CHAPTER 90: GIFTS

Chapter 90

KATYA POV

It had been thirty-one days since I left that infirmary. Thirty-one long, suffocating days since the mansion stopped breathing.

Romeo was still asleep — not dead, not awake, just trapped somewhere in between. The doctors called it a coma.

My wrists had healed by now, faint scars hidden beneath my sleeves — silent proof of a night I could barely remember.

Miss Stella had told me what happened. She said she found me in one of the guest rooms, pale and shaking, blood on the floor and my mind somewhere far away.

I don’t remember all of it. Only flashes. A sharp edge. A blur. A face I hated. And then... nothing.

Nonna had been there when Stella told me. She didn’t ask questions or demand explanations. She just sat beside me, her wrinkled hand resting gently over mine.

Since that day, Nonna had asked for me almost every day. At first, I thought it was a trick — a test to see if I’d slip up.

I tried to keep my distance, but she insisted. Tea in the mornings. Walks in the garden I secretly loved.

Sitting beside her during long, tedious house meetings I had no business attending.

Now I was her "little helper," her shadow, her right hand — cara mia this, cara mia that. It should’ve been comforting.

But it wasn’t.

Because every time she smiled at me, I saw him.

And every time she said I was safe, I wondered what she’d do if she knew the truth — if she knew how badly I still wanted to run.

To escape before he wakes up.

I had tried once.

Just a week ago, I’d made it past the gate and nearly reached the woods before Antonio’s hand clamped around my arm. My heart had stopped, but my mouth hadn’t.

I lied — quickly, desperately — that Nonna had sent me for something from town.

He hadn’t believed me.

Not really.

Now, he watches me like a hawk, circling, waiting for a mistake.

And I can feel it — one wrong move and I’m done.

So I move carefully. Speak softly. Smile when Nonna looks my way.

But every night, when the house is quiet and the halls are empty, I still trace the escape routes in my head.

Because sooner or later, Romeo will wake up. And when he does, I don’t know if I’ll still be the girl who stayed.

The elevator chimed, breaking my thoughts. I stepped out and made my way down the corridor toward Nonna’s room. She’d sent for me a few minutes ago — and when Nonna called, you didn’t make her wait.

A soft knock echoed as I stopped outside her door.

"Enter, cara mia," her warm voice floated from inside.

Pushing the door open, I stepped in. Nonna was by the window, sunlight spilling over her silver hair and the embroidery stretched across her lap.

She looked up the second she saw me, and her whole face lit up — as if I were someone she’d been waiting for all morning.

"There you are," she said, smiling. "Come, sit. How are you today? Have you eaten?"

"Yes," I nodded, taking the chair beside her. "Miss Stella’s been stuffing me with food every chance she gets. Says I work too hard in the kitchen to starve."

Nonna chuckled softly. "Good. You’re too thin. A girl your age should eat properly."

I shrugged, unsure how to reply. Before I could think of anything, she set the embroidery aside and turned to a small wooden box on the table beside her.

"I have something for you," she said.

"For me?" I blinked, confused.

"Mm." She lifted the lid and carefully pulled out a dress, soft, delicate fabric the color of morning sunlight.

A yellow sundress, light and airy, with a ribbon that trailed from the waist. "I saw it and thought of you," Nonna said, eyes crinkling. "I would love to see you in it."

For a second, I just stared. It was beautiful, too beautiful for someone like me. And as the fabric caught the light, I could almost see it: how it would brighten my pale skin, make my golden eyes glow, and fall softly against my white curls.

"Nonna, I... I don’t know what to say," I murmured, fingers brushing the fabric.

"Say yes," she said gently. "Humor an old woman’s wish."

I hesitated, the fabric trembling between my fingers. It had been so long since anyone had given me something without expecting something in return. Too long.

"Alright," I whispered.

Nonna’s eyes lit up. "There’s a screen over there. Go on, try it."

I slipped behind the dressing screen, heart thudding as I carefully peeled off the plain cotton dress I’d been wearing.

The sundress was softer than I’d expected — light against my skin — and when I tied the ribbon around my waist, it fit as though it had been made for me.

I took a steady, nervous breath and stepped out from behind the screen.

Nonna’s gaze found me immediately. For a heartbeat, she said nothing. Then her face melted into the kind of smile people save for someone they truly care about.

"Oh, cara mia..." she breathed. "Look at you."

Heat crept up my neck. I smoothed the fabric over my hips, unsure of what to do with my hands. "It... fits."

"It’s perfect," Nonna said, turning her wheelchair to circle me. "The color. It’s as if the sun decided to rest in your eyes. And your hair..." She reached out, brushing a white curl from my shoulder. "You look radiant."

I didn’t know how to answer that. No one had ever called me radiant before. Pretty, maybe. But never radiant.

"Thank you," I said softly, because it was all I could manage.

Nonna cupped my cheek gently. "You deserve to feel beautiful, tesoro. Never forget that."

Her words sank deeper than I wanted them to. And as I stood there, wrapped in sunlight I didn’t think I deserved.

A part of me wished, just for a second, that this could last.

That I could belong here. That Romeo would never wake up and ruin this fragile, stolen happiness.

But the other part, the louder part, whispered the truth.

Because dresses were just fabric. Words were just air. And when Romeo woke up, none of this — not the dress, not the kindness, not even Nonna’s warmth — would save me.

I needed to escape. Before it was too late.

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