Chapter 4

I packed up my things with Monica's help, getting ready for the move to Kayby, and had my college there.

I thought I'd be up all night, but I slept like the dead instead. Maybe I was just exhausted, or maybe my heart had finally given up caring.

When I woke up, it was already afternoon. I reached for my phone.

The screen lit up. Two WhatsApp voice messages—both from Adrian.

I should've deleted them right away, but I clicked on the first one anyway.

His familiar deep voice came through. "Serena, stop being childish and take me off your block list. You're a grown woman—what's with these games?"

The second one played automatically. "Daniela felt so guilty about you leaving yesterday that she ran up to the rooftop and threatened to jump. I barely managed to stop her. I'm taking her to Aspen this month so she can unwind. Serena, don't be jealous—if she's like this, you share some of the blame."

That last line actually made me laugh. 'Daniela would never actually die,' I thought. 'The whole thing's ridiculous.'

The memory cut through my mind like a blade.

Daniel even humiliated my best friend, Angelina Greco, at her coming-of-age party, and he asked her in front of everyone if she'd slept with a bunch of guys to get such a good body.

She never felt guilty about the people she hurt, so why would she kill herself?

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing, and Adrian's messages kept popping up.

"Serena, if you have any conscience left, come to Aspen and apologize, especially to Daniela. You know how much she values this friendship. Your leaving really hurt her. We all grew up together. You should be more mature and stop acting like a jealous child."

I didn't finish listening to the voice message and blocked him immediately.

Outside my door, Monica was urging me to go shopping.

I agreed, but I didn't expect that after buying clothes on the second floor of the mall, I'd run right into Adrian and his group.

Daniela stood in the middle of seven or eight men, and her black miniskirt was impossible to miss.

"Serena? What a coincidence." She looped her arm through mine, and her perfume hit me like a wave.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday," she said, batting her eyes with that fake smile plastered on. "I only see Adrian as a brother, so don't be mad, okay?"

'A brother? Yeah, right,' I thought.

"It's all my fault," Daniela said, wiping away tears that weren't there. "If I'd been more careful, you wouldn't have left. Mrs. Lombardi, I feel so guilty I could just jump off a rooftop. Please don't blame her—"

"Are you done?" Monica cut her off, her voice ice-cold. She stood there radiating authority. "Girls these days really don't know how to behave. Always playing the victim." She let out a cold laugh. "My daughter ignores you because people in our family have class, and we don't make scenes like trashy women. Where are your parents? Running around in packs of men all day—do you have any self-respect? If they won't teach you, I will. There's a word for people like that."

She paused, and her tone got even colder. "Puttana."

The air froze.

"Serena, I—" Adrian instinctively moved closer to me, like he was going to take my hand the way he always did.

"Adrian?" Daniela called his name softly. He saw her red, swollen eyes and hesitated, but he didn't come any closer to me.

Adrian pulled out a tissue and wiped her tears, and he couldn't help saying, "Mrs. Lombardi, that was too harsh. Daniela didn't mean anything. Serena threw a tantrum and almost drove her to hurt herself. Daniela's only nineteen, and she just graduated high school—"

"Nineteen?" Monica raised an eyebrow and smiled. "My daughter's nineteen, so they're practically the same age. She didn't do anything, so how did she become the villain who almost killed someone?

"Adrian, I remember when you were little and you used to protect Serena. You promised me you'll protect her. But you're really disappointing me right now."

Adrian was at a loss for words, and his hand stopped wiping Daniela's tears.

The entire group fell silent, and no one spoke again.

Adrian's face changed.

He knew what breaking a promise meant in the mafia world, and the weight of it showed in his eyes.

His hand froze mid-motion, the handkerchief hanging in the air, and his fingers trembled slightly.

'This farce has gone on long enough,' I thought.

"Mom, let's go." I took Monica's hand.

Adrian grabbed my wrist hard.

"Why so many heavy clothes?" He looked at the bags and saw the winter gear. His eyes lit up."

He smiled, "These are for our trip, right? Okay, you're not mad anymore. I'll book first-class tickets, tomorrow morning at ten—"

"You're wrong." I pulled my hand back and stopped him. His smile disappeared. I felt satisfied—this was the first time I said no to Adrian.

"I'm not going travelling with you," I said coldly. "I'm moving. And—"

I lifted my head and showed him my ear without the hearing aid. "My hearing has been fine for a while."