyone gasped in amazement.

"Wow, Mr. Cosley has been so kind! I hear the cost of this centre is extremely high!"

"It's not just about the money! Many of the precision instruments here are only available in a few other places in the world. Mr. Tang pulled in his entire network to secure them!"

"Dr. Wright! You are so lucky! Don Cosley has spoiled you!"

The corners of my lips tugged upward in a self-deprecating chuckle.

Everyone knew Vincenzo as someone who loved spoiling his wife to the moon and back, but nobody knew who he was really treating as his "wife". It was true that he wore his heart on his sleeve, but that love had never been solely just for me.

The opening ceremony featured a demonstration of a nerve bundle anastomosis surgery, which I found easy.

I looked closely at the microscope, thinking hard about the pain and sadness of the past. I used all of this to make the surgical stitches, which were as fine as a strand of hair.

Vincenzo stood outside the glass, smiling when he looking at me. He never took his eyes off me.

As the surgery reached its most critical stage, I saw him make a big heart gesture through the glass. I felt my heart race, my hand shook, and the sharp blade cut my hand.

But even before the pain started, I felt sick. I breathed evenly, concentrated, and did the last steps well.

As soon as I put the instruments down, Vincenzo came in, grabbed my arm, and took me to the recovery room without saying anything. He treated my wound with iodine.

"Are you tired? I shouldn't have had you perform such a challenging surgery just after your arrive."

He held my hand very carefully, as if it was made of glass.

The pitying look in his eyes looked genuine too. However, I only felt shivers all over my body, and I felt the urge to throw up.

I never thought that he could make it seem as though he really loved me for real.

Seeing that I was a little out of it, Vincenzo grabbed me by the hand and leaned down to kiss me.

Just then, the door was suddenly thrown wide open.

Vincenzo didn't even look up. He grabbed a bottle from the table and immediately threw it at the door.

"Get out!"

I turned to look and saw Claudia standing at the door.

It was only then that Vincenzo realized it was her. His expression changed. "Claudia? What are you doing here?"

She held a hand to the red mark on her forehead and bit her lip, looking like a pitiful creature. There was also some mud on her clothes, and she looked rather disheveled as well.

"I came nearby to buy baby supplies for my little one. I heard you were here, so I thought I should stop by... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you!"

She then turned and ran off with a sob.

Vincenzo went quiet for a few seconds. Then, he quickly pecked me on the cheek and said, "I'll go and take a look at her injury and be back in a few minutes. We'll just be at the door. Call me if you need anything."

He then grabbed the first-aid kit and ran out the door, not even bothering to leave me with a band-aid.

A few minutes later, I slowly opened the door. It was empty. They certainly weren't "at the door" as he had claimed.

I suddenly felt a flash of disappointment. However, I quickly suppressed the feeling as soon as I realized it. I should have expected it anyway.

I walked alone toward the research center's garage, planned to go home first.

However, just as I reached the car, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

I could hear faint voices coming from the car where the windows hadn't been tightly shut.

I then caught sight of two overlapping figures from the window of the car. Vincenzo was frowning as he carefully treated Claudia's wound.

The car then shook a little, and I saw that Claudia had climbed onto his lap.

Vincenzo stopped her wandering hands and said patiently, "Stop making a scene, Claudia. You just gave birth a while ago. Also, this car belongs to Isabella—"

"It's fine. I've already fully recovered. It's been two months since then… Don't you want to know how I feel down there now?"

A short while later, Vincenzo's breathing became shallow and erratic. Their hums and moans kept drifting out from the car. I stood frozen to the ground, my blood curdling on the spot.

The keys in my hand fell to the ground with a clang.

I immediately snapped out of it and wanted to make a run for it. However, I quickly realized that nobody inside the car had even heard a thing.

I laughed. I laughed so hard that I began to cry.

The car continued shaking. I bent down to pick up the keys and returned to the lounge.

When Vincenzo finally pushed open the door to the observation room again, I was still sitting in my seat in the exact same position where he had left me.

He sighed in relief and straightened his collar before coming up to me. "Let's go, Isabella. We're going home."

I caught sight of the fresh bite mark on the side of his neck. Surprisingly, I didn't feel anything in my chest this time.

I refused the hand he reached out to help me with and walked to the car on my own. When I pulled the door to the front passenger seat open, though, I saw that Claudia was in the driver's seat.

Vincenzo hurriedly explained, "Claudia wants to go back with us. She just got her driver's license, so she could use some practice. You're a lot better at driving than she is, so you can help navigate the road. Alright?"

Before I could protest, Vincenzo had already pushed me into the front passenger seat.

If I had known then that Claudia's license was fake, I would never have gotten into the car in the first place.

[Isabella's POV]

The car suddenly shot forward in a zigzag pattern, swerving left and right. My heart immediately leaped into my throat.

I reached out to grab control of the steering wheel, but Claudia immediately shoved me aside.

"Let go if you don't want us to die!" I yelled at her.

Claudia didn't let go. On the contrary, she pressed down harder on the gas pedal until it hit the floor.

The massive crash sounded at the exact same time I heard Vincenzo's scream.

"Isabella!"

I tried to open the car door, but a piercing pain shot through my hands. I cannot move. All I could do was call out to him with all my strength. "Vincenzo… I-I'm here…"

There was a loud scuffling sound, and everything sounded like noise. However, nobody came to save me even after a long while. I tried my best to open my eyes. My vision was blurry from the blood in my eyes, but I could still see that my car was empty, save for myself.

The person who had screamed my name earlier hadn't come to save me.

As my consciousness gradually faded away, I found myself falling into a dream.

I dreamed about the time when Vincenzo flew all the way to Caraville while he was still pursuing me.

At that time, I was a captive of the most powerful man in the underworld, and I disappeared without a trace.It was Vincenzo who tracked me down through relentless inquiries, and risk his life to save me when there were a lot of bullets being fired.

We fled by car that very night. On a sharp bend, to avoid an oncoming out-of-control truck, he turned the wheel quickly and forcefully. The car went through the guardrail and down the hillside.

In the catastrophe, Vincenzo threw his arms around me and kept me safe in his hold as we were thrown around in the car, not caring that he was covered in bloody scrapes and cuts. The car ultimately rolled to a stop at the edge of the cliff, nearly falling off.

Then, he used whatever strength he had left and threw me out of the car.

However, he slid halfway out of the wrecked car with the other half of his body dangling off the cliff. He had nearly fallen to his death.

When the rescue team finally hauled him back up, he lay in my arms weakly, mumbling in his half-conscious state that he was bringing me home no matter what.

"Isabella... they only want to exploit you... I just want you to be safe... I will always... protect you... Please, stay with me forever..."

I was just about to agree to him when the scene suddenly began to warp out of shape.

I woke up with a start and opened my eyes, realizing that I was now at the hospital.

Vincenzo heard the commotion and excited rushed over. "Isabella! You're awake!"

The nurse, who was in the midst of changing my bandages, smiled as well. "You're finally awake. Mr. Cursley here has been keeping you company all day and night, and he nearly cried his eyes out. We all think that you're so lucky to be his little sister."

I was confused. "Little sister?"

"Yeah. Aren't you Mr. Cursley's younger sister?" the nurse asked as she put the old bandages away. "Mrs. Cursley even came to visit you this afternoon, and she cried so hard the entire time. She also told us to inform her immediately as soon as you woke up."

The glass in Vincenzo's hand suddenly shattered with a loud clink. He then shot the nurse a glare.

The nurse got a huge shock and immediately shut up. Then, she left.

I also jumped at the sudden sharp sound. The fragmented memories from just before I passed out fell into place.

Vincenzo had carried Claudia out of the car and walked away, leaving me behind as I cried for his help. He had abandoned me just like that.

I looked up at Vincenzo. He couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.

The corners of my lips lifted slightly. Then, I said in a hoarse voice, "Care to explain?"

Vincenzo panicked. He wanted to grab my hand without hurting me, so he awkwardly placed his hand lightly on my arm instead. "It's not like that, Isabella. It's just a misunderstanding. Claudia was in very bad shape then. That's why I—"

"Okay. I believe you," I said, interrupting him. However, my voice was completely void of emotion.

The rest of his words died in his throat.

Vincenzo thought that I would cry and scream or make a huge fuss, demanding to know why he chose to save Claudia before saving me and why he allowed other people to think that I was his sister while Claudia was his wife.

However, I did none of that. I was as calm as a corpse.

He opened his mouth to say something. I could see that his eyes were filled with guilt.

Instead, I closed my eyes. "I'm tired."

He stayed still for a long time.Finally, he said, "Isabella, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have let her drive. I've already told her off for that. If you're still angry, then you can yell at me or hit me all you like. Don't keep it bottled up inside."

I turned around and spoke calmly, “I'm really tired.”

Vincenzo panicked. Yet before he could apologize to me again, the attending doctor came in and politely asked him to leave. And so he did, though very reluctantly.

After he finally left, my eyes turned red. But this time, I had no more tears left to cry. Maybe my feelings for him had died from the moment I realized he'd been lying to me.

I wiped the corner of my eyes and decided to go back to sleep. I was going to leave him after I woke up.

Just as I had closed my eyes, however, there was a commotion from the ward next to mine.

"Why are you crying?" a woman shouted. "That female doctor next door was in a car crash. Her hands were cut by broken glass, and she might not be able to use a scalpel again. She didn't cry at all! You've only got a minor wrist sprain! What's there to cry about?"

[Isabella's POV]

Female doctor... car accident...

Something went off in my head. It felt as though my brain had just exploded.

I struggled to sit up, but excruciating pain shot through my arms, sending me crashing back onto the hospital bed.

Gazing at my palm, thickly swathed in gauze, overwhelming despair instantly engulfed me.

"No… That's impossible… It's got to be impossible…"

Vincenzo's frantic voice came from the doorway.

"Dr. Johnson, is there really nothing you can do about it?She's a surgeon! Her hands are her livelihood! If she can no longer perform surgery, how could she possibly...I really don't know how to break the bad news to her!"

“Mr. Kosley, we have done everything we can. However, the nerve damage in her hands is severe, particularly in the areas that control small, precise movements. Even if she has the best medical care, the possibility of her returning to her work... is extremely low.”

A short moment of silence later, Vincenzo finally said, "I understand. Thank you."

Every word felt like a sledgehammer to my chest, shattering every last strand of my hope.

I have inherited my parents' estate. They were both highly regarded surgeons who were fully devoted to their profession.

What they left me with was not just that small community hospital, but also a passion in medical industry and a belief in saving lives and healing the wounded.

The first time I held a scalpel, I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My hands could stitch up blood vessels, rebuild nerves and save lives after training.

But now, someone tells me I can never use a scalpel again. This is more cruel than a death sentence.

When Vincenzo came back into the ward,Seeing me lying on the ground, he rushed over to help me up.However, when he saw the tears on my face, he immediately stopped short.

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

I didn't look back at him, shaking off his hand as he tried to touch me.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Where's Claudia?"

Vincenzo's expression changed. He looked worried, as if I were about to do something crazy. He quickly defended her and said, "She's still young and doesn't know right from wrong. I've already scolded her for attempting to drive without a proper license.

"She was also traumatized by the accident. Isabella, considering she was injured too, please don't pursue the matter any further, okay?"

I immediately looked at Vincenzo with red eyes. So, he knew all along that Claudia didn't have a proper driver's license, Yet he still lets her drive, and even makes me sit beside her!

I suddenly felt like laughing. However, the corners of my mouth felt as if they were stung by the tears rolling down my cheeks. The tears simply wouldn't stop falling.

Even now that things had ended up like this, Vincenzo was still defending her.

"Then what about me?" I asked, my voice quiet and soft. "If I can't blame her, then who should I blame this on? Myself? I may never be able to pick up a scalpel again!and yet, you're still trying to defend her!"

Vincenzo frowned. He sounded impatient as he replied, "Isabella, I've already told you that she didn't do it on purpose. Why must you insist on pinning the blame on her?"

He then paused for a bit before chiding me again, this time with an accusatory tone, "Also, you shouldn't have tried to grab the steering wheel from her. If you hadn't done that, none of this would've happened. Have you ever stopped to think that it could've been your fault?"

I felt as though he had just splashed a bucket of cold water on my face. I could feel my blood freezing in my body.

A split second later, I laughed. I laughed so hard that anyone would think I was crying.

Of course, I would always be in the wrong as long as Claudia was involved.

My heart was hollowed out a long time ago. But this time, it felt as though he had just cracked my ribs open and ground whatever was left of my heart into fine powder.

I shut my eyes and said weakly, "I'm tired. You may leave now."

Vincenzo shuddered when he saw the despair written on my face. It was only then that he realized how hurtful his words toward me had been. He opened his mouth, wanting to apologize, but nothing came out.

Over the next three days, Vincenzo never left the ward. He fed me every dose of medicine and made every dish I used to love. He even set up a portable bed right next to mine and would wake up every time I shifted in the night.

On the contrary, I behaved like a puppet who had lost all will to live. I'd open my mouth when he fed me my dose of medicine and get up when he helped me up, but I never said a word to him and refused to look at him the entire time.

In the end, he finally couldn't hold back and told me, "I'm going to marry Claudia in a fake wedding."

This was the first time I gave him a response since our last conversation.

"Okay. I'll be there," I said, my voice as calm as ever.

Vincenzo's heart sank. He had expected me to cry, yell, scream at him, or demand an explanation from him. He never expected me to remain as calm as I did.

He hurriedly began explaining himself to me. Panic was evident in his voice.

"Isabella, it's just because the Marino family seems to have their eyes on Claudia, and they're trying to force her into marriage with them. I'm her older brother. I can't bear to watch her marry into that family and destroy herself in the process.

"So, I was thinking that I'd announce to the public that you and I are divorced, and then, I'll hold a wedding with Claudia. But trust me, the wedding is going to be fake, and so is our divorce. Everything will go back to normal after I've settled everything with the Marino family."

I laughed when I heard his plans. It wasn't a self-deprecating laugh. It wasn't a mocking laugh either. Rather, Instead... I breathed a sigh of relief.

I know Alexander has finally begun to implement his plan.

Vincenzo had always told me that the Marinos were inhumane monsters. However, to me, the Marinos were my only form of escape from my suffocating situation. They were my very last hope.

When Vincenzo saw the smile on my face, the worry immediately disappeared from his expression. "Don't worry, Isabella. You're the only one in my heart. I went overboard the other day. Just tell me whatever you want, and I'll get it done for you as long as you stop being mad at me."

He leaned forward and looked at me like he was about to cry. Even his voice sounded a little nasal.

He knew that this was my weakness, and I had always fallen for it in the past. But now, Vincenzo was behaving like a complete stranger to me. I felt so calm that it was as if my heart was made of stone.

I looked at Vincenzo's beseeching eyes and suddenly felt like laughing out loud.

"Okay. If that's the case, tell Claudia to marry someone else. She'd still be safe then, wouldn't she?"

The look on his face froze at once. His lips twitched for a long while before they finally tugged upward in a forced smile.

"Stop making a fuss, Isabella."

He reached out, wanting to caress my cheek, but I ducked and avoided it. His hand froze awkwardly in mid-air.

There was a dark look on his face, and he looked like he was losing his temper. "She's also your younger sister in a way. How could you be jealous of her? Can't you think of something else that you want? Just say it, and I'll get it done."

I continued smiling at him despite the bitterness surging in my chest.

I knew it. I knew that his vows and promises meant nothing as long as Claudia was involved.

"I was just joking," I said, keeping my smile away as my voice turned solemn. "Do whatever you both want. There's no need for you to tell me about it."

Vincenzo finally heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that I had finally dropped the subject. He smiled again and reached out to pet my head. "I knew that you'd understand, Isabella. I'm going off now. Rest well."

He then turned and disappeared down the corridor. As soon as he was out of sight, the last of my smile disappeared from my face as well.

So, this was why he'd been staying with me and diligently taking care of me. It wasn't out of guilt or apology. He was just worried that I would make a fuss and mess up his plans with Claudia.

I found myself chuckling in self-deprecation.Then, enduring excruciating pain, I struggled to pull out my phone and called Sofia.

"Is my divorce agreement ready, Sophia?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone. In fact, it was so long that I thought the call had disconnected.

Then, Sophia spoke, sounding a little reluctant. "Isabella… You and Vincenzo aren't married. The marriage certificate you showed me the other day is fake."