The Don Never Heard Me

Adriano spun on me, eyes blazing.

"Cassie, that was outta line! How could you go at Sofia like that? You're acting spoiled as hell!"

I bit my lip and kept quiet.

"You're impossible!" he snapped. "The wedding's not just on hold—it's postponed. Learn how to act first."

I dropped my gaze, chest hollow.

He added, "You tried to hurt someone and just wrecked yourself. Chi semina vento... raccoglie tempesta."

"I get it," I said flatly.

Adriano looked thrown, not expecting me to just take it. His frown eased.

"It's only postponed, not canceled. Once you learn, we'll move forward."

I lifted my eyes, playing obedient. "I'll change."

Inside, I was empty. Done with him. Wedding or no wedding—didn't matter.

Sofia's smile said it all. She slipped her arm through his, face all fake concern. "Cassie will learn. She just needs a better doctor to speed her recovery."

"You're right," Adriano nodded. "She needs treatment—body and mind."

A sly glint flashed in Sofia's eyes. "I know an excellent doctor. We should transfer her."

"Great idea." Adriano's gaze warmed on her. "Always so thoughtful. Not like her—so vicious."

His eyes cut to me, full of disgust.

I shut my eyes, chest iced over.

Sofia wasn't helping—she just wanted a cleaner way to torture me.

"Then it's settled," Adriano said. "You'll be transferred tomorrow. Get ready."

I didn't answer, just turned to the cold, gray sky.

***

The next day, they moved me.

The room stank of antiseptic, the air heavy and suffocating.

A thin, sallow-faced doctor walked in, eyes dark, demeanor colder.

"I'm Dr. Giacomo Vitale, your attending physician." he said, voice flat.

After the exam, he reported, "Don, she's not pregnant. The hand injury isn't serious. With rest, she'll recover."

Adriano froze, then snapped at me. "Cassie, faking it again for sympathy?"

Bitterness burned my chest. He knew how much I wanted a child—he'd seen the tests. Yet he believed some stranger and branded me a liar.

I dropped my gaze to my bandaged fingers, tears stinging hot.

These hands once created beauty.

Now I knew the truth—I'd never paint again.

"Adriano—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Enough. This is who you are—lying, pathetic. I'm done."

He walked out without a glance back.

I stared after him, my heart tearing in two.

So much for all those vows of love.

Sofia leaned in the doorway, smug as hell.

"Cassie, this is only the beginning," she said, every word a promise of pain. "I'll make you learn what it costs to take a man from me."

***

In the days that followed, Dr. Vitale found new ways to torture me under the guise of "treatment."

When Adriano was around, he played the caring physician.

The second he left, Dr. Vitale withheld my meds, letting my fingers fester and bleed.

"You're so eager to marry Don Ferraro?" he sneered. "Too bad only Sofia's good enough for him. You deserve this."

I clenched my teeth, swallowing the pain and despair.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked quietly.

"For money," he said without blinking. "Sofia promised me a fortune if I made sure she married Don Ferraro."

"You..." My eyes widened. "You're not even a real doctor. You're just a THUG!"

"So what?" He gave a cold laugh. "As long as the money's good, I'll do anything."

I stared at his gloomy face, a chill crawling up my spine.

"You're not afraid I'll tell Adriano?" I glared, but he only smirked.

He burst out laughing. "Don't kid yourself. Don Ferraro will never believe you!"

The memory of his cold back the day I fell off the cliff sliced through me. He was right. Adriano only believed Sofia.

But tomorrow I'd be gone.

And maybe—just maybe—this nightmare, the deceit, the heartbreak, would finally stop being mine to bear.