ROSALINDA
I didn’t know if it was from crying too much, but my entire body felt weak and sick. Regardless, I still found the strength to go see my sister, as I couldn’t wait for a second longer. I needed to see for myself that she was fine, even though I had been told that she was. Antonio had suggested we go see the doctor first, insisted even, but I was adamant on seeing my sister first.
I had dreamt about losing her to the cold hands of death during my brief nap, and my heart couldn’t help but beat faster as we got closer to the ward she was in. What if my dream was true? What if I truly lost her? What if they told me she was fine just to give me fake comfort? My mind wouldn’t stop being a dark mess, as those thoughts coursed through my mind.
Stopping in front of the room, Antonio opened the door and held it for me to enter. My eyes lit up, and warmth saturated my entire body when I saw Sofia laying on the bed, surrounded by my family. She was alive!
My lips spread into a very

ROSALINDA The water cascading down my body was smoking hot. Even hours after leaving my family, the sting hadn’t dulled. Maybe the heat would drift my mind away from the lingering embarrassment, I thought. But it was a futile attempt. With each droplet, their disapproving faces flashed in my mind—the disdained expression they all had on when I confessed about the masked party that resulted in Carlo’s pregnancy. Damn it! I didn’t think I could ever face them again. With a sharp exhale, I turned off the shower after what felt like an eternity and wrapped myself in a towel.The door to the bedroom creaked open, and a smile tugged at my lips. Antonio came back earlier than expected, I thought.Stepping out of the bathroom, I muttered. “You’ve not been gone for long, but I missed you alrea...”I trailed off, my smile faltering, when I caught sight of the woman who was here, lying naked on the bed the other day. Rebecca, was it? I thought Antonio had made sure she would never come in he

ANTONIOI racked my brain on my way to the Moretti mansion, trying to think of what Roberto needed my help for, but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t come up with anything. But what I did know was that whatever it was, it was really important, possibly a life-or-death matter; if not, the pride-ridden Roberto I knew wouldn’t have asked for my help. “How’s Rosa? And Carlo?” That was the first question he asked me when I entered his office. “Oh, thank you for gracing my invitation.” I drew the visitor’s seat and settled on it. “That should have been the first thing you said to me.”He sighed. “Thank you for coming, Antonio.”A wicked smile flashed on my lips. “You’re welcome.”“So, how’s my daughter and my grandson?” He asked, making a steeple with his fingers.“They are perfect,” I said. He didn’t need to know about the whole Rebecca situation. “So…” I planted both elbows on the table, looking directly into his eyes. “Why did you call me here?”“I have a problem.” He pressed his l

ROSALINDA Dressed in a hot pink tube dress, with my hair packed up in a tight bun, I grabbed the key to one of Antonio’s cars and made my way to it.Antonio left the house after our argument—to heaven knows where—and he'd be damned if he thought I was going to stay home and wallow in sadness. The men by the gate stopped me when I drove towards them, and as I wound down the window, I plastered the sweetest smile on my lips. “We’re going clubbing. He’s just two minutes away from here, and he asked me to meet up with him.” I told the man who came up to me. He raised a sceptical brow as he leaned in. “Are you sure?”I shrugged slightly, seeming so confident about my lies. “You could call him if you want.”He stared at me for a second before sighing and straightening back up. “No. You wouldn’t lie. You can go.“That was exactly what I did. I lied.I curled my lips into another sweet smile before winding the glass back up. And as he signalled for the other men to open the gates, I drove

ROSALINDA Who said dreams were unattainable? Whoever said that bluffed because Sofia defied that claim. The dream she thought was out of reach was coming to pass. It’s been two months since she had the emergency surgery; she and the twins—Isabella and Alessia—were healthy and out of the hospital. Today was her wedding day. She was getting married to the love of her life, and I couldn’t be more happy about her finally getting her happy ending. She deserved it, they both deserved it. I had asked Antonio to wait a bit more before we got married, and he agreed without protest, even though I knew he wasn’t so happy about it. He just wanted to do right by me. He had been the perfect man ever, and I couldn’t even imagine my life with any other man. I didn’t even know why I had delayed the marriage, but anyway, that was the least of my problems at the moment. The dress I had on was. I turned around to look at my reflection in the mirror, and Goddamn it, I captivated myself. The thigh-hig