The Slave of Pleasure
Chapter 38

Rachel

As I walked Vincenzo to his room, I noticed something change in his expression. The expression he had always kept so impenetrable now seemed to waver, and his eyes had a gleam that mixed pain and confusion. I didn't say anything on the way. I knew he hated any sign of weakness in himself, and mentioning it would only make him angrier. Instead, I focused on helping him get comfortable.

When we got to his room, Vincenzo went straight to the bed, moving with obvious slowness. Even with all his effort not to show it, the discomfort was clear. His still damaged ribs didn't allow him to lie down easily. He took a deep breath, struggling to replace a less painful position.

"Don't worry about anything, Vincenzo," I said, trying to keep my voice calm, even though inside I was feeling like chaos. "Dr. Afonse will be here very soon to take care of you.

I approach and adjust the sheets around him, trying to offer any kind of comfort I can. But Vincenzo looks at me suspiciously, his eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to decipher what I had just said.

"Rachel, what were you talking about with my butler?" he asks, his tone serious but not hostile.

I hesitate for a second, but there was no reason to lie. The truth, after all, seemed to be the most logical thing to say.

"I asked him to call Doctor Afonse, like you asked before, Vincenzo," I answer, still adjusting the sheets around him.

But his reaction was immediate and disturbing. Vincenzo frowns, visibly confused.

"Who the hell is this Doctor Afonse?" he says, irritated. "I don't know any doctor with that name."

My heart stops for a moment. I stare at Vincenzo, trying to replace an explanation, something that would make sense. How could he not remember such a simple detail? He had specifically asked for this doctor when we were in the limo, just a few minutes ago. I felt panic rising inside me.

"Vincenzo... you asked for him. In the limo, right after your nose started bleeding," I try to explain, my voice shaking slightly.

He shakes his head, clearly irritated now, and raises a hand, as if trying to dispel whatever absurd idea I was proposing.

"Don't talk nonsense, Rachel. I didn't ask for any Doctor Afonse. I don't know who that person is. You must be confusing things," he says, his voice firm.

But I knew I wasn't confusing things. I knew what he had said. And at that moment, something inside me broke. A small crack of despair began to form. What did that mean? Forgetting a name he had mentioned so clearly... Vincenzo had always been a meticulous person, he didn't forget anything, especially something so recent.

Vincenzo...I say, my voice lower, almost in a whisper. You really don't remember?

He just looks at me, with the same expression of confusion and irritation. The words wouldn't come out anymore, and despair began to consume me. Something was terribly wrong.

I tried desperately to remain calm, even though inside I was about to panic. Vincenzo looked at me with a hard expression, without understanding anything, and I knew I needed to be careful. I took a deep breath before speaking, trying to control the tremor in my voice.

-Vincenzo, Doctor Afonse was the doctor who took care of you in the hospital - I began, my voice low and calm. - You yourself said that you wanted him to come here to take care of you privately. That's what you asked for when we were in the limo, remember?

I hoped that, somehow, this would make him remember, that that sentence would be enough to clarify what was happening. But he continued to stare at me with that confused and, even worse, irritated look. His eyes were piercing, as if he were trying to replace a logical explanation, but to no avail.

"Rachel, I... I don't remember saying that. It doesn't make sense." He shook his head, almost as if he were trying to push the idea away, as if something was wrong inside his own mind. "I don't understand what's going on here."

My heart was racing. Concern was written all over my face, but I knew I couldn't show it too much. Vincenzo never reacted well to someone worrying about him. I'd never seen him like this, and it was scary. He'd always been a man in control, in control of himself. Seeing that lapse of memory, coupled with the confusion in his eyes, was like watching the foundation of something solid begin to crumble.

"I... I'm going to check if the tea's ready," I said, trying to sound casual as I picked up the phone from the nightstand next to Vincenzo's bed.

It was an obvious lie, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention. His eyes were blank, as if he was struggling to understand something he couldn't quite grasp. I had to do it.that call quickly.

I picked up the phone and contacted the kitchen. As soon as the butler answered, my still-shaky hands gripped the receiver tightly.

"I need you to call Dr. Afonse immediately," I ordered, urgency evident in every word. "Mr. Moretti's condition is serious, we don't have time to waste."

The butler didn't ask any questions, which was a relief. He knew that for me to speak like that, something really serious was going on. Vincenzo, lying on the bed, glanced at me occasionally, perhaps suspecting that there was more to that call than I was letting on.

"It's okay, Vincenzo, I was just checking on the tea," I said to reassure him as I hung up the phone.

When I ended the call, I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my composure. What I had just witnessed was not normal, and the fear that something more serious was happening to Vincenzo was almost suffocating.

I needed to believe that Dr. Afonse would know what to do, but until then, despair was beginning to take hold of me.