MasukRose stood behind a thick glass wall layered with protective wire. Beside her, Matteo stood upright like a concrete pillar. Matteo’s hand held Rose’s tightly, his thumb occasionally brushing the back of her hand.Actually, Matteo opposed the visit; he did not want to see Rose become traumatized or shocked. However, Rose insisted—she had to finish this matter.“We can do this another time, Rose. Or not at all,” Matteo whispered, trying once more to convince her.But Rose shook her head firmly. “No, Matteo. I have to see Romilda for the last time. After this, I promise I will never mention her name again.”“Alright.” Matteo let out a resigned breath.Matteo pulled Rose’s body closer to his side again, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here with you.”“I’m not afraid.”Two nurses in front of the door immediately opened it for Ro
Jerry staggered backward; he still managed to look at Rose. The old man’s lips moved, forming a word without sound: Run. After that, Jerry’s body truly collapsed to the floor with a muffled thud.Rose froze in place; she did not turn and run… instead, she stood frozen. Then Rose’s body slid to the floor; she cried in restraint with her body trembling. Rose crawled toward Jerry, not caring about Rocco’s men approaching her.With trembling hands, Rose lifted her father’s head that had already gone limp. Rose hugged him tightly.Even though Jerry was a criminal with a bad history, he decided to do one good thing at the end of his life. Jerry wanted to protect Rose and atone for his sins, even if it meant sacrificing his life.At that moment, Rose felt the world was very unfair. She had already lost her mother, and now her father, too. Even though Jerry had already repented.Meanwhile Romilda? Instead, Rose
“What exactly are you going to do, Dad?” Rose asked.“I know I’ve made a lot of mistakes with you and Romilda. But I won’t stand by and watch you get taken away, Rose. I’m going to save you.”“Dad, what can you even do?”“At the very least, I can talk to Romilda. Or… whatever her name is now.”Rose shook her head. “Dad, if Romilda finds out, you’ll get dragged into this, too. You won’t survive either.”Jerry fell silent. Rose was right. If anything, he wouldn’t be able to save her at all. They could both end up dead at Romilda’s hands.“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll get you out of here. For now, you need to hold on. Eat whatever they give you so you’ll have the strength. Do you understand, Rose?”Rose nodded. “Okay, Dad.”Hesitantly, awkwardly, Jerry patted her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ro
The apartment door was already open when Matteo and the police arrived. Matteo looked panicked and terrified, his eyes darting across every corner of the dim, musty room.“Rose! Rose, where are you? Rose!” Matteo’s voice cracked with panic.The police searched the entire place, but they found no one. They reported signs of movement through the back door, but there were no surveillance cameras nearby.Matteo went weak, his gaze fixed on the floor. There lay Rose’s handbag. All her belongings were still inside, including the phone they had tracked.“No… no… no…” Matteo’s voice caught in his throat.He dropped to his knees, grabbed the bag, and held it tightly. He had arrived too late. Rose was gone.“This was a trap. God, Rose… why didn’t you tell me about Romilda?” Matteo whispered in disbelief.Someone approached, and Matteo looked up. It was Detec
The smell of cheap cigarette smoke stung Rose’s nose the moment she stepped into the dingy apartment lobby. No one was there, just a row of dented mailboxes and crude graffiti peeling off the walls.Her heart pounded, matching the echo of her footsteps on the concrete stairs. The elevator was broken, of course. So Rose had to climb to the fourth floor on shaky legs, holding her breath.Every shadow in the stairwell made her alert.“This is for Romilda,” Rose whispered, gripping her bag strap tightly. “She’s your sister, your own blood. You can’t just let her die.”Rose reached the apartment door and turned the handle. It opened with a loud creak. The inside was dark, the curtains tightly shut.
The atmosphere in the Cavanaugh living room was lively. Nicole was busy calling catering vendors, while Letty was choosing fabric samples with Anais. Meanwhile, Rose was occupied looking through wedding cakes.Actually, Rose wanted a simple wedding, but Anais insisted that even a simple one still needed the essentials, like a wedding cake and beautiful decorations.“I think champagne would look nice for the tablecloths, don’t you? I know Matteo wants something simple, but the Cavanaugh version of simple still means Baccarat crystal and imported flowers,” Nicole boasted.Rose let out a soft laugh. “I’ll leave it to you, of course.”“This is your wedding, Rose. You need to make sure everything is perfect.” Anais looked at her. “I want you and Matteo to be happy, no matter how small or big this is.”Rose nodded shyly. “Alright, Anais. I’m sorry for troubling you, and Nicole and Le
Matteo hurried downstairs, glancing at his watch every so often. It was 7:00 a.m., and he was heading to the apartment. If he couldn't be with Rose every night, at least he tried to be there every morning. His hand slipped into his pocket, quickly sending a message."Honey? Are you up? I'm on my w
There was a wave of sadness when Rose stepped into the apartment alone. She slipped the card into the automatic light switch, and the whole place lit up. That day, Anais had returned to the Cavanaugh residence, and of course, Matteo put his mother’s health first. So from that day on, Rose was alone
For a moment, silence hung between them. Matteo still hadn’t spoken. Rose sat beside him, uneasy, watching the clouded expression on his face.She tried to think positively—maybe it was just a work matter he wanted to discuss. Then Matteo cleared his throat.“It looks like you’ll have to stay here
Matteo dropped Rose off at her office. After kissing her forehead, he left and headed to his own office. He stepped into the elevator, rode it down, and walked through the corridor toward his room.To his surprise, the door was already open. Inside were Nicole and his secretary.“Oh, Nicole?” Matte







