As dusk settled over the hills, I returned to the villa.
The instant I walked through the front doors, I sensed that something was terribly wrong.
The air was thick with fear.
Luca stood in the center of the living room, surrounded by armed men. Every servant in the house had been forced onto the floor, their wrists bound, their faces drained of color as they trembled.
His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"Where is she?" he demanded. "Start talking before I decide to make every one of you regret staying silent."
The moment the servants spotted me, relief flooded their faces.
"Miss Camille!" one of them cried.
Luca spun around.
In the blink of an eye, the ruthless expression disappeared from his face.
Relief crashed over him so completely that it almost looked like he'd been in pain.
"Camille."
He closed the distance in seconds and wrapped me tightly in his embrace, holding me as though letting go wasn't an option.
"Where have you been?" His voice dropped into a rough whisper. "I've called you over and over. I thought something happened to you. You scared me half to death."
My body stiffened instinctively before I forced myself to relax.
"I went shopping," I replied softly. "I lost track of the time."
He leaned back just enough to study my face before exhaling.
"I can't even stay angry with you," he muttered, gently brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Next time, let me come with you. That's what your husband is for. I'll carry every shopping bag, pay for everything, and be wherever you need me the moment you call."
Your husband.
The words drove straight into my heart.
No.
You haven't been my husband for four years.
"Come on," he said with an easy smile. "It's our seventh anniversary. I've got a surprise waiting for you."
He laced his fingers through mine and led me outside toward the private helipad.
Before I could ask where we were going, he effortlessly scooped me into his arms and carried me into the helicopter.
Moments later, the rotors thundered overhead as the aircraft rose into the evening sky.
I stayed silent.
All I could do was watch him.
The man beside me looked exactly like the Luca I knew.
Yet somehow...
He felt like a complete stranger.
When we were high above the city, he gently lifted my chin toward the window.
"Look down."
I followed his gaze.
Below us, thousands of lights shifted across the darkness, slowly rearranging themselves until glowing words stretched across the city.
LOVE YOU, Camille.
My breath caught.
It was breathtaking.
Completely outrageous.
Exactly the sort of thing only Luca would do.
He leaned close, his lips barely brushing my ear.
"I love you," he whispered. "I always have... and I always will."
My chest tightened painfully.
Anyone looking at us would think I was the happiest woman alive.
So why did it feel like I was suffocating?
The helicopter eventually descended, touching down outside an enormous estate hidden far beyond the city lights.
The moment I saw it...
I knew the night wasn't over.
...
The mansion before us looked less like a home and more like something built for royalty—or perhaps a king of monsters.
People used to talk about it in hushed voices after Luca reportedly paid five billion for the property.
Towering iron gates stood before it, covered in intricate carvings.
At their center were two familiar words.
Camille's Palace.
My breathing faltered.
Every detail reflected me.
The architecture matched the design style I'd once casually mentioned liking during a conversation years ago.
He'd remembered.
The gardens overflowed with orchids.
Not ordinary ones.
Rare species worth more than many people earned in a lifetime.
Then my eyes wandered farther inside.
I froze.
There...
An amusement park.
Built just for me.
A glowing carousel.
A Ferris wheel.
Roller coasters weaving through the night.
Even a small petting zoo where dozens of rescued dogs happily ran, played, and slept together.
All because...
One afternoon, I'd stopped to feed a stray dog.
I'd quietly remarked that it looked lonely.
That single comment had been enough for Luca.
My eyes stung.
He had remembered everything.
Every passing remark.
Every tiny wish.
For seven years, he'd loved me with a devotion so overwhelming that he'd turned my smallest words into reality.
He'd given me everything I'd ever dreamed of.
Even the dreams I'd never spoken aloud.
So why...
Why did my heart feel like it was breaking apart?
Because now I knew the truth.
His love had never belonged solely to me.
He'd divided it.
Half for me.
Half for the woman who had ruined my life.
Luca stepped closer, brushing away the tears on my cheeks with his thumb so tenderly that it hurt more than if he'd slapped me.
"Hey," he murmured. "A husband is supposed to make his wife smile. If you keep crying, you're going to break my heart too."
I nearly laughed.
A husband?
Which wife was he talking to?
Without warning, he lowered himself onto one knee beneath the night sky.
He opened a velvet box.
Inside rested a dazzling ring that sparkled beneath the lights.
"Camille."
He looked at me as though I were the only person who existed.
"Marrying you was the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. I love you so much that even a few hours apart feels unbearable."
My hands trembled.
"So I had something special made."
He lifted the ring.
"There's a tracking chip hidden inside it. Mine carries the receiver. No matter where you go, I'll always know where you are."
His smile softened.
"I'll never lose you."
A chill crept through me.
Was that love...
Or possession?
The intensity in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
It looked as though he'd tear the world apart before he'd ever let me leave.
He reached for my hand.
Just as the ring was about to slide onto my finger...
His phone rang.
A unique ringtone.
I noticed the faint shift in his expression.
Celeste.
He glanced at the screen, his face quickly returning to normal.
Without missing a beat, he placed the ring on my finger.
Then he stood.
"An important client needs me," he said casually as he turned away. "I'll be back soon. Don't wait up."
Client?
The word almost made me laugh.
Before I could answer, he was already walking toward the helicopter.
Whatever waited on the other end of that phone call mattered more than finishing this moment.
More than me.
The helicopter lifted into the sky.
Its roar gradually disappeared into the distance.
Silence settled over the estate.
Slowly, I crouched down and picked up one of the puppies wandering nearby.
It gave a tiny bark as it curled against my palm, warm and trusting.
The strays had found somewhere they belonged.
Why hadn't I?
Something slipped from my finger.
The ring.
I bent down and picked it up.
Only then did I realize...
Luca hadn't even noticed.
He'd given me the wrong one.
The ring in my hand wasn't the one with the tracking chip.
It was the receiver.
Which meant...
He had accidentally taken the transmitter with him.
For several long seconds, I simply stared at it.
Then I pressed the hidden switch.
Voices crackled through almost immediately.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Celeste's voice quivered. "I didn't mean to fall apart like this. I've been trapped here for four years. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind."
My grip tightened around the ring.
"You don't need to worry about me," she continued, forcing a laugh. "Today's your seventh anniversary with Miss Hart. You should stay with her. I've survived four years already. I'll be okay."
There was a brief silence.
Then Luca answered.
"Stop saying nonsense."
His voice was firm but gentle.
"You think I'd leave you alone when you're sick? I'm your husband. Looking after you comes first, no matter what day it is."
Something inside my chest shattered completely.
