The Amnesia Deceit

Everyone knew that the future Don of the Jenco family, Evan Jenco, had a childhood sweetheart. They were in love with each other and made a promise in front of the Holy Mother that they would be together forever. That was until Evan started suffering from a strange ailment, where he would forget about the woman he loved every three years. Nancy endured humiliation and torture because of this, but she chose to forgive Evan again and again because he was innocent. However, she later found out that the so-called amnesia he had was nothing but deceit. The man she loved was the mastermind behind everything. Nancy accepted another man into her life on the day she found out the truth. She pointed her polished gun at Evan's head and said, "No man can hurt me and think he can get away with it, Evan, and that includes you." Chapter 1 The future Don of his family, Evan Jenco, suffered from a strange ailment. He would get amnesia every three years, but the only person he would forget was his childhood love, Nancy Sartori. Nancy was 18 the first time it happened to Evan. They had promised to spend their entire lives together under the beautiful fireworks in the night sky, but Evan forgot everything about them after one night and even fell in love with another woman. He broke Nancy's legs for the woman, and it cost Nancy her dreams of being a dancer, but things did not stop there. Evan locked her away in a pitch‑black basement, behind the backs of the Jenco and Sartori Dons. He let others take compromising photos of her, and soon the whole city had seen those scandalous pictures. This tragedy, single-handedly perpetrated by Evan, continued for three months. Three months later, Evan's memories returned. It filled him with so much regret and pain that he knelt in front of Nancy's house for three days and three nights, and proceeded to shoot himself in the kneecaps with his gun to pay for what he did to Nancy. Even the woman with whom he had an affair was given as a gift to his father's subordinate. When it happened the first time, Nancy chose to forgive him. The second time Evan lost his memories was the year Nancy had just turned 21. Evan had put a ring on Nancy's finger during their engagement party. The ring had a cross on it that represented Nancy's position as the Jenco family's future Donna. However, tragedy struck once again the next day. This time, Evan fell in love with Nancy's bodyguard. During a firefight with another mafia family, Evan shielded the bodyguard by using Nancy to block the bullets aimed at the woman. Nancy managed to survive after forty-eight hours in critical condition. On the day she was discharged, Evan did not even see her at the hospital, and instead sent word that a worthless life like hers deserved death. He crushed her dignity and taunted her again and again for having ulterior motives for him. It felt like their happy relationship in the past was nothing but a dream. It took another three months for Evan's apology to arrive. This time, Evan killed the bodyguard with his own hands and knelt in church for three days and three nights. He begged God to take this strange illness away from him. Nancy decided to forgive him for the second time. She begged the heavens that this ridiculous situation would end this time, but the sword of Damocles finally fell on her head during their wedding when Evan walked in holding hands with another woman. "What do you mean by this, Evan?!" Nancy's father, Alan Sartori, frowned as he quickly strode forward to shield Nancy. This was an important wedding between two mafia families, and many guests were present. No one expected Evan to choose this moment to enter his wedding venue with another woman. Evan raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the woman at the waist and leaned casually against her. "What do I mean? Isn't it obvious? I don't know anyone called Nancy Satori. Why should I marry her? Look at her flat body and boring face. She's not as charming as my Rebecca." Evan grabbed the woman's butt in front of everyone without a care in the world. Nancy stumbled and almost fell to the ground. The man in front of her had a handsome face she knew very well, but his demeanor felt like a complete stranger to her. "What nonsense is this? You were the one who knelt at my feet, begging me to let Nancy marry you, Evan Jenco! You promised to protect her for the rest of your life. Is this what protecting her looks like?" Alan's face flushed dark red as his breathing became erratic, and his fingers trembled as he pointed at Evan angrily. "Kneel at your feet? Do you have Alzheimer's, old man? A woman with nude pictures spread all around town isn't worthy of any man kneeling at your feet." Evan's tone was taunting, and his look of disdain was like a knife that stabbed right into Nancy. Painful memories of despair came flooding into Nancy's mind. When Evan was 18, he had used that same nonchalant tone to send her into a living hell. "Evan Jenco, you bastard!" Alan suddenly stumbled, and his eyes closed as he fell onto the stage. "Dad!" Nancy quickly crouched to help stabilize her father's body while calling out in a panic, "Dad! Please don't scare me like this! Wake up!" Nancy's mother had passed away at an early age. It was Alan who had brought her up on his own all these years. Nancy's eyes turned red as tears started to fall. She looked up at Evan through her blurry eyes. They met for the first time when they were four. Evan had saved her from almost falling off a tree. When they were eight, a rival family kidnapped them, and Evan risked his life to shield Nancy from being beaten by them. Nancy was unscathed, but Evan ended up with three broken ribs. When they turned 12, Evan and Nancy were officially sent to training as the heirs to their families. Evan risked breaking the rules by bypassing layers of electrical fencing just so Nancy could have a bite of cake during their training. The trainer almost broke his legs as a result. At 14, Nancy lost a lot of blood after getting hurt during a mission. Evan immediately rolled up his sleeve to give her blood until he turned pale, but he refused to stop as he clenched his teeth to declare that he would die to save her. At 16, Evan used a gun with only six bullets in it to cover Nancy while she escaped. He killed dozens of mercenaries on his own. She thought that they would always be bound together as one for the rest of their lives. If it were not for Evan's strange condition… "You'll regret this, Evan," Nancy choked back a sob. Her words made Evan pause in his footsteps, but he did not look back. All that was heard from him was taunting laughter. "Regret? There are plenty of fish in the sea, and I'll only regret it if I give them up for you." Chapter 2 Alan suffered a cerebral haemorrhage from the stress of the agitation, but fortunately, the doctors said he had been admitted to the hospital in time. Nancy took a deep breath as she watched her unconscious father lying in the hospital bed. She had not changed out of her wedding gown, and her white dress was dirty from the mud and soil splashed on it. It looked as messy as her wedding. Frank Jenco's voice pulled her out of her reverie. "Nancy." She straightened up and replied softly, "Frank." "Good girl. It's been hard on you. We've gotten a lot of doctors to treat Evan, but nothing seems to be working. If you decide to give up on him, I support your decision. You've suffered too much over the years." Frank had watched Nancy grow up and had always thought that this understanding, obedient girl would become his daughter-in-law. He never expected things to turn out this way. There was pain in his eyes as he gently patted Nancy's shoulder. Nancy nodded, and she left the hospital in a mess. The Evan who loved her and the Evan who hated her appeared in her mind one after the other. It had come to a point where she could not tell what was real and what was fake. That was when her phone vibrated, and a message from an unfamiliar number appeared on her phone screen. It was the address of a club. [Do you want to know the truth about Evan Jenco? You'll find out everything if you come to this place.] Truth? What truth was this person talking about? Who was this person? Nancy gripped her phone hard until her palm hurt. She closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, and she decided to head to the given address. She did not want to continue living such a life. Nancy could no longer take living every day in fear and letting the man she loved most in this world hurt her like this. The club's concierge recognized Nancy and led her to Evan's private room. Nancy was about to push the door open when she heard Evan's gloating voice. "Nancy's just too stupid. Can you believe that she actually thinks this amnesia thing I have is real? No one forgets one specific person when they suffer from amnesia. What's more, I have it once every three years. That was just a lie I made up because I wanted to have fun with other women!" Nancy's hand stopped in midair. It was just a lie? She could hardly believe her ears, but the voices inside the private room continued. "But I thought you liked Ms. Sartori a lot. Why are you hurting her with this lie?" "I do like her, and she will be my only Donna in the future, but I don't want to be stuck with one person my entire life. I want to have fun with different women while I'm still young. This is the last time anyway. "Once I get tired of Rebecca Winston, I'll just tell Nancy that I'm cured and we'll get married." Everyone in the private room went along with him. "You're really smart, Evan. You can have your fun while testing Ms. Sartori's love for you. That's killing two birds with one stone." Nancy's blood froze. It was true when he said that he would regret giving up a sea full of fish for her. He had never suffered from amnesia, which meant that he was aware of what he was doing when he hurt her. All those years of suffering, misgiving, prayers, and forgiveness were nothing but a test of her true love. She looked up as she tried to hold back her tears. Nancy was the Principessa of her family. She could not cry over a man like that. Nancy walked out of the club and called a number that she had blocked a long time ago. "That message was from you, wasn't it? What do you want, Colton Serra?" A man's voice replied from the other end of the call, "I just wanted you to see Evan Jenco for who he really is, Nancy. I love you more than he does, and I have the power to protect you now. Won't you give me a chance?" Chapter 3 The voice on the other end was quivering and sounded hoarse. It evoked long-forgotten memories of the man who once held Nancy in his arms while sobbing hysterically. That man was Colton, Frank's Underboss and an orphan he took in many years ago. Colton had always been a loner, but was ruthless with his ways. He was close in age with Evan and had climbed the ranks on his own merits to become the Underboss. He had once confessed his love for Nancy and declared his willingness to be her blade, her hound—whatever she needed. Unfortunately, Nancy was deeply in love with Evan, and there was no place in her heart for another man. After that, Nancy heard that Colton had left Inorva to expand the Jenco family's power to Belosi. Both men's voices overlapped in Nancy's mind, and at last, all that was left was Evan's taunting laughter and the disdain on his face for her. Nancy was silent for a while. "Alright. I'll give you a chance, but I want you to work with me to ensure that Evan pays for this. I want him to wish he was never born! "Remember, this is your only chance to become my man." Before Colton could reply, Nancy hung up the call. When Nancy left the club, it was drizzling outside. The rainwater and mud splashed on her wedding gown, and it was completely ruined. Nancy looked down and bent over to tear off the bottom of the dress. She no longer wanted it now that it was dirty. She went home to change into fresh clothes and rushed to the hospital. Frank was watching over Alan in the hospital ward, and he smiled when he saw Nancy rushing in. "You're here, Nancy. Your father just woke up." "Nancy." Alan struggled to sit up, but Nancy stopped him. "I've thought about it, Dad. I'm calling off the wedding." Alan and Frank were shocked to hear what she had to say. Alan frowned and said, "I'm happy for you if you've finally sorted out your feelings, Nancy, but you grew up with Evan, after all. Can you really let him go?" It was true that she loved Evan deeply. Nancy had blamed the humiliation she suffered from Evan's actions over the years on his strange ailment and had never once faulted Evan for it. However, she had heard the truth from Evan. How could she pretend everything was fine? Nancy was Alan's only child, and she was the noble Principessa of the Sartori family, not some cheap woman who was harassing Evan. She had dignity and a backbone. Nancy looked up at both Dons in front of her and said with conviction, "Yes, I can. I've thought it through." Alan nodded when he saw how determined Nancy was. "Alright. Let's cancel the wedding." He turned to look at Frank and said with a sigh, "I guess Evan and Nancy are not meant to be, Frank. Let's just annul the wedding." Frank sighed. "That rascal has really crossed the line. Don't worry, Nancy. I'll always treat you as my daughter, even if you can't be my daughter-in-law." Nancy stood up and said softly, "It's getting late, Dad. You should be resting. I'll visit you again tomorrow." After that, she turned to Frank solemnly. "Frank, even though Evan and I are no longer engaged, there's something I still need to say to you." Frank nodded. Nancy pretended to sound worried, "This ailment of his is really strange. Even though I'm the only person he forgets about right now, there's no guarantee that his condition won't decline. What if he forgets who he is one day, Frank? The Jenco family can't take such a huge risk." Frank's expression turned grim as Nancy gave him a light nod before turning to leave. No one in the Mafia could tolerate a Don who was riddled with sickness. She wondered how much longer Evan would stay so arrogant after he lost his place as heir to the family. A ruthless glint flashed in Nancy's eyes. No one in this world could leave unscathed after hurting her this way, even if it was the man she had been deeply in love with. Chapter 4 Nancy went home to change into fresh clothes and had a good night's sleep. The next day, she went to the house where she was supposed to live with Evan after they got married. Now that she had decided to cancel their wedding, there were certain items she had to take with her. She was about to punch in the door's password when someone unexpectedly opened it from inside. A woman in a white shirt appeared while exposing her long, slender legs. There was a huge, bright hickey on her neck. She leaned against the door and smiled. "Isn't this the woman Evan abandoned? What are you doing back here?" The woman looked Nancy up and down in a condescending manner. "You aren't here to beg Evan to take you back, are you? Doesn't the future Donna of the Jenco family have a backbone?" Nancy was calm until she spotted a ring with a big ruby on it on Rebecca's finger. That ring was left behind by her mother. She grabbed Rebbeca's arms and pulled the ruby ring off Rebecca's finger forcefully without a word. Rebecca's skin reddened right away because of Nancy's strong grip. She screamed, "What are you doing, Ms. Sartori? Evan gave that to me! How dare you snatch it from me?!" Nancy stared at her stoically as she said slowly, "You're not worthy of this ring." With that, she flung Rebecca's hand aside, and Rebecca fell daintily backward and into the arms of Evan, who had come to the door when he heard the commotion. Evan shielded Rebecca behind him while looking annoyed. "What are you doing here again, Nancy? I've told you before that I'd never marry you! Stop talking about how we grew up together and how we've been in love for years. I don't remember a thing. "The woman I love now is Rebecca, and only Rebecca. If you still have any dignity, stop harassing us!" Rebecca gloated upon hearing his words, but Nancy did not plan to waste any time with them. She went straight into the villa stoically. "I remember everything Evan said. You don't need to repeat them. I'm just here to pick up the things that belong to me, and to draw a line between us." A look of panic flashed in Evan's eyes when he saw Nancy's expression. Every time he had pretended to have amnesia, Nancy would have tears in her eyes as she tried to tell him again and again about how they had been in love, but this time, she was distant and cold. Why was that? Evan frowned as he felt something had gone out of his control, but Nancy had already strode into his room. She did not even look inside the messy closet, but carefully opened a compartment at the very top to take out a small, exquisite jar. Something felt wrong about it the moment Nancy held it in her hands. It was too light. She jerked back to question sternly, "What did you do to my mother's ashes, Evan Jenco?!" Nancy's eyes were red, and her voice trembled. Evan's worry dissipated when he saw the look on Nancy's face. He sat casually back onto the sofa and said nonchalantly, "That thing? Well, Rebecca's dog hasn't been feeling well lately, and I heard that a porcelain bowl made out of ashes would have magical properties, so I…" Before Evan could finish, Nancy dashed toward him and slapped him without hesitation. Slap! There were several seconds of silence in the villa. That slap was not enough. Nancy raised her hand high to give Evan a second slap. She could not hold back her anger and disappointment. "Are you crazy, Evan? That's my mother!" Nancy could not stop trembling as she used full force on both slaps. Even though Nancy's mother had passed early in life, she was still wildly protective of her mother. Nancy would go to church service every week just to wish her mother happiness in heaven. Despite being an atheist, Nancy was still adamant about wishing her mother a happy life in another world. However, her mother's ashes had suffered a great insult because of Evan. Nancy refused to take this lying down. "It's just a dead woman. How dare you slap Evan?!" Rebecca lunged forward to shield Evan behind her. Evan was touched by Rebecca being protective of him. He stood up and placed his arms around Rebecca's shoulder while looking down at Nancy. "I must have pampered you too much before my amnesia for you to act so arrogantly, Nancy. How dare a woman like you even dream of becoming my wife? My wife can only be a gentle, understanding woman like Rebecca." Evan held Rebecca's chin and kissed her on the lips. Nancy felt a sharp pain in her stomach and almost threw up. "As you wish, Evan. There's no longer anything between us from now onward." She wiped away the tears on her face stubbornly and turned to leave, but Evan's unhappy voice was heard coming from behind her. "Wait a minute. Did I say you can leave? Do you think you can leave just like that after slapping me and hurting Rebecca?" Chapter 5 Nancy took a deep breath and turned around. "What do you want from me?" Evan frowned as he felt a strange frustration. Nancy was the only child of the Sartori family and had always been a proud woman. She treated everyone coldly except for Evan, the only person to whom she would reveal her soft, feminine side. However, Nancy was acting like a stranger to him now, and it was making him anxious. "My hand hurts, Evan." Rebecca's sobbing voice made Evan snap out of it. His face fell as he walked darkly toward Nancy and grabbed her arm. "Let go!" Nancy frowned as she turned pale from the pain. However, she was not Evan's match and could only let him drag her next to the table and force her to kneel, no matter how much she struggled. "Hit her back, Rebecca." His order shocked Rebecca and Nancy. Nancy said in astonishment, "What are you talking about, Evan? If you dare touch a hair on me, my dad and Frank won't let you get away with it!" "I don't think I should do this, Evan… Ms. Sartori is a Principessa, after all. If the Dons come after me…" Evan looked coldly at me and spoke with indifference, "What are you afraid of with me around?" His words must have given Rebecca confidence as she raised her hand in anticipation, but she put her hand down next. "I'm afraid of hurting my hand, Evan. Can I… Use this instead?" Rebecca looked around and picked up an exquisite pair of Adam and Eve dolls. Evan and Nancy had made those dolls as ornaments for the house and even dripped their blood into them during the creation process. Evan had said that it signified them being together forever, but now, Rebecca was raising the ornament high in the air as she aimed it down at Nancy's wrist. "Don't you dare, Evan Jenco! Let me go!" Nancy struggled to escape from his grip, but Evan did not even hesitate to keep her down, and even nodded without a second thought. "Go ahead." Rebecca got closer and closer to Nancy. The next second saw her smash the ornament down hard on Nancy's wrist, which turned red and became swollen right away. As for the Adam and Eve ornament, they fell to the ground and broke into several pieces. It was just like their relationship. There was no going back. Nancy screamed from the pain. Her face turned pale, and she broke out in cold sweat. It was only then that Evan finally released her. Nancy held her wrist and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She clenched her teeth and said slowly to him, "You know me, Evan. I'll make sure you pay for this a hundred times over." Evan sneered. "Stop with your pretense, Nancy. Everyone knows how deeply in love you are with me. You can't bear to shoot me even if I gave you a gun right now." "How do you know I wouldn't do it? The Nancy Sartori who loved you is dead," Nancy replied stoically. Evan was taken aback, but quickly grabbed Rebecca into his arms as he continued being distant and indifferent. "I'll be waiting for that day then, Principessa. Don't disappoint me." He paused before looking threateningly at Nancy. "I'm warning you, today was just a minor lesson. Touch Rebecca again, and I won't hesitate to feed you to the sharks." Rebecca smiled sweetly at his words. Before she left, she made it a point to take Nancy's ruby ring away with her. "Thank you for the gift, Ms. Sartori." Nancy watched as they left. She said weakly, but with determination, "You'll regret this, Evan Jenco…" Evan paused in his footsteps, but did not look back. They made sure to lock the doors from the outside before they strode away. It took a long time for Nancy to snap out of her pain while she was lying on the ground. She was the Sartori family's Principessa who had been pampered all her life. Evan was the only person who had hurt her again and again. Nancy stared at the tightly shut door, and after that, looked at her surroundings. She did not hesitate to make her way to the window and leap right out. She heard the bones in her legs break the moment she landed. The intense pain right then felt just like the time Evan had broken her legs. That year, Evan vowed with his life that he would never hurt her again, but today, he had indulged another woman to break her right hand. What a joke it was. She stood up in a limp and called a number stoically. Ten minutes later, dozens of bodyguards appeared in front of her. They were well-trained, and they started setting up wires around the villa silently, but efficiently. When they were done, the head bodyguard passed a remote to Nancy. Nancy looked at the house, which she had taken the effort to decorate, as it would have been her home with Evan after they got married, and pressed down on the button without hesitation. Flames flared high in the air in that instant. The huge villa burned brightly in the great flames, and eventually all that was left were ashes. The fire threw a light on the side of Nancy's pale, but beautiful face. It took a long time before she said softly, "This is really the end between us, Evan Jenco." Chapter 6 Nancy was taken to the hospital under the protection of the Sartori family's bodyguards. The injury to her legs was not as serious as the one on her wrist. Even the doctors were shaking their heads when they saw how much of a mess she was in. While taking care of her wounds, a piece of news was being reported on the hospital's television. "According to our sources, Evan Jenco, the heir to the Jenco family, will be having his wedding to his associate, Ms. Rebecca Winston, in three days. Their wedding will be held at St. John's Church, and the wedding expenses have been said to cost 30 million. The venue has been decorated with air-flown fresh flowers from Formosa and billions of diamonds." Nancy did not even flinch at the mention of Evan's name. The nurses next to her, however, were filled with envy. "I'm so envious of Ms. Winston. Evan Jenco left the heiress to the Sartori family for her. Isn't this wedding a show of love?" "Poor Ms. Sartori. Didn't they grow up together? She's the Principessa of the Sartori family, but she kept getting dumped by him. It'll probably hurt her to see this news." Hurt? Nancy looked at her right hand in a cast and sneered. Why should she get hurt over an insincere good-for-nothing? She watched Evan smiling on television, and her red lips opened gently to say, "Now that you're getting married, Evan, I should come bearing a wedding gift as your ex-fiancée, shouldn't I?" Three days later, at St. John's Church during the early hours, the church was filled with noble guests. Evan was in a white suit and smiling adoringly at Rebecca while holding her hand. A priest with a head full of white hair had a bible in his hand when he asked solemnly, "Mr. Jenco, do you take Ms. Winston to be your wife, in sickness and health, for rich or for poor, and would love her, take care of her, respect her, and accept her no matter what happens, and always be loyal to her until the day you die?" For some reason, Evan saw Nancy's face when he heard the question. He opened his mouth, but could not say the words 'I do', no matter how hard he tried. Rebecca frowned at this. She was about to say something when the church doors were forced open. About thirty Sartori bodyguards in black suits marched into the church. The last to enter was Nancy, who was in a red dress. Her right hand was still in a cast, but it did not hamper her charm and beauty in any way. The noisy guests instantly turned silent. It was only then that everyone realized the woman who was always following behind Evan was a ravishing beauty. The authoritative air about her was just as powerful as that of her father, Alan. Someone muttered, "It's no wonder that she's the future Donna of the Sartori family. Just look at how naturally charismatic she is!" Evan frowned when he heard the comment, and he said coldly, "What are you doing here, Nancy Sartori?" Nancy said nothing. All she did was look around her. The venue was filled with peonies, which were flowers she always wanted for her dream wedding. Even the wedding gown Rebecca had on was designed with every stroke of the pencil by Nancy. The wedding she had always wanted now belonged to another. She plucked a peony and walked toward Evan with her high heels clacking loudly on the floor. "I heard you were getting married today, and I came bearing a gift for you." Evan raised an eyebrow at this, but his gaze fell on Nancy's right hand. It was heavily bandaged, and a flash of tenderness appeared in his eyes. He knew that he had crossed the line three days ago. Once three months had passed, he would make sure to give her a worthy apology. This wedding was just a gimmick to cheer Rebecca up. It was nothing in his eyes. At this thought, Evan smiled, and a playful look appeared in his eye. "Ms. Sartori, is this your gift for me? Bringing in so many of your men to ruin my wedding? I didn't realize you love me so much. He paused to look at Nancy and spoke in a tone that sounded like he was being charitable to her, "How about you and Rebecca be my Donna together after I've taken over as Don of the Jenco family…" Before he could finish, Nancy suddenly pulled out a gun and aimed it at Evan's head. Everyone held their breath at that moment. Evan's eyes widened, "What are you doing, Nancy?!" Nancy did not answer him. All she did was look longingly at the gun in her hand. "Do you remember this gun, Evan? It's the first handgun you've ever given me. You've even carved the words on it, 'Dear God, please protect the love of my life, Nancy Sartori'. You told me that you hoped this gun would bring me luck and bear witness to every time I escaped near death, but Evan, the greatest and most laughable defeat I've ever faced in my life, was perpetrated by you." Her words touched something inside of Evan, and he called out to Nancy without realizing it, "Nancy…" However, she ignored it and stared right into Evan's eyes to say with a smile, "For the last six years, you've been pretending to have amnesia, which must have been really hard on you, Mr. Jenco. Unfortunately, the one thing I hate most in this world is a liar!" Nancy pulled the trigger with her left hand. A shot rang out in the air, and blood splattered. The entire world became silent.