I hadn't slept throughout the night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the glittering chandeliers, heard the laughter, felt the sting of humiliation echoing through my bones. I'd promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore, but my pillow told a different story. My mind could also not help drifting back to that stranger, i realized belatedly that a man like that was probably a powerful man and i had slapped him. I just hoped that i never had to see him again.
The morning came like punishment. bright, sharp, and merciless.
When the phone rang, I thought it was a dream. But the voice on the other end jolted me upright.
"Miss Moretti? This is St. Lucia Hospital. You need to come in as soon as possible, it's about your mother's care."
My heart stopped. "Is she…? Is something wrong?"
"Please come in, Miss. We'll explain everything in person."
They hung up before I could ask anything else.
The bus ride felt endless. The city looked bleached under the sun, cruelly indifferent to the panic clawing inside me. My fingers kept twisting the strap of my worn purse until it bit into my palm. The hospital's white façade loomed ahead, cold and sterile, too clean for the kind of dread that was building inside me.
I hurried through the doors, my shoes squeaking faintly on the polished floor. The nurse at the counter recognized me and her expression softened. Pitying, apologetic. I hated that look.
"Miss Moretti, right this way," she said gently, leading me into the billing office.
The clerk was already waiting, a stack of papers in front of him. He didn't even look up as he spoke. "Miss Moretti, we regret to inform you that the payments for your mother's treatment have been suspended as of this morning."
I blinked, sure I'd misheard. "Suspended? What do you mean, suspended? There's a sponsorship agreement, everything has been covered."
He flipped through the pages like he'd practiced this speech. "The benefactor's account is no longer active for this patient's care. Unless alternative arrangements are made within seventy-two hours, we are going to have to move your mother to a public facility and as you know that is not a wise choice."
A public facility. I knew what that meant. Overcrowded wards, neglect, nurses who didn't care. My throat felt tight.
"Who stopped it?" I demanded, my voice trembling. "The payments were made through the Vitale account. Who signed off?"
He hesitated before saying, "A Mr. Alessandro Vitale."
The world tilted for a second.
Alessandro.
I could hear my pulse in my ears, loud and angry. For a moment, I couldn't breathe. Then, before I knew it, I was already on my feet, clutching my purse and storming out the door.
The Vitale estate gleamed like sin in daylight.
Guards at the gate barely had time to question me before I pushed past, the weight of rage propelling me forward. I wasn't thinking about consequences. I wasn't thinking about how small I looked next to those iron gates or how much power he still had over my life. I just wanted answers.
I burst into his office without knocking.
Alessandro was sitting behind the heavy oak desk, jacket off, sleeves rolled up like he was pretending to work. He looked up slowly, eyebrows arching in mild annoyance. "Sera?"
I slammed the door shut behind me. "Why did you stop my mother's hospital payments?"
For a second, there was silence. Then that familiar smirk curved his lips, the same one that had once made me fall in love with him. Now it just made my stomach twist in revulsion.
He leaned back in his chair. "Good morning to you too."
"Answer me."
His gaze sharpened. "It's not your business how the family's finances are managed."
"Not my business?" My voice cracked. "Your father promised, he promised to take care of her after everything she did for your family. You agreed to that!"
"My father," he repeated slowly, standing up. "Not me."
The casual cruelty in his tone hit harder than a slap. He walked around the desk, his movements deliberate, calculated. "My father did a lot of things without considering the cost, Sera. The man had a bleeding heart. I don't."
I felt my anger rise, hot and shaking. "This isn't charity, Alessandro. It's a promise you made. She's sick. She needs care or she will die."
He stopped right in front of me, close enough that I could smell his cologne. Familiar, suffocating. "You think I don't know that?" he said, softer now, almost coaxing. "You think I wanted to stop? But things have changed, Sera. The marriage, the alliance… it all costs money. My father's gone, and it's on me now to keep the family running."
I glared at him. "Don't you dare use that as an excuse."
He smiled faintly, that lazy, arrogant smile I used to mistake for affection. "You always were stubborn." He took a step closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "You know, it doesn't have to be like this."
I froze. "What are you talking about?"
He reached out and brushed his fingers against a strand of my hair. I jerked back, disgust rising in my throat.
"I can take care of you," he said quietly. "And your mother. You won't have to worry about anything again. I'll make sure of it."
For a moment, I didn't understand. Then the meaning hit me like ice water.
I stared at him. "You want me to what?"
His eyes darkened, but his tone stayed calm, almost tender. "Be with me again. Not officially, of course. Valentina doesn't have to know. You were mine first, Sera. And you know I still want you."
I couldn't breathe. The air in the room turned thick, heavy, poisonous.
"Be your mistress?" My voice came out hoarse. "You're offering me your pity in exchange for… what? Selling myself to you so my mother can live?"
He sighed, like I was the unreasonable one. "You make it sound ugly. It doesn't have to be. I'm offering you comfort. Stability. You know what the world is like for a girl like you, Sera. You'll never have to work again. You could live easy, like a queen, my queen."
Something inside me broke then not gently, but like glass underfoot.
"You disgust me," I whispered.
He didn't flinch. "You're angry now. But you'll think about it. You always come back."
That did it. My whole body trembled with fury. "You think you know me so well, Alessandro? You think I'm still that stupid girl who believed every word you said? I'd rather starve than take a single thing from you."
He frowned, confusion flickering behind his smugness. "Sera, don't be dramatic. I'm trying to help you—"
"Help me?" I cut him off, my voice rising. "You don't even know the meaning of that word. You take and take and leave nothing behind but shame."
His jaw clenched, irritation replacing false gentleness. "Watch your tone."
I laughed bitterly. "What are you going to do? Throw me out? You already did that once, remember?"
We stared at each other, silence stretching like a blade between us. I saw a flash of something in his eyes. Regret, maybe but it died quickly, smothered by pride.
When I finally spoke, my voice was steady again. Cold. "Don't worry, Alessandro. I'll find a way to pay for my mother's care. I don't need you."
I turned and walked toward the door. My legs were shaking, but I didn't stop.
"Sera," he called, his tone sharp now. "Don't do anything stupid."
I paused with my hand on the doorknob. "Too late," I said quietly. "I already did when I fell in love with you."
Then I left.
The corridor outside was blindingly bright. I didn't notice the guards staring as I passed, didn't feel the burn in my chest until I reached the front steps and the wind hit my face.
I thought I'd cry again, but I didn't. I felt… empty. Hollow.
If Alessandro thought I'd crawl back, he was wrong. I would do anything to never be at his mercy.