For the next few days, Matteo stayed at the hospital almost every day.

He turned down many meetings. Even several important family council sessions were done via video calls. He tried to make up for everything by giving her nutritionists, caregivers, the best doctors, and the most expensive supplements.

But Alicia did not respond.

That afternoon, the sun finally came out.

A caregiver pushed her wheelchair to the lake behind the hospital so she could get some fresh air.

The wind was cold.

Matteo noticed her fingers were cold. He said softly, “I’ll go get a shawl. Stay right here. Wait for me for two minutes.”

He turned and walked away. Not long after, Sophia appeared.

A bandage still covered her forehead, but her face looked healthier and more vibrant than anyone else’s. She had clearly been well cared for.

She stood by the wheelchair and looked down at Alicia. Her voice dripped with mockery. “Top lawyer, how does it feel to be in a wheelchair? You look worse than I expected.”

Alicia could not be bothered to lift her eyes.

Sophia refused to give up. She said slowly, “Are you still refusing to accept it? When the walkway collapsed, he called your name first. But when it was time to choose, he saved me!

“You’re smart. I assume you know what that means. You understand, don’t you?”

Alicia finally met her gaze. Her eyes were calm and cold. “It means you know very well that you can only ever prove your worth in moments like this.”

Alicia pushed the wheelchair and prepared to leave.

Sophia’s smile disappeared completely. She stepped forward and pressed her hands on the wheelchair’s armrest. “Stop that! Alicia, do you think you still have any dignity left? You’re nothing but—”

She froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone nearby. Her expression changed instantly.

She fell to the ground with a pitiful look and then grabbed a rock. She smashed it against her own forehead.

Blood immediately poured out. It stained the bandage and her pale cheek.

Everything happened too quickly.

Alicia watched without surprise.

The next second, Matteo rushed over. “Sophia!”

Sophia ran to him with teary eyes. Her voice shook in just the right way. “I only came to see Donna Alicia, but she said it was my fault that she got hurt so badly… and then, she hit me with a rock!”

Matteo looked at the wound on her forehead and then at Alicia. His brow furrowed. “Alicia, did you do this?”

Alicia said calmly, “Don’t you already have the answer?”

Matteo stayed silent.

Alicia felt a deep exhaustion spreading through her.

She did not want to argue. She no longer tried to explain the truth.

She bent down and picked up a rock from the ground. It was larger and sharper than the one Sophia had used.

As Matteo and Sophia watched in shock, Alicia raised the rock. She struck Sophia’s forehead without hesitation. She hit exactly where Sophia had hurt herself moments ago.

Sophia screamed. Her body went limp.

Alicia looked at Matteo. Her voice was calm and chilling.

“That proves it now. Satisfied?”

Matteo’s eyes widened. He could hardly believe what he had just heard.

His eyes filled with rage.

Before he could react, Sophia screamed even louder. It dragged his attention back.

“Matteo! My head hurts so much! I’m bleeding so much! I’m scared! Am I going to die, Matteo? Ahhh!!!”

“You won’t. Don’t be afraid. I’ll take you to a doctor right away!”

He could not think about anything else. He leaned down and lifted Sophia, who was crying so hard she seemed about to faint.

In his urgency, he shoved Alicia aside with force.

Alicia was already weak. She sat unsteadily in her wheelchair.

The push sent the wheelchair tipping backward toward the lake.

Splash!

The icy water swallowed her instantly.

She could not swim.

The heavy wheelchair dragged her down.

Cold stabbed through her bones, and water filled her lungs. She struggled with all her strength and hit the surface with her hands. Her voice came out in broken cries. “Help… someone… save me…”

On the shore, Matteo kept his eyes on Sophia, who was still screaming in his arms.

He did not glance back once at Alicia as she sank and fought in the lake.

The water covered her mouth and nose. Before darkness took her completely, one icy thought formed in her mind.

He chose Sophia. He had watched her sink almost to death. He gave up on saving her.

Alicia woke in a cold, empty hospital room.

No one was beside her. Only the pale moonlight filtered through the window.

She reached for the phone on the bedside table. The screen lit up. One unread message from Matteo appeared.

[Alicia, your actions made Sophia’s injuries worse. She’s emotionally unstable. I need to stay and care for her to make up for the harm you caused. I can’t come back to you tonight. Take care of yourself.]

Alicia read the message. Her face remained expressionless.

There was no anger and no sadness. There was not even a flicker of emotion.

She quietly put down the phone, just like the countless nights when he had left her alone.

She rang the nurse herself. She drank water. She endured the pain in her body and her mind alone.

On the day she was discharged, she handled everything on her own. She carried the cold storage box that held the baby the doctor had given her and returned home.

As soon as she opened the door, before she could turn on the lights, a hand holding a wet cloth shot out from behind. It pressed tightly against her mouth and nose.

A sharp, choking smell filled her senses.

She could not see who it was before her consciousness began to fade. Her body went limp.

Through the haze, she felt herself being moved. A harsh surgical light blinded her eyes.

She forced one eye open a crack. She realized she was lying on a cold operating table.

Her arms and legs were strapped down. She could not move.

Outside the operating room, she heard muffled voices. Matteo and his underboss, Luca Romano, were talking.

“Don Vitale, are you really going to donate Donna Alicia’s bone marrow to Sophia?”

Matteo’s voice was cold and firm. “Sophia has acute leukemia. Only Alicia’s bone marrow matches hers. This is the fastest and most effective way to save her.”

“But does she know about it? Has she agreed?”

“I can’t let her know.” There was no trace of emotion in his voice. “She’ll never agree. You handle it. Make sure it’s done discreetly. Treat it as an anonymous donation.”

Luca hesitated. “Don Vitale, are you sure you won’t regret this? Donna Alicia just went through—”

“I won’t regret it,” Matteo interrupted him sharply. His tone was impatient. “For Sophia, I have to do this. Start the procedure.”

Alicia lay on the operating table as if struck by lightning. Her blood felt frozen.

She had to donate her bone marrow to Sophia?

The man she had loved for nine years was sending people to knock her out, strap her to a cold operating table, and take her bone marrow to save the other woman. He was doing this at a moment when she had just lost her child, and her body was still weak.

Could anything be more absurd or cruel?

She wanted to struggle free. She wanted to scream. She wanted to ask him why.

But her body was held down tight. Something covered her mouth. She could not make a sound.

She felt the cold sting of the anesthetic needle pierce her skin.

The next second, a sharp, tearing pain shot from the injection site.

Her body reacted badly to the anesthesia.

The doctors did not notice. The surgery continued.

The pain of having her bone marrow forcibly taken from her felt unbearable. Without proper anesthesia, every second felt like torture.

She could hear and feel the drill bite into her bone.

Her body convulsed. Her eyes bulged. Her nails dug deep into the operating table.

At last, the pain became so extreme that she lost consciousness completely.

When she woke up, she found herself back in the hospital room.

Matteo was sitting by her bedside.

The moment he saw her open her eyes, he leaned forward. His expression was composed.

“Alicia, you’re finally awake! The doctors say your body is weak after the surgery, and the cold affected you. That’s why you suddenly fainted at home.”

Weak after surgery.

Alicia stared at him. A faint, bitter smile appeared on her pale face.

Had she really fainted at home?

She looked at his handsome face, full of concern. She wanted to yell at him, demand answers, and tear apart his careful disguise.

But in the end, she only let out a faint, exhausted smile, filled with endless weariness.

It was pointless.

What was there left to ask? The truth was clear.

Matteo would never admit it.

She could only hope that for the rest of her life, he would keep his word and never regret anything.

In the following days, Matteo treated her with almost unnatural attentiveness.

He answered every request. He was gentle and careful, as if they had returned to the first days of their love.

But Alicia’s heart had turned into a frozen wasteland.

No warmth could melt even a little of it.

One day, Matteo went to the family headquarters. The hospital room was quiet. Her phone rang. It was Jenna.

“Alicia, the divorce papers you asked me to send to the court have been finalized. The court issued the official judgment, and the filed copy is ready. Do you want to come pick it up, or should I deliver it to you?”

After she hung up, she changed out of her hospital gown and went to the courthouse alone to collect the sealed divorce judgment.

She had just walked out when her law firm partner called her.

“Alicia, something has come up. The Rondon office has an urgent cross-border case. They need a senior lawyer who can take charge. The board specifically asked for you. If you still have personal matters to handle in New Yorke, we can give you some time.”

Alicia looked at the freshly issued divorce judgment in her hand and said calmly, “Richard, I can go. You don’t need to worry about Matteo. We’re divorced.”

There was a brief pause on the other end.

Richard Wallace quickly regained his composure. He did not ask about her personal life. “Alright, it’s settled. When can you leave?”

Alicia raised her hand and checked her watch. Her voice was clear and firm. “Now.”

She went back to the villa and started packing her things.

She did not have much. A single twenty-eight-inch suitcase could hold almost everything that belonged to her.

She pulled the suitcase into the living room and ran straight into Matteo, who had just returned.

Matteo saw the suitcase in her hand and paused. He frowned. “Alicia, what are you doing?”

“A business trip,” Alicia said briskly.

Matteo seemed to relax. That lazy, affectionate look returned to his face.

He stepped forward and tried to hug her, but she took a step back and avoided him.

His hand stopped midair. Then, he gave her a helpless smile. His voice carried a trace of lingering affection. “Another trip? When will you be back? I’ll pick you up.”

Alicia looked at him. Her gaze was as calm as still water. “I’ll let you know.”

Matteo noticed the black square box she had been holding tightly in her arms. It was wrapped delicately.

He asked with some curiosity, “Alicia, what are you holding?”

Alicia lowered her eyes to the box and said lightly, “Oh, this? It’s a gift I prepared especially for you. I was going to mail it to you. Since we ran into each other here, I’ll give it to you now.”

Matteo looked surprised. He seemed a little flattered. “It’s not a special occasion. Why did you prepare a gift…”

He reached out and took it. He was about to open it when the phone in his pocket started vibrating at the worst possible moment.

He took out his phone and glanced at the screen. His expression shifted. Then, he gave Alicia an apologetic look and pointed to the phone.

“Something urgent came up with the family. I need to handle it right away. I’ll look at the gift later. I’ll keep it safe.”

He set the black box down on the entryway cabinet. His eyes were already back on his phone.

Alicia said nothing. She only gave him a faint nod.

At the villa entrance, they walked in opposite directions and got into their own cars.

The engines started. Alicia rolled down the window. She looked at Matteo, who was sitting in his sports car, and said calmly, “Goodbye, Matteo.”

Matteo smiled and waved at her. “Goodbye, Alicia. Come back soon!”

The two cars drove off in opposite directions and headed toward different futures.

A week later, Matteo woke up in the large bed at Sophia’s apartment. The woman beside him slept peacefully.

Even after satisfying himself, a strange emptiness settled in his chest.

He checked the time. Alicia usually returned after about a week on business trips. This time, she had not called him to pick her up. She had not even sent a message to say she was safe.

He picked up his phone and called Alicia.

“Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off…”

A cold, robotic female voice came through the receiver.

Matteo frowned. Irritation stirred in him. Had she come back early and was giving him the silent treatment?

He drove straight back to the villa he shared with Alicia.

He pushed the door open. The house was silent. The air carried a cold, empty stillness, as if no one had lived there for a long time.

“Alicia? Alicia?” he called out, but no one answered.

A feeling of dread quietly wrapped around his heart like twisting vines.

He paced the living room anxiously. Then his eyes landed on the black box in the entryway cabinet. It was forgotten and covered with a thin layer of dust.

It was the gift Alicia had prepared for him before she left.

He walked over and picked up the box.

It felt a little heavy.

He remembered her calm eyes that day and the way she had said goodbye. The unease in his chest grew stronger.

He took a deep breath, tore off the wrapping paper, and opened the lid.

The two items inside came clearly into view.