In Caffè Rosso, soft music played in the background.
The place was almost empty. Only a waiter was left behind, collecting the empty coffee cups from the tables. On her chest was a bold badge that read Estrella Vale.
Her movements were fast and precise. She took all the empty cups to the counter.
She took off her apron and said to the man standing there,
"I am leaving."
Max looked up to glance at her, then at his wristwatch.
11 p.m.
"It's late already. Do you want me to escort you?" Max offered.
Estrella shook her head. "I'll be fine."
Max nodded and continued what he was doing.
Estrella let down her hair and swung her backpack over her shoulder.
She turned to leave. And as she pushed the door open, she heard Max call out,
"Be careful out there."
"Okay," she shouted back as she opened the door, stepping into the night.
She understood Max's concern. After all, it was always dangerous here at night.
But growing up in an orphanage and losing her parents at a very young age, she had learned to rely on herself from early on.
She looked around the quiet street, and her life flashed before her eyes.
She was born in France, and when she graduated two years ago, she moved to Milan, hoping for a decent job.
But to her disappointment, getting a decent job in Milan wasn't all about good grades. It all depended on power and connections.
So she ended up working with Max at Caffè Rosso. Max treated her well and paid her quite a good amount.
Partly because he was a good man, and partly because she attracted more customers. After all, she was very beautiful. And her face was a selling point.
Thinking about her face, she sighed and pulled some strands of hair away from it.
Just as she was about to turn a corner, she sighted an accident not far away.
Three cars had collided into each other. She didn't pay much attention to the scene, thinking the people might have been rescued.
So unfortunate, she thought.
Such nice and expensive cars were badly damaged.
They didn't seem repairable. She stretched her neck to see.
And then she saw a bloody hand stretch weakly out of a shattered window.
Estrella was stunned.
Hadn't they been rescued?
Then she sprang into action.
She crossed to the other side of the road and rushed to the accident spot.
She checked, and everyone in the three cars was already dead.
Only the old man sitting in the back seat was alive. He was barely breathing, and his face was covered in blood.
"Hey..are you OK?" She called out.
But no response.
She opened the door and helped him out.
Her hands trembled as she did so.
Once she laid him down in the open, she dialed the ambulance number.
After some minutes, the ambulance arrived and quickly laid the man on a stretcher, pushing him into the ambulance.
"You might have to follow us, miss," one of the attendants said to Estrella.
Estrella nodded and climbed into the ambulance.
She sat there as they began reviving the man using life support, while the medical practitioners stood by.
The ride was silent. Estrella stared at his face. She wondered how he had gotten into the accident.
Soon they arrived at the hospital, and the man was wheeled into the emergency unit.
Estrella sat outside, waiting for him to be brought out. She wanted his condition to stabilize before leaving.
By midnight, he was wheeled out of the emergency unit.
Estrella rushed to the doctor. "How is he?"
"He is out of danger," the doctor said, taking off his stethoscope.
Estrella breathed a sigh of relief.
The man was taken to a regular ward, and Estrella stayed with him.
At some point, Estrella fell asleep.
By the time she woke, his breathing had somehow stabilized, and he opened his eyes slightly.
His vision was blurry when his eyes came in contact with Estrella's face.
He muttered weakly, "Winn?"
A hint of surprise showed on his face.
Estrella was surprised to see him awake, and she pressed the emergency button at the side to call a nurse.
The old man tried to stretch out his hand to touch Estrella's face.
Estrella asked, "Are you okay?"
The old man's hand dropped when he saw the name on Estrella's chest.
Estrella Vale?
His face fell in disappointment, and his eyes closed weakly again.
The nurse came in and checked on him, confirming that his condition had improved.
Finally assured that he was fine, Estrella decided to leave.
As she walked out of the hospital, she felt her body ache all over.
It was so uncomfortable to sleep on a chair overnight.
She felt a sharp sting in her lower abdomen, and her face twisted in pain, causing her to stop walking for a while.
She stood there, using the wall for support. She didn't feel surprised. She had been feeling such pains for some months now and was used to it.
It was just getting more painful by the day.
Once the pain subsided, she decided to continue walking.
But then she felt another sting—this one sharper and more painful.
Her face lost all color…
…and she collapsed to the floor.