Giulia walked into Santoro’s ward alongside the doctor, her steps quick but controlled, as though she were holding herself back from breaking into a run. The moment her eyes fell on the old man, she froze.“Oh my goodness. I’m so happy,” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with relief and joy.The sight before her felt almost unreal. The last time she had stood in this very room, fear had gripped her heart so tightly she could barely breathe.Machines had beeped relentlessly, each sound a reminder of how fragile his life had been. But now it was different. There was not even a sight of the machine anymore.Santoro sat upright on the bed, looking stronger than before. His skin had regained a bit of its color, and though age and illness still clung to him, there was a warmth in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. He looked like himself again.The doctor smiled softly, watching Giulia’s reaction. “I’m also happy he made it,” she said, her tone sincere.Giulia let out a breath she hadn

Giulia paused mid-sentence, her lips parting slightly as if the next words had suddenly slipped out of reach.For a brief moment, she looked lost, like someone standing at the edge of a memory she wasn’t sure she should revisit."Grandpa, you know we had issues in the past, which seemed to have been resolved,” she finally began, her voice quieter than usual, weighed down by hesitation.The effect was immediate.Santoro’s expression shifted, the faint calm he had been holding onto dissolving into something sharper, more alert.Dante’s reaction was even more pronounced, his face hardened and his eyes narrowing as he turned to her.“What do you mean?” Dante asked quickly, his tone edged with suspicion. “What issue are you talking about?”Giulia swallowed; her throat suddenly felt dry. She hadn’t expected such a strong reaction. Now that she had their full attention, the pressure of explaining herself felt suffocating.She paused again, carefully choosing her words, as though one wrong ph

After Dante’s return from his firm, Santoro had called him over to his manor so they could talk.He hadn’t emphasized what the discussion was about, despite Dante’s attempt to find out.In his words, “There’s something we need to discuss.”That was all, nothing more attached.Because of this, Dante didn’t waste time before leaving for the Santoro estate.To him, it felt like a personal meeting, one that wouldn’t take much time.However, upon his arrival at the family house, he was surprised to see Giulia’s car parked in the garage.That alone stirred a quiet curiosity within him."Had she been here all this while, and Mr. Santoro just decided to call me today?" he wondered.The thought lingered longer than he expected as he stepped out of the car, handing the keys over to one of the attendants. His eyes flicked back briefly to the vehicle, as though it might offer him answers, but of course, it didn’t. It only confirmed one thing—Giulia was here.Dante walked into the manor with his us

Dante gulped hard, his motion slow and deliberate.He adjusted the cuffs of his suit, an attempt to steady himself as he stepped into the High Court.Today was the day. The day everything would be made official.The day his marriage to Giulia would be annulled. For a fleeting second, he paused just inside the entrance, his sharp eyes scanning the room.The atmosphere felt stiff like a place where emotions came to die. A few people sat scattered across the benches, murmuring in low tones.He exhaled slowly and moved forward.A few days ago, they had already signed the papers. That brief, suffocating meeting at the Santoro Manor had sealed it in principle, so this is just the conclusion. The final nail.Santoro had tried. Only God knows the old man had tried.He had talked and talked, his voice heavy with authority, then softened with desperation.He had reasoned, pleaded, and even commanded at some point. But Giulia had remained unmoved. Her mind was made up.What stung the most wasn’t

It was early morning when Dante decided to go shopping. He needed to stock his new kitchen. If it could even be called that.The space was small, almost laughable compared to what he used to have, but it was his reality now.The kitchen contained bare shelves, a single burner, and utensils that looked like they had survived several lifetimes before reaching him.Dante stepped out of his apartment, locking the door behind him with a quiet click. The corridor smelled faintly of damp walls and stale cooking oil.Outside, a few of his female neighbors had gathered around a portable plastic board, deeply engrossed in a game of ludo. Their attention was solely focused on the game until they saw him.The moment their eyes landed on Dante, their voices dipped, replaced by exchanged glances that carried more words than any conversation could. They didn’t even bother pretending.“It’s so unfortunate that it’s always wretched men we’re gifted with in this house,” one of them said, her tone sharp