Chapter 3

I spent the whole day outside, only heading home after I finally calmed down. When I pushed open the door, I was greeted by cheery, lively laughter.

The foyer was piled high with a stranger's things, and the maids hustled back and forth, carrying boxes upstairs.

Vera lounged on the couch, wrapped in a cashmere shawl, a mug of warm milk in her hands. She tilted her head toward Matteo and said something I couldn't quite hear. Her eyes crinkled as she laughed.

They looked so perfectly in sync as they leaned in together like that.

Vera was the first to notice me. She set the mug down in a hurry and stood, giving me a small, nervous wave. "Alessia, I'm so sorry. Matteo got hurt because of me. Please don't be mad at him. It's all my fault!"

Her voice shook like it had taken everything she had just to say that.

Matteo stepped forward, almost casually placing himself between us and shielding her. "Alessia, this isn't her fault. Those loan sharks are vicious. If I hadn't stepped in, something bad would've happened to her… She's going to stay with us for a while. Until I'm sure her debts are all cleared, I can't let her live out there alone.

"Don't overthink this. I'm just helping out a friend." He watched me closely, like he was afraid I would suddenly fly into a rage and hurt his precious childhood sweetheart.

But I only nodded calmly and said, "Okay."

His brows snapped together. My unexpected composure clearly threw him off.

I didn't look at him again. I turned and walked straight to our bedroom. I had to pack all my things by that night. I'd already booked a flight out of Nevoli for the next day. I would take my luggage and leave for good.

Halfway through packing, the door opened, and Matteo walked in. When he saw the mess spread across the bed, he frowned again. "What are you doing?"

I didn't so much as falter. I just said half-heartedly, "There's too much stuff. I'm clearing some of it out."

His expression relaxed a little. He stepped forward and pulled me into his arms. "Once I've dealt with Vera's situation, I'll take you to Havea for a vacation."

My hands froze mid-movement as memories surfaced. I remembered all the times I'd begged him to go to Havea with me. He'd turned me down each time without a second thought.

"The family business doesn't allow me to go that far. I don't have time to go with you."

But now, Havea had suddenly become some sort of compensation because of Vera. I didn't feel happy at all.

He didn't notice my silence. He just kept making plans on his own.

The door opened again. Vera walked in while holding up a necklace, her eyes sparkling as she said, "Matteo, this is a necklace I designed myself. Come see if you think it could win something!"

Matteo immediately let go of me and walked over to her, smiling. "Of course it can. You've really got a talent for design. I'm sure the judges will love it."

Vera dreamed of being a designer and was always entering one competition or another. But to me, her designs were painfully generic, even downright awful. Only Matteo could love something that terrible.

"Donna Russo, what do you think? Isn't my design pretty?" Vera lifted the necklace proudly, insisting that I give her my opinion.

"She doesn't know anything about art. Don't bother asking her." Matteo cut in, the warning clear in his eyes. He was afraid I would say something that might upset her.

I forced myself to swallow the hurt. I was leaving tomorrow; none of this mattered anymore.

But then my gaze fell on the necklace pendant, and my eyes widened. I snatched the necklace out of her hand. The pendant was a beautiful emerald, but it was clear that it had been pried out of its ring setting by force.

I recognized it instantly. It was from Mom's favorite ring.

"Who said you could mess with my stuff?" My eyes burned red as anger crashed over me like a wave.

Vera cried out. Blood welled from her finger and started to drip.

Matteo shoved me hard to the floor and grabbed her injured hand, fury blazing in his eyes. "If you didn't like it, you could've just said so. There was no need to cut Vera's hand like that!"

The impact knocked the wind out of me. My organs felt like they'd all been shaken out of place. I gritted my teeth through the pain and forced out, "She destroyed my mother's keepsake. It's the only thing Mom left me!"

"That's enough. Your mom's still in the hospital; I'll just have her buy you something else. Stop acting crazy!"

It was such a casual statement, but it landed like a hammer blow to my chest. I didn't have a mother anymore. She was never going to buy me anything ever again.

Even after Matteo rushed Vera to the hospital, I couldn't pull myself out of the grief and rage choking me. I didn't even want to wait for my last day here to come.

This time, I was going to set Matteo free—and set myself free too. I would make sure we never saw each other again.

I changed my plane ticket to the earliest flight possible. Then, I wiped every trace of myself from the house, dragged my suitcase out of the estate, and walked away.

I called to confirm that the divorce decree had been processed and asked them to mail our copies to us separately.

After hanging up, I smiled for the first time in a long while. "Enjoy the single life, Matteo. I'm handing you over to your childhood sweetheart now."