That morning, Castello Mansion was colder and quieter than usual, the kind of false tranquility that concealed a storm beneath the surface. The soft clinking of spoons against porcelain plates was the only sound breaking the silence in the grand dining room. Aixa sat stiffly in an ornately carved mahogany chair. Before her, a cup of warm chamomile tea prepared by the staff was already losing its steam. The woman's face looked terribly pale, almost blending into the faded color of her casual dress. The faint dark circles beneath her eyes were silent proof that restful sleep had become an impossible luxury over the past three weeks. Every time she closed her eyes, images of syringes, the antiseptic smell of the hospital, and the hormone level numbers that continued to haunt her always forced them open again. "Madam, you need to finish at least half of your breakfast," Marco, the senior head butler at Castello Mansion, said from several steps beside the table, his voice as polite and g
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