Before the driver could reach the door, Luciano sat up straight, his hand snapping out to catch Rosa’s arm and pull her toward him.
She had been pressing her weight so hard against the door that she would have tumbled onto the pavement the moment it opened.
She gasped as she was jerked into his space, her heart hammering against her ribs.
But as she looked past him through the window, her eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
It was the building where she had been living.
She stole a glance at her ex-husband from the corner of her eye before stepping out.
She couldn’t believe he had actually let her go.
But as she set foot on the pavement, she heard his deep voice again,”Don’t you dare return the money… and don’t even go looking for other men.”
Fury laced every word.
With that, the car door closed.
The driver slid back into his seat, and the car pulled away.
Rosa stood there, watching it disappear, almost mindlessly, until she finally snapped out of her trance and walked back to her flat.
Rosa took the elevator up the modest building where she had found a tiny apartment at the cheapest rent she could manage.
She had to save every penny she earned, so she could afford Renzo’s treatment.
Now her worries had doubled.
Soon, she would have to support a second pregnancy as well—once she conceived.
She had no idea how she was going to survive it all, but she had no choice except to keep moving forward.
Her spirit wasn’t broken—not the spirit of a mother who would fight the world for her children.
The elevator stopped at her floor.
She unlocked her apartment and stepped inside.
It was a cramped studio with a narrow kitchenette, a bed pushed against the wall, an attached bathroom, and a small balcony that kept the space from feeling completely suffocating.
She had stopped dreaming of luxury long ago.
She had learned to live like this five years ago, when her cruel mafia husband had left her with nothing but a shattered heart.
She sighed as she opened the fridge and found only a half-eaten slice of pizza from the night before. Get faster updates on g.com.
Her stomach growled.
She ate it slowly, washing it down with water to quiet the hunger clawing at her insides.
She straightened her faded T-shirt, pulled her jacket over it, and adjusted her old denim jeans before picking up her sling bag.
Taking a deep breath, she locked her apartment behind her and headed for the hospital—where her son would be waiting for the big… no, huge chocolate she had promised him.
To save money, she decided to walk.
She still had the money Luciano had transferred to her account—and she had no plan to return it.
For him, it was nothing.
Pocket change.
He had spent far more on his whims.
But for her, it meant everything.
It meant paying off some of Renzo’s pending hospital bills.
It meant breathing a little easier.
Yes, she had learned one thing during hard times.
Sometimes, being selfish was the only way to survive.
The wind teased her hair, and she pulled the scrunchie from her wrist, gathering it into a high ponytail.
On the way, she stopped at a small shop and bought a chocolate—the biggest one they had.
She had just slipped it into her bag and was holding her phone in her hand outside the shop when, out of nowhere, it was snatched from her grip.
Before she could even understand what had happened, the biker was gone, speeding away with a loud roar of the engine.
Rosa stood frozen for a heartbeat.
Then she screamed, “My phone!
He stole my phone! This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Someone help!”
She ran in the direction he had gone, but the bike had already vanished into traffic, fast as lightning.
Of course.
When things went wrong, they always went wrong all at once.
Great.
Cursing her fate, she turned and hurried toward the hospital.
Her heart pounded with a strange, rising fear.
Oh God, please keep my son safe, she prayed as her steps quickened.
When she reached the hospital, she went straight to Renzo’s room, but he was already asleep.
She looked at his small face.
He was so beautiful.
Her baby.
Her life.
Relief flooded her heart, and with it came a renewed strength—the strength to face every battle she knew was waiting for her.
She kissed his forehead, knowing how hard it was for him to endure the illness and its brutal treatment.
Then she slipped the chocolate back into her sling bag, planning to place it beside his pillow in the morning before he woke up.
A soft smile curved her lips as she imagined the bright grin he would wear when he found it.
She went to the hospital reception and used the landline to call Lucy.
She told her she would be staying at the hospital that night and asked her to go home and rest.
After that, she went to the billing counter and paid the remaining hospital charges with the money Luciano had transferred to her account.
With that, all her pending dues were finally cleared.
Now she only had to worry about the upcoming treatment expenses.