Chapter 4
Chapter 4
288 Vouchers
After that awful falling out, Maddalena barely had time to breathe before the hospital called her back in.
A pileup had happened on the overpass west of the city-ten people were seriously injured, four more with minor wounds. As the lead thoracic surgeon, she was swamped for days.
When her ICU patient finally stabilized, Maddalena returned to her office, ready to catch her breath. However, before she could sit down, the door slammed open.
Vittoria barged in, dragging Celene along, and in just a few steps, they both dropped to their knees.
“Maddalena, please, I’m begging you. Let my daughter and I stay.” Vittoria cried, dressed in a white dress and make- up that made her look extra pitiful.
Kneeling there with Celene beside her, it looked like Maddalena was the cruel villain in some tragic drama.
A few people had already gathered by the door to watch. Judging by their faces, they were clearly not on Maddalena’s side. To them, she must have looked like a heartless young doctor bullying a mother and child.
Maddalena frowned and stepped forward to help her up, but Vittoria latched onto her arm.
“Please have mercy, okay? We really have nowhere else to go,” she said, her voice trembling. “I swear, once I find a job, we’ll leave right away! Just don’t kick us out yet. Please.
“I can take it, but I don’t want my daughter to suffer too.”
Her tone grew more dramatic as she shifted closer. Maddalena noticed the flash of something sharp-malicious-in Vittoria’s eyes. Then, her own expression turned cold.
“When did I ever ask you to leave?” she said flatly. “If you’re just here to stir up drama, I’ll have security escort you
out.”
“No! Don’t!” Vittoria shouted.
Instead of backing off, she pulled Celene forward and pushed her to grovel instead.
Right then, Silvano burst in. He rushed to shield Vittoria and glared at Maddalena with eyes sharp as blades.
“Maddalena,” he snapped, “when did you become so cruel?”
Those words knocked the breath right out of her. Her expression slowly went blank. Then, the corner of her mouth curved into a sarcastic smirk.
“And when,” she replied, “did you become so stupid?
“If you had even a shred of logic, you’d know I’ve been working around the clock here at the hospital. I haven’t spo-
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Chapter 4
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ken to your darling even once. You think I’d just sit back and take all this nonsense?”
However, Silvano just gave her a disgusted look.
“If you hadn’t gone to complain to Grandma,” he said, “how else would she have stepped in and made Tori and Ce- lene leave?!”
“What?” Maddalena had not even processed Silvano’s words when her phone suddenly rang.
It was Silvano’s grandmother, Giovanna Cavanna.
The moment she picked up, Giovanna’s angry voice came through, “That brat is getting worse! He actually brought that mother and daughter to live in the house!
“Maddy, don’t worry. I’ve already told them to leave. Oh, and I checked-turns out the end of next month is a great day to get married. You should go ahead and plan the wedding. Once that’s settled, I can rest easy…”
“Grandma!” Maddalena quickly interrupted, especially after hearing the last part.
Giovanna chuckled, “All right, all right, I won’t say anything like that again.”
She paused, then gently changed the subject. “Maddy, I know that brat really hurt you this time. But he was just con- fused, that’s all. Can you forgive him just for me?”
Maddalena held the phone to her ear, but it felt like a wad of cotton stuck in her throat. She could not get any words
out.
If it were just emotions, she would have agreed. After all, during her years at the Cavanna family’s home, Giovanna had treated her like her own granddaughter.
She had taught her how to read, how to carry herself with grace, and how to face the world. She was the one who pulled her out of that dark place.
However, Maddalena still could not bring herself to say yes.
Not just because she had already been married to someone else, but because no matter how deeply she once loved Sil- vano, she could not forgive the betrayal.
She did not want anything tainted.
