Chapter 4

Not long after, my phone rang.

It was St. Mary's Hospital.

"Your mother just had a severe heart attack. We're working on her now. Please get here as soon as you can!"

My head started ringing. I grabbed my coat and ran.

When I got to the hospital, the red light above the emergency operating room was still on.

I ran to the nurses' station and grabbed the nurse on duty by the hand.

"Dr. Graham from cardiology is doing my mother's surgery, right?"

"I booked him ahead of time. He knows her condition better than anyone!"

The nurse looked uncomfortable. She hesitated for a long moment before she spoke.

"Dr. Graham was called away about twenty minutes ago."

I froze.

"Called away? My mother's in surgery right now. How could he leave?"

"A psychiatric patient had a severe emotional crisis. The family insisted that Dr. Graham go."

"The hospital... couldn't really say no."

The nurse lowered her voice and glanced down the hall.

"The patient's connected to the Vittore family. The family has a lot of pull."

"Ma'am, I know you're scared. But right now, it's best to let the emergency team do their job. Please don't make a scene."

I stood there, going cold all over, inch by inch.

The Vittore family.

Who else could make the hospital pull my mother's specialist away at a time like this?

I lowered my head. My fingers shook as I opened my chat with Alessandro.

[My mom had a heart attack. They're trying to save her. Send Dr. Graham back!]

[Alessandro, I'm not kidding. She's in real danger!]

[Please. I'm begging you. Send the doctor back to save my mom!]

I sent one message after another.

A reply came fast.

[OK.]

Followed, as always, by that smiling cat emoji.

It felt like a hand had clenched around my chest. I could barely breathe.

I called him right away.

The first time, no answer.

The fifth time, still no answer.

I kept redialing. On the thirty-eighth try, the call finally went through.

I shouted the second it connected.

"Alessandro! Where's Dr. Graham? Send him back! My mom's still in the operating room!"

But it was Serena's light, cheerful voice on the other end.

"Hi. It's me."

She sounded close to him. I could hear Alessandro talking in the background.

"Alessandro asked me to tell you he doesn't feel like taking your call right now."

The line went dead.

I gripped my phone, turned, and ran for the elevator.

I was going to find Alessandro.

No matter what it took, I was bringing Dr. Graham back!

But just as I reached the end of the hall, the red light over the operating room behind me went out.

The doors slowly opened.

The doctor pulled off his mask and walked out, his face heavy.

"Ma'am, we did everything we could. I'm so sorry. We couldn't save your mother."

My legs gave out. I almost collapsed to my knees.

My mother lay there so still. Looking at her, it felt like a huge hole had been ripped open in my chest, and cold wind kept pouring in.

When the nurse handed me the papers confirming her death, I asked, dazed:

"Her tests a few days ago were fine. How did this happen so suddenly?"

The nurse on duty was quiet for a moment. Then she told me softly:

"This afternoon, when the aide wheeled her out to the courtyard for some sun, she was pretty stable."

"Then a man and a woman came out of the main building. She seemed to recognize them. She got really upset all of a sudden, and then she started having trouble breathing."

"We rushed her back to emergency right away. But it got worse so fast."

I opened my mouth, but I couldn't get a whole sentence out.

My mother had seen.

She saw Alessandro beside Serena.

Maybe she finally understood why I always came to visit alone.

Why the son-in-law who had been so excited about the baby was never by my side.

She might have even guessed that my baby was already gone.

But she never got the chance to ask me.

And I would never get the chance to tell her the truth.

In that moment, it felt like my heart had been crushed. Even the pain went numb.

All the hurt, all the anger, all the unfairness sank down out of sight. All that was left was an empty, dead silence.

I handled everything for my mother by myself. Her medical records, the cremation permit, every form after that.

No husband. No family. Not even one person who could sign something for me.

My mother's funeral was set for a few days later.

The Vittore family's connections made sure the funeral was handled with dignity.

But I waited and waited, and Alessandro never came.

Serena posted about a healing trip the two of them were taking to the Amalfi Coast.

She said her doctor suggested she get away from familiar places for a while and relax.

Seven whole days.

While I knelt on the cold marble floor of the church, keeping vigil over my mother, he was standing by the sea with Serena, watching the sunset.

While I took my mother to the cemetery in the pouring rain, he was in a warm room at a seaside hotel, blow-drying Serena's hair after the sea breeze got it wet.

After the funeral, I hung my mother's portrait on the wall at home with my own hands.

Just then, my phone lit up.

Serena had posted something new and made a point of tagging me.

[When someone's always there for you, the whole world feels a little softer.]

Alessandro had left a comment below it.

[I'll always be here.]

I stared at those words for a long time. Then I turned off my phone.

After that, I dragged my suitcase to the door.

The flight to Malta had already started boarding.

I didn't call Alessandro again. I didn't tell him when I was leaving.

Right before I boarded, I opened our chat and sent him two photos.

The first was the record of my miscarriage surgery from St. Mary's Hospital.

The second was my mother's death certificate.

Both photos went through.

[Ding.]

Far away, on the other side of the coast, Alessandro's phone screen lit up.