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"Okay," I whisper, my voice barely audible, my breaths getting shallower and shallower. "I'll stay with you." I have to believe I'll survive this.
As Felix pulls up my legs so he can lift me into his arms, my gaze shifts from the ensuing war around us to the entrance of Conti's office. There, amidst the turmoil, stands Stefano – his dark eyes locked on mine, expression unreadable.
"Stefano," I whisper, barely able to form the word. My heart clenches at the sight of him, a mixture of relief and terror coursing through me.
He's here at last. I can finally share the truth with him.
"Keep pressure on the wound," Felix instructs me urgently, keeping a watchful eye on Stefano. I press my hand against my abdomen, trying to stem the relentless flow of blood. The pain is unbearable, but as Stefano draws closer...
Chapter 38
Stefano
TheCapo'sbodyslamsto the ground, blood spilling from his chest.
The world presses in around me, my eyes darting to the origin of the gunshot – Isabella, lying on the ground with Felix behind her, gun raised, smoke still swirling from the barrel.
No, it can't be. She... she just killed him? I've defended her time and time again, loved her with every breath in my body. And now? She's murdered the man who was like a father to me. The only man who ever called me ‘son’.
"Isabella!" The word rips from my throat as I run toward the Capo, raw and unbidden. I take his head in my lap. Shock courses through my veins, freezing me in place.
Green eyes flicker up to meet mine, the anger in them only adding fuel to the fire raging inside me.
"Stefano... I..." Her voice trembles, but I don't want to hear anything else. It was her. All this time, the Capo tried to warn me, protect me even. He told me she'd killed Diego, her own father... I refused to believe him. Now, the truth is staring me in the face.
"Isabella, how could you?" Rage boils over, spilling out into every word. "He never hurt you! He tried to protect you, and you... you killed him? For what?!"
Her lips part, but no sound escapes. She just stares at me, tears brimming in those emerald eyes that once held so much love for me. But now, I see them differently. Those eyes belong to a greedy, cold-blooded killer.
"Stefano, please," she whispers. "You don't understand."
"Understand?" I snarl. "What's there to understand, Isabella? You took a life, a life I cared about more than you'll ever know."
"Stefano..." Her voice cracks, and I see the desperation in her eyes. But it's too late. She’s made her choice, and now she has to live with the consequences. And I have to live with the knowledge that I opened my heart to a murderer.
The chilling realization hits me like a bullet - she is capable of murder.
"Is it true?" I demand, my voice hoarse from the whirlwind of emotions. "Did you kill your father too?"
Her eyes widen in disbelief and Felix flicks his neck toward her, his face one of confusion, but she doesn't answer. She won't even look at me. It's all the confirmation I need.
"Stefano, no," she finally manages, her voice a mere whisper. But her words hold no weight, and I can't trust them anymore.
Before I can say anything else, Felix rushes over to her side, his face etched with concern. As he lifts her into his arms, I notice the blood staining her clothes, seeping into the fabric like a dark secret.
My mind races, attempting to piece together the puzzle. Was she shot during the altercation? Did the Capo manage to fire back before he died?
"Who did this to you?" I ask, my voice betraying the tiniest hint of worry despite the anger still simmering inside me.
"Stefano...it doesn't matter," she murmurs, her gaze locked on the crimson stain spreading across her side. "I'm fine."
"Fine?" I scoff. "You're bleeding, Isabella. Who shot you?"
"None of your business," she says, her tone turning icy. That familiar stubbornness rears its head, and I can't help but wonder if it was what led her down this path in the first place.
"Isabella, please," I plead, my voice cracking under the weight of our shattered past. "Tell me who did this."
"Leave it be, Stefano," Felix interjects, his arms cradling her gently. "We need to get her out of here."
