Lorenzo turned back, a face full of fake guilt as he crouched down in front of me. "Amore, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault for arriving so late and making you suffer so much. Don't worry. No matter what it costs, I'll have the Family's own doctors fix your skin and your face. I'll get you back on that stage."
I stared blankly at his Oscar-worthy performance, a bitter taste in my mouth. "Can I really get better?"
"Yes, you absolutely can." His confident lies only made me feel like a complete fool. To be rid of me, the one obstacle standing in Bianca's path, this man who had gone from a boy at my side to a betrothal blessed by both bloodlines, who had sworn on his name to love me forever, had used lie after lie to push me to my breaking point. Even my mother, who had treasured me like the trueborn daughter of the Barone line since I was small, had chosen to raise the knife for Bianca, the two-faced foundling she favored above her own blood.
At that moment, I truly wanted to scream at them, to ask why they were being so cruel to me. But all the words just froze in my ice-cold heart, turning into dead silence. A few of the Family's doctors came over with antiseptic, their faces showing pity as they looked at my ruined, burned body. "Signorina Barone, the specialist hasn't arrived yet. We'll have to clean the wounds first. It's going to hurt. Please bear with it."
Still, "a bit" was a cruel joke. The moment the disinfectant touched my skin, the pain shot through my body like fire. It felt as if I were being thrown into the flames all over again. My fragile veins burst open and the entire bed was soaked with blood and pus. My mother stood there watching, one hand clutched over her mouth, her whole body shaking as she sobbed. Lorenzo's eyes were red. His fists clenched so hard the knuckles turned white, as if he wished he could take the pain for me. Their concern looked so real. But I knew the truth. It was all a performance. The only real things were the lies and the pain.
When I woke again, two days had passed. Beyond the door I could hear Lorenzo and my mother speaking in the low, measured voices men use when a decision has already been made. "Lorenzo, Adriana's condition is already this bad. We've delayed the knife work for two days now. Do we really have to give her that experimental drug? The doctor says it hasn't been fully tested. The side effects could be seizures. Incontinence."
A few seconds of silence. Then Lorenzo's voice, firm and quiet, the voice of a man who no longer negotiated. "That's exactly the side effect we want. Tonight is Bianca's celebration, and half the important names in the territory will be there. Adriana is already a ruin. A little more disgrace won't cost her anything. Only when she's lost her dignity completely will she stop standing in Bianca's way. After tomorrow, I'll announce our betrothal. Consider that my compensation to her."
Then, carefully, he added, "Have the specialists wait outside the estate. The moment the banquet ends, they can see to Adriana."
My mother agreed at once. I heard the soft, restless sound of her fingers working the fabric of her mourning shawl between them, the way she always did before she chose the wrong daughter. I stared blankly at the ceiling as silent tears streamed down my cheeks. The salt stung the open wounds on my face, sending waves of sharp, searing pain through me. Still, none of it compared to the pain in my chest.
These were the two people closest to me. They knew how weak and sickly I had been since I was a child. They had watched how hard I fought, how much I gave up, to rise through the Family's showcases and make a name that was mine and clean. Now, with a few careless words, they had destroyed the one dream I'd built for myself. Had I known I would end up like this, I would have let the fire take me instead.
The door opened. Lorenzo saw I was awake and held out two pills with a look of tenderness. "Amore, I just spoke with the doctor. This is a new painkiller the Family's men developed. No side effects. It will ease your pain."
I lowered my eyes to the two bright red pills, my throat feeling as though it were full of rust. My voice was hoarse when I spoke. "Lorenzo, the medicine is too bitter. I don't want to take it."
Lorenzo hesitated for only a couple of seconds. Then he smiled and squeezed my hand, his thumb moving slow and steady along the edge of his signet ring. "Seeing you suffer every day breaks my heart. Can you really bear to watch your husband in pain? Please, tesoro. Do it for me."
