Chapter 3

Carlo came looking for Orfeo and just happened to catch me jumping out the window.

"Sofia!" He lunged to the window, his face instantly draining of color.

I guess I was born unlucky. I couldn't even die properly.

When they pulled me from the water, I coughed so hard it felt like my lungs were tearing apart.

When Orfeo arrived, he grabbed my soaked collar and laughed in frustration. "Sofia, are you crazy? When will you stop?"

Before I could catch my breath, a slap cut through the air.

Half my face went numb, and the metallic taste of blood spread in my mouth.

Antonio's hand trembled as he pulled back, and his chest heaved. After a long pause, he spat out through clenched teeth, "Take her back."

They roughly threw me into the trunk.

In the darkness and jostling, my consciousness started to fade. In a daze, I thought I saw Silvio holding me and gently telling my stories.

After some time, Carlo's hesitant voice came from the front seat, "Sofia hasn't made a sound. Is she okay?"

"She's faking again." Orfeo sneered. "You know how good an actress she is."

Antonio stayed silent. Frowning, he took slow drags from his cigarette. His expression barely hid his irritation.

Suddenly, Antonio's phone rang.

Pietro Santini, the butler, sounded panicked. "Mr. Lombardi! Ms. Ricci is having a depressive episode!"

Then, Orfeo's phone rang.

Zetico Solomon, the family doctor, also sounded shaky. "Mr. Lombardi! Ms. Ricci tried to kill herself. There's blood everywhere!"

As the call ended, the car screeched to a halt.

Antonio slammed the door open and yanked me from the trunk. "You keep trying to kill yourself today over and over just to distract us so Emilia can have an episode, right?"

Rain poured down, washing away the blood on me.

Cold to the bone, I trembled uncontrollably. The voices around me grew muffled.

Just then, Orfeo stepped forward and grabbed Antonio's arm. "Antonio, Emilia's condition can't wait. Stop wasting time on her."

Orfeo motioned for the helpers to drag me inside and pressed me to the floor.

As his gaze swept over me, he sneered with a strange expression. "What are you staring at? Emilia's in this state because of you. Isn't it right to draw some blood from you?"

At the sight of the long, thick needle, the hellish memories of the past three years crashed down.

Overwhelmed by fear, I trembled uncontrollably, desperately shaking my head and kicking wildly with my broken leg as I tried to move backward.

"No… Please… Don't…"

But my struggles were futile. I was dragged back forcefully and held down by several hands.

The sharp pain of the needle piercing my skin made me scream.

Carlo looked away and reached out to cover my eyes. His voice lacked conviction as he said, "Sofia, hang in there. It'll be over soon. Emilia's your sister, too. You can't just stand by and see her suffer, right?"

My vision began to blur. I gasped, but no air reached my lungs. Tears and cold sweat mingled, drenching my entire face.

Seeing my agonizing state, Zetico turned an uncertain gaze toward Orfeo. "Her body… might not handle this much blood loss. Should we call the hospital for an emergency transfer?"

Orfeo frowned. His voice was laced with a newfound hesitation as he replied, "But the hospital's too far. Emilia can't wait."

Just then, Pietro stumbled in. "This is bad! Ms. Ricci says she feels worse and might not make it!"

The moment he said that, the Lombardi brothers' faces turned pale.

Antonio gritted his teeth, and his earlier hesitation vanished. "Keep drawing!"

Orfeo opened his mouth as if to say something but stopped. He pressed his lips into a thin line before saying, "Emilia comes first."

Carlo turned away and quietly added, "Sofia, hang in there."

With that, they rushed to Emilia's room.

The pain swallowed all feelings. In my fading vision, another gentle face appeared.

"Silvio…"

I stopped struggling. My raised fingers finally fell limp.

Only when Emilia fully recovered did they remember me in the corner. They approached and called my name, but I didn't respond.

"Sofia, drawing blood shouldn't make you like this. Stop faking and get up. We'll have Orfeo make you something you like to eat later."

Carlo seemed to notice something was wrong. He slowly crouched and reached out to check for breath beneath my nose.

But I had long since stopped breathing.

The next second, his face drained of color, and he collapsed to the floor.