Five Years Later He Still Stares At My Picture

After Matteo left, I began to pack.

Just as I finished, Leo woke up.

I bent down, nuzzling his soft cheek.

His eyes crinkled into little crescents, and he let out a happy gurgle.

But a familiar sting burned behind my eyes, and tears began to fall.

The thought of leaving him tomorrow filled me with a grief I couldn't contain.

But I couldn't stay. I was so tired. I didn't want to be entangled with Matteo anymore.

And I couldn't take Leo with me.

Because long before he was born, I had promised Matteo's mother, Donna Isabella, that I would leave the child with the Bellini family.

I took the money. I couldn't go back on my word.

I sat by the crib, humming a lullaby, cherishing these last few moments alone with my son.

Night fell over the manor.

Suddenly, my phone lit up with a series of messages.

I opened them.

It was Liliana again, taunting me.

A luxury hotel suite, rumpled bedsheets, and Matteo's family ring—the one he never took off—resting casually on the nightstand. Every detail was a calculated display of their recent tryst.

She made no effort to hide her malice.

"Matteo was like a starving wolf just now. Said I'm much more exciting than you."

"He also said he'll never touch you again. He finds you boring."

In the past, I had cried myself to sleep over Liliana, hysterically demanding to know why Matteo was humiliating me this way.

Now, however, my heart was a placid lake.

I calmly typed my reply.

"Well, what do we have here? The Venti family's prized pet finally learned how to use a phone."

Liliana's fury was immediate.

"Who are you calling a pet? You're just jealous that Matteo loves me."

Jealous?

I used to be. Madly.

Back then, I had actually dreamed of growing old with Matteo.