Chapter 4

When I woke up, the first person I saw was Alessio.

He was sitting by my hospital bed, his face etched with exhaustion and guilt.

"Thea, you're awake." He reached for my hand. I pulled it away.

"Don't touch me," I rasped. My voice was like sandpaper.

"Thea, I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes filled with a pain that looked real. "I know you suffered. But I couldn't stop him. If I'd defied my father, he would have made it worse for you."

I stared at the ceiling. "So you just watched them beat me."

"I was protecting you—"

"Protecting me?" I let out a cold laugh. "Alessio, do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe that bullshit?"

He was silent for a long time.

I turned my head to face him, tears welling in my eyes. I met his eyes. "Alessio. Do you believe me? Do you believe I didn't hurt that baby?"

His gaze flickered away for a second.

"Everyone saw what happened."

Those words pierced my heart.

"And besides, Thea, you keep making trouble," he said, his tone shifting to blame. "Aurelia is pregnant. You keep provoking her. The doctor says her emotional state is fragile. What if—"

"Enough," I cut him off. "Get out."

"Thea—"

"Get out!" I screamed the words with all the strength I had left.

He was taken aback by my fury. He stood, fumbling for an explanation.

"Thea, I know you feel wronged, but please, try to understand my position." His voice was soft again. "Once Aurelia has the boy, once this is all settled, we can go back to how things were."

I closed my eyes as a tear slid down my temple.

"How things were?" I laughed, a broken sound. "Alessio, we can never go back."

He was about to say more, but a sharp knock came from the door.

"Mr. Santoro, Miss Rossi is very agitated. She's asking for you."

Alessio hesitated. "I'll be right back."

He left.

And he never came back.

Three days later, I was discharged. A hard New York rain was falling. Nine days left until my departure.

Alessio's black sedan was waiting at the hospital entrance.

I walked toward it, pulling my small suitcase, and saw Aurelia sitting in the passenger seat.

She was holding her daughter, and her eyes were wide with fear when she saw me.

"Alessio, I'm scared to be in the same car as her," she whimpered. "What if she tries to hurt the baby again—"

"It's okay, Aurelia. Don't be afraid," Alessio said, patting her hand gently.

Then he pulled a black card from his wallet and held it out to me.

"Thea, just wait here. Another car from the family will be here soon."

The rain was cold, plastering my hair to my face.

"How long do I have to wait?"

"Not long," he said, starting the engine. "We'll talk when you get back to the house."

The sedan vanished into the gray mist.

I stood on the curb, the rain soaking through my thin jacket, staring at the black card in my hand. So this was my worth. A problem he could pay to make go away.

The rain came down harder.

I waited for two hours. No car came.

I called Alessio's phone. It went straight to voicemail.

I called the family driver. No answer.

As night fell, I finally understood.

No one was coming for me.

I picked up my suitcase and started walking back to the estate, one step at a time, through the storm.

Rain soaked through my clothes and blurred my vision.

Halfway there, my foot slipped. I fell into a deep, muddy puddle on the side of the road.

The icy water seeped into my bones.

I just lay there, looking up at the dark sky, and started to laugh.

This is what you get for loving Alessio Santoro.

It was eleven o'clock by the time I finally made it back to the house. I was soaked to the bone, looking like a drowned rat.

I stood in the foyer, about to head upstairs, when I heard Aurelia crying in the living room.

"Alessio, it hurts so much... My breasts are so full... The doctor said I have to take care of it or I'll get an infection..."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Get a nanny," Alessio's voice was tight.

"But the nanny's asleep," Aurelia purred. "And for something this... intimate... I only trust you. Please, Alessio. It really hurts..."

Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence.

I held my breath, listening.

"Alright," Alessio finally said, his voice low and gravelly. "Just this once."

"Thank you, Alessio... You're so good to me..."

My world shattered.

I heard the rustle of fabric. I heard Aurelia's soft, breathy moans. I heard Alessio's heavy breathing.

"Just relax," he said, his voice quiet.

I wanted to run, to scream, to pretend I hadn't heard anything.

But my feet were stone, but somehow I moved closer. And I saw it. His head dipped low. His lips closed over her pale, swollen breast.