I don't remember when they took me into surgery even when I clearly told Chris I'm not having surgery . It was like my body gave up but my mind refused to shut down . I was floating - adrift in a cold place , somewhere between life and something worse . The drugs dulled everything . But in the middle of it , just before I blacked out , I remember one face leaning over me . A stranger . Kind eyes . Not Chris . Not anyone from the hospital staff I knew . He whispered softly as the anesthesia crept up my spine . " Hang in there , Ivanna . Lothario sent me . He's coming now . My name's Sam . We're not letting them win . " And then I was gone . When I opened my eyes again , I was still alive . Barely . My chest felt like it had been caved in , every breath jagged and raw . My body screamed with pain , but I was breathing . My fingers twitched . My ribs hurt like hell , but they moved when I told them to . That meant one thing . The surgery worked . Hope . I blinked slowly , trying to focus on the blurry figure beside me . It was him- the doctor . Sam . Younger than I expected . Tired eyes . No coat . Just a hoodie , gloves , and stress lines that looked like they'd been carved into his face . " You're awake ," he said , voice low . " But not for long . You need to fake it . They can't know yet . Just lay still . I'll take care of the rest ." I tried to speak , but my throat was sandpaper . He handed me a straw and held it steady while I drank a few sips of water . " I don't have much time , " he said . " Your vitals are stable , but you need to play dead . Lothario's handling the rest . They're planning something big - Marian and Rupert . It's not just about the wedding . It's a full takeover . You were in the way ." I nodded slowly . I didn't even have to ask why he was helping me . If he was Darling Remember 1/4 7:00 Mon , Sep 15 71 Lothario's friend , that was enough . And if he'd seen even half the things they'd done to me , maybe that was the rest . I stopped responding to the nurses the next morning ... No blinking . No eye movement . No reflexes and Sam played his part perfectly . " She's slipping , " he said , looking grim for the benefit of the cameras in the hallway . " Might not last the night . " I let them poke and prod and whisper around me like I wasn't even there . My own family barely came to check . Matteo popped in once to mutter something about lawyers and PR statements . Chris came to make sure my face wasn't recognizable anymore . Marian never bothered . She didn't need to . She'd already won . But I listened . God , I listened . At night , when they thought I was unconscious , they spoke freely . I heard Matteo telling Chris that Rupert was already negotiating with the De Lucas now that he had Marian on his arm . That they'd be expanding into the docks , pushing out the Montellis . I heard Marian's voice - sharp , confident , like she belonged in the room now . " We need to secure the Chicago pipeline . Ivanna was too soft . Too careful . I'm not ." Even Chris sounded proud . " You were the better choice all along ." I wanted to scream . But I stayed still . Silent . Empty . On the third night , Sam came back . He pulled the curtain shut and turned off the monitor . " It's time . " He slipped something cold and metallic onto my chest - an electrode patch hacked to mimic a flatline . The monitor let out one long , piercing beep . Sam whispered , " You'll only have a few minutes . Don't move until I say . " The nurse rushed in seconds later . Her face went white . Sam was already Chapter 4 2/4 7.4 % 7:00 Mon , Sep 15 calling the code . " She's gone , " he said loudly . " No pulse . We lost her . " 71 There were footsteps . Shouts . People I didn't know trying to resuscitate me while Sam stood over me , shouting medical jargon and barking orders . I could feel my body being jostled , but I stayed limp . Dead . Matteo showed up not long after . I couldn't see him , but I recognized his voice . " What happened ? What the hell happened ? " " I warned you , " Sam said coldly . " She needed the surgery earlier . You waited too long . She didn't make it through recovery . " Silence . Then Matteo let out this dry , wheezing sob . Fake as hell . " She ... she's dead ? My daughter ... " God , I wanted to laugh . Or maybe cry . My body didn't know the difference anymore . " She's gone , " Sam repeated . " Her injuries were too severe . And given the state of the body ... I suggest a closed casket ." Matteo didn't even question it . Of course he didn't . It fit his narrative too perfectly . They gave me two hours . Sam slipped me out through the back hallway in a wheelchair , draped in a hospital sheet . Lothario was waiting in the alley in a black van , face half - covered , eyes burning with something fierce and desperate . He helped me into the back and didn't say a word until we were miles out of the city . 3/4 8.0 % 7:00 Mon , Sep 15 71 Then , finally , he spoke . " You scared the hell out of me . " I looked at him , voice barely above a whisper . " You saved me . " His jaw clenched . " No. I just did what they should've done . What they never did . " I leaned my head back against the seat , tears slipping down my cheeks . " They buried me . And the worst part ? They were happy to do it . " Lothario didn't respond right away . He just stared ahead , knuckles white on the wheel . " We're going to a place no one knows about , " he said quietly . " Old underground clinic . Off the grid . No records . You'll be safe there . Heal . Plan . Do whatever the hell you need to do . " I nodded slowly . " What ... what about the body in the casket ? " His mouth twisted . " Some Jane Doe from the morgue . Unclaimed . Burn marks , facial trauma . No one will check . No one will question . " I closed my eyes . It was done . Ivanna Rossi was dead . And whoever I was now ? She was just getting started . ་ 4/4 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!