Chapter 5

When I received the notice that my mother was in critical condition, I lost my mind and rushed toward Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The Uber was stuck on Storrow Drive for half an hour. My entire body trembled with panic.

Seeing how frantic I was, the driver said kindly, "Miss, you might want to get out and run. The traffic ahead is completely jammed."

I shoved the door open immediately and sprinted toward the hospital.

I was stopped cold at the entrance of my apartment building.

A crowd surrounded me aggressively. They had dug up my personal information and tracked down my address in the Cambridge district.

They wore slogan-printed T-shirts and held signs reading "Protect Dr. Ricci" and "Stop the Lies". They looked organized, like a coordinated group.

They demanded that I apologize to Olivia.

"Sofia Rossi, you liar, come out!"

"Slandering a good person like Dr. Ricci… do you have no conscience?"

"Dr. Ricci saved my mother’s life. Who do you think you are to hurt her like this?!"

Rotten vegetables, foul-smelling eggs, and even unopened cans of drinks rained down on me.

I covered my head and tried desperately to force my way through. "Move! Please move! My mother is in the hospital. She’s dying!"

No one listened.

Someone shoved me hard.

I crashed onto the concrete. My knee split open, blood pouring out. The pain made me gasp, but I didn’t dare stop. I struggled to push myself up.

"You want to pass?" a woman at the front shouted. "Then admit on camera right now that you’re lying!"

She held up her phone. The camera was practically shoved into my face, the flash blinding me.

"Record it! Let the whole world see what a liar looks like!" the crowd jeered, tightening around me again, leaving no path at all to get away and to see my mother one last time.

I gave in.

I collapsed onto the ground, filthy and humiliated. Ignoring the blood streaming down my forehead, I stared into those cold lenses and spoke words that went against my soul, trembling like a puppet on strings.

"It was me... I lied. I was jealous of Olivia. The photos were photoshopped. The data was fabricated. I’m sorry, Olivia Ricci..."

Humiliated tears mixed with blood and ran into my mouth. In that moment, my dignity was ground into the dirt.

Those righteous crusaders looked like they had just won a battle. They smiled in satisfaction.

"If you’d done this earlier, it wouldn’t have come to this."

"Since your attitude is acceptable, we’ll forgive you."

With the video they wanted secured, they dispersed contentedly, as if they had just carried out some great act of justice.

I was finally able to continue to the hospital.

However, by the time I reached Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, it was already too late.

My mother had stopped breathing. She lay on the hospital bed, her face pale, drained of all color.

The doctor removed his mask and sighed. "I’m very sorry. The patient went into cardiac arrest half an hour ago. We did everything we could."

For a brief moment, I thought I was trapped inside a long, endless dream.

When the dream ended, I would still be the little girl who slept in her mother’s arms. I would not have met Dante or have lived through these nightmares.

My mother would still be alive and healthy. We would still take walks and talk together by the Boston River.

However, reality struck me down without mercy.

I chose the wrong man, and I didn’t even get to see my mother one last time.