Chapter 4 - THE MAN WHO PAID THE HOSPITAL BILL
Dante arrived at the hospital forty minutes later.
Elena was sitting outside the intensive care unit.
Her eyes were red.
Her hands were clasped tightly together.
She looked up when he approached.
“Mr. Moretti?”
He stopped several feet away.
“I wanted to make sure you got here safely.”
Elena stared.
“You shouldn't be here.”
“Probably not.”
She looked down.
“Vanessa will be furious.”
Dante's expression darkened.
“Vanessa doesn't decide where I go.”
He sat beside her.
For a long time, neither spoke.
Finally, Elena whispered:
“The doctor says she needs another procedure.”
Dante nodded.
“Is it serious?”
“Yes.”
Her voice broke.
“I don't have enough money.”
Dante looked at her.
“Elena—”
“Please don't.”
She shook her head.
“I know you can pay for it. I know the money means nothing to you.”
Her eyes filled.
“But I can't keep feeling like I owe you pieces of myself every time you help me.”
Dante went still.
He had never thought about generosity that way.
For him, money solved problems.
For Elena, money could become another chain.
He nodded slowly.
“Then I won't make any decisions for you.”
She looked up.
“But I can ask whether you'd like help finding a patient advocate and reviewing the hospital's assistance programs.”
Elena stared.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
He stayed beside her while she made the calls.
At dawn, the hospital confirmed that Catherine qualified for additional financial assistance.
Elena cried with relief.
Dante watched her.
And realized something terrifying.
He wanted to be the reason she smiled.
Not because she owed him.
But because her happiness had begun to matter more than his own comfort.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa.
WHERE ARE YOU?
Then another.
DADDY SAYS WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE CONTRACT.
Dante stared at the screen.
The contract.
The engagement.
May you like
The merger.
For the first time, he wondered whether he had been preparing to marry the wrong woman for reasons that had nothing to do with love.
