They finished breakfast quickly.
After seeing Renzo, Rosa leaned over Renzo’s bed, smoothing the sheets around his small frame.
“Mommy has to go to work now, my brave boy,” she whispered, her heart aching at how pale he looked against the white pillows.
“I need you to be a superstar for the doctors and nurses today, okay?
No fussing with the medicine.”
Renzo looked up, his twinkling eyes wide and tired but full of trust.
“I’ll be good, Mama,” he promised in a small voice.
Then, a tiny spark of mischief returned to his face.
“But only if you bring back a huge chocolate bar.
The giant kind?”
Rosa gave him a small smile and kissed his forehead.
“I’ll get the biggest one I can find, okay?
I promise.”
They left the quiet halls of the oncology ward and headed over to the mall.
Lucy worked at a high-end jewelry store—a bright, spotless place where every glass counter seemed to glow.
Lucy led Rosa inside and introduced her to the manager.
They talked for a few minutes, and after a few questions about her experience, the manager hired her right then and there.
“We’ve been looking for someone reliable,” the manager said.
“If you’re ready, you can start today.”
Rosa changed into her uniform and joined Lucy on the floor.
Lucy spent the first hour showing her how to handle the jewelry and where everything was kept.
The store opened on time, and a few customers started trickling in.
Everything felt normal until the mood suddenly shifted.
It was like the air in the room got heavy.
The other staff members immediately straightened their backs, their faces turning a mix of nervous and alert.
Rosa frowned.
“Who?”
And when Rosa followed their gazes toward the entrance, her heart began to hammer against her ribs.
The black, shining leather shoes.
The long legs in tailored black trousers.
A powerful, heavy stride.
A cigarette was clenched between strong fingers, the smoke trailing behind him as he ignored the rules of the mall.
His broad frame was wrapped in an insanely expensive black suit that seemed to absorb the light.
And then, the face—as cold as ever.
His icy glare scanned the room as he walked in, commanding the space without saying a word.
Rosa’s breath hitched in her throat.
It was her ex-husband—Luciano Mancini.
Luciano Mancini had walked in, and all heads turned toward him.
After all, who didn’t know him?
His face was the same as always—cold, unreadable—but the air around him shifted the moment he stepped inside.
His dark aura, the ruthless confidence in his stride, and that dangerously perfect face made him impossible to look away from.
His presence carried a kind of heat that didn’t warm; it burned.
“Oh my God, he is so handsome,” one of the female coworkers standing beside Rosa sighed in awe.
Rosa’s eyebrows shot up before she rolled her eyes.
Of course, the jerk had that effect on women.
“He’s the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.
Look at that body.
I heard he never sleeps with the same woman twice,” another whispered, and Rosa scoffed inwardly. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“Even if it’s just once, I want him,” a third purred, making Rosa wince at the thought.
Here they were, gushing over the devil incarnate in human form.
If only they knew what kind of heartless monster he truly was, they wouldn’t be begging for his attention.
Rosa cursed under her breath and once again cursed her fate.
The anger she had managed to push down last night came roaring back the second she saw that devil of an ex-husband standing in front of her.
“Stop it, ladies.
He’s right here, and we’ll be in trouble if he hears you,” Rosa whispered sharply, irritation flashing in her eyes.
She glanced at the Italian Don standing in the center of the store like he owned the entire place.
The store manager was already there, hovering over him with a huge, fake smile and trying to win him over with flattering words.
“And of course…” Rosa added, her voice tightening.
“He’s here with his fiancée.”
The girls rolled their eyes at Rosa, annoyed that she had ruined their fun.
To them, Luciano was just a fantasy—a man far out of their league.
Then their gazes shifted back to the entrance, landing on the woman at his side.
She was tall, gorgeous, and skinny, draped in high-end brands worth a fortune from head to toe.
She looked exactly like a supermodel.
She clung to Luciano’s arm like he was a trophy she had just won.
Her smile was smug, and the way she held onto him was clearly possessive, as if she were telling everyone in the room that he belonged to her.
Rosa knew that face all too well.
Laura Rossi!
She was the woman Luciano had loved for years—the one he never let go of, even when he was married to Rosa.
Now, the whole world knew they were finally getting married next month.
It had been all over the news.