Nothing But This

The next day, Serena carried a bowl of soup and pushed open the hospital room door. Luca sat at the edge of Mattia's bed.

"I'm not a match either." Luca stroked Mattia's head.

"But don't worry. I'm already putting more effort into finding a match. We'll have results soon."

The soup bowl shattered on the floor, and the liquid splashed onto Serena's pants.

"But Ms. Bianchi said... you're a match. She said as long as I..."

Before she could finish, her wrist was seized violently, and the wound tore open. Blood seeped out and stained her sleeve red.

Luca did not even glance at it. His gaze was as cold as a blade. "Why did you look for Ginevra behind my back?"

Pain spread from her wrist to her heart.

Serena suddenly laughed. It turned out that in his eyes, she was such a vicious woman—someone who would threaten his beloved Ginevra just to get a bone marrow match.

She opened her mouth to explain, but Luca's phone rang. Ginevra's crying voice floated out from the speaker. Every word was clear and piercing.

"Luca, if Ms. Vitale can't stand me, I can leave... But why did she use AI face-swap technology to create pornographic videos to slander me? Now, everyone thinks my private life is a mess. I can't go on living like this..."

"Ginevra, don't panic!" Luca's expression changed drastically. He hung up and opened his news app. Ginevra's video was ranked first. The comments had already broken a million.

A large hand closed around Serena's throat. "Was this your doing?"

"I didn't..." Serena struggled to breathe until her face turned purple.

"If not you, then who?" His fingers tightened. "Are you so jealous that Ginevra's carrying my child? But you can't have children. Whose fault is that?"

'Can't have children.' Those three words stabbed into Serena's heart like knives.

That was right. She could not have children because he was the one who had her uterus removed.

"Bad Papa! Don't bully my Mamma!" Mattia lunged over and pounded his little fists against Luca's leg.

Luca shoved him away with one hand. The child's head hit the edge of the bed, and blood immediately began streaming from his nose.

"Mattia!" Serena struggled like a madwoman.

"A bastard actually thinks he's worth something?" Luca dragged her toward the door.

"Let me tell you something. If anything happens to Ginevra, your life and that bastard's life won't be enough to pay for it!" He made a phone call. "Turn the city upside down if you have to, but find Ginevra! Also, put Serena Vitale's filthy videos on trending for three days."

Serena was shoved into the back seat. She only had time to look back once. Mattia lay on the floor, reaching his little hand toward her. It was covered in blood.

By the time they found Ginevra, it was already late at night. She stood at the railing in a white dress by a lake on the outskirts of the city, her hair disheveled.

"Ginevra!" Luca rushed over.

"Luca!" Ginevra cried pitifully. "I'm ruined. I'm already ruined. I'm not worthy of you anymore..."

"It's fake! It's just AI!"

"But everyone's seen it... People's words can destroy you, Luca." Ginevra trembled as she pointed at Serena. She said, "Ms. Vitale, I know you're jealous that I have Luca's love, but you shouldn't slander me like this!"

She sobbed as if her heart was breaking. "Now, everyone thinks my private life is as messy as yours. Are you satisfied? Luca and I can't even have our wedding now!"

Luca looked at Serena like she was already dead.

Serena's lips trembled. "It wasn't me... I didn't... It was you who told your cousin to..."

The words caught in her throat as those terrible images surged up. Rough hands, disgusting laughter, the despair she felt when she struggled but could not break free…

What if? What if she told him and Luca sought justice for her?

"Enough!"

Luca cut her off sharply, his eyes full of disgust. "What else do you want to say? You won't be satisfied until you drive Ginevra to her death, huh? I never realized how vicious you were!"

He lowered his voice. Each word was like a knife. "Say one more word and I'll make that little bastard in the hospital join you in the grave."

Serena felt like all the strength had been drained from her body. It turned out that in his heart, her life and Mattia's life combined were not worth as much as Ginevra's tears.

Luca pulled out his phone, opened the app, and soothed Ginevra. "Look, I already took down your video and put hers up instead. The comments are all cursing her. They're all defending you..."

On the phone screen was the video of Serena being assaulted by Gabriele. Comments kept refreshing.

[This woman's obviously a whore.]

[Disgusting. No wonder the Don dumped her!]

[She deserves it. That's what happens to mistresses…]

A shrill scream tore from Serena's throat. She clutched her chest desperately. Those rough hands felt like they were crawling over her body again. That lewd face swam before her eyes.

The nightmare from five years ago overlapped with the present. She felt herself floating upward, drifting into the air.

She looked down at the woman below, pale and broken, discarded like trash. Was that her?

She could not let her depression take over. Mattia was still waiting for her.

Ginevra suddenly screamed. "Don't show me that! I feel sick! I'm ruined. I don't want to live anymore!"

She made a show of jumping into the lake.

"Ginevra!" Luca rushed over to grab her, and his shoulder slammed into Serena.

Serena was the one who was knocked into the lake instead. Freezing water surged from all directions, flooding into her nose and mouth. She thrashed desperately. The last thing she saw was Luca carefully supporting Ginevra as they walked away.

He never even looked back.