“He’ll be okay, Aria. We’ll get him out. Don’t get yourself arrested too,” Max whispered in my ear as Sani glanced over his shoulder at me.
“Don’t let her out of your sight, Max,” he shouted as an officer grabbed the top of his head and pushed him into the back seat. “Protect her with your life!”
My angry tears fell onto the street as I watched the car drive away; my whole world shattered in moments. My father was fighting for his life in hospital. My husband had been arrested for it. And all I felt was rage. There was no point in falling apart; that wouldn’t change anything. I had to think. I had to act. I had to save both of them. But I had no idea how.
My knees bounced rapidly as I twisted my hands in my lap and stared at the hospital poster listing heart attack symptoms on the wall in the waiting room. Chest pain. Sweating. Shortness of breath. Anxiety. Everything I was experiencing at that moment as I waited for an update on mypapi’semergency surgery and Max to finish his call with Giovanni.
How many times had I walked through this waiting room on my way to my office without ever giving the family members a second glance? It was so easy to become desensitized to the overwhelming emotions inside these walls. Of the people who had no other place to be until they received either heartbreaking news or a second chance to embrace their loved ones again. Being on this side of the system was both humbling and horrifying.
My head turned sharply to my right as Max sank into the chair beside me with a deep sigh. The exhaustion in his eyes told me only one thing: it wasn’t good news. My stomach clenched.
“I’ve just spoken to the family lawyer who’s at the station. It’s not looking good. The evidence is heavily stacked against him. If yourpapidoesn’t pull through, he’ll face charges for murder, as well as terrorism, attempted homicide, and possession of explosive materials and a weapon.”
“What evidence?” I yelled, my eyes wide. “He didn’t do it!”
“They’ll want to talk to you tomorrow. Get your statement.”
“Good,” I growled. “I’ll tell them the truth. That Sani had nothing to do with this attack on mypapi. That they should be investigating Callum. I’ll tell them about the men who broke into his house and threatened him. And that Callum has been tracking my phone and—”
Max leaned forward, staring at me as he braced his elbows on his knees. “Aria. It’s important that you stick to the facts. And the facts are… that you know nothing. Got it?”
“What?” I gasped. “But—”
“We have the best lawyers in Italy. We have police on our payroll. Let them get him out. All you need to do is be a devoted, supportive wife who is emotional, worried, and heartbroken over herpapibut refuses to believe your husband has anything to do with it. No pointing fingers. No going into detail about what’s been happening. The last thing we need is the police getting involved in our affairs. We deal with our own problems in our own way. Understand?”
I pressed my lips together as I fought back tears and nodded, hating how helpless that made me feel. Allegra reached for my hand in my lap and squeezed it as the surgeon appeared down the hallway. I sprang to my feet, racing towards her.
“Arianna,” she offered me a brief smile that I couldn’t read. I held my breath. “Your father is out of surgery, and it went well.”
I slammed my hands over my face as a choked sob I’d been holding in burst out of me.
“He had significant internal bleeding from a splenic laceration, but we were able to control it and repair the damage,” she said calmly as I nodded along. “The impact from the blast and the structure of the lighting rig falling on him also caused a pulmonary contusion and rib fractures. We have intubated him and put him on a ventilator as he wasn’t able to maintain adequate oxygen levels on his own. He’s stable, but he’s not out of danger yet.”
“He’s unconscious?” I breathed, pressing my fingers to my lips as tears stung behind my eyes.
She nodded. “He’s heavily sedated, yes. We will monitor his progress, and if all goes well, we should be able to wake him in forty-eight hours, though it might take longer if needed.”
“Grazie, doctor,” I mumbled. “Can I see him, please?”
“Of course. His private room is guarded by his security, so only one approved family member can visit at a time, please.”
I nodded and swiftly hugged Allegra, telling her to go home and get some rest. Big-T followed behind us but waited in the corridor while the on-duty police checked me before I entered.
The moment I stepped inside and saw him lying there, hooked up to wires and a tube in his mouth, I couldn’t hold back the tears. It rekindled the pain of losing Mum all over again.
I took a seat next to his bed and wrapped my hands around his. “Papi? Can you hear me? It’s Aria.”
Knowing I wouldn’t get a response, I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. At least he was alive. Stable. But I still couldn’t shake the fear that surged in my chest. He’d be under sedation for at least two days. When he woke up, wouldhe know who did this to him? Or would he believe it was Santino?
“It wasn’t him, Papi.I know it wasn’t,” I whispered with raw emotion. “He’s being framed. He’d never hurt someone I loved. He’d never take you away from me. So I need you to wake up and help me,Papi. Please. I can’t lose you. And I can’t lose him.”
I lowered my forehead to his hand and squeezed, hoping that by some miracle he could hear or feel me. The door opened, and a familiar nurse entered with a sympathetic smile.
“Kalia,” I greeted, standing up as she walked around the bed to give me a hug.
“I’m so sorry, Aria. If there’s anything you need, just tell me.”
“Grazie.”
