When Ortensia collapsed, something in him snapped. He called every doctor within reach, threatened nurses who didn't move fast enough, slammed fists into walls when machines beeped too slowly. For three days, he didn't leave her side… unshaven, unblinking, a ghost with a heartbeat.
When her eyes finally fluttered open, his voice was barely a whisper. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
She blinked at him through a fog. "Scared? You mean… you were scared I got sick?"
He didn't answer, his jaw twitched.
She gave a broken smile. "At least I matter to you somehow… Even if it's just a little."
He scoffed, his eyes hardening. "I bought you, Ortensia, I spent a damn fortune. Of course I'm going to protect my investment." But his voice cracked at the edges.
And over the days
