Chapter 1
After Anna discovered she was just a fake heiress, she became her first love's secret girlfriend.
She thought Ethan had feelings for her, too. That had to be the reason why he seemed so eager to claim her as his own when her true identity was revealed.
She stayed by his side for three whole years, only to find out he was planning to marry the real heiress.
Standing at the door of a private room, Anna overheard Ethan talking to his friend.
"You're marrying Camilla, so what's going to happen to Anna?" his friend asked.
"Anna? She is just a fling. Does she really think I'd marry her?" Ethan scoffed.
Anna felt dead inside. She spun on her heel, pulled out her phone, and dialed Derrick.
"Derrick, I'm ready to take the mission at the border. Help me arrange for my fake death and erase my records in three days," she said.
*****
After finalizing the mission details, Anna Conroy felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
In three days, her old life would be gone for good. She'd be living under a whole new name, even if it meant stepping straight into danger. But honestly, she hadn't felt this light in ages.
The last time she'd felt this free was three years ago.
Sixteen years ago, Clint and Donna Conroy, the couple who had raised her, died in a car accident while on a mission. Her supposed relatives rushed in, not to grieve, but to fight over the inheritance.
Anna just sat there in the mourning hall, numb, watching the four of them argue until their faces turned beet-red. She kept her head down, tears slipping as she stroked her phone—the one that still had Clint and Donna's last call saved, right before the crash.
While Anna waited in silence for them to decide which orphanage she'd be dumped in, Ethan Greco ditched his overseas business and rushed back to take her away himself.
Ethan grabbed her hand, looking at her firmly and gently. "Ann, I'll look after you for Donna now. No matter how tough things get, will you stick with me?"
For a long moment, Anna just stared in a daze before she nodded and laced her fingers with his. "From now on, you're the only one I have."
From then on, Anna and Ethan relied on one another from the day she turned ten to the day she turned twenty.
For a whole decade, Ethan did everything for Anna. With anything concerning her, he took care of it personally.
He never missed a single important day in Anna's life, no matter how exhausted or swamped he got when he started a business.
With Ethan's patience and care, the once solitary Anna slowly blossomed into a bright, lively young woman.
Rumor had it that Ethan, the cold-blooded tycoon everyone feared, would only ever crack a smile when Anna was around.
But over time, things quietly began to change between them subtly.
Anna couldn't let anyone discover the forbidden feelings she harbored for Ethan. She buried them deep inside and kept them hidden for years.
It wasn't until she got drunk at her college graduation that she did the one thing she'd regret forever. Thanks to the alcohol, she blurted out her feelings to Ethan.
For the first time, Ethan looked at her with an unfamiliar coldness.
"Anna, I've done everything for you because I owe your mother my life. I wanted her to rest easy, not so you could have these dirty thoughts about me," Ethan said.
"But so what? We're not even related by blood. If you just wanted to—" Anna tried to say.
"Anna, remember this. I'm not that kind of guy," Ethan said, cutting her off.
After that, Ethan was never as close to her as he used to be.
It was as if he were afraid Anna might let those forbidden feelings grow any further.
And Anna could only keep those feelings buried deep inside, never letting them see the light of day.
But everything changed for Anna during her very first mission.
She was drugged in the middle of the job. Stumbling and disoriented, she accidentally barged into a hotel room, never realizing it belonged to Ethan.
Inside, Ethan was gripping two DNA test results so hard that his fists cracked.
Completely delirious, Anna felt as though she was lost in a dream. She lunged at Ethan desperately, kissing him fiercely and yearning for something more.
Anna was too far gone to notice the hatred burning in his eyes or to catch every cruel word. He said, "So you finally figured out you're nothing but a stand-in, living off Camilla's life all these years. Now you think you can keep your spot by throwing yourself at me? Fine. I'll play along. See how far you get."
After that, things spiraled out of control.
It wasn't long before Camilla was sent back to the Greco residence, and everything Anna had ever owned vanished overnight. She plummeted from being the cherished center of attention to becoming just another servant in their house.
Those three years were the darkest of her life.