Nothing But This

Five years ago, Serena had also stood by this lake. Back then, Luca still loved her. She had just escaped after being held captive by Adriano for a month. She took advantage of a lapse in the guards' attention and ran all the way here.

She stood at the edge of the lake, the wind scattering her hair. Her mind was filled with those dark, suffocating images.

When Luca found her, his eyes were bloodshot red, but his voice shook terribly. "Serena, don't jump... Please, don't leave me."

Serena jumped anyway.

When everyone else was too afraid to get close, Luca jumped in after her. He pulled her out and held her so tightly that she could barely breathe. He repeated over and over, "I'm here. I'll always be here."

What about now? Water surged from all directions, bone-chillingly cold. Serena struggled desperately, but Luca did not even glance at her.

The moment she sank beneath the surface, she understood. The young man who would jump into a lake for her died five years ago.

…

When Serena woke, she was lying in an unfamiliar hospital room. Her whole body burned with fever. Her throat felt like it had been scraped with sandpaper.

The nurse said she had been unconscious for three days. It was a kind passerby who had saved her.

Serena stared at the ceiling for a long, long time before she slowly sat up. She did not cry because she realized she had no more tears left.

After being discharged, the first thing she did was visit Mattia. The child was so thin that he was nothing but skin and bones. His face was a sickly yellow. When he saw her, he tried his best to smile. "Mamma... I'm doing well. It doesn't hurt."

Serena held him, feeling like her heart was being wrung out. She asked the doctor how much time he had left.

The doctor said, "If we can't find a suitable bone marrow match, a month at most."

One month. Serena closed her eyes.

She thought about Luca's cold, indifferent gaze. She thought about him calling her and Mattia's lives worthless. She thought about Gabriele's disgusting face. She thought about the cameras, the comments, and the laughter. She also thought about one other person—Adriano. The man who had pushed her into hell was now the only person who could save Mattia.

She gripped her phone, her palm slick with sweat. The first call went unanswered, and so did the second. She could not tell if she felt disappointed or relieved, but Mattia could not wait any longer. When the third call connected, she nearly dropped the phone.

A low male voice came through the line. "Hello?"

Serena opened her mouth, but she felt as though she was being strangled.

The person on the other end was in no hurry. He just waited.

"This is... Serena Vitale." Her voice wavered. "Mattia's sick. He needs a bone marrow match. Can you come?"

There was silence, then came a low laugh.

"You mean... the child you bore me?" Adriano's voice betrayed no emotion. "So now that something's wrong with the kid, you come looking for me? Where were you all these years? Every time I wanted to see the child, you and Luca refused."

Serena froze. She had not known about this. She always thought Adriano never wanted to acknowledge the child in the first place.

"I can save the kid," Adriano said leisurely. "But you and the child must come back to me. I don't want my own son calling another man 'Papa.'"

"Okay."

The other end suddenly went quiet.

Serena said each word deliberately, "I agree. As long as Mattia is safe, you can do whatever you want."

After a long pause, Adriano said, "Two weeks from now, I'll come pick you both up myself."