"What man?" Rosalia tilted her head.
"The one who brought you these books. You seem to enjoy them alot, and I know you know it isn’t who got these books for you."
The woman’s eyes sizzled and she looked away.
Viviana frowned. "Ma, who is he? Do you know him? You seem to know he brings you these books, yet you’re reading them. Happily at that. Who is he to you?"
Rosalia wouldn’t speak. She had her gaze cast down, refusing to look at her.
Viviana sighed. "It’s okay if you don’t wish to tell—"
"He was my first love."
The sudden blurted out confession settled between the two. Viviana slowly t her eyes. "Huh? Your...first love?"
Rosalia nodded. "Mhm. He was the first man I ever loved. And he loved . But then...your father ca in."
"Wait, wait." Viviana shook her head. "I’m confused. This man was your first love. How did you end up with..."
"It was complicated," Rosalia said. "He travelled out. We tried keeping in touch for as long as possible, but eventually we lost contact with each other. That was when your father ca into the picture. He gave everything, made feel like I was the prettiest woman in this world, made feel like he would pull the world for , and I fell for it."
She sighed. "My parents persuaded to give in to him, even though I was skeptical. I an, I was only twenty and I was so close to seeing my dream co through. It wasn’t easy to beco a professional ballerina and I was so close to that dream, but I had to choose between my dreams and your father. My family said I would regret it if I didn’t choose him. I was afraid, I panicked, so I chose him, and a few years into the marriage, everything seed so perfect I had thought my family were right. He loved and... Everything changed, Viviana, and it only worsened when this man tried reaching out to . Your father worsened..."
A slow smile curled up on her lips. "I was stupid, wasn’t I? If I had been smarter, if I had chosen better, your life would have been different. Better." She chuckled. "I’d first seen him a week ago. I couldn’t rember a thing then, and he’d been there, staring at . After that day, he visited every day since then. He wouldn’t talk to though, but he brought the things he liked. I’m surprised he rembered."
Viviana reached out her hand to cup her mother’s cheek. "What is his na?"
"Yoshiki," Rosalia responded. "He’s a good man."
"It isn’t your fault. It wasn’t your fault," Viviana said to her. "What happened has happened and I just want to save you, ma."
"What...do you an?"
Viviana gave the papers to her.
"What are these?" Rosalia asked.
"Divorce papers," Viviana said. "You can break away from my father. You can be free again, and not shackled to him in any way. You’ve suffered enough and I’m much stronger now. I can help you, I will help you be free of him. I won’t let him drain every drop of life in you."
Rosalia blinked her lashes. "Viviana. D-divorce. But..."
"You can’t keep suffering." Viviana shook her head at her and cupped her cheek. "My father doesn’t love you. He does not. He knows you’re admitted to this hospital. He could have visited you, but not even once had he attempted to do so. He’d cut off your treatnt man and that was why you were transferred here in the first place. You can’t stay shackled to a man like that."
"He’s happy, living his life with his mistress, while you’re in here suffering and losing every bit of yourself bit by bit. It’s not fair! And you can’t keep living like this. Please..."
Rosalia slowly lowered her gaze to the papers. "Divorce... Amadeo..." She sighed. "Do you think he will sign it?"
"If he doesn’t, I will make him," Viviana bit out.
"Okay..." Rosalia’s voice sounded distant. "Give a pen."
Viviana picked up a pen from her purse. She collected the pen from her and proceeded to put down her signatures on the papers. It was almost as if she hadn’t thought of them.
"Ma—"
"It’s okay, Viviana. You’re worried for , and I understand. But the truth is, I have no reason not to sign this. It hurts, but what is the point? He doesn’t love . He would never look at , not even when I’m dying. I don’t know for how long I’m going to be this healthy, so while I still have a mind of my own, I love to...free myself."
She forced a big smile that shattered every part of Viviana’s heart. She quickly yanked her into a hug, caressing her hair with loving warmth. "You’re going to be fine and I’ll make sure of it. No one will ever hurt you again, I promise you that."
Rosalia stared into nothing, but then the tears she’d been trying to hold back broke,. spilling down her face. She wrapped her arms around Viviana and buried her face in her shoulders, sobbing like she hadn’t in a long while.
Viviana held her, didn’t let go even once, her hands brushing her hair so softly. "I’m here, ma. I’ll always be here for you. And I would never let go of your hand."
They were like this, for long until ssages barraged into her phone. Pulling away from her mother, she looked at the screen, furrowing her brows.
Large amount of funds had been transferred into her account. No wait.
She frowned.
This was the very amount of money she had in her work account which her father had frozen. Why had it been transferred into her private account? WHo did it? Her father—
A ssage popped into her phone.
-I want you at the company right now, Viviana. And I an now. We need to talk-
It was her father. Amadeo Di-grassi.
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