"Maria just had a really bad morning sickness again. Give me your son right now. No matter how painful it is, you have to deal with it. If you don’t, then forget about me going to the parent-teacher meeting."

After threatening me, he hung up the phone. He knew I would obey.

Angelo hated me. He didn’t like my son either. Even if I wanted him, my son’s biological father, to go to a school meeting, I had to give him blood from my heart.

A few minutes later, the phone rang again. Angelo sent a location. It was a nightclub.

[Bring your son here right now. Also, don’t forget to buy a box of condoms and some sexy lingeries on your way.]

My hands shook and my knuckles turned white from gripping the phone too hard.

Then Maria sent a message too.

[I’m allergic to cheap fabrics, so make sure to hand-wash the sexy underwear you bring.]

She even sent me their clothing sizes.

I blocked both of them.

I turned off the phone, placed my hand gently on my belly and spoke with a hoarse voice.

"Help me end this pregnancy."

"Mrs. Lombardi, I’ve taken care of him for five years. But I can’t stop the nightmares. Please think of helping my whole folk doctor community as something separate. I should leave now."

I was an orphan, raised by my grandmother. She came from a long line of folk doctors. Seven years ago, a company tried to force all the folk doctors to leave the mountain. They wanted to use our skills for something illegal.

However, my grandmother refused.

A few days later, a bulldozer came to the foot of the mountain. They said they would destroy our home if we didn’t obey. Some of our people were badly hurt. They almost died.

We were ready to run as we began moving deeper into the northern mountains.

But then Mrs. Lombardi came to us. She used her power and connections to solve the problem. She asked me to come down the mountain with her to help her grandson. He had terrible nightmares that made him lose control. If it got too bad, he could kill someone without meaning to.

The only way to calm his condition was with the blood of someone from the folk doctors’ bloodline. Unfortunately, that bloodline was nearly gone. I couldn’t let anyone else in my community suffer. So, I followed her down the mountain alone.

Whenever Angelo lost control, I held him. I gave him herbs, gave him my blood, cooked medicine and stayed by his side day and night.

Little by little, he went from hating me to treating me kindly. We even had one warm year together. But then, at Angelo’s birthday party, Maria showed up. She held two urns and cried while accusing me in front of everyone.

"You folk doctors told my parents to invest in medicine. But then you went against the Lombardi Family and tricked them. They lost all their money and owed hundreds of millions. They jumped off a building. They’re dead now. Are you happy?"

I realized then that it was Maria’s parents who had tried to force my people down the mountain a year before.

I wanted to explain, but Maria shaved her head right there and said she would become a nun. She looked at Angelo and said, "If I hadn’t carried you down the mountain when we were young, you would’ve been eaten by wolves."

"She’s my enemy, Angelo. If you still have a heart, kill her for me. If not, I’ll hate you forever."

Angelo didn’t know what to do. His illness flared up again that day and all the progress we made that year was lost. Mrs. Lombardi didn’t want Angelo to suffer more. She begged me not to tell him the truth.

So, we made a deal. A five-year promise. After five years, no matter how bad his condition was, I could leave.

When Angelo woke up, the girl he loved from long ago had become a nun. And I couldn’t say anything. For the next five years, I endured his anger and his cruel words. I gave him everything. My blood, my care and my heart.

But then something unexpected happened.

I got pregnant.

After that, Angelo tried to control his temper. He would be gentle with me, even if only for a short time. But a year ago, Maria got pregnant and returned to the normal world. Her return broke everything we had built in the last five years.

And things only got worse from there.

I was crying my heart out. The faces of my grandmother and my son kept flashing in my mind. The memories were so painful that they made my heart feel like it was being torn apart.

In that moment, I finally understood that Angelo was like a block of ice. No matter how much warmth I gave him, even if the ice melted, it would only become water that I could never hold onto. So many thoughts rushed through my head all at once.

Mrs. Lombardi tried to say a few words to comfort me, but when she saw that I was really going to leave, she suddenly knelt in front of me and even bowed her head to the floor.

“Sophia, this is all my fault,” she said, crying.

“I didn’t teach my grandson properly and I allowed him to do something so cruel. Please, I promise he will make it up to you. Only you can help control Angelo’s nightmare disorder. I beg you, please forgive him, if not for his sake, then for the help I gave to your people before … ”

It was just like that scene seven years ago when she came to our village.

But this time, I would not turn back. Angelo’s nightmare disorder no longer had anything to do with me. I didn’t care anymore whether he lived or died.

When Mrs. Lombardi realized that I was serious about leaving, she sighed again and again. She looked like she wanted to tear Maria apart with her bare hands. Meanwhile, the doctor said my body was still too weak and I needed a few days of rest before the abortion could be done.

I booked the appointment for the day after tomorrow and left the hospital with what little strength I had left.

After cremating the bodies of my grandmother and my son, I brought their ashes back to the mansion. But as soon as I opened the front door, something heavy hit me on the forehead. I stumbled backward and accidentally knocked over the incense and candles by the entrance.

The hot wax burned my hand, while my eyes were filled with tears from the pain.

When I looked up, I saw a small cloth doll. It was about the size of a walnut, covered in dried herbs and stuck into a piece of torn cloth that used to be a peace blessing.

I spoke without thinking, “This isn’t from my grandma-”

Before I could finish, Angelo grabbed my wrist hard and shouted with rage.

“If not her, then who else? It had to be your evil Romani Family! Your grandmother embroidered that peace blessing for Maria as a gift, but you dare to hide a cursed spell inside the doll!”

“I’m warning you … if anything happens to Maria or her baby, I’ll make sure you and your dead grandmother are buried with them!”

The blister on my hand burst from the pressure. In fact, the pain made my vision go black for a second. But Angelo wasn’t done. His anger hadn’t cooled at all.

He called for the bodyguard to hold me in place and handed a wooden ruler to Maria.

“She keeps trying to hurt you. You haven’t had the chance to fight back before, but now I’m giving you the chance. Go ahead, Maria! Take your revenge!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

My grandmother was already dead because of them and now they were using the peace blessing she had lovingly embroidered to frame her!

I took a deep breath and said, “The fabric of that doll is clearly different from the one used in the peace blessing.”

“My grandma was locked up by you and forced to make endless peace blessings, so how would she have had the time or strength to make something new like that to harm Maria?”

“My grandmother lived with honesty and dignity. I won’t let you smear her name like this.”

Angelo’s eyebrows furrowed and he stayed quiet. Slowly, he reached out to take the ruler back. However, Maria grabbed the ruler before he could and without a second thought, she slapped me across the face.

I felt the sting of blood in my mouth right away. My lips burst open and I tasted metal as pain shot through my jaw. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

Before I could even stand straight, the second hit came.

Then, she raised the ruler again for a third time.

However, Angelo finally stepped in and grabbed her wrist.

“Maria, what are you doing?” he shouted.

Maria’s eyes were full of jealousy and anger as she spoke with hatred.

“Angelo, this bitch killed my entire family! She’s so good with words, so you really believe that her grandmother didn’t make this cursed doll?”

“Fine! I see it now. You still have feelings for her. If that’s the case, I’ll end this pregnancy and become a nun again. I’ll leave this world and go pray for the rest of my life!”

She turned around dramatically and acted like she was going to leave.

Angelo’s face turned pale. He ran after her, full of worry and picked her up like a princess. Then he turned around and kicked me hard in the chest.

“Drag her out! Make her kneel for three hours!”

He carried Maria into the bedroom.

A little while later, I heard the sounds of the two of them making love. The bodyguard finally let go of me. Unfortunately, I quickly lost all the strength in my legs. Immediately, I collapsed to the floor and fainted.

When I woke up again, I was already lying on a hospital bed.

The doctor looked at me with pity in his eyes and spoke gently, “Ma’am, your body is too weak and your injuries are too serious. We’re really sorry, but we unfortunately couldn’t save the baby.”

I slowly placed my hand over my now flat stomach, but I actually didn’t feel any sadness. I stayed in the hospital for one more day. During that time, I contacted the leader of the Romani community and asked him to meet me at the mountain gate.

Ever since we had been threatened seven years ago, the entrance to the Romani community had become very well hidden. Only people from the community knew where it was.

I also asked the butler to bring the urns containing my grandmother’s and my son’s ashes from the mansion to the hospital. I planned to leave the hospital early the next morning. But later that night, the butler called and told me the urns had been broken. He told me to come quickly.

I felt like my whole body had turned to ice.

When I arrived at the mansion, I saw a large white area on the ground. A Tibetan mastiff was lying nearby, foaming at the mouth and shaking. Tears filled my eyes and I dropped to the ground, trying to gather the ashes with trembling hands.

Suddenly, Angelo grabbed me by the collar. His eyes were full of fury.

“So it really was you! This evil thing belonged to you! Do you know Maria almost lost her ability to have children because of this?”

I stood up and slapped him hard across the face as I shouted back at him, “These are ashes! They’re the ashes of my grandmother and my son! They are not evil things!”

For a second, Angelo looked surprised.

But then his face twisted in rage.

“Whose ashes would poison a dog? Sophia, you’ve become so cruel that you would even curse your own family!”

“Maria told me you brought this thing here to cast a spell and make her lose the baby. I didn’t want to believe her, but now I see it’s true. If you’re willing to harm her, how could you care about anyone else?”

“Isn’t it true that Romani blood can cure all sicknesses? Then, even if she drains all your blood today, I won’t stop her!”

He dragged me into the operating room like I was garbage and threw me down in front of the doctors.

“Take as much blood as Maria wants. Just make sure she doesn’t die.”

I was tied to the bed, unable to move. Sadly for me, I couldn’t do anything other than watch it as the blood bags filled up one by one. Not long after that, I started to feel cold and my heart was beating more slowly. I wondered if I might really die in this place.

Just then, Maria walked into the room. She looked surprised to see me still conscious. With a smug smile, she handed the full bags of my blood to the doctor.

“Take them now and run your tests while they’re still fresh.”

After that, she turned to me and looked straight into my eyes.

She asked me mockingly, “So, how does it feel to lose your grandmother and your child?”

My eyes filled with rage. In fact, I wanted to rip her apart with my bare hands. But she looked pleased with my pain and kept going.

“Don’t think that giving your blood to Angelo for years means you matter to him. You’re nothing but a joke.”

“You’re pathetic, Sophia. I’ve done everything I can to torture you over the past five years, but you still act like a dirty dog that won’t leave this place.”

I let out a cold laugh and looked at her with disgust.

“If Angelo truly felt nothing for me, you wouldn’t be trying so hard to hurt me or push me away.”

“And you, Maria … you’re just as pathetic. You knew that Mrs. Lombardi was the one who caused the Rossi Family to go bankrupt and yet you still follow her granddaughter like a lost puppy. So, who’s the pathetic one?”

Maria’s face twisted with anger. She raised her hand to slap me, but I grabbed her wrist and slapped her first. For the first time in all these years, she was the one who got hurt. She looked shocked and furious.

She went wild, screaming and kicking me hard in the lower stomach.

“You disgusting woman! I’m going to kill you!”

She pulled me by the collar and slammed me against the wall.

One of the doctors nearby dropped the blood bag and rushed over, clearly scared.

“Stop fighting! This is the blood transfusion room! If someone from outside walks in, our entire plan will be ruined!”

Maria slowly calmed down. She then messed up her hair with her hands and even slapped herself twice to make it look more believable. When she finally opened the door to the blood transfusion room, she looked like she had been badly beaten.

She cried out in a pitiful voice, “Angelo, Sophia refused to give me a blood transfusion and she even said she wanted to kill me!”

Angelo was filled with rage when he saw how miserable Maria looked. Without a second thought, he kicked me hard and I fell to the ground in pain. He pulled Maria into his arms and held her gently while giving me a cold and hateful look.

“You still want to hurt Maria after everything she’s been through? You’re completely hopeless!” he shouted.

I clutched my stomach tightly because of the pain and started sweating. I pointed toward the doctor and the box of blood bags not far from me.

“They’re lying … ” I tried to explain, but before I could finish, Angelo gave an order to the bodyguards.

“Shut her up. Take her to the basement and lock her there for a few days. Don’t give her any food or water!”

Not long after that, he left quickly with Maria to have her checked by a doctor.

Meanwhile, I was being thrown into a cold, dark room in the basement. Time passed slowly, while I was feeling weaker every moment. When I was about to pass out from hunger and exhaustion, the basement door finally opened.

Mrs. Lombardi stood at the door. The moment she saw my condition, her eyes widened in shock and she almost dropped to her knees in front of me.

“I will punish that wicked woman for what she’s done to you,” she said with anger in her voice.

I gave a tired smile and handed her the small monitor I had hidden on my collar. Her face turned serious right away. However, she quickly passed the monitor to her assistant to investigate the truth.

On that very same night, I left the Lombardi Family’s mansion. I also took the urns of my grandmother and my son with me and walked away without looking back.

Meanwhile, Angelo stayed by Maria’s side for an entire day and night. He only left after the doctor confirmed that the baby in Maria’s belly was healthy and safe.

It was only then that he suddenly remembered I was still locked in the basement. He waited until Maria fell asleep, then rushed back to the Lombardi Family’s old home. On the way, he asked his assistant to buy a slice of chocolate cake. It was my daughter’s favorite.

But when he entered the house, he didn’t see me. Instead, he saw Mrs. Lombardi sitting at the head of the room. Her face was full of disappointment and anger as she looked at her grandson.

“Look at what you’ve done,” she said sharply.

“Maria, that evil woman, is going to destroy this whole family!”