She leaned closer, her perfume overwhelming, suffocating. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of Matteo now while you recover… for however long that takes.”
Then she tilted her head, smiling faintly.
“Maybe this is for the best. You were never really enough for him anyway.”
My throat tightened, but no words came out.
She left just as easily as she came, humming softly like she hadn’t shattered what was left of me.
That night, the lights dimmed, and I thought it was finally over.
Maybe this was what the end felt like.
Quiet. Empty. Forgotten.
Then—
A click.
The door opened again.
“You’re safe now,” a voice whispered.
Vincent.
He was already beside me in seconds, eyes sharp with urgency. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner. We’re leaving. Now.”
He lifted me carefully into his arms.
The hospital vanished behind us as we slipped out through a back exit. A black car waited outside, engine already running. He placed me inside, then drove without hesitation, city lights smearing into long, blurred streaks outside the window.
Later, a small plane waited on a hidden runway, engines humming softly.