The whispers of the people around us spread through the hall like a storm.
"She just got sentenced, and they are already forcing her to dissolve the marriage?"
"That woman beside him must be the mistress. She actually stood there and watched the wife get destroyed."
"Her parents almost collapsed because of them. How cruel can they be?"
"The wife is too kind. If it were me, I would make them regret everything the moment I got out."
The voices grew louder.
In a world where people were taught to hide their emotions and swallow their opinions, the crowd no longer cared about silence.
Everyone could see what had happened.
Everyone knew who the real victim was.
My father noticed that my mother was crying uncontrollably.
Her breathing became faster and more uneven until she could no longer stand.
She collapsed.
The family's private clinic later determined that she had suffered severe hyperventilation and showed signs of possible poisoning.
The medical staff rushed in immediately and carried her away in an ambulance.
The entire hall fell into chaos.
The anger of the crowd turned directly toward Salvatore and Gia.
For the first time, Gia's expression changed.
She didn't care about the rumors themselves.
She had already gotten everything she wanted.
She had taken Salvatore.
She had forced me out of the Ortega family.
That was enough.
She grabbed Salvatore's arm and pulled him away.
Before leaving, she glanced at Enzo with a victorious smile.
Enzo said nothing.
He only removed his glasses and slowly cleaned them.
It was the gesture of a man trying to stay calm while watching something he couldn't yet fix.
Salvatore, however, had his own complicated emotions.
Part of him was touched by what I had done for him.
A part of him was relieved.
After years of hiding his feelings, he could finally bring Gia back into his life openly.
On the way home, he had already prepared flowers and gifts for her, treating it like a celebration of her long-awaited return.
Gia was overwhelmed with happiness.
She threw herself into his arms, smiling brightly.
Her joy stood in sharp contrast to the grief and anger they had left behind.
When they returned to the Ortega estate, Gia immediately began removing every trace of me.
She packed my belongings herself and ordered the servants to throw them into the dusty storage room.
The wedding portrait hanging in the center of the living room caught her attention.
To her, it was the last reminder that I had once belonged in this house.
She stared at it for several seconds.
Then she looked at Salvatore.
He said nothing.
That silence was permission.
Gia stepped forward and ripped the frame from the wall.
The photo crashed onto the floor.
The memory of seven years was treated like something worthless.
At five months pregnant, Gia had once appeared gentle and fragile.
But the moment she looked at Matteo, that kindness disappeared.
"We need space for the baby."
Her voice was cold.
"Matteo's room has to be given up."
Salvatore didn't even hesitate.
He was busy helping her organize her things.
"Do whatever you think is best."
Those simple words decided everything.
Gia gathered Matteo's belongings and dragged him toward the attic.
She threw his toys and clothes onto the damp wooden floor.
"This is your room now."
Her tone carried obvious impatience.
"Don't come downstairs unless there is something important."
Then she left without looking back.
Matteo stood alone in the dark attic.
He hugged his favorite toy tightly.
Cold air slipped through the cracks in the walls.
On the floor beside him were the broken pieces of a jade bracelet.
The bracelet I had made for him on his third birthday.
Gia had destroyed it earlier when she became annoyed.
Matteo stared at the broken pieces.
He didn't move.
Then, without noticing the sharp fragments beneath his feet, he stepped forward.
A piece of jade cut into his skin.
He fell to the ground with a cry, clutching his bleeding foot.
No one came.
Before this day, whenever he was hurt, I was always the first person beside him.
I would hold him.
Clean his wounds.
Tell him everything would be alright.
But now there was only silence.
After that first cry, Matteo stopped making a sound.
He had learned that crying did not always bring comfort.
Sometimes it only brought more anger.
So he curled up alone in the attic, letting his tears fall quietly.
Downstairs, Gia looked around the estate with satisfaction.
Finally.
She had everything she had wanted.
She turned toward Salvatore with excitement.
"She already signed the dissolution papers."
A smile appeared on her face.
"Let's complete the ceremony in a few days."
She had waited too long for this moment.
When Salvatore nodded, the last bit of anxiety in her heart disappeared.
But Salvatore was not as calm as she was.
Since returning home, his expression had remained troubled.
I had been too calm.
Too obedient.
That was what frightened him.
He couldn't understand why I had accepted everything so easily.
A thought kept returning to him.
What if one day I revealed the truth?
What if the verdict was overturned?
What if everyone discovered what he had done?
He wiped his palm against his trousers again.
The same habit.
The same sign of unease.
He forced himself to believe it was nothing.
But the fear remained.
Inside the family's private clinic, my mother finally opened her eyes after being unconscious for a long time.
"You finally woke up."
My father broke down beside the hospital bed.
His tears fell as he held his wife's hand.
The moment my mother realized I wasn't there, panic filled her eyes.
"Adri..."
That was the first word she spoke.
Enzo quickly stepped forward to calm them.
"I've already submitted the visitation request."
His voice was gentle.
"You will be able to see her tomorrow."
"Just wait one more day."
Even a short visit to the prison was enough.
That small hope was enough to keep them going.
Meanwhile, in another hospital wing...
Inside the intensive care unit, Adrian's fingers moved slightly.
Then his eyes opened.
Despite his serious injuries and the damage to his body, his mind was already working.
The doctor noticed the change immediately.
After confirming that Adrian's condition had stabilized, they transferred him to a regular ward for further observation.
But no one knew that the man who had just woken up would soon change everything.
