Chapter 3

I put my arm around Chiara's shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry. I will be there."

A month later, on Friday...

I ran into Salvatore on the school playground unexpectedly.

Vittoria was standing beside Salvatore. Two of his soldiers hung back near the fence line, hands folded, eyes moving over the crowd the way they always did. She held his arm and greeted me.

"Adriana, long time no see. I didn't expect you to come."

Matteo was the president of the school sprint club, so he had to take part in the game.

However, I didn't come for Matteo today.

I ignored Vittoria and walked straight to the bleacher. Seeing this, Salvatore finally reacted. He let go of Vittoria's hand and strode to me, and the nearest enforcer straightened without being told.

With sarcasm in his tone, he asked, "Adriana, didn't you say you were not Matteo's mom anymore? Then why are you here?"

I didn't want to waste my time chatting with Salvatore.

I just said, "Please don't stand next to me. I don't want others to misunderstand us."

"Misunderstand what?" Salvatore was confused.

I briefly explained, "Misunderstand that we are still a couple."

Upon hearing this, Salvatore was first stunned, and then his face gradually turned sullen. His thumb, which had been turning the wedding band in slow circles, went still.

He gritted his teeth. "Adriana, don't try to provoke me."

I didn't understand what he meant.

At this moment, I was just excitedly waving to Chiara who was on the runway.

Matteo stood only about 16 feet away from Chiara. I knew he saw me.

He obviously thought I was waving at him, otherwise, he wouldn't have shown disgust and disdain on his face. It was the same look the whole Family wore for common blood.

As the gun went off, the boys and girls started running at the same time.

To my surprise, Chiara actually ran very fast.

But unexpectedly, Matteo, who had always been outstanding, fell halfway through the race.

As soon as the race ended, Salvatore and I both ran towards the racetrack.

Salvatore was faster than me and strode to Matteo's side first, solemnly inquiring the school doctor about Matteo's injuries.

The school doctor was about to speak, but Salvatore made a pause gesture.

Then, he turned his face and looked at me unhappily. I was standing not far away from him, texting with my head down.

He asked with a frown, "Adriana, what are you doing there? Can't you see that your son is injured?"

Salvatore's reprimand attracted the attention of the surrounding teachers and students. The playground went quieter, the way a room does when the Don raises his voice.

I put away my phone and looked at Matteo, whose lips were pale, expressionless.

Matteo's knees were broken and swollen, covered in blood.

His left ankle joint was twisted.

Matteo instinctively reached out to me in pain, looking at me with helplessness in his eyes. His fingers closed around his own wrist, gripping it white — the wrist I once held to cross him over the street.

But I found it a bit funny.

I sneered in my heart, What does this have to do with me?

Just as Matteo wrote in his composition last year, he had grown up.

In his eyes, I was just a mediocre and useless mother, a woman with dirt still under her nails from the hills, who only knew how to cook and mend at home. I couldn't even play a complete piano piece. He didn't need me or my care at all.

Under the crowd's gazes, I walked past Matteo directly and went to the girls with a smile on my face, embracing Chiara excitedly.

I praised, "Chiara, you did an amazing job. Congratulations on winning the silver medal."

Chiara rose onto the balls of her feet, unable to keep both heels down, grinning up at me.

"Let's go, sweetie. Your mom's waiting outside in her car. She said she'd take us to have the seafood feast. That's what you've been wanting to eat, right?"

I walked out of the campus in a relaxed and happy mood. As soon as I got in the car, Salvatore called me.

I didn't want to answer the call.

But Salvatore sent me a message. [It's about our severance.]

So, when we arrived at the restaurant, I asked Francesca to take Chiara in first. I would join them later.

It had been two months, and this was the first time I took the initiative to call Salvatore.

I waited only half a second, and Salvatore picked up the phone. His voice came from the other end, sounding somewhat frustrated.

"Adriana, where are you now?"

"No matter where I am, you can directly tell me when you have time to go to the courthouse." I sounded very calm.

Salvatore fell silent for a moment.

After calming down a little, he said in a softened tone, "You need to come to the hospital first. Matteo is seriously injured and may not be able to take part in the race in the future. In short, the doctor wants to discuss something with us."

"Oh, he can't take part in the race anymore, huh? That's fine. You don't need to tell me about such a trifle."

Salvatore couldn't believe what I had just said.

"Adriana, how can you say that? You're Matteo's mother!"

I leaned back against the soft pillow in the back seat of the car.

Then, I replied calmly, "Salvatore, it was you who called Matteo to the study in the first place. It was you who asked him to tell me in person who he wanted to live with in the future. He chose you because I was just an outsider to your Family.

"Why do you behave as if I'm the one who ditched him?

"Don't you think you and your son are very contradictory and ridiculous?"

Salvatore fell into a long silence again.

When I thought he was deliberately ignoring me, he spoke again.