Chapter 4

At exactly nine o’clock the next morning, Luca’s call comes in.

I glance at the screen and do not answer.

Soon, messages begin appearing one after another.

I’m downstairs.

Serena, stop making a scene. Be good and come down.

Since you insist on acting like this, all of our future plans are canceled.

I turn off my phone and continue sealing the last set of East District accounts into a document envelope.

At exactly ten, I hand the ledgers, the access keys, and the Valenti family badge over to the Council.

The advisor in charge of the handover looks at me, as if he wants to say something.

In the end, he only sighs.

“Miss Serena, once the purge order takes effect, there is no going back.”

I nod.

“Goodbye.”

At noon, I board a flight to Chicago.

By the time I land, the sunlight is perfect.

I have barely arrived at my apartment when Nico sends me an Instagram link.

Look at this.

I tap it open.

It is a photo Elena has just posted.

The North District estate. The riding grounds.

In the photo, she is dressed in white riding clothes, standing beside a snow-white horse.

Luca stands behind her, his head lowered as he fixes her gloves.

The caption reads:

First time riding. Someone said he’d protect me.

Plenty of Valenti people have already liked it.

The comments are lively enough to hurt the eyes.

Miss Elena looks beautiful today.

Mr. Luca is teaching her himself? That’s not ordinary treatment.

They look so good together.

Nico sends another string of furious messages.

She definitely posted that for you to see.

Luca is unbelievable. Yesterday he said he was going to pick you up, and today he went there with her instead.

Are you okay?

I look at the photo, but my heart is unexpectedly calm.

There is no anger.

No nausea.

I only think that the weather in Chicago is actually very nice today.

The wind is clean as it passes through the plane trees beneath my apartment building.

I close Instagram and reply to Nico.

I’m fine.

A few days later, I receive a call from my mother.

Her voice is very low, as if she is afraid someone might hear her.

“Serena, Luca is here.”

My hand pauses slightly around my coffee cup.

It is noisy on the other end of the line.

Vaguely, I can hear Luca’s voice, pressed tight with anger.

“Madam, please ask her to come out.”

“We’re supposed to get the family engagement notarized today. The appointment was difficult to arrange. We can’t be late.”

My mother sounds troubled.

“Luca, Serena really isn’t in New York. She left several days ago.”

For a moment, the other end of the line goes silent.

When Luca speaks again, his voice has clearly changed.

“She left? Where did she go?”

My mother sounds even more confused.

“You don’t know?”

“Didn’t the Valenti family already purge her? She went to Chicago.”

At that moment, there is no sound from Luca at all.

Only the sudden weight of his breathing remains on the line.