Then his expression turned serious again. "But I have one condition. You must promise not to make things difficult for Serena anymore."
There was an old saying: strike with one hand and reward with the other. That was exactly what he was doing now.
But Dante had forgotten something important.
I couldn't even eat chestnut cakes. My stomach had always been weak, and certain foods would trigger unbearable pain.
Years ago, he had gone to great lengths just to take care of me. He had tried countless cooks brought in through the compound kitchen, dissatisfied with each one, until he finally spent sleepless nights researching and crafting a medicinal diet tailored specifically to my needs.
At the same time, Nico had taken it upon himself to monitor everything I ate, making sure I followed that diet strictly, never letting anything slip.
Back then, they had remembered every detail about me.
Now, they had forgotten everything.
A cold gust of wind swept past me, cutting through my wet clothes. The chill seeped deep into my body, making me shiver uncontrollably.
Only then did I realize I was still completely soaked. My body, already weakened, couldn't take it. A fever was inevitable.
As I struggled to stay on my feet, Dante brushed past me roughly, his shoulder colliding with mine.
"You're still acting?" he said coldly, not even bothering to look back.
That final push was enough. The last bit of strength I had left drained away, and I collapsed directly into the mud.
Dante paused for a moment and turned slightly. There was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, something that almost looked like concern.
But in the end, he said nothing.
He left with Nico, placing Serena carefully between them, shielding her as if she were something precious. Two soldiers fell in step behind them without a word.
After a long struggle, I managed to push myself up. Every movement felt heavy and painful, but I forced myself forward and called an ambulance. My thumb pressed hard against the pulse point inside my wrist the entire time I waited, counting the seconds until the line connected.
When my doctor saw the state I was in, his face darkened with anger. He couldn't hold back his frustration.
"You just got out of the hospital, and you ended up like this again?" he scolded harshly. "Do you even understand how serious your condition is?"
"You're pushing your body to the limit," he continued. "At this rate, you're heading straight toward collapse."
I didn't dare argue. I simply lowered my head and listened, quietly enduring his reprimand.
I stayed in the hospital for several more days under observation. Only after my fever subsided and my condition stabilized was I finally discharged.
By then, I knew I had lost too much time. I couldn't afford to delay any longer. I had to move forward with my plans.
I returned to the front office to submit my resignation, hoping at least to say goodbye to the few associates I had grown close to over the years.
But when I arrived, I found that all of them had already been cut loose by Serena.
The few people who remained looked at me with cold avoidance, as if I were something contagious, something they didn't want to be associated with.
I stood outside the building for hours, waiting, hoping to see someone familiar.
In the end, I was told that Dante and Serena had left on family business.
The three of them had gone to the seaside, the very place I had loved since childhood, the place I had always dreamed of visiting but never had the chance to go.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
I tossed my resignation letter aside. I had spent so much time worrying about how to explain my absence, only to realize that no one cared whether I was there or not.
At that point, there was only one thing left for me to do.
I needed to say goodbye to Naomi DeLuca.
Knowing that I would come to see her, she cleared her entire schedule and even canceled an important sit-down with an overseas associate just to make time for me.
The moment she saw me, her eyes turned red with emotion. "Why have you become so thin?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
"I heard about your engagement to the Moretti family's heir," she continued softly. "He's a good young man. My dear child… I hate to see you leave."
