Cecilia's POV

The basement walls were lined with various sexual implements.

My eyes bulged wide as I struggled desperately. "Let go of me! Luciano won't let you get away with this!"

Matteo responded with several harsh slaps, then grinned cruelly as he grabbed my chin. "Luciano already gave you to me to play with, and you're still delusional enough to think he'll come back to save you?"

My cheeks swelled up from his slaps, and blood flowed nonstop from the corner of my lips.

"What do you want? La polizia will be here soon!"

"You dared to call La polizia?"

He turned and grabbed a thick leather whip from the wall. A lash landed on my body, and the pain wrenched an agonizing scream from me.

But this only excited him more.

"Go on, scream! Cry! So what if La polizia comes? You'll already be broken!"

The whip struck again and again, and my high-pitched screams eventually went silent—I could no longer muster any sounds.

Matteo ripped my blood-stained dress apart. Just as he was about to force himself on me, the basement doors were kicked open, and the piercing sounds of sirens filled the air.

"Polizia! Don't move!"

Matteo didn't even have time to pull up his pants before he scrambled out the window to escape.

A female officer saw me lying on the floor, covered in blood. She quickly draped her jacket over me, helped me into the squad car, and rushed me to the hospital, where the emergency room doctors treated my wounds.

…

The next day, the same officer told me Matteo had been arrested.

I thanked her with a smile, then had myself discharged.

After leaving the hospital, I went back to the apartment to grab my things. I donned long sleeves and pants, as well as put on a mask, and prepared to take a taxi to the airport.

But the moment I stepped out of the apartment, Luciano appeared and stopped me.

"Valentina felt guilty and went back to look for you yesterday, but she got into an accident on the way. She needs a blood transfusion right now. You need to come with me to the hospital."

"I'm not going," I refused immediately.

His grip tightened around my wrist, his voice low and cold.

"You owe Valentina a life. If it weren't for her, your stepsister would've buried you in the middle of nowhere a long time ago. It's time for you to pay your debt."

The wounds on my wrist throbbed with pain under his grip, but I gritted my teeth and asked, "If I agree to give blood, does that mean we're even?"

Luciano felt a pang of unease when he met my calm gaze. But then he thought of Valentina, whose life still hung in the balance, and he quickly ignored it.

"Yes!"

"Then okay. I'll go with you," I replied.

At the hospital, after my check-up, the doctor looked at Luciano with obvious reluctance.

"Sir, this lady has severe anemia, and she even—"

"Sir!" Valentina's caregiver interrupted urgently. "The doctor said Ms. Fiore is in critical condition!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Luciano ordered, "Draw the blood!"

He paused, then turned to look at me, sitting there quietly this whole time. "As long as you cooperate, I'll find you the best doctor."

He'd said the same thing yesterday, just before handing me over to Matteo to have his way with me.

So now, I no longer believed him.

As he turned to leave, I called out softly, "Luciano..."

He looked back.

I stood in the light and gave him a small smile. "Addio."

Anxious to see Valentina, he merely gave an absent-minded nod, then left without another glance back.

…

After the doctor was done drawing my blood, I needed help just to walk.

I got into the taxi bound for the airport, then sent the recordings from the private room, along with proof of my prior relationship with Luciano, to his brother.

"Please deliver this gift to Luciano at his birthday party tomorrow. Wishing you success as well."

Once everything was done, I blocked all of Luciano's contacts, then looked out the window at the international airport coming into view.

"Addio, Luciano. Forever."