I look at Bianca, letting her decide how much truth to tell.
"Through work," she says finally. "Dante was handling some business with Adrian, and we... crossed paths."
Not exactly a lie. But not the truth either.
"Love at first sight?" Elena teases.
"More like irritation at first sight," I say, which makes both women laugh. "Your daughter is extremely stubborn."
"She gets that from me." Elena's smile softens. "But she has a good heart. The best heart. She deserves someone who sees that."
"I do."
And it's not a lie anymore.
Somewhere between the contract and the clothes and the poker night, I started seeing it. The fierce protectiveness. The genuine care for her students. The way she'd sacrifice anything for the woman lying in this bed.
"Good." Elena settles back against her pillows. "Because if you hurt her, I'll haunt you. Cancer might be killing me, but I'll find a way."
"Mom!" Bianca's face is red.
"What? I'm allowed to threaten potential son-in-laws. It's in the mother handbook."
"We're not—he's not—" Bianca stumbles over the words.
"Not yet," Elena says with the confidence of someone who thinks she's seeing a love story. "A mother can hope, can’t she?"
The certainty in her voice is uncomfortable. Because she's seeing what she wants to see. A happy ending for her daughter. A relationship built on actual feelings instead of leverage and blackmail.
We stay for an hour. Elena asks about my work—I tell her I'm in business development, which is technically true. She asks about my family—I mention Giulio briefly, skip over the scandal and my mother's death. She asks about our plans—Bianca deflects with mentions of taking things slow.
By the time a nurse comes in to do vitals, Elena is tired but happy.
"Come back soon," she tells me, gripping my hand with surprising strength. "Both of you. I want to see more of this."
"We will," I promise, and hate that it might be a lie.
In the hallway, Bianca is quiet.
"She likes you," she says finally. "She actually likes you."
"Is that surprising?"
"Yes. She hated Adrian. Was always polite about it, but I could tell." She stops walking. "She thinks we're real."
"Isn't that the point?"
"The point is fooling your family. Not mine." Her voice cracks slightly. "She's dying, Dante. And I just lied to her about something that makes her happy. About thinking I finally found someone who gives a damn about me."
"Bianca—"
"Don't." She starts walking again. "Just... don't."
We make it to the car in silence. I drive, giving her space to process whatever she's feeling but my mind keeps circling back to one thing.
"Why did she hate Adrian?" I ask finally.
Bianca looks at me. "What?"
