And let him sit with it.
Let him sit with the fact that he had chosen her word over mine.
The thought sent a strange, sharp flicker through my chest.
Not just anger.
Not just hurt.
Something closer to determination.
I curled tighter around the pillow, cheek pressing into the soft, slightly damp fabric, as if grounding myself in something tangible.
Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.
And when it did—
I wanted to see his face.
Not just hear his conclusion.
Not just receive his apology.
I wanted to witness the exact moment his belief in her—
His unwavering loyalty to her—
Finally fractured.
Even if only for a second.
Because that moment?
That would be mine.
And it would be enough.
Chapter 23
ELENA
THE VIP PATIENT LOUNGEof the private hospital was more a curated extension of power than a medical space.
Cream leather armchairs were arranged with careful symmetry around a low glass coffee table.
Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across one side of the room, offering a view of manicured gardens outside.
Fountains trickled in the distance, their steady rhythm the only real sound in a space built for silence.
Everything here spoke the same language.
Money.
Discretion.
Exactly the kind of place Vincenzo would choose for something like this.
For something that could decide everything.
