Chapter 88

Aurora's POV
“Mrs. Aurora, I’m sorry to bother you, but this is important information,” the secretary’s voice sounded serious. “I wanted to let you know that Dante has been forced to take a temporary leave of absence. He has failed to continue his position as CEO at this time.”
Hearing the news, I was stunned for a moment. It felt like the world was falling apart again, but I tried to control my emotions. “Yes, I guess that’s for the best. Dante is sick in the hospital, and he needs time to recover,” I replied, trying to show that I understood the situation even though I was disappointed inside.
The secretary continued, “We think this is the best move for Dante’s health and well-being, as well as for the company’s future.”
In my heart, mixed feelings began to worsen. Everything that was happening didn’t seem to match what I had seen before. My dream of seeing Dante succeed in his career seemed to be crumbling, and this harsh reality became a new burden. “I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”
After ending the call, I put the phone beside me and looked at Dante as he slept peacefully. At that moment, it felt so heavy. Not only was he facing the reality of being laid off, but he was also facing the recovery process that he had to go through.
“What are we going to do?” I whispered to myself, feeling sad and confused by all of this. In my eagerness to support him, I couldn’t ignore the pain I was feeling.
Practicing staying positive was a challenge, but I knew I had to stay strong. I was determined to be optimistic and find a way to support Dante. This would probably change a lot of things, but I couldn’t let it destroy our courage and confidence.
After some time to reflect on the situation, I decided to continue to support Dante. When he wakes up, I will talk to him about the next steps and how we can face them together.
“There may be tough times, but I will definitely fight for us,” I said to myself, remembering my commitment to fight for our family and our love, no matter what.
The most important thing now was Dante’s health. After all, he needed to get enough rest. It didn’t matter if he was laid off for a while; it would only mean that he could rest completely and focus on recovering. With this in mind, I tried to be more positive and think about what was best for him.
When Dante started to open his eyes, I held his hand and sat down beside him attentively. “You need to be healthy, Dante. Why didn’t you sleep last night? I reminded you, didn’t I?” I said, my voice a little louder than I wanted, a mix of worry and annoyance. “That’s because you didn’t listen, right?”
Dante exhaled softly, looking a little regretful. “I’m sorry, Aurora. I was too focused on work and ignored the signs. I should have paid more attention to my health,” he replied, his voice weak but full of regret.
Seeing his regret made my heart soften a little. “We can deal with work later. Your health is the most important thing, and if you keep ignoring it, it will only be more detrimental. We all need you to be okay,” I said, trying to emphasize how important he was to me and the kids.
“I know,” Dante replied, looking at me with pleading eyes. “I’ll try to be better. I promise I’ll take the time I need to heal and never do this again.”
Gently, I touched his cheek. “Get some rest, Dante. Let me take care of everything for a while. Just focus on healing yourself. I’m here to support you.”
We talked for a while, and despite my initial annoyance, I felt calmer after he admitted his mistake. This was part of the process we had to go through together—communication and supporting each other through every challenge.
After a while, he fell back asleep, and I felt relieved. I stayed by his side, making sure he was comfortable and calm. In this quiet moment, I reflected on everything that had happened. We had faced many hardships and joys together, and this was just another phase in our long journey.
As I stared at his calm and peaceful face, I resolved to put my family’s health and happiness first. Together, we would navigate through every obstacle, sleeping soundly in the arms of mutual support.
Suddenly, the door to the hospital room slammed open and my father-in-law appeared, his face full of anger. “How could there be corruption in the company and you didn’t know, Dante? What did you do?” he shouted, his voice echoing in the room.
I was shocked. This had all happened so suddenly, especially when we were in a calm moment. Looking at the clock on the wall, I knew it was still 2am—the time when we should have been resting.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t realize all this either because it was purely the fault of someone inside the company,” Dante replied, trying to explain the situation even though there was a hint of desperation in his voice.
However, my father-in-law seemed even angrier. “You’re an idiot! This is a big company, and you can’t let this happen. There’s no need to send you home, I’ll fire you right now!” he said firmly, his voice full of emotion.
I was stunned, my mouth shut. This incident was so shocking and I felt anxious about what might happen next. All the pressure was making me feel uneasy, and I knew that my father-in-law was the owner of the company, which meant that all of this was in his hands.
“Dad,” I said, trying to calm the situation down. “Please, this is not the time to make hasty decisions. Dante is sick and needs time to recover. Let’s handle this together.”