No one expected that after joining the production, Giselle would suffer a tragic accident. She was left permanently disabled and later died in a hospital bed.

At the time, Olivia and Luca’s wedding was less than a month away.

Initially, Luca showed no sadness at all. His voice was cold and detached when he said, "I never liked her. She was the daughter of the mistress my father brought into our family. I resented her from the start. If not for my father, I would have cut ties with her long ago."

"She’s been clinging to me for years. I was already sick of her."

Luca had no idea that years ago, Olivia had witnessed him kissing his so-called stepsister at his birthday party.

She never dared to question whether there had been love between them.

On their wedding night, Luca promised Olivia a surprise. Trusting him, she closed her eyes and waited, only to have a plate of mangoes placed in front of her, the very fruit she was deathly allergic to.

Luca pried her mouth open and forced the mango inside.

His eyes, burning red with fury, looked at her as though she were his worst enemy.

"It's all because of you. My Giselle died because of you. She was the one I loved the most. And you? Who do you think you are?"

Olivia's breath grew shallow, her throat tightening as an unbearable pain spread through her body. She collapsed onto the floor, gasping, pleading for mercy for the sake of the ten years they had spent together.

But all she received in return was a stinging slap across her face.

And then, Luca stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Thankfully, she had been given another chance.

A plan for escape slowly took root in Olivia’s heart.

After finishing her shower, she dried her hair and made herself a cup of coffee.

Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a video call from Giselle Everett.

Olivia’s heart tightened. She hesitated for a moment before finally answering.

On the screen, Giselle beamed, her eyes alight with excitement. "Olivia, today is my wrap-up party. Why don’t you come?"

Olivia forced a small smile. "I’m not feeling too well..."

"Oh, I know!" Giselle giggled. "You must have been drinking again. My brother always comes to see you when you drink."

As she spoke, she tilted the camera slightly, revealing Luca beside her.

They were close, so close that their faces almost touched. Giselle leaned against him, her posture intimate.

"Luca, don’t you think so?"

Luca smiled indulgently, his voice carrying a helpless fondness. "You’re always causing trouble."

In her previous life, Olivia would have been consumed with jealousy, desperate to make Luca stay with her through any means necessary.

But this time, though a faint sting pricked her heart, the storm of emotions from her past life had faded.

Their relationship had always been shrouded in secrecy, tangled in shadows. Olivia’s sensitive nature had left her feeling constantly upset.

At first, Luca found her cute and was willing to soothe her emotions, but over time, his patience wore thin. Eventually, he stopped indulging her, leaving Olivia to deal with her feelings on her own.

"Oh, by the way, have I shown you the gift my brother gave me?"

Giselle stretched out her hand, revealing a dazzling snake-shaped ring encrusted with diamonds.

Olivia recognized it instantly. It was a newly designed piece from Luca’s luxury brand, a collection so exclusive that it had not even been released to the public yet.

She still remembered how much she had liked that very ring the first time she saw it and felt a special connection to its intricate design. Yet when she had mentioned it to Luca, he had casually told her that the brand had not sent him a sample yet and she would have to wait until its official release.

But now, here it was on Giselle’s hand.

Giselle admired the ring as if it were an afterthought, then chuckled. "Oh, my brother really doesn’t follow the rules. What if the brand finds out?"

Perhaps feeling guilty, Luca avoided Olivia’s gaze and instead reassured Giselle with a casual tone, "It’s nothing. I’m the brand ambassador. What’s wrong with giving a ring to my own sister? The company won’t mind."

Giselle's smile widened into a squinting grin. "I knew my brother was the best!"

With that, she tilted her head up and pressed a kiss to Luca’s cheek.

For a brief moment, Luca froze. Then, snapping out of it, he quickly snatched the phone from her hand, his tone carrying a hint of reprimand. "How old are you now? You can’t just do that. People might get the wrong idea! You’re not a child anymore."

Giselle pouted, her voice laced with grievance. "But we’ve always been like this since we were kids. Why can’t we now?"

Luca instinctively glanced at Olivia, worried she might be upset. But her face remained unreadable as she replied calmly, "You’re siblings. You grew up together. It’s only natural to be close."

Her detached response unsettled Luca. He felt as though she were speaking in that deliberately ambiguous way again. Not wanting to entertain it any further, he said flatly, "Alright, we’ll talk later. Sober up on your own."

With that, he ended the call.

Olivia stared at the darkened screen, then let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh before setting her phone aside and heading to the bedroom.

She needed time to think about what to do.

Five years of one-sided love. Four more years of chasing after a man who never truly looked at her. She had once believed that if she gave enough, Luca would one day let go of Giselle.

If she had not died in her previous life, perhaps she would have still been naive enough to believe that now.

Olivia never wanted to see Luca again.

At midnight, the soft beep of the fingerprint lock echoed through the apartment. As Luca stepped inside, the first thing he saw was Olivia standing motionless in front of the French window.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a low voice. "Olivia, about today…"

Before he could finish, Olivia turned, her gaze meeting his directly.

Avoiding her eyes, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box. With a guilty air, he handed a ring to her, identical to the one Giselle had flaunted earlier.

"The brand sent this to me a few days ago. I meant to give it to you, but I kept forgetting."

Forgetting. A convenient excuse Luca had always used.

But was his memory really that bad?

Luca began his acting career at the age of seven. He had an exceptional ability to memorize lines that would take others weeks to learn, but he could have them down within a few days. He knew every director and screenwriter’s preferences and he could recall the exact number of times he had shot each scene.

But how was it that he could not remember that Olivia loved that ring?

He knew his words were hollow. Yet, he also knew Olivia loved him deeply. As long as he offered her an out, she would take it, as she always had.

To his surprise, Olivia did not accept the ring. Instead, she spoke in a calm, detached tone. "Luca, you know I’ve always had a soft spot for orphans."

Luca frowned, irritation creeping into his voice. "What are you talking about? It’s not like there’s only one of these rings."

"I know there’s more than one, but I wasn’t the first to receive the ring you gave me."

Without sparing him a glance, Olivia stood up and passed him, her movements deliberate. She made her way to the sofa, her back turned to him as she lit a thin cigarette.

Luca assumed she was simply jealous and that he was at fault. He lowered his head, trying to placate her. "Alright, don't be upset. Giselle isn’t just some other woman. I know you're jealous, but you don’t say anything about it and then expect me to guess. If you keep doing this, I’ll get exhausted. Let’s not make things harder than they need to be, okay?"

He sat beside Olivia, gently taking her hand in his, speaking in a soft, patient tone. "Please, don’t be angry."

But Luca did not notice the coldness in Olivia’s gaze.

Was Giselle really just Luca’s sister?

They were not biological siblings, something everyone knew but few dared to acknowledge.

Olivia did not respond. She simply finished her cigarette in silence.

Luca’s patience snapped. His voice grew cold as he said, "Olivia, what’s your game? You always do this. When you’re upset, I try to calm you, but you stay silent, acting like you’ve lost your voice. Are you pretending to be mute now?"

He stood up abruptly, snatching the cigarette from her fingers with a look of disgust.

"Didn't I tell you to quit smoking? It reeks!"

Olivia was not a heavy smoker; she could not even finish a pack in half a year.

However, Giselle was different. She was far more addicted. Every time Luca saw her smoking, he would gently remind her, "Smoking’s bad for your health. You should take care of yourself, my sister."

Olivia did not react to Luca’s outburst. She simply lit another cigarette, a faint, enigmatic smile curling her lips.

"Luca, what I want is an explanation, an apology and atonement. I don’t want more of your lies."

She stood up, grabbing his chin firmly, forcing him to meet her eyes as she spoke, each word deliberate and piercing. "Luca, do you dare to swear you did not lie to me?"

Luca’s temper flared completely. He pulled away from her grip and raised his voice in frustration.

"I said I didn’t lie! You can believe whatever you want."

Olivia extinguished the cigarette and asked coolly, "What’s the matter? Are you avoiding my gaze because you're afraid to look me in the eye?"

Luca’s expression twisted into one of frustration. "Who’s afraid?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow and smiled softly. "Then leave. I can't stand liars."

Luca stood frozen, his mind momentarily blank. He thought there was something wrong with his ears.

Had she really just told him to leave?

During their worst arguments, no matter how heated things got, Olivia had never pushed him away like this.

A sudden tightness gripped Luca’s chest. "You... you’re really asking me to leave?"

Olivia nodded, her face serious as if there was no room for negotiation.

"This is my home. Why shouldn’t I ask you to leave?"

Without warning, Luca’s anger surged. He stormed forward, grabbed her and lifted her off the ground.

"Ah!"

Olivia did not expect Luca to take action all of a sudden and she was completely shocked.

With fiery anger, Luca carried her toward the bedroom.

He growled, his voice thick with fury, "How dare you ask me to leave?"

Luca threw Olivia onto the bed and pinned her down with a force that felt almost cruel.

Olivia’s stomach churned and she screamed, "Don’t touch me!"

"We’ve been together for more than four years, haven’t I touched you enough?" he snapped, irritation boiling over. He hadn’t expected Olivia to react this way.

Without another word, he lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.

The kiss was harsh, even a little bitter.

His lips were pressed against hers with an intensity that felt like punishment.

For some reason, the memory of Luca and Giselle hidden away on the boat, sharing a kiss on their 23rd birthday, flooded her mind.

Olivia's stomach turned as the nausea intensified. Driven by a surge of frustration, Olivia bit down hard on his lip, his lips parting as he hissed in surprise.

His eyes filled with a crimson rage.

"Olivia, how dare you… you weren’t like this before."

Their sharps gazes met, but before anything more could be said, a rapid ringing of a phone shattered the silence.

Luca glanced at his phone. The caller ID read Giselle.

Her voice crackled through the speaker, thick with panic and tears. "Luca, Buffy has been vomiting. I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do, please come back."

Instantly, Luca’s demeanor shifted, his concern overtaking his anger. "Don’t worry, Giselle, I’ll be there in a minute."

Without sparing another glance at Olivia, he stormed out of the room, his steps echoing as he rushed toward the door.