Too dangerous. Too weak. Too sickly. Always too much for Gabriel, but never for anyone else.

I bought two tickets anyway.

One for me.

One for him.

I sat there holding the urn, whispering to it, laughing softly whenever the dolphins jumped through the water. People probably thought I had lost my mind, talking to something that couldn’t answer back.

I didn’t care.

This day wasn’t for them.

Not for Vincenzo. Not for his family. Not for anyone else in his world.

Only for Gabriel.

I lit a small candle near the railings, shielding it from the wind as the flame flickered.

“Happy birthday, my love,” I whispered.

When I got home, night had already swallowed the mansion whole. The glass walls reflected nothing but darkness, like veins running through a dead body. Even the lights felt dimmer, like they were afraid to shine too brightly.

I stepped inside.

And Vincenzo was already there.

He emerged from the shadows before I could even fully register his presence.

Then his hand struck me.

Hard.

So fast I didn’t even see it coming.

The impact echoed through the foyer like a gunshot. My head snapped to the side and slammed into the doorframe. White flashed across my vision. A sharp ringing filled my ears as my body staggered under the force.

But I didn’t let go of the urn.

My child. The last thing I still had of him. My arms locked around it like my body understood I had nothing else left to hold onto.

Vincenzo’s roar filled the staircase, shaking the walls.

“Have you lost your mind, Olivia? You’re disrespecting my parents inside my own house?”

I blinked slowly. I swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth and said nothing.

He came closer, his voice sharper now.

“My mother told me everything,” he spat. “You insulted her. You spilled tea on her on purpose. You even threatened them.” His face twisted in anger. “Do you think that’s amusing? Huh? You think that makes you strong?”

I tried to speak—but another blow came before I could form the words.

Harder this time.

My head jerked sideways, pain exploding down my neck and spine. I tasted blood.

Then Lena’s voice drifted down from the stairs, soft and sweet like it belonged to something poisonous.

“Vincenzo… don’t bother yourself with her,” she said gently. “She’s not worth your anger, baby. You know she’s unstable.”

And just like that, his rage shifted.