Chapter 1

"Thanks for everything today, Lilia."

"It's nothing," I replied, pretending to fix my hair to avoid Alessio Vitale's hand.

He paused.

"Are you still mad?" he asked, frowning. "I was only a little late."

To Alessio, an apology was all it took. Once he'd said sorry, I was supposed to forgive him.

"Was it really just a little late?" I asked softly, lowering my gaze.

I had spent the entire day carrying Luca Vitale, burning with fever, through registration, waiting in line, getting his blood drawn, and waiting for the results—all by myself.

Other children had their fathers rushing around to take care of everything, while Luca could only clutch my clothes, his hands warm from fever.

"Mama, I don't feel good," he'd murmured.

Meanwhile, Alessio had stayed at the amusement park with someone else's child until it closed, only rushing to it afterward.

Alessio's expression stiffened. He clearly knew exactly what I meant.

"Elio doesn't have a father anymore," he finally said. "And Mia's already lost her husband. They're going through enough. What's wrong with me spending a little more time with them? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

But the faint scent of Mia Santoro's signature orange-blossom perfume still clung to his collar.

Their families had been close for generations, and Alessio had protected her and looked after her since they were children. Everyone in both families knew how much she meant to him.

Later, Mia married the heir to the Bonanno family, and Alessio was miserable for quite some time.

At first, I thought he was in love with her. But he told me he only saw her as a little sister and that I was overthinking things.

That was enough to put my mind at ease. I agreed to be with him, and I even cut ties with my own family for his sake.

Only now did I understand that sometimes, the bond between childhood friends who grew up like siblings could be more dangerous than love itself.

A week earlier, news had broken that the Bonanno family had been taken down.

Alessio hadn't told me. Instead, he'd brought Mia and her son, Elio Bonanno, back to the family estate near Mulhane Drive.

"She lost her husband," he'd explained. "She's a single mother with a child. I can't just leave them to fend for themselves."

And from that day on, Alessio had started leaving early and coming home late, often carrying that same scent of Mia's perfume.

Luca tossed and turned on the hospital bed, drifting into a restless sleep. His high fever made his breathing heavier than usual, his face flushed an unhealthy red.

"Mama… " he mumbled. "It's so hot in here…"

I was about to get up when Alessio stopped me.

"Alright, go home and get some rest," he said softly, as if he was humoring a child's tantrum. "I'll stay with Luca tonight."

But the moment he finished speaking, his phone rang.

The screen lit up with a caller ID named "M".

Alessio immediately picked up his phone, and Mia's voice came through.

"Alessio, Elio won't cut the cake," she cried, her voice trembling with tears. "He keeps saying he wants to wait for you. You promised you'd stay with him for his whole birthday. He's been crying, and I can't calm him down…"

I could hear a child crying in the background.

"I want Papa! I want Papa Alessio to cut the cake!" Elio wailed. "Mama, why isn't he coming?"

Alessio's expression changed. He looked at me, and I saw that familiar worry in his eyes—the same panic that always appeared whenever something happened to Mia and her son.

"I'll go check on them," he eventually said. "I'll be back soon. It's just this once, Lilia. I promise it won't happen again."

The door closed behind him, and his footsteps faded down the hallway.

I sat beside Luca's bed, holding his hands.

"Mama…" He opened his eyes, his voice so hoarse that it was barely audible. "Is Papa here?"

"Papa has something to take care of," I whispered. "Mama's here."

"Did I do something wrong?" His eyes turned red. "Did I make Papa mad?"

I gently rubbed his back, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"Of course not, tesoro. You're such a good boy. Papa's just busy…"

Well, Alessio was so busy that he already used up one of his chances before the first day was even over.

What he didn't know was that these two weeks weren't about giving him chances. They were about giving Luca time to adjust.

It was time for Luca to slowly get used to Alessio not being around, to get used to disappointment, and to learn not to let someone who wasn't worth it keep hurting him.