Chapter 4
I didn't know how much time had passed before I slowly regained consciousness amid the sound of arguing.
The familiar smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils once again.
I realized I was back in the hospital.
Alexander was standing beside my bed, his expression grim.
When he saw that I'd awakened, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
But he quickly turned toward Vito, his voice full of resentment.
"Look! Is this the wonderful wife you chose for me?"
"Our baby has only just been born, and she's already running off to meet other men!"
Vito trembled with anger.
"A date? Do you even know what Elena was doing yesterday?"
"Grandfather."
I interrupted him softly.
"It's all in the past."
Vito glanced at me but ultimately said nothing more.
He simply looked at Alexander with profound disappointment and heartbreak.
Alexander impatiently waved his hand.
"Since she's awake, there's no reason for me to stay here."
"Isabella is waiting for me. I'm leaving."
Vito raised his cane and swung it viciously toward him.
"You ungrateful bastard!"
"I don't care where you're going today, but tomorrow you will bring Elena back to the estate!"
But before he could finish, Alexander had already walked away without looking back.
Vito watched his grandson disappear down the corridor and let out a deep sigh.
His once-straight back seemed to sag even further.
Then he took a document from the briefcase he carried with him and handed me a divorce agreement that had already been signed.
"Elena, this is what I promised you."
"I'll do everything I can to compensate you for what the Moretti family owes you."
He paused, and his voice took on a pleading quality.
"But that baby was your own flesh and blood. I hope you'll at least give him a proper farewell."
I looked at the elderly man with his head of white hair. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
Early the next morning, dressed in black, I returned to the Moretti family estate.
I'd risked my life to carry this child.
Yet I hadn't even had the chance to hold him before members of the rival syndicate had taken him from my body.
I gently wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes.
Perhaps this was for the best.
At least when I finally left, I wouldn't have to stay for anyone anymore.
I'd given everything I had to this marriage.
Now, all I wanted was to take my mother's ashes and leave this suffocating place behind.
Even at his own child's funeral, Alexander failed to show up.
Instead, I saw pictures on social media of him and Isabella trying on ceremonial gowns for the position of lady of the Moretti family.
Isabella soon sent me another message.
"So what if you gave him a child? I'm still the one he chose in the end."
"By the way, did you think Alexander had been staying at the hospital taking care of you while you were unconscious?"
"Actually, he was with me the entire time. We were even in the hospital bed right next to yours..."
She sent me a video.
In it, I was lying unconscious in my hospital bed, my face deathly pale.
Meanwhile, Alexander and Isabella were tangled together intimately just a short distance away.
After watching the video, I didn't reply.
I simply forwarded all her messages and videos to Vito.
Then I took off the ring Alexander had given me as the lady of the family and left it behind at the estate.
I picked up my mother's urn and whispered,
"Mom, let's go home."
It wasn't until nightfall that Alexander finally returned to the estate, reeking of alcohol.
The moment he opened the door, he was startled by what he saw.
Everyone inside was dressed in black suits, with white ribbons pinned to their chests.
He frowned and looked around.
"Who died?"
"Was it Elena's mother?"
A trace of panic appeared on his face.
"Why didn't anyone tell me something this important?"
"Where's Elena? She must be devastated. I need to go see her."
Vito had finally reached the end of his patience.
He picked up the divorce agreement and hurled it straight at Alexander's face.
"Elena has already left with her mother's ashes."
"And today is your son's funeral!"
