Chapter 10

Rosa entered the hospital in an anxious state. After leaving her baby boy alone the whole night, she hadn’t been at peace for even a moment. Her heart felt restless, beating unevenly with worry.

She saw Lucy coming out of Renzo’s hospital ward, closing the door silently behind her.

“How’s he?” Rosa asked, her voice desperate, her eyes still fixed on the closed door.

“He’s sleeping now, but he was in pain the whole night. They had to give him sedatives because he couldn’t rest,” Lucy explained.

Rosa’s heart clenched, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

She shook her head and hurried to enter the room, desperate to see her son. Lucy followed her quietly.

Rosa stopped beside Renzo’s bed. He looked so beautiful while sleeping, but the strain of the pain still rested on his tiny face. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. A tear slipped from her eye and fell on his cheek, which she gently wiped away with her trembling hand.

Her heart overflowed with love as she looked at his small face—so small, so vulnerable, yet already carried a hint of his father in his features.

“Where were you, Rosa? The whole night?” Lucy whispered, standing beside her.

Rosa turned her head, finally looking at her friend.

“Let’s go outside,” Rosa suggested in a hushed tone, and with one more love-filled glance at Renzo, she turned to leave the room, not wanting to disturb his sleep.

Once outside, Rosa avoided Lucy’s gaze and kept walking straight, but Lucy grabbed Rosa’s arm and stopped her.

“You were with him?” Lucy’s question didn’t even need an answer. She could already tell from Rosa’s expression and the state she was in. Still, Rosa nodded to confirm.

“But you went to dinner with Dr. DeLuca… so how did you end up spending the night with him?” Lucy asked, confused.

Rosa took a deep breath and told her how Luciano had shown up, ruined her dinner with Dr. DeLuca, and taken her away with him. She skipped the parts that could never be spoken out loud—not to her friend.  The murder and how he forced her into sex in front of a dead body.

However, Lucy’s heart filled with suspicion. She knew that the Italian don had never cared for his ex-wife—so why did he behave like that? As if he was jealous.

“Rosa… I’m scared. Did he get suspicious of you? You showing up in this city so suddenly?” Lucy whispered, her voice trembling with fear.

Rosa’s heart fluttered with nervousness at the thought. She knew what she was doing was more dangerous than death itself—but turning back now wasn’t an option. She couldn’t let fear take over. She shook her head with determination.

“No. He’s too proud. He would never think anyone could outsmart him,” she said bitterly. But Lucy didn't seem convinced.

“Rosa, he’s the Don who ruled all of Italy,” Lucy whispered, her voice trembling. “What if he finds out I was the one who helped you?”

Her breath shook as she continued, “Don’t misunderstand me—I will always stand by you, no matter what. But your ex-husband… he’s a monster. He’s the Don. And everyone knows what happens to the people who cross him.”

Lucy was terrified. If Luciano learned she had helped his ex-wife, she knew she would be the first one dead.

“Don’t worry, Lucy,” Rosa said softly. “I would never let any harm come to you. I’ll make sure of it.”She held Lucy’s hand, giving her strength—quiet reassurance in a moment. Lucy was the only person she could rely on in this city, the only one standing beside her, and Rosa needed her not to panic, not to back down. So she had to convince her. She had to promise her.

“I just have to wait until this is over… then I’ll leave this city forever. I’ll never come back,” Rosa said, determination burning through every word. “He hated me so much for sleeping with him that one night that he made me suffer—stripping me of everything and leaving me alone in this world. If he knew I had a son with him, he’d think I tricked him… that I stole his sperm that night.” Her voice trembled, but her resolve stayed solid. “No. I can’t let him ever find out. He can hate me for eternity—I can bear that. But my son? He’s innocent. And I will protect him from his monster father.”

Lucy watched her friend carefully. Rosa’s eyes were fixed on the wall before her—empty, unfocused, as if she were staring into a darkness only she could see. Then her gaze slowly shifted, meeting Lucy’s with a pain that cut straight through.

“But I need you, Lucy,” Rosa whispered, her voice cracking. “I can't handle everything alone. Can’t protect Renzo without your help.”

There was desperation there—a mother fighting a war she knew she couldn’t win by herself.

Rosa had already registered Lucy’s name as Renzo’s guardian in the hospital records. She couldn’t risk any trace leading back to his real identity. Not when the devil who fathered him breathed the same city air.

Lucy’s expression softened. She slid her hand over Rosa’s trembling one, squeezing it.

“Don’t worry, Rosa. I’m not going anywhere. That Don doesn’t scare me.”

She let out a small laugh. 

Rosa managed a brief smile, knowing Lucy was only pretending to be brave for her sake. Because both of them knew the truth: no one in this world willingly faced the Italian Don’s wrath.

Lucy took a breath, then added quietly, “By the way… Dr. DeLuca came to check on Renzo this morning. He left a message for you—he wants to see you in his chamber.”

Rosa nodded. “Okay. I’ll go now.”

She left immediately, knowing she would now have to explain last night to Dr. DeLuca as well. But how—and how much—she wasn’t sure. Her nerves tightened as she finally reached his chamber. She stopped at the door, hesitating for a moment before lifting her hand to knock.

“Come in,” his calm voice called from inside.

Rosa stepped inside. “Good morning, doctor,” Rosa greeted softly, offering a small smile.

But Dr. DeLuca didn’t return it. Instead, he stared at her—his eyes sharp, tense, holding a weight she had never seen in them before.

“Rosa,” he said quietly. A beat passed.

“Was he your ex-husband?”

Her breath faltered. Shock flashed in her eyes, but slowly… almost embarrassingly… she nodded.

Dr. DeLuca’s expression changed instantly—his eyes widening, disbelief and fear flooding into them.

“Your ex-husband is Luciano Mancini?” he whispered, stunned.

“The man rumored to be the Italian Don?”