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"Your surgery was successful," the doctor interjects, trying to offer some comfort. "You're going to be okay, but it's important that you rest and allow your body to heal."
"Without Stefano..." I trail off, the pain in my heart overwhelming any physical discomfort. "What's the point?"
"Isabella," Rosalie pleads, her grip on my hand tightening. "You can't give up. You're strong, and I know you'll get through this."
"Strong?" I scoff bitterly, turning away from them both. "I don't feel strong. I feel...empty."
"Maybe you don’t feel strong," Rosalie concedes, her voice cracking with emotion. "But you have people who care about you, Isabella. You're not alone."
I let out a hollow laugh. Tears stream down my cheeks, wetting the sterile white sheets as Rosalie's hand squeezes mine. The doctor shifts uncomfortably, a sympathetic, forced smile on his face. He doesn't even know who Stefano is and I can only imagine how I must sound. Like a raging lunatic.
"Isabella, there's something else we need to discuss," Rosalie says, her voice choked with emotion. My eyes snap to hers, searching for answers.
"Tell me," I demand, feeling my heart rate quicken in anticipation.
"During the surgery, we discovered that... the bullet struck your uterus," she hesitates, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Isabella, but this means you won't be able to conceive."
My vision blurs as shock courses through me. A future I had once imagined – one filled with children and laughter – shatters before my eyes. Defeated, I slump back against the hospital bed, unable to comprehend the implications of what she just said.
"Isabella, there are other options," the doctor interjects gently, attempting to offer some solace. "Once your healing is well on its way, you can discuss these with your doctor. Many couples have successfully built families this way."
"Family?" I spit out, anger boiling within me. "What family? Stefano doesn't want me, and now I can't even bring a child into this world?"
"Isa, please," Rosalie pleads, her grip on my hand tightening. "You still have a chance at happiness. It may not be the way you imagined, but—"
"Get out!" I scream, yanking my hand away from her grasp, my chest heaving with rage. "Both of you, get out! Leave me alone!"
The doctor and Rosalie exchange pained glances before reluctantly leaving the room, closing the door behind them with a soft click. As I lie here, my body wracked with sobs, I feel the full weight of the devastation that has befallen me.
Alone in the sterile hospital room, I clutch the thin sheets to my chest, tears streaming down my face as a torrent of emotions overwhelm me. My heart feels like it's been ripped apart.
I cradle my wounded abdomen as if trying to hold together the shattered pieces of my life. A sharp, searing pain courses through me, both physical and emotional, making it difficult to breathe.
"Isa, please...you still have a chance at happiness..." Rosalie's words reverberate in my mind, but they offer no comfort. All I can think about is the family I'll never have – the children who will never call me 'mama.'
"None of this makes sense," I sob, my voice cracking under the weight of my despair. "Why did this have to happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?" First Papa, then Juan's betrayal, imprisonment, Stefano...too much. All of this is just too much.
As exhaustion overtakes me, I bury my face in the pillow and cry until there are no more tears left to shed. Sleep finally claims me, dragging me down into its cold embrace.
In my dreams, I wander through a desolate landscape where shadows of my shattered hopes loom over me like dark clouds. I reach out, desperate to grasp onto something – anything – that might anchor me to a happier reality, but my fingers come up empty.
"Stefano!" I call out, my voice echoing in the void. "Please, come back to me!"
But he doesn't appear, leaving me lost and alone in the darkness. The emptiness gnaws at my soul, threatening to consume me.
"Papa, where are you?" I plead, my voice barely a whisper. "Why won't you save me from this pain?"
Chapter 40
Stefano
Iwakeupdrenchedin sweat, heart pounding in my chest. Her image lingers in my mind – Isabella. Her long, wavy hair halfway down her back, those hypnotic green eyes, and that damned voluptuous figure.
"Get a hold of yourself, Stefano," I mutter under my breath. The dream had been too real, leaving me with a mix of desire and frustration. I can't keep living like this. I need to focus on my duties as a mob boss, not some forbidden infatuation.
In my waking hours, I vow to never think of her. What good would it bring, anyway?
Dragging myself out of bed, I get dressed and head downstairs. I've moved into the main house now, but refuse to use the Capo's old chambers. As per my orders, that room is closed to all, including me. It remains a monument in his memory.
