Chapter 2

"Miss Rossi, the atrophy in your optic nerve is getting worse. Your post-traumatic stress is escalating, too."

Inside the VIP exam room at the Rossi family's private hospital, my doctor stared at my brain CT scan with a heavy frown.

"I have to remind you, severe nerve compression requires family support. You insisted Don Rossi couldn't come, but why isn't Mr. Matteo here again today?"

I looked at the dark shadow pressing against my nerve on the scan and let out a bitter smile.

"He's busy. Busy with someone else."

The moment I stepped out of the hospital, a sudden torrential downpour hit.

Ice-cold rain slammed against the pavement, pooling into rushing currents.

Watching the water rise, my face went pale. My whole body started shaking uncontrollably.

I leaned heavily against the wall, forcing my eyes away from the water.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the high-end Michelin restaurant next door, I spotted them immediately.

Matteo sat by the window in a tailored suit, leaning in with a gentle smile to take a selfie with Camilla, their cheeks pressed together.

Beside Camilla sat a limited-edition Hermes bag. The exact one I'd seen in a magazine days ago—the one Matteo brushed off, claiming he bought it for an "important client."

I walked into our shared villa soaked to the bone.

I'd barely changed out of my wet clothes when the front door burst open. Matteo walked in with a chill clinging to him, exhaustion and annoyance written all over his face.

Seeing me standing there dazed, something seemed to click. His face shifted slightly.

"You had your checkup today?" A rare flicker of awkwardness crossed his voice. "Work was crazy. It completely slipped my mind."

Slipped his mind.

This was the fourth time he "forgot" my appointment.

I didn't make excuses for him like I used to. I just looked at him calmly. "You weren't busy with work. You were busy with Camilla."

Matteo's face instantly darkened.

He threw his coat onto the couch and stepped toward me, his patience completely gone. "Sienna, enough! So I missed one appointment. Was it worth stalking me to a restaurant? Bringing up old drama over every little thing—aren't you sick of yourself?"

"Bringing up old drama?" I let out a cold laugh.

"Aren't you?!" Matteo barked, eyes full of disgust. "You just want to remind me again how you got hurt and went blind saving my life! You throw it in my face every single day to play the victim. Doesn't it get old?"

His words stabbed into my heart like a dull knife, making it hard to breathe.

I almost died keeping him alive. To him, it was just leverage I used to trap him.

"And another thing—I heard you have a problem with the wedding setup," Matteo sneered, stepping closer with arrogant entitlement. "Camilla loves the sea. Can't you just get over your psychological baggage for once? She just moved back and has nothing. She only has me! You're a Rossi heiress. Can't you show some grace instead of watching her like a bitter housewife?"

I stared at his collar. Right on the fabric was a smudge of lipstick in Camilla's signature hot pink.

The whole thing felt insanely ridiculous.

"Grace?" I echoed softly. "Matteo, how graceful do I need to be before I stop being a burden to you?"

Matteo frowned, about to snap, when his private phone rang wildly.

The second he answered, Camilla's tearful, needy voice came through the speaker: "Matteo... my foot hurts so bad. I think I sprained my ankle. Can you come stay with me, please?"

"Don't panic, I'm on my way!" The annoyance in Matteo's eyes melted into instant, desperate concern. Without a single glance at me, he sprinted for the door.

At the threshold, he paused, spitting an ice-cold line over his shoulder:

"Drop the tragic act. Stop stalking me... you look like a clown."

The door slammed shut so hard the entire house shook.

Rain lashed violently against the windows. I reached up, touching my throbbing eyes, and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Turns out my vision was never the problem.

For four years, I was just blind in the heart.