Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Silvano had promised Maddalena they would go to Switzerland, and surprisingly, he actually followed through.
He wrapped up his work carly, had his assistant book their tickets, and during breaks, he still dropped by the hospital to see Vittoria and Celene. He did not notice that the villa was getting emptier by the day.
On the day they were set to leave, Silvano glanced at Maddalena’s luggage and raised an eyebrow. “We’re only going for three days. You didn’t need to pack that much.”
Maddalena did not respond.
It was not a big deal anyway.
At the airport, once they had checked in and entered the lounge, Silvano’s phone would not stop ringing-it was all work-related.
He glanced at Maddalena. She was not reacting at all-not even a trace of annoyance like she used to show. It made him feel oddly satisfied, yet something inside him tightened like a rubber band stretched too far.
He tugged his tie, trying to shake off the strange tension.
Just as they were about to board, and he was about to silence his phone, a call from Vittoria came through.
“Silo, where are you? Your grandma suddenly showed up with a group of people and wants to kick us out.”
“Daddy! Daddy! Help!”
Noises exploded from the other end as soon as the call connected.
Silvano’s heart jumped. “What? I’m coming back right now!”
He ended the call and turned to speak to Maddalena, but she was already looking at him with those calm, cold eyes.
Before he could say a word, she said softly, “Silo, can you stay?”
That familiar nickname caught him off guard. It had been so long since she called him that.
She had turned into someone he barely recognized-emotional and irrational, always going after Vittoria and Celene.
Every time they saw each other, they were either in the middle of a fight or heading straight into one. He could not re- member the last time they had a conversation this peaceful.
Maddalena stood up, walked over to him slowly, and gently asked, “Just this once, all right?”
She looked like she had lost a lot of weight lately. Her clothes hung loosely on her, and even without makeup, her face looked striking enough to make Silvano hesitate for a moment.
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Chapter 9
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Then his phone rang again, tipping the scale in the other direction.
Silvano clenched his jaw and said softly, “Maddy, I’ll be back soon. It won’t mess up the Switzerland trip, but Tori and the others need me right now.”
With that, he turned and ran.
The man who used to care so much about appearances was now sprinting for Vittoria, bumping into people along the way and getting scolded by strangers.
At the end of the day, he still chose ‘Vittoria.
She looked down at the plane ticket in her hand, tossed it in the trash, and headed for another gate.
Today was also the day she and Emilio had agreed to meet.
