"Why didn't you call me when you had a fever?" Nico handed me a glass of warm water, his voice tight with exasperation. "Stop throwing a tantrum. Take the medicine."

I turned my head away, refusing to look at him.

Nico frowned at my defiance. "Ava, have you forgotten what I told you?"

I knew exactly what he meant. If I didn't obey, I'd be cast out by him and the Carbone family. But even with his dark expression, I held my ground.

"Hah." A sneer. "Looks like the pet has grown claws." He slammed the glass on the nightstand. "You don't answer my messages. You ignore my calls. Now you won't even take your medicine. Do you hate me that much? Fine. We'll stay here all day. I'm not leaving until you take it."

With that, he took off his jacket, leaned back, and settled in for a standoff.

I couldn't understand him. If he didn't love me, if I was just a plaything, why go to all this trouble?

Finally, I turned my head. "I'm just your pet. Why does it matter if I take the medicine?"

"Of course it matters," Nico answered without hesitation, his gaze fixed on me. "If you're sick, you can't handle my business."

Before, his intense gaze would make my heart race. Now, it just made me sick. I pulled the blanket over my head, done with the conversation. He didn't say anything else, just sat there in silence.

During that time, he took a few calls about family business, his reply the same each time. "I have more important things to deal with. Postpone all meetings." He raised his voice deliberately, as if to make sure I heard.

I don't know how much time passed, but just as my irritation was about to make me give in, Bianca called.

With just one word from her, Nico immediately stood, put on his jacket, and rushed off. His threat of "not leaving" evaporated into thin air.

At the door, he glanced back. "Oh, right. I was busy yesterday and forgot your gift. Don't throw it out in a fit of pique. It's valuable. That lighter alone could keep you comfortable for the rest of your life."

His flippant, disdainful tone made my heart sink.

All this time, Nico never believed I would actually leave. And why would he? I was an ordinary person he had "promoted" into the Carbone family, living in a luxury apartment he bought. In his eyes, without him, I had nothing. I'd be back to a menial job at a small gallery, sharing an apartment with strangers, and squeezing onto crowded buses. That's why he was so confident, so brazenly cruel.

But he was wrong. I refused to live a life where someone else held my fate in their hands. Even if I obeyed him now, once he grew tired of me, I would still end up with nothing.

At that thought, I sighed and reached for the water on the nightstand. It was cold. My hand trembled so badly I couldn't hold the glass steady. It slipped through my fingers, shattering on the floor.

Just then, my phone buzzed incessantly with notifications from the family's internal channel. "Look! Did the Don just announce his engagement to Miss Russo?"

The word "engagement" plunged into my heart like a shard of ice.

With trembling hands, I clicked on Bianca's profile. She had posted a photo of a stunning ruby ring. The caption read: "One month with my fiancé, and he already gave me the Donna's ring! Feeling so blessed! ❤️"

Seeing the ring, I froze. My birthday gift was a diamond-encrusted custom Zippo lighter. A consolation prize he picked up while shopping for his fiancée? Even though I had accepted reality, the pain was still sharp.

But the cruelest part wasn't the gift. It was Nico's reply: "As long as you like it, my love. There's more where that came from." He hadn't corrected her. They really were engaged.

My phone slipped from my hand. I stood there for a long time before taking the lighter and listing it on a black market website. As a limited edition, it sold quickly. When the notification for a large cash transfer came through, I forced a smile and wiped away my tears.

"What are you crying for, Ava?" I muttered. "Three years of my life for a fat check. I guess I came out on top."

Just as my mood hit rock bottom, Nico called. His tone was flat. "Did you take your medicine? Bianca said she was in a bad mood, so I—"

"I took it," I cut him off.

A brief pause. Then, his satisfied voice. "Oh, good. See? You should have just been obedient. Don't act up again, Ava. I don't like coddling people."

"I know."

Nico, clearly pleased, hung up. He didn't know that as soon as the call ended, I collapsed, tears streaming down my face, my eyes empty, my heart completely hollow.

I had no expectations left. And there would be no next time.