After waking up from a car accident, I become the perfect wife of Dr. Leonardo Rossi.

In the next two years of being an amnesiac, I rely on Leonardo and love him with all my heart. But on the night of our wedding anniversary, I accidentally overhear his murmured conversation with a subordinate.

"Take her out once she's done signing the asset transfer papers."

At that moment, a searing hot memory comes barging into my mind.

I remember a man placing a hand on my sweat-drenched lower back. As he pants, he murmurs into my ear, "My dearest Donna Vittoria Costa, remember that I'm the only one who can make you shiver like this."

Finally, the fog that has been haunting my mind is lifted, allowing more memories to return. It turns out that the man who has held me by my waist is none other than Leonardo, who's currently passing a glass of water to me with a smile on his face.

I swallow the pill that he has handed to me. But in reality, I hide the pill beneath my tongue and merely swallow the water.

Dear doctor, when the prey remembers that it's supposed to be the predator, do you think your scalpel will still be capable of slitting my throat?

The torrential rain slammed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, sounding like countless shards of glass shattering.

Leo had been gone for 47 minutes.

On the table before me sat a glass of warm water and the blue pill I had to take every night. The blue pill gleamed strangely under the light, like the eye of some deep-sea creature.

Leo said it was a neuro-repair medicine to help restore my memory. He told me that my brain had been severely damaged in a car accident, and it would take time and patience for me to heal.

He was my best husband and my most considerate doctor.

Some time after I took the pill, I sat up from the bed.

The villa was terrifyingly quiet. Even the sound of rain seemed sealed off outside. I stepped barefoot onto the floor, feeling a little more awake at the cold touch.

Light leaked through the half-closed door as I passed the study.

Had Leo come back?

Just as I was about to open the door, I heard a hushed voice from inside. "The will has already been changed, and I've taken care of the lawyer. The trust fund, real estate, and overseas funds… All the assets under her name will be automatically transferred into my account."

My breathing hitched.

"Don't worry. She's very pliant—even more so after taking the pills." There was a hint of mockery in Leo's voice when he continued, "Next week, she'll sign the final property transfer agreement and transfer the remaining shares to me. Once the documents take effect, we'll stage an accident."

The person on the other end of the line said something, and Leo chuckled. The sound sent a chill down my spine.

He continued, "After all, her identity as the Donna is too troublesome. It's easier if she's dead. Oh, and keep a close watch on Nuwork. If those old bastards start to suspect—"

Donna.

A violent pain exploded deep inside my skull. For a moment, it was as if I could see the blood running down from the wound on Leo's forehead, staining his lashes red.

"Vittoria," he rasped, voice rough, "you'll regret this."

My voice was flat, almost bored. "I'll give you two choices. Leave Nuwork on your own, or I'll have someone toss you into Hatterson River to feed the fish."

That was Leo.

Five years ago, I personally threw him out of his penthouse in Mannaton after he embezzled funds from the famiglia and secretly dealt with a rival syndicate.

Five years later, he had a new name, identity, and a past erased clean. He became my attending physician, my savior, and eventually became my husband.

My name was Vittoria Costa. It was a name everyone in Nuwork's underworld knew.

I was the youngest Donna in the history of the Costa famiglia. I took over the famiglia business at 23 years old and tripled the famiglia's reach within five years.

And Leo… No, his real name was Leonardo Rossi.

He used to be my most capable underboss, my sharpest blade, and the man I trusted more than anyone.

Until the day Leonardo tried to stab me in the back.

My nails dug deep into my palm as I steadied myself against the wall.

The rain grew louder, nearly drowning out the frantic pounding of my heart, but it also masked other sounds.

"Anna?" Leonardo's voice was cold and suspicious.

I opened the door and threw myself into his arms.

"I had a nightmare…" I clutched his shirt and sobbed, "Someone was trying to kill me—"

Leonardo's arms stiffened momentarily, then wrapped around me gently. "It's just a dream."

"Where's the cake?" I looked up at him, teary-eyed.

"The shop was closed." Leonardo smiled as he combed through my hair with his fingers. "I'll double it up when I make it up to you tomorrow, okay?"

That was a lie.

The phone in his pocket still carried the chill of the night air, and in the corner of its screen clung a smear of gray dust that didn't belong to any cake shop.

That was the industrial powder one would only find in the abandoned factories on the west side of the city.

I buried my face back into Leonardo's chest, hiding the icy intent in my eyes.

…

That night, Leonardo was unusually gentle. He fed me a double dose of the blue pills, and I swallowed them in front of him. When he turned away to pour water, I pressed the tablets beneath my tongue.

I went into the study after he fell asleep.

The password for the computer was my birthday—or more precisely, Anna's birthday.

I scoffed. What ironic arrogance.

Share transfer agreements, property notarizations, and insurance policies… I copied each and every assurance of "future" Leonardo had prepared for me and uploaded them to three different cloud accounts.

Finally, I planted a tiny monitoring program deep inside his system to record every keystroke he made.

At the very bottom of the drawer was a metal box, cold to the touch. When I opened it, my Beretta M9 lay on black velvet. My initials were engraved on the grip in an elegant script.

Leonardo had actually kept it, like a hunter preserving the teeth of its prey.

I took the gun and ammunition and placed the empty box back.

I slipped back into the bed beside Leonardo at 3:00 am. Half-asleep, he draped an arm over my waist, his steady breath warm against the back of my neck.

I opened my eyes in the darkness.

"Good night, tesoro," I whispered in a voice only I could hear. "After the papers are signed next week, you'll receive the first anniversary gift from the Donna."

Outside the window, the rain gradually stopped.

The hunter had already closed the net, leaving the prey still sleeping peacefully in the gentle trap, unaware.

It was time for my medication again. Dr. Lorenzo Grini, one of Leo's underlings, had come in to check on me.

"The dosage can be reduced by a quarter," he said, not daring to meet my eyes. His pen scratched so hard it tore the paper.

Leonardo's hand tightened slightly on my shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Dr. Grini's voice was dry. "Her recovery is… better than expected."

I gently nudged his food under the table. When he stiffened, I silently mouthed, "The basement."

That was where Dr. Grini's clinic stored its illegal pharmaceuticals. Back when I was still Vittoria, I had every doctor's weaknesses investigated.

His face went pale.

…

Leonardo was unusually quiet on the drive back. When we stopped at a red light, he suddenly asked, "Did Lorenzo say anything strange?"

"He said I might start remembering details of the wedding soon." I leaned against the window, my tone dreamy as I said, "I really wanted to see what I looked like in a wedding dress."

Leonardo smiled. "You were beautiful that day."

The car had barely pulled into the garage when his phone rang. The moment he saw the number, he frowned. "There's an emergency at the hospital. I need to go."

"Now?" I caught Leonardo's sleeve.

"I'll be back soon." He kissed my forehead. "You can get the paperwork ready for signing. The lawyer moved the appointment to the afternoon."

After he hurried out, I walked into the study.

The safe's password was my birthday. How typical of him.

I took out a thick stack of documents. Every page needed my signature. When I flipped to the last page, I paused.

Then, I pulled out a heavy medical dictionary from the third shelf of the bookcase. The spine showed faint signs of wear. I flipped to page 427.

Tucked between the pages was a silver USB drive.

I plugged it into the computer. It only took two minutes for me to crack the password.

All of Leonardo's backup files, encrypted email, and transfer records lay bare across the screen.

Raising my brows, I sent the three most critical files to an encrypted address. Then, I deleted the logs, removed the USB drive, and placed it back exactly where it had been.

The entire process took eight minutes.

I sat back down on the couch and picked up the unfinished knitting. It was Anna's favorite pastime.

I was counting stitches when the sound of a key turning in the front door echoed through the hallway.

"So soon?" I looked up, surprise brightening my face.

"The patient was transferred out." Leonardo slipped off his coat, his gaze flickering toward the open study door. "Have you looked at the documents?"

"Just for a bit. There are too many words." I rubbed my eyes and continued, "My head feels a bit dizzy."

He walked over and pressed the back of his hand against my forehead. "The medication's wearing off. I'll get you some water so you can take your pills."

From the kitchen came the sound of water being poured.

I quickly pulled a slip of paper from inside the yarn ball. I'd found it tucked into the lining of the USB casing earlier.

There was only a single line written on it. "Waiting for your return."

I swallowed the paper just as Leonardo came back, and I smiled at him.

"The lawyer will be here at 3:00 pm." Leonardo handed me a glass of water and the pill and said, "We'll be free once we're done signing the papers."

I swallowed the pill obediently, pressing it to the side of my tongue.

…

The doorbell rang at 2:50 pm, but it wasn't the lawyer.

Two uniformed men stood at the door. "We received a report. This villa is suspected of illegal renovations. We need to inspect the basement."

Leonardo's expression darkened instantly. "This isn't a good time."

"You're required to cooperate by law." The man in front held up his badge, his gaze sharp.

I recognized that look. It belonged to Carlo Montez, my best enforcer.

Leonardo's hand moved toward his waist.

I caught his arm just in time. "Let them check. It's not like we did anything wrong."

The moment the basement door opened, his expression changed.

In the corner, a storage cabinet that should've been empty stood slightly ajar. Something glinted under the light from inside.

It was Dr. Grini's surgical knife set. His name was engraved on the handles, and the metal was stained with dried blood.

"What's this?" Carlo's voice turned cold.

Leonardo was about to speak up, but I intercepted first.

My voice trembled as I said, "That… That belongs to Dr. Grini… He came last week and said he needed to store it here for a while. I-I didn't know what was inside—"

Leonardo's head snapped toward me. For the first time, his composure slipped.

"Leo?" I grabbed his arm, my nails digging into his skin. "You didn't… do something bad, did you?"

Carlo was already lifting his radio. "Requesting backup. Suspicious items found."

The other officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

Leonardo stepped back, his hand reaching toward his waist again. But Carlo was faster in raising the muzzle of his gun. "Don't move, sir."

The doorbell rang again amid the suffocating silence.

The real lawyer stood outside, briefcase in hand. "Sorry I'm late. The traffic was horrible. Oh, my goodness, what's going on here?"

I released Leonardo's arm and slowly backed to a corner, wrapping my arms around myself as I began to tremble.

"Help me—" I looked at the lawyer and begged, "Please, help me… My husband, he—"

Leonardo stared right at me.

The game had leveled up, tesoro.

Now, I'd like to see how he would explain to the lawyer that the grave meant for me already held another body.

As the door to the interrogation room closed, Leonardo braced both hands on the arms of my chair, trapping me in his shadow.

"The cameras are off," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Now tell me—where did you hide Lorenzo's body?"

I looked up to meet Leonardo's gray-blue eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do," he murmured, brushing over my lower lip. "You didn't sleep last night. The noise in the basement was from you."

I smiled, reaching out to catch Leonardo's tie and pulling him closer. "Then, why didn't you expose me?"

"That's because I was waiting for you to make a move." His lips hovered just shy of mine as he said, "Waiting for the moment you couldn't keep your claws hidden anymore."

There was a knock on the door, and an officer stepped in. "We have insufficient evidence. You're both free to go."

…

On the drive home, Leonardo quietly said, "The game's over, Vittoria. Or should I call you, Donna Costa?"

I tilted my head and asked, "What Donna?"

The next minute, Leonardo pressed me against the car door and kissed me, rough and sudden. I bit back, the taste of blood sharp between my teeth.

"You win." He rested his forehead against mine, breathing harshly. "I'll admit, I wanted to see how far you'd keep the act going."

"What about now?" I asked, my hand slipping beneath the hem of Leonardo's shirt.

"Now…" He caught my wandering hand. "I want to see the real you."

Leonardo dragged me into the villa, heading straight up to the master bedroom. He opened the bedside drawer and pulled out a document.

"What's this?" I asked.

"The transfer agreement for the last of your assets." Leonardo tossed it onto the bed. "Sign it."

I looked at the papers, then at him. Then, I smiled.

I walked to the vanity, opened the bottom drawer, and took out another identical document—except this one already had my signature on it.

Leonardo's eyes widened.

"I signed it yesterday." I handed the document to him. "Are you surprised?"

Leonardo didn't take it. Instead, he stared right at me. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to see…" I stepped closer, my fingers tracing lightly across his chest, then continued, "Whether you'd really make me sign it."

Leonardo asked, "And if I would?"

"Then, I'd know," I whispered in his ear, "that you truly wanted me dead."

Leonardo's hand closed around the back of my neck. "You've been testing me this whole time."

"Right back at you." I smiled. "You swapped out my medication. Wasn't that your way of testing whether I'd regained my memory?"

Leonardo fell silent, his fingers moving slowly at my nape. It was the same gesture I used on him whenever he was about to head into a dangerous job back when I was still Vittoria.

"What exactly do you want?" he asked, voice rough.

"I want you to admit defeat," I said, looking straight into his eyes. "I want you to admit that at least once in the past two years, what we had was real."

Leonardo swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. Then, he released me, picked up the signed document from the bed, and slowly tore it into pieces.

"None," he said, staring at the scraps of paper drifting down. "None of it was real. Every day, every second, I wanted you dead."

"I figured," I said softly. "I want you dead, too."

Leonardo suddenly lifted me and tossed me onto the bed. His hands were already closing around my throat. "Then, why didn't you do it? You had plenty of chances."

"Because dying would be letting you off too easily," I said between breaths. "I want you alive, Rossi. You need to be alive to feel all of this."

I slipped my hand beneath the pillow and pulled out a dagger, pressing the tip against Leonardo's back.

"Remember this?" I let out a soft laugh. "This is your engagement gift to me. You said Anna needed protection. How thoughtful of you."

Leonardo slowly released his grip on my neck and pushed himself up. Then, he studied me in the dim light.

"Good," he said with a nod. "Very well."

Leonardo swung his legs off the bed and walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold.

"There's a safe in the basement. The password is the date you lost your memory," he said without turning back. "You'll find all the answers you're looking for inside."

The door closed behind Leonardo.

I lay on the bed and listened as his footsteps faded away. I heard the basement door open and shut.

Then, I got up and padded barefoot to the window.

Leonardo raised his hand and mimed pulling a trigger at me. I mouthed back, "You lost."

As I turned away, I heard a dull thud echoing from the basement.

I didn't head downstairs. Instead, I walked to the vanity, opened the jewelry box that had already been emptied, and pressed the hidden switch at the bottom.

A compartment sprang open, and inside lay an obsidian ring.

I slowly slipped it onto my finger and smiled at the person in the mirror. "Donna Costa is back. Time to clean the rats out of the famiglia."