LOGINAfter the doctor revealed the truth about the kidney donation, it sparked a huge discussion.But I knew nothing about any of it in the little town. I continued living my life as usual.Every morning, I would go to the town's only market to pick out fresh tomatoes. Then, I'd stop by the flower stall next door to buy a small bunch of daisies. In the afternoon, I would sit in the yard and bask in the sun, watching the shadow of the olive tree slowly move from east to west.Lucia said I looked a little better lately. I smiled but didn't say anything.One evening, I was walking home from the market.A car suddenly came speeding toward me from behind. There was no screech of brakes, nor was there a honk.I only had time to turn halfway around before a tremendous force sent me flying.As my body left the ground, I saw the lemons in my hands roll away, one after another. They bounced across the gravel road before disappearing into the drainage ditch.Then, everything went dark.When I
I thought the whole ordeal was finally over.One afternoon, Giovanna sent me a link followed by a string of exclamation marks.I opened it.It was a post in the family circles. The poster worked in the funeral industry, and their profile picture was a silhouette of a row of tombstones.He wrote, "I had a client recently. She was a pale, tall young woman who came alone to look at burial plots. She said she wanted a grave by the sea with plenty of sunlight. I asked whether it was for an elderly family member. She said she was buying it for herself."Attached was a photo of a woman's side profile. It wasn't very clear. Someone had secretly taken it that day while I was looking at gravestones in the cemetery. But anyone who knew me could recognize me at a glance.Someone added another comment beneath the post. "A young woman came to my shop before and ordered white roses, specifically for a funeral. I asked what the occasion was. She said it was for her own funeral."The news spread
When I got home, I found that every post and rumor about me in the family circles had disappeared overnight.I checked my phone and discovered that Guglielmo had called me more than a dozen times. I had already blocked his number, but the call records were still sitting in my blocked-call list.They came one after another, from early morning until noon. He had called every few minutes.I stared at the records for a while.Although we'd already broken up, a lot of people knew about our past. With the scandal growing so large, it had probably become difficult for him to hold his head up in front of the other families, so he had no choice but to make it disappear.But none of that mattered anymore.I didn't call him back.I packed up everything in the apartment. I had some old clothes and a few books I hadn't managed to sell on the secondhand market... I put all the memories I had left into boxes.I didn't want this place, which had once held so many happy memories of us, to becom
When I woke up, I found myself back in the hospital.Giovanna was sitting beside my bed. The moment she saw me wake up, she grabbed my hand and said, "Annalisa, you suddenly passed out. I was so scared."I opened my mouth, but my voice was so hoarse that even I could barely hear it.The doctor came over and flipped through my test results with a grim expression. "Ms. Vittorini, your remaining kidney is failing. If we can't find a matching donor within three months, your life will be in danger."With that, he turned and walked away.I fell silent.Giovanna burst into tears.Finding a matching kidney donor within three months was practically impossible in our circle. I had never been valued by my family, so finding a compatible donor was extremely hard.I had thought that as long as I had enough money for dialysis, I could somewhat keep myself alive, even if it was just barely. I never expected my condition to progress to kidney failure anyway.Perhaps fate had already sealed
Guglielmo was stunned when he heard Giovanna's words.He looked at me, and his face gradually turned pale. He wanted to reach out, but his hand trembled uncontrollably.After a long silence, he turned his head and said coldly, "Annalisa, are you really making up a story like this just to scam me for money?"I smiled bitterly when I heard him.Guglielmo would never believe me again. As far as he was concerned, I had taken all our savings and left when he'd been poisoned and was at his most painful and desperate.Now, after going through hell to finally become the Don, the woman who had taken his money and left had come back. And every time we met, I was asking him for money.If I were Guglielmo, I probably wouldn't believe me either.I slowly lifted my head and forced myself to stand, suppressing the bitterness in my heart.Guglielmo jeered, "Annalisa, how many more stories like this have you prepared to scam me with? Why don't you tell me all of them at once? If I'm in a good m
Ever since I donated my kidney to Guglielmo, my body had become extremely weak. I could barely lift anything heavy. Even after walking a few steps, I would feel a terrible dull ache in my side.For most people, alcohol was a way to numb themselves. But even a small amount of it could cause my remaining kidney to shut down completely.I looked up at Guglielmo and forced a smile. "How could 300,000 possibly be enough? Can this clear off the one million dollars I borrowed?"Guglielmo's expression darkened. Then, he gritted his teeth and hissed, "Fine."After getting his answer, I smiled wryly. Without hesitation, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and started drinking. I couldn't even taste it. I simply kept pouring it down my throat on instinct.My kidney was already barely functioning. The doctor had warned me not to drink even a single drop of alcohol.The burning liquor filled my mouth. My body instinctively gagged, and a tearing pain shot through my side. I nearly vomited.Everyo







