After Matteo left, I began to pack.
Just as I finished, Leo woke up.
I bent down, nuzzling his soft cheek.
His eyes crinkled into little crescents, and he let out a happy gurgle.
But a familiar sting burned behind my eyes, and tears began to fall.
The thought of leaving him tomorrow filled me with a grief I couldn't contain.
But I couldn't stay. I was so tired. I didn't want to be entangled with Matteo anymore.
And I couldn't take Leo with me.
Because long before he was born, I had promised Matteo's mother, Donna Isabella, that I would leave the child with the Bellini family.
I took the money. I couldn't go back on my word.
I sat by the crib, humming a lullaby, cherishing these last few moments alone with my son.
Night fell over the manor.
Suddenly, my phone lit up with a series of messages.
I opened them.
It was Liliana again, taunting me.
A luxury hotel suite, rumpled bedsheets, and Matteo's family ring—the one he never took off—resting casually on the nightstand. Every detail was a calculated display of their recent tryst.
She made no effort to hide her malice.
"Matteo was like a starving wolf just now. Said I'm much more exciting than you."
"He also said he'll never touch you again. He finds you boring."
In the past, I had cried myself to sleep over Liliana, hysterically demanding to know why Matteo was humiliating me this way.
Now, however, my heart was a placid lake.
I calmly typed my reply.
"Well, what do we have here? The Venti family's prized pet finally learned how to use a phone."
Liliana's fury was immediate.
"Who are you calling a pet? You're just jealous that Matteo loves me."
Jealous?
I used to be. Madly.
Back then, I had actually dreamed of growing old with Matteo.