Chapter 5

• "My name is Salvatore Gianluca," I said in a low tone, trying to create some bond. "I was the one who found you on the day of your accident."
• She hardly reacted. She just wiped her nose, pulling her hand away from mine with a gesture that felt like rejection. A minute later, her voice, fragile and broken, whispered:
• "Why didn't you let me die? I have no reason to stay alive, and... It was not an accident, they tried to murder me."
• Her confession hit me like a punch in the stomach. I had saved her life, and what she wanted was the opposite. It didn't make sense, however, a wave of anger came over me. How could they have attacked her? especially knowing their status
• "I'm so sorry, Roxanne," I replied carefully, searching for the right words before saying the really important thing. I" don't know exactly what happened that day, but I did what I had to do: take you to the hospital. My duty is to take care of you."
• "And who are you, perhaps? I don’t know you."
• I smiled, almost sarcastically. It was true, she had no idea who I was, and deep down I was glad to have the opportunity to finally tell her.
• "Well, I went to your house because your husband's dog owes me a lot of money," I explained, unhurriedly. "I wanted to charge him, but he was gone. And instead of him, I found you, lying in a pool of blood... So, I will bring you with me."
• I saw how her face paled as I processed my words. She slowly turned her head to look at me, and her expression turned icy.
• "And what did you intend with that?" She asked sarcastically.
• I couldn't contain myself. The truth, as crude as it was, had always been my ally. I didn't like to disguise reality.
• "Well," I admitted bluntly, "I thought I'd pay you the debt."
• Her reaction was immediate. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, hard and empty, as if her emotions were tearing her inside.
• "Do you really think that, when I am saved, my husband is going to run into my arms? To pay his debt ha! she said, full of bitterness. I assure you: for him, you might as well have let me die. Because he didn't care about me at all."
• Her confession was a direct blow. I knew she was right. She had already figured out everything I needed to know about her story. Her husband was a despicable traitor who had left her for his own cousin. Still, I had to think fast. I couldn't let it slip away like that. Not now... not now that she had something very important to me.
• Softness was no longer an option.
• "I don't care what you say," I replied, drawing closer, my voice heavy with firmness. "You're here, and you must pay me the debt of the imbecile Thompson."
• Roxanne shook her head in disbelief, clenching her fists in frustration.
• I moved a little closer to her and when I did, she stared at me, and her eyes locked into mine as if she suddenly recognized me.
• "Your eyes” you are... "You're the man at the fertility clinic," she snorted, confused. "And how do you expect me to pay you that debt? " She blurted out disdainfully. "If I don't even have a place to drop dead. My husband took everything, my company is bankrupt, I don't have a single penny. You can kill me if you want."
• A spark ignited in my eyes at her defiance. This was my opportunity, the key to my intentions. She wanted a child, and her womb was the promise of that debt, even if she didn't know it yet. Her husband had sold everything, even his soul. But the more time he spent around Roxanne, the more that obsession grew. I could not leave his side; I needed her close, making sure that I was the one to take care of that little one: my offspring.
• "I have a proposal for you," I said, crossing one leg and staring at her. "Despite everything that was happening, he couldn't ignore her beauty. Roxanne, in the midst of her vulnerability, radiated something that attracted me, something that I could not control."
• She inhaled deeply, maintaining a composure that I almost admired. And with a touch of irony in his voice, he asked me:
• "And what is your proposal?"
• The look she gave me was defiant, but behind that fade of indifference, I could feel her uncertainty. I knew that what I was about to say would change everything.
• "You must pay me the debt."
• "I know that!" She snapped furiously, "but, the question is, how can I pay for it?"
• I shrugged my shoulders, pleased by chance, and looked at her with a sly smile.
• "You're already paying me," I looked at her belly, and she, in surprise, put her hands in that direction, her face paled, and she stared at me
• "I don't understand absolutely anything," she replied, confused while protecting her belly with her hands.
• "That child you're expecting, he's mine, and I love him," I replied firmly