Sebastian went still. “Sofia, I never meant to starve you.”
I looked at him, feeling nothing but disappointment. “You had someone investigate, and it took less than an hour to find the truth. You had three whole months, Sebastian. You did nothing. You just believed everything Camilla told you.”
My voice shook with anger. “She said I stole from you, and you believed her. She called me a gold digger, and you believed that, too. You even took her to a business summit while I was pregnant.”
His eyes reddened as he reached for my hand. “Sofia, about the summit… I thought you didn’t want to come.”
I gave a bitter smile. “Did Camilla tell you that, too?”
“I… I tried calling you, but you never answered.”
“So you had Camilla contact me for you?”
He froze. I pulled my hand away. “You couldn’t even be bothered to look after your own wife. Every time, you believed someone else over me.”
I met his eyes. “Sebastian Moretti, do you honestly think you deserve to call yourself my husband?”
“I’m sorry, Sofia. I thought…” His voice broke.
“At first, I just wanted to keep the family’s problems away from you. My father has enough illegitimate sons to field a football team, and every one of them wants my position. I was afraid I wasn’t doing enough. Afraid one mistake would put you in danger… and I lost sight of what mattered most.”
He swallowed hard. “I know that sounds like an excuse. But I never intended to betray you.”
Tears filled his eyes. “That necklace… I didn’t give it to her.”
He rushed to explain. “She only attended the summit as my assistant. I didn’t know she would dress like that. By the time I arrived, it was too late to make her change. I shut down the rumors as quickly as I could. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
His voice dropped. “But you saw them anyway.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “What difference does any of that make now?”
I sounded exhausted. “I went hungry for months, Sebastian.”
I opened my eyes and looked at him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t forgive you.”
Silence settled over the room. Sebastian didn’t argue. He simply took out a credit card and set it on the table.
“This is my personal card. No one else can touch the account. Take it. Buy whatever you need.”
I said nothing. He watched me for a long time before getting up to leave. The door closed softly behind him.
For the rest of my hospital stay, Sebastian came at least three times a day, always bringing food. His cooking had clearly improved.
I also heard he had become more merciful. When he wasn’t visiting the hospital, he went to a convent to pray. People said he was praying for our unborn child.
One afternoon, I watched him unpack an insulated container filled with my favorite dishes. I frowned. “You don’t have to come so often. I can eat without you here.”
He looked at me. “The hospital food isn’t as good as mine.”
“Then why don’t you go back to work?”
“My wife is going hungry. What meeting could matter more than that?”
He picked up a bowl of chicken noodle soup and brought it to my lips. “Here. Open up.”
I turned my face away. Sebastian hesitated, then set the bowl down.
“Don’t stop eating because you’re angry with me. If you don’t want to see me, I’ll go.”
He carefully arranged the food on the table. “These are all your favorites. They’ll help you get your strength back. Eat while it’s hot.”
I stared out the window in silence. Sebastian walked to the door, then stopped and turned back.
“Sofia.” His voice was soft. “No matter how you change, you’ll always be the woman I love.”
Then he quietly closed the door.
The day I was discharged, I asked him, “If we divorce, how much would you give me and the baby?”
He froze, his grip tightening around my bag. I had never seen him look so devastated.
When he finally spoke, his eyes were red. “How much do you want?”
“Five thousand dollars a month for the baby. Can you afford that?”
His throat worked. “Tell me what you need. I’ll give you anything you want.”
“Good.”
I took my bag from him. Ignoring whatever he wanted to say, I turned and walked away.