Chapter 6

Aurora's POV

Everyone froze. The two Soldati immediately released me and backed away.

I pushed against the ground and struggled to lift my head, my vision blurred by blood and sweat.

Through the haze, I saw Leonardo charging toward us.

I was covered in mud and grime. My arms and shoulders were riddled with bruises, and my dress was torn and ragged from being dragged around.

In short, I was so battered and wretched I barely looked human.

Before one of the Soldati could even open his mouth to explain, Leonardo had already slammed the butt of his gun viciously into his jaw. The sickening crunch of metal against bone made one's scalp crawl.

The man was sent hurtling against the fence and crashed heavily to the ground. The other Soldato was taken down immediately after.

Without sparing them another glance, Leonardo kneeled down beside me. His hands trembled as he carefully wiped the mud and blood from my face.

"Aurora, look at me." His voice was taut with tension. "Are you hurt?"

If it had been the me from before, hearing those words would probably have made me so happy I'd want to cry. But now, my eyes felt so numb I couldn't even shed a tear.

I turned my head away slightly to avoid his touch. "Let go of me."

Leonardo paused. He then acted as if he hadn't heard me, draping his jacket over my shoulders and reaching out to lift me into his arms.

"Let's get to the hospital first. We'll deal with everything else later."

Just then, a piercing shriek suddenly tore through the air.

"Leonardo, help!"

Everyone turned around at once.

Not far away, Sofia had collapsed onto the grass. The horse she had been riding just moments ago had been spooked and was now galloping wildly in the distance.

Sofia clutched her leg, tears streaming down her face. "Leonardo, my legs hurt so much. The horse threw me off. Leonardo, please help me!"

Leonardo froze mid-motion. I could clearly feel his body go rigid for an instant.

He furrowed his brow, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two of us.

Even at a moment like this, he was still hesitating.

Sofia's sobs grew louder and louder. "Leonardo, you swore you would protect me forever!"

At last, Leonardo closed his eyes, as if he had made up his mind. He let go of the hand that was supporting me.

"I have to take Sofia to the hospital first. She's badly hurt. You can understand, can't you?"

I let out a bitter laugh. Sure enough, no matter how many times this scene played out, the ending never changed.

As long as Sofia shed a single tear, Leonardo would always choose her.

I looked him straight in the eye and said softly, "Leonardo, you just used up the last forgiveness credit."

Leonardo froze. A flicker of panic crossed his face when it dawned on him what I was talking about.

"Aurora—" He instinctively wanted to explain, but Sofia let out another agonized cry just then.

That sound was like a knife, mercilessly cutting off all the words left unspoken.

Leonardo turned away and walked toward her after all. Before leaving, he glanced back at me one last time with a pleading look in his eyes.

"I know you've been wronged. This time, I will make sure you get the satisfactory resolution you deserve."

With that, he picked up the shrieking Sofia without hesitation and walked away without a backward glance.

I lay on the cold ground, watching his retreating figure until it disappeared entirely.

I didn't go to the hospital. Instead, I dragged my battered body into the waiting car and returned to the Bianchi family's villa.

Francesco, already waiting at the villa, handed me yet another folder. Just as before, I placed it inside the hidden compartment.

There were exactly 100 of them. The collection was finally complete.

I then walked to the living room and placed three items on the table—my journal, the divorce papers, and the termination contract with the company.

Having done all that, I pulled out a sticky note and lowered my head to write one final message.

"Leonardo, we're even now."

…

An hour later, I boarded the flight with my suitcase in hand. The plane took off, soaring straight into the clouds.

Outside the window, Ceyera Island—which had once held all my love and all my pain—grew smaller and smaller, until it vanished completely beyond the sea of clouds.

I gently closed my eyes, and for the first time, I felt I could breathe freely.

The story of Leonardo and me ended here.