Chapter 4

The first shot missed.

The blast brought the bodyguards running. They rushed in.

In one swift motion, they wrestled the rifle from my hands.

"Get off me!" I screamed.

But they answered only to my father and ignored my commands entirely.

Elsa threw me a mocking look as I struggled in their grip.

Then her eyes lit up with an idea. She bolted downstairs, screaming.

"Lorenzo, save me! My sister is trying to shoot me!"

Lorenzo rushed out from the reception room.

He saw that I had already broken free of the bodyguards and was closing in on Elsa.

His eyes went wide.

"Giulia, stop!"

He drew his gun and fired a warning shot into the air.

But in the chaos, the trajectory shifted. The bullet grazed my knee.

The searing force tore through skin and flesh.

My legs buckled, and I tumbled down the stairs.

Blood pooled beneath me.

Lorenzo ran toward me on instinct.

He had only meant to stop me. He'd never intended to hurt me.

Panic and guilt flooded him all at once.

But in the next instant, he forced himself to turn and reached for Elsa instead.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"

He checked her over carefully.

Elsa threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

"I was so scared. All I did was return the necklace, and she threw it on the ground and smashed it. She said I had no right to touch her mother's things.

"I tried to explain that you asked me to bring it so we could get closer, but she accused me of seducing you and tried to shoot me."

Fury flashed in Lorenzo's eyes. But then he saw me, covered in blood.

He suddenly came to his senses, shoved Elsa away, scooped me up, and headed for the door.

"Giulia, hang on. I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

Cold sweat covered my forehead. My vision kept going black.

"Lorenzo, you... you shot me for Elsa..."

Lorenzo had no idea I already knew about him and Elsa.

He stammered through an explanation.

"No, I did it for you. I didn't want you to pull that trigger. I couldn't let you destroy your own life over someone like her."

So he'd rather shoot at me and risk killing me by accident?

What a pathetic lie.

I gathered every last ounce of strength and sank my teeth into Lorenzo's shoulder.

That bite carried all my fury and hatred at being betrayed.

Lorenzo grunted but didn't stop me. He kept walking toward the door.

The taste of blood filled my mouth before the pain finally dragged me under, and I passed out against my will.

When I woke, I was lying in a hospital bed.

The doctor told me the bullet had only grazed me. I just needed rest.

I acknowledged the news numbly.

My bite had torn a chunk of flesh from Lorenzo's shoulder.

After getting it bandaged, he sat at my bedside, guilt heavy in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

He had only wanted to protect Elsa.

But he didn't understand that Elsa and I were enemies.

Protecting her meant hurting me.

I closed my eyes, exhausted.

Lorenzo spoke quietly, "I'll take care of you until you've healed."

Over the next few days, he took the role of the caregiver and tended to my every need.

Until Elsa checked into the psychiatric ward one floor below, claiming she'd been "traumatized."

After that, Lorenzo's visits dropped sharply.

The nurses in the hallway gossiped among themselves.

"Miss Elsa downstairs is so lucky. Her fiancé booked an entire floor for her recovery. Her rich daddy personally spoon-feeds her, and her mom peels fruit for her. What a happy little family of four."

"Hey."

Another nurse lowered her voice.

"I heard that Giulia upstairs and Elsa share the same father. And that heir to the crime family isn't Elsa's fiancé at all. He's Giulia's boyfriend."

The nurses were stunned.

I had no interest in listening to their gossip about me.

I coughed softly. The chatter outside my door fell silent.

Then came the sound of footsteps hurrying away.

I slowly turned my gaze to the blue sky outside the window.

My birthday was coming.

All of this would be over soon.