Chapter 7

Tania woke in a blur. Every breath was a jagged pull against the sharp agony of her ribs.

"Simone, this is all my fault… If I hadn't insisted on watching the race, Tania wouldn't have ended up like this."

Noemi's sobbing came from beside the hospital bed. "I'm so scared. If anything happened to her, I'd never forgive myself."

"It's not your fault," Simone said nearby. "It was an accident. No one could've predicted a punctured tire. Besides, she drove over on her own. Getting hurt was on her. Don't blame yourself. You should rest. I'll stay here."

Tania listened to the familiar exchange and felt nothing but irony.

She had nearly died, yet it was all deserved.

Pain and disappointment tangled in her chest, and she couldn't stop herself from coughing.

The sudden sound froze Noemi and Simone.

Noemi lunged toward the bed. "Tania, you're finally awake! How do you feel? Are you feeling pain anywhere?"

Her voice was anxious and tender, as if she were genuinely worried.

Watching her performance, Tania replied hoarsely, "Thanks to you, I'm not dead yet."

Noemi's eyes immediately reddened. She turned to Simone with a hurtful look. "Simone, I-I didn't mean it like that. I was just worried about Tania…"

Simone frowned. "Ms. Tania, Noemi stayed here the whole time taking care of you. She was so worried she couldn't sleep. How could you talk to her like that?"

"Taking care of me?" Tania laughed, but the movement caught her wounds, forcing a sharp gasp.

"Open your eyes, Mr. Lanzi. Look at these injuries. Would I even be lying here if I hadn't nearly died saving the two of you?"

Her words landed like a heavy blow. Simone's chest tightened as the crash replayed in his mind.

"Mi dispiace. I—" He leaned closer, wanting to check her injuries.

But before he could, Noemi suddenly pressed a hand to her chest.

"I don't feel well. I think I'm still shaken from earlier," she said, already turning toward the door.

Her voice trembled as she continued, "Simone, I'll go rest first. I'll come see Tania again when she's better."

"Noemi!" Simone called out instinctively and chased after her without hesitation. He didn't even leave a single word behind for Tania.

Lying there alone, she finally let the tears fall.

No matter how badly she was hurt or how much she had given up for him, Noemi would always come first.

Her desperate rescue had been reduced to a pathetic joke.

…

A week passed, and Tania never saw Simone again.

On the day of her discharge, no one came to get her.

She dragged her injured body into a cab and returned to the Giordano residence. The moment she pushed open the door, noise and laughter flooded in.

Rino had his arm around Noemi, grinning as guests raised their glasses to celebrate her survival.

And there stood Simone, right beside her.