LOGINLucianoās POV The moment the question left my lips, I knew I had crossed a line. Doctor B and I were cordial, nothing more. We did not share the kind of familiarity that allowed for personal questions like that. She had just saved my fatherās life. The least I owed her was respect. But tonight⦠everything felt heavier than usual. The pressure from Silvia Romano, the constant tension within the pack, the near loss of my father, and my mother being away, unable to return in time⦠it all pressed down on me at once. I was exhausted. And perhaps a little too human. āIām sorry,ā I started, ready to take the question back, but her voice stopped me. āYes.ā The answer caught me off guard. I blinked, turning fully toward her. I had not expected her to respond at all. āI did love someone once,ā Doctor B continued quietly. The angle of her face made it seem as though she was looking directly at me, though I could not be sure. āBut it didnāt work out.ā Something in my chest tightened a
Chiaraās POV Luciano De Lucaās father, Enrico. I was rushing down to emergency when I joined the team already working on him. The moment I stepped through the doors, I froze for half a second, surprised to hear him yelling. āI told all of you, Iām fine! I donāt need this special treatment! Find someone who is actually sick and help them!ā āSir, we need you to calm down,ā one of the Healers said. āYour heart rate is far too high. If you donāt relax, you could trigger an episode.ā āHeās already in an episode,ā snapped another Healer. āIām telling you that Iām fine!ā Enrico barked. I pushed my way through the Healers toward the front. One of them must have recognized me from television, though I didnāt recall ever meeting him before while wearing my Doctor B disguise. āFinally, a Healer who can tell all the rest of you that Iām fine. Tell them, Doctor B.ā One glance at his chart told me everything I needed to know. He wasnāt going anywhere anytime soon. āWe need to run some te
Chiara's POV Laugh just as much as me. It was a nice change of pace. Tonight, however, Caterina was working late when I let Giacomo into the house. He was carrying his usual vase of bright-colored flowers, but his smile wasnāt quite as bright as usual. āWhat's wrong?ā I asked immediately. āI hoped you wouldnāt notice,ā he admitted, smiling sheepishly. āWe're friends now, Giacomo. I can tell when something is up.ā With a sigh, he gestured to the couch. āMaybe we should move to the couch.ā When I started running out of vases, Giacomo started bringing in his bouquets already in water. Blessedly, this one tonight was ready, so I could set it aside without worrying about it. I placed the vase on the coffee table as I sat on one end of the couch. When Giacomo sat on the other side, we turned to face each other. āI've heard some rumors,ā Giacomo said. āRumors about my family.ā I braced myself. āAbout Luciano De Luca?ā āIn part.ā āI don't know if Iā¦ā My defense was weak. Part of m
Chiara's POV While I continued to try to wrap up most of my life at home and at the office, preparing for my move, one of my key distractors, day after day, was the presence of Giacomo. Every single day after I broke my mating bond with Luciano De Luca, Giacomo sent flowers to Caterinaās house. Sometimes he would even show up to deliver them himself. If Caterina was there, she would glower at him. But Giacomo would just smile. āShe told you she isnāt interested,ā Caterina reminded him. āMaybe Iām just being friendly,ā Giacomo replied. We all knew the truth. Giacomo had dove headfirst in trying to woo me. I didnāt totally mind, not really. Though I had no intention of giving in to his advances, which I told him time and time again, he still provided a pleasant distraction. It was nice to feel wanted for a change, after a long marriage of feeling like I was alone. Eventually, seeing that Giacomoās presence didnāt bother me, even Caterina loosened up. Giacomo could make her laug
Lucianoās POV āA person should not be punished forever for the mistakes of their past,ā I said into the microphone, my voice steady even as my thoughts betrayed me. Because if that were true, then what chance did I have? If Silvia could not be forgiven, then how could I ever be, after everything I had done? āRegardless,ā I continued, āI ask that you respect Silvia Romanoās privacy in this matter. I have already contacted the chief investigator, and it has been confirmed that this leak is a violation of her medical confidentiality. An investigation will be conducted to uncover the source.ā A ripple moved through the room. I could see it in the reportersā eyes, hear it in their hushed whispers. Why would he defend someone like her? I already knew what they were thinking. And truthfully, I could not blame them. If this had happened in isolation, perhaps the damage could have been contained. But Silvia had already drawn public anger before this. Now, with this revelation,
Chiara's POV I only needed a little while to pull myself back together, enough to face the rest of the day and everything that came with it. Near the end of my shift as Doctor B, the hospital director himself, Signor Vittorio Bianchi, came to my office. The moment Piera saw him, she jumped to her feet, visibly nervous. Not wanting her to panic, I stepped out of my private office to greet him myself. The hospital director was the one who signed all our paychecks, the man who kept everything running smoothly behind the scenes. His presence alone carried weight. As soon as he spotted me, he walked around the reception desk and came straight toward me. āDoctor B, there you are. I believe we have some matters to discuss.ā At first, I thought he might be referring to everything that had happened with Cesare, so I gestured for him to come into my office where we could speak privately. But the moment we both sat down, he spoke again, catching me completely off guard. āIāve heard that y







