Chapter 2

“What’s wrong? Sophia, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”

My tears threw Vito into a panic.

He pulled up my sleeve, and when he saw the large patch of angry red burns on my wrist, his voice began to tremble with concern.

“How did this happen? When did you get burned? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He seemed to have completely forgotten what had happened at the banquet.

I stayed silent, unsure whether I should remind him and tear away the mask of devotion he was pretending to wear.

“Alright, don’t cry. I’ll put some medicine on it for you.”

He soothingly rubbed my head before getting up to fetch the medical kit, muttering as he went.

“Look at you. You’re all grown up, yet you’re still such a crybaby who can’t stand a little pain. What would you do without me?”

I stared blankly at the angry red burns on my wrist.

He was right.

After being pampered by him for seven whole years, what would I do without him?

But, Vito, I just don’t want you anymore.

I don’t want this fake relationship anymore!

That night, I slept restlessly, waking drenched in sticky sweat.

Just as dawn began to break, Vito pulled me out of bed.

I mumbled sleepily and pushed him away, but he only chuckled and leaned in to kiss my lips.

Every trace of drowsiness vanished in an instant. Almost instinctively, I raised my hand to slap him, but forced myself to stop.

Thankfully, he pulled away after only a brief touch.

“Are you awake, my Sleeping Beauty?”

I turned my head away and wiped my mouth in disgust.

“It’s a day off. Why won’t you let me sleep?”

Vito looked utterly helpless.

“Did you know you had a fever last night? Come on. I’m taking you to the family clinic.”

Although I felt like I was already fine, I still couldn’t win an argument with him, so I obediently got out of bed.

In the hallway, I unexpectedly ran into Lucia.

She seemed to have injured her foot and was struggling to hop down the corridor alone.

The warmth on Vito’s face vanished instantly, his brows drawing tightly together.

As if he had forgotten I was standing beside him, he hurried several steps forward and rushed straight to Lucia, supporting her as he asked anxiously,

“What happened?”

Lucia smiled at him, her gaze slipping past him toward me.

“I just twisted my ankle. What a coincidence. Are you two here to see a doctor too?”

Vito froze for a moment.

Only then did he turn back to glance at me, his eyes flickering with unease.

“Yeah. Lorenzo’s little sister has a bit of a fever, so I brought her in to get checked.”

I had long since grown used to him calling me his “little sister.”

When we first got together, Vito had told me that his position in the family wasn’t secure enough yet. Once he became powerful enough, he would make our relationship public and give me the grand entrance I deserved.

So from that moment on, whenever we encountered anyone from the family, he would introduce me as his friend’s younger sister, entrusted to his care.

Only the few closest underbosses at his side knew about our relationship.

Lucia nodded.

“Then you should take good care of her. You two go ahead. I’m heading over there.”

As she spoke, she pointed toward the medical center on the other side.

Seeing her about to hop away again, Vito didn’t hesitate.

He scooped her up into his arms.

“Let Federico take you over there first. Sophia, wait here for me.”

I didn’t know why, but the moment I saw Lucia, I suddenly felt sick and weak, as though all the strength had drained from my body.

I leaned against the wall without saying a word.

Vito hadn’t been asking for my opinion in the first place. After dropping those words, he was already carrying Lucia toward the other side.

See?

A performance was still a performance.

No matter how convincing the disguise, the moment he encountered Lucia, his true feelings always surfaced, exposing the cracks in his act.

And Vito was completely oblivious to it.

I let out a bitter laugh and turned toward my own examination area.

It turned out it wasn’t just my imagination.

After my temperature was taken, it showed that I had a high fever.

The burns hadn’t been treated properly, and combined with my recent emotional distress, a virus had entered my body and caused an infection. I needed an IV infusion.

Out of habit, I pulled out my phone and instinctively reached for his secure line.

My fingertip hovered above the screen for a moment before I pulled it back.

Habit really was a terrifying thing.