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“How do you feel?”
The corner of my mouth lifts into a grin as I answer, “Stronger.”
Leaning over me, Dad presses a kiss to my forehead before taking a seat on the armchair next to the bed.
Taking my hand, he asks, “No pain?”
I shake my head. “There’s just a little discomfort.”
“Let me know if you’re in pain. Okay?”
I nod, then stare at Dad, who looks younger with all the worry gone.
“You need a vacation after all the torture I’ve put you through. I’m sorry for all the worry.”
He lets out a relieved breath. “There’s nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. You have a healthy kidney, and hopefully, I can take you home next week.”
Scrunching my nose, I chuckle. “Yeah, I’m tired of the hospital.”
Suddenly, I’m hit with an intense wave of emotion, and the realization that I’m not going to die overwhelms me.
Dad moves forward, and wrapping his arms around me, he says, “It’s over, sweetheart. Thank you for fighting to stay with me.”
The memory of the visitor from the night before flits through my mind, and I pull back so I can ask, “Do you know who the donor is?”
Dad shakes his head. “It was an anonymous donation.”
Shoot.
My eyebrows draw together then I ask, “Do you think I can write a thank you letter? Would they give it to the person?”
Again, Dad shakes his head. “There’s no way to contact the person.”
Before I can continue the conversation, Dad brushes some strands away from my forehead and says, “Focus on getting better so your body accepts the kidney.”
Taking a deep breath, I relax back against the pillows.
There’s no way the man I saw last night donated a kidney. He’d still be out of it from the surgery like I was.
Yeah, it was probably just a dream.
Hey, at least my mind conjured up a hot man.
Renzo
Sitting in the back of the Bentley as Vincenzo brings it to a stop at the cemetery, my grief darkens until it suffocates the last of my humanity.
I throw the door open, and even though it’s raining lightly, I don’t wait for one of my men to bring an umbrella and walk to where the hearse has stopped.
Even the heavens weep for you, Giulio. That’s how fucking special you were.
I don’t wait for the funeral director and open the doors at the back of the hearse.
Looking at the black casket, the pain is so fucking intense, I struggle to cope with the grim reality of the day.
A memory of Giulio learning to shoot a gun flits through my mind. He turned around, and everyone ducked to the damn floor, cursing him. He laughed so hard tears ran down his face.
When Elio, Vincenzo, and Fabrizio join me, I wait for Vincenzo and Fabrizio to pull the casket out until Elio and I can take hold of the front.
