Chapter 2

In the end, it was the Moretti family's old butler who came and took me back to the estate himself.

I'd lived in this place for more than ten years. Now it felt like a stranger's house.

The rosebushes I loved as a kid had been ripped out. The private stables in the back of the garden had a new fence.

I stared toward the stables for a long time. I hesitated. Then I couldn't help asking.

"Sir, where's my little white horse?"

When I was little, some kids picked on me at school.

One boy pushed me down on purpose. I scraped my knee. Then he laughed and said nobody had my back.

When Alessandro found out, he showed up at the boy's house with a few family guards and taught him a lesson he wouldn't forget.

After that, he picked out a gentle little white horse from the family stables and gave it to me.

He wasn't very old himself back then.

He wanted me to feel safe riding. So he learned from the horse trainer how to take care of it. He wouldn't let anyone else feed it or brush its mane.

I still remember that day. He led the pony over to me.

"Isabella, from now on, she's your buddy. As long as you love her, nobody can ever take her away from you."

Back then, Alessandro always put me first.

And now?

The old butler slowly turned his face away, like he couldn't look me in the eye.

"Miss, a while back, Miss Victoria came to ride and got spooked. She almost fell."

"The young master was furious. He said the horse was too wild and had her sent away."

I froze. Then I looked down and gave a small laugh.

Fine. I'm going to die soon anyway.

If I'm leaving this world for good, maybe it's better not to leave anything behind to miss.

Half a year ago, the doctor at the reform house found a shadow on my lungs. By the time I could afford a real scan, it had already spread.

The doctor gave me six months. Maybe less.

I didn't tell anyone. There was no one left to tell.

My parents had been good to me when they were alive.

They bought me pretty dresses. They patiently helped me practice opera.

My mother had been an amazing singer when she was young.

She used to hold my hand and teach me songs that were soft and beautiful.

Then they died in a car crash, and the Don took me in.

Alessandro and Matteo always looked out for me after that. They were the only warmth I had left.

I thought the three of us would stay that way forever.

But then Victoria came, and Alessandro and Matteo seemed to lose their minds. One after the other, they both fell for her.

Now my time was running out.

If that was how it was going to be, I should at least do something for myself with the time I had left.

I picked up my phone. I happened to see a post about signing up for an international opera competition.

The deadline was right around the corner.

My finger hovered over the page for a long time. In the end, I opened the application.

My mother never got to live her dream. I wanted to do it for her.

I was still lost in thought when the door swung open. Victoria was back at the estate.