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The closer I get, the more difficult it gets to hold back my enemies, the tears. They threaten to break through with every step I take.
If ever I had doubts about my feelings for this man, they’re wiped away in an instant.
I love him.
Unconditionally.
Gualtiero Leandro De Marco is seated deeply in my soul, my heart, my body. I love him with everything that I am.
It doesn’t matter that he’s a mob boss. It doesn’t even matter to me anymore that he caused suffering for so many, or that he has blood on his hands.
Nothing tarnishes my love for him.
The thought of having to say goodbye to this man is too much, making the tears run like a river. I wipe at them frantically.
I’m only a few steps away from him now, and I can’t help it. A loud sob breaks free.
Tiero’s eyes open in alarm.
When he sees me, his eyes light up. It’s like dawn with the sun rising out of the ocean on a cloudless summer day, and I want to hold on to this image forever.
A small smile spreads over his tired face. He struggles to lift his hand, and I rush to take it into mine.
“Angel,” he croaks, his voice rough and quiet as if he hadn’t used it in years. “You came.”
I smile back at him, though I can’t really see him. My vision obscured by the endless tears.
“Of course, I came,” I whisper, clasping his hand tighter and bringing it up to my lips to kiss. “I love you. I love you so much.” Bending over, I place a soft kiss on his lips.
“I love you, Ella. I can go happy now.”
My throat constricts painfully. I try to swallow, but the lump in my throat is rock-solid. I wipe the tears away frantically, trying to find some composure as I straighten and cup his face.
“Please don’t leave me,” I whisper. “Please hang on. We will find new lungs for you. Just hold on… for me… please,” I beg.
But Tiero’s eyes close. They’re fluttering beneath his lids; he’s trying to keep them open, but the darkness wins out. I worriedly glance at his heart monitors. The rhythmic beeping reassuring me he’s still alive. But for how long?
“Please, Tiero. Please don’t go.”
I’m sobbing now. I’m not sure my heart can cope with seeing him like this. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I love you,” I cry, hiding my face in my hands.
A knock on the door causes me to jump up. A doctor in a white coat, followed by Mateo, enters the room. He takes one look at me and rushes to my side, plucking me off the chair and carrying me to a small sofa in the corner of the room. He sits me down and crouches in front of me. Then his arms come around me and he hugs me tight. I bury my face in Mateo’s shoulder and let the tears run free.
He says the same thing over and over again, but I have no clue what it means, and I belatedly realize it’s in Italian. It sounds soothing, and eventually the tears slow.
“Please calm down, Ella. Please… your heart,” he pleads. I push away from him, blinking at him through tear-stained eyes.
“Aiden filled me in. You risked everything to be here… You should have told me. I would never have asked you to come. If anything had happened to you…” His expression is filled with guilt and worry.
“Nothing could have stopped me, Mateo. Nothing. Trust me, Aiden tried, so did my doctor. I’m likely going to d—”
“No,” he interrupts me fervently. “No. Not on my watch, Ella. I will find a heart for you, just like I’m going to find new lungs for Tiero.” The determination in his voice is scaring me, and I can only imagine the lengths he’s willing to go.
“You cannot kill anyone to save my life, Mateo,” I say, equally firmly. “If it is my time to go, then so be it.” He shakes his head. “Mateo, promise me.”
But before he can answer, the doctor who came in with him approaches him. I watch them talk. Mateo reaches for his neck, rubbing it repeatedly. It’s a gesture that reminds me so much of his brother.
My gaze drifts to the sleeping man in the hospital bed, and my insides clench painfully again. He has to get well; he just has to.
