adeshinaolabisi96の小説

Luci pressed her lips together and gritted her teeth. She told Lorenza, “Go ahead.”Luci stayed in the hospital all night, watching over Nico, with Nina sitting quietly beside her. She did not step away even for a minute.As for Leo and Lorenza, who had said they would “be back soon”?They never showed up.A bitter pain settled deep in Lucia’s chest.Earlier, on Lorenza’s WhatsApp chat, the picture Leo sent her was clearly taken at home, asking Lorenza if he bought the right items.That kind of care… that wasn’t just co-parenting.It wasn’t just being considerate.It was the care a man showed a woman he still loved.Lucia wondered—was Leo still in love with Lorenza?At first, she believed Leo was simply making up for the past. After all, Lorenza gave birth to his twins, and he even said it himself. But now, after everything…After the way he spoke…After he reminded her that “a stepmother is just a stepmother”…The last six years were beginning to feel like nothing but a hired respons

Lucia burst into the emergency department of San Vitorio Children’s Hospital, completely breathless, her chest rising and falling as fear squeezed her throat.Her voice shook.“What happened? What happened to him?”Leo ran a hand through his hair, worry twisting his features.“Nico had an allergic reaction,” he said, his voice tight and sharp at the edges.Lucia felt her knees weaken.“Allergic reaction? I wrote down every single thing he must not eat. Didn’t you see it? Didn’t you read it?”Before Leo could reply, Lorenza stepped forward in a small, guilty voice.“It was my fault. I-I didn’t know mango would trigger him. I’m really sorry…”Leo quickly defended her.“Lorenza meant well. Besides, the list you gave us got lost somehow. Maybe… maybe you didn’t write it clearly.”Lucia froze, staring at him like she didn’t know him anymore.“I didn’t write it clearly?” she repeated, hurt slicing through her chest.She had memorized the children’s allergies. She knew their limits like she

Lorenza froze, her eyes widening in disbelief.“Nina… how could you accuse me like that?”The wounded expression on Lorenza’s face only made Leo believe even more that Nina was lying.In Leo's mind, Nina was simply trying to protect Lucia. That had to be why she was “making things up” against Lorenza.After all—what mother would intentionally hurt her own child?Leo's voice turned firm.“Nina, children shouldn’t lie. And she’s not a stranger. She is your and Nico's biological mother. Without her, both of you wouldn’t even exist.”“I’m not lying!” Nina insisted loudly.Tears shimmered in Lorenza’s eyes, but she forced a small, gentle smile.She quietly tried to calm Leo down. “It’s okay, Leonardo. Kids only lie because they want to protect the people they love. It’s fine if they like Mrs. Moretti. It simply means she has treated them well. That’s what matters.”But her calm words carried a hidden implication—That Lucia had taught Nina to say it.The bruised, pitiful look in Lorenza’s

Leonardo hadn’t expected the twins to reject Lorenza so strongly.Lorenza burst into tears immediately, her whole body shaking.“It’s my fault… it’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have left… They don’t even know me anymore…”Right there in front of Lucia, Leo gently wrapped an arm around Lorenza’s shoulders, steadying her before she fell.“Don’t blame yourself,” he whispered. “You didn’t have a choice. Come on. Don’t cry. Let’s go upstairs so you can freshen up.”Dressed in those simple clothes, Lorenza looked too fragile, too lost—like even breathing was stressing her. She was shaking so much that Leo practically had to guide her step-by-step toward the guest room.They walked right past Lucia as if she wasn’t even standing there—No glance.No pause.Nothing.Like she didn’t matter.She swallowed the sharp, uncomfortable feeling rising in her chest. She told herself over and over:Lorenza is their mother.She missed them.Leo is just trying to manage the tension.He’s doing what any norm

They say love can mend a broken man… but what happens when the woman who fixed him is the one left shattered?For six years, Lucia Bianchi gave her heart, her youth, and her dreams to a family that wasn’t hers by blood — yet hers in every way that mattered. She rebuilt a home, held two children close to her chest, and stood beside a man who only remembered her when it was convenient.But tonight, as the lights shine on her family rise to power, Lucia will learn a truth she never prepared for —sometimes the deepest betrayal doesn’t come from an enemy… but from the people you love the most.And when a stepmother finally decides to walk away, the world she held together with her bare hands begins to crumble.Because in a world that values blood over loyalty, being a stepmother was never enough.~~~~~~~~~~Evening in MilanoThe Marchesi Corporation’s celebration party was already in full swing. Laughter spread around the hall as glasses clinked and people threw compliments up and down wi