My money is paying for this.
The thought sits heavier than it should.
Bianca leads me through familiar hallways, past nurses who greet her by name, to a room on the third floor. She pauses outside the door, takes a breath.
"Ready?" she asks.
"Are you?"
She doesn't answer. Just knocks and pushes the door open.
"Mom?"
Elena Mancini is smaller than I expected. Frail, almost translucent in the hospital bed, with Bianca's hazel eyes and a smile that lights up her whole face when she sees her daughter.
"Bianca, honey." Her voice is weak but warm. "I wasn't expecting you until this afternoon."
"I wanted to come earlier today. And I..." Bianca steps aside. "I brought someone."
Elena's eyes shift to me, and I see the exact moment she registers what this means. The surprise. The hope. The immediate assessment of whether I'm good enough for her daughter.
I'm not. But I'm here anyway.
"Mrs. Mancini." I move forward, offering my hand. "Dante Vitale. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Her grip is weak, but her gaze is sharp. "Dante. Bianca's mentioned you."
"Has she?" I glance at Bianca, who looks like she wants the floor to swallow her.
"A few times. Vaguely." Elena's smile is knowing. "But the fact that you're here says more than any phone call."
"Mom—"
"Sit, sit." Elena gestures to the chairs beside her bed. "Tell me everything. How did you two meet? How long has this been going on? And most importantly—" Her eyes find mine. "What happened to Adrian?"
Bianca goes very still.
"Adrian and I broke up," she says carefully. "A few weeks ago."
"Good." Elena's response is immediate, firm. "I never liked him."
"Mom—"
"I didn't. He was always too polished, too smooth. Like he was selling something instead of being genuine." She looks at me. "You seem calmer, more yourself."
"I try to be honest about who I am," I say, which is technically true even if the context is a lie.
"And who are you?"
"Someone who cares about your daughter."
"That's vague."
"It's accurate."
Elena laughs, which turns into a cough. Bianca immediately reaches for the water cup, helps her mother drink, and the tenderness in the gesture makes something in my chest constrict.
"So how did you meet?" Elena asks once she's recovered. "Bianca's been very mysterious about it."
