Chapter 4

Elena's POV

With a loud bang, I crashed hard onto the roof of a car. Blood spread beneath me in a dark pool. Every time I opened my mouth, more blood poured out.

My body slowly slid off the car, and I found myself looking directly into Lorenzo's stunned eyes from the driver's seat.

"Elena?"

Startled, Lorenzo quickly opened the car door and checked on my condition. The panic on his face and the fear in his eyes were things I had never seen before.

The world seemed to fall silent, with the only thing I could hear being his heavy breathing.

Lorenzo reached out to touch me, but the moment his fingers met the viscous blood, he pulled back as if he had gotten burned.

"I'll call an ambulance right now. You're going to be okay," he said anxiously.

I smiled bitterly, only to be wracked by agonizing coughs as blood choked my throat.

I wished I could speak up. Why was Lorenzo putting up an act? Wasn't he the one who personally handed me over to that demon?

But I couldn't say anything. My life was slipping away fast. I had lost too much blood, and I was so cold that my teeth chattered.

Soon, I heard the sound of the ambulance sirens grow closer and looked hopefully toward the stretcher.

But just then, Sofia, who had been silent all along, let out a pained cry. She held up her right arm, revealing a small, bleeding cut.

Lorenzo immediately became frantic. He scooped her up in his arms and ran toward the ambulance.

He sounded more urgent than ever before. "Doctor, she has a clotting disorder. Get her to the hospital quickly!"

The paramedic frowned in refusal. "But the patient on the car roof is clearly in a more critical condition."

Lorenzo hesitated for a moment. At that moment, Sofia's head tilted to one side, and she fainted in his arms.

He didn't hesitate any longer, saying, "I'm that patient's husband. I'm deciding to save the person in my arms first."

The paramedic couldn't argue with him, and he loaded Sofia onto the ambulance first.

In the commotion of the crowd, my eyes met Sofia's. Those calm eyes held a cold, detached indifference. It was as if, to her, I was nothing more than a stray to be discarded.

In my despair, I lost the strength I had left and fell completely unconscious.

…

When I next woke up to the beeping of machines, I was already lying in a hospital room.

My entire body was wrapped in bandages, and every movement sent excruciating pain through me.

A nurse examined me, saying, "Ms. Bianchi, you have a fractured shinbone and two broken ribs. Fortunately, you're not in critical condition."

I didn't have the energy to do much, so I just nodded in thanks and closed my eyes to rest.

Shortly after the nurse left, I heard voices chatting outside my room.

"Sofia only got a small cut from the windshield glass, but Lorenzo personally stayed by her side throughout the night. Elena was injured this badly, and he hasn't even come to see her. She really isn't favored."

"That's not necessarily true. The patient brought into the emergency room today was the one who hurt Elena. Lorenzo personally beat him until all of his four limbs broke."

"I heard Lorenzo specifically said not to let him die and that we shouldn't bother putting too much effort into treating him. It seems Elena still holds a place in his heart."

As I listened to their chatter, my heartbeat remained completely steady.

If Lorenzo truly cared about me, he wouldn't have sent me into the lion's den over a fake painting. He did this simply because my existence had embarrassed him.

…

For the next three days, I rested in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Lorenzo set aside his work to focus on catering to Sofia.

He brought in Eldorian art experts to help Sofia organize a solo art exhibition. He contacted Milinese artisans to customize hundreds of haute couture gowns for her.

He even searched for master works from across Eldoria for her to enjoy, simply because she had recently developed an interest in sculpture.

I glanced at the news on my phone, then put it down.

I used to have many hobbies too. Dad did everything he could to nurture me, just so I could experience a better life.

But after the Bianchi family went bankrupt and I married into the Moretti family, my life was filled with endless chores. Lorenzo hated me and wouldn't allow me to have any hobbies at home.

Even something as simple as a decorative potted flower would be dismissed by him as tasteless and tacky.

Still, I had never considered this place home anyway.

Besides, in just nine more days, I would leave this place forever. I would regain my life and freedom.