"You're the one that I love and I'm saying goodbye.
Say something, I'm giving up on you."
Elena's POV
"Even me, Amore (love)?"
That voice resonated through and a part of me was convinced I was imagining it through my exhaustion. My body instantly reacted as I sat up, looking over my shoulder and true to my heart's desires, there he stood in all his handsome grandeur. He stood with his hands in his pockets and the hallway's lighting shining behind his figure, gracefully outlining his silhouette.
"How did you..." I trailed off, looking behind him and half expecting guards to be rushing in.
"I guess not everyone in your family hates me." He shrugged his shoulders casually, gifting me with that beautifully charmed smile of his while shutting the door behind him.
"I'm so sorry." I sighed, having a brief idea of the kind of welcome he was subjected to.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Amore (love)." He disputed while shuffling inside. He walked around the hospital bed as I attempted to swing my legs over, grimacing slightly while maneuvering my injured foot.
"Whoa," Angelo rushed over to me faster, his hands gripping my leg gently and placing it back onto the bed securely. "Just stay in bed. I don't think you're supposed to be moving about so much."
"I'm already sick of being in this bed." I huffed in exasperation.
"Mmmm..." He hummed softly with his hand running up my leg, over my exposed outer thigh before placing it onto the bed beside my hip. He leaned further over me, tending down towards my face.
"And what if I lay in the bed with you?" He spoke huskily, his lips inches from mine.
"I feel like this a form of bribery," I mentioned, striving to close the space between us to which he abruptly pulled back.
"At this moment, I'm treating it as pure coercion." He uttered boldly, a cheeky smirk pulling on his lips.
"Oh... I see..." I nodded my head slowly with a slight chortle.
"That's quite alright, Babe. I'll lay here and you can sit right there. No bribery is needed." I pointed at the chair beside the bed, falling back into the pillow, knowing fully well that he wants to be beside me just as much. He is going to break his own restraint, not me.
"Wow..." He stood up straight, staring at me intently.
"She's learned the game so quickly. Picked up on all my strategies and brightly reflecting them back at me." He had a hearty laugh as he turned, pulling off his jacket and tossing it onto the chair. I watched him closely as he drew his phone out of his pocket and placed it onto his jacket. He then unclipped his watch, removing it off his wrist and setting it beside his phone.
"It seems like we've both changed." He stated while turning back around to face me. I narrowed my eyes, waiting for him to complete his thought.
"For once in my life," He began while taking slow steps towards me. "I can say that you're the one and only person I'm willing to shamelessly lose to."
With that, he took tormentingly slow-paced movements in my direction. He sat on the side of the bed, placing his hand where it previously had been beside my hip. He leaned over me, sinking closer to my lips. However, instead, he bypassed them and locked his mouth onto my shoulder. He left identically paced kisses along my skin, into the crook of my neck.
The simple yearning my body had for this man overtook as I tilted my head, giving him better access to me. My hand instinctively ran along the back of his neck, my fingers threading through his hair while a soft moan escaped me.
The second he perceived my moaning, he pulled back quickly to cup my face in the palm of his hands. He connected his mouth with mine, his tongue immediately parting a path to meet my own. A relieved sigh released from me, like a drug addict that had finally received their fix. I placed my hands upon his chest as our lips attached to one another and our tongues whirled around each other.
"I fucking missed you." He spoke in between kisses.
As arousing his whole demeanor was, I found myself getting emotional to have him within my reach once more. I propped myself up, gently lifting into a seating position before pulling back and wrapping my arms around his neck. I buried my head in the crook of his neck as I felt his robust arms grip onto me, intimately hugging my body against his.
"I thought you had left," I mumbled into his skin.
"Not without you." He unhesitantly replied.
"Come on, move that sexy ass of yours over. I'm laying in this bed with you." He clarified while tapping the side of my upper thigh.
I giggled while slowly shifting over. Angelo repositioned the pillow beneath my casted foot before lifting himself onto the bed. I sat propped up on my hand as he made himself comfortable. After fluffing up the pillow beneath his head, he pulled me down onto him. I lay with my casted foot positioned on its side, while my other leg tangled itself over his as I placed my head against his chest. He held onto my waist tightly, afraid of letting me go, as his other hand ran its fingers through the ponytail of my tied up hair.
"I'm so sorry, Amore (love)." He murmured.
"For what?" I glanced up at him, resting my chin on top of my flattened hand.
"I didn't protect you. I should have protected you." He began.
"Babe, stop apologizing for something that was out of your control. For starters, it was partially my fault. I should have told you everything sooner. Maybe, it wouldn't have gotten to this point." I rested my head against his chest once more.
"Secondly, you were outnumbered and because of my poor decisions you had no back up either." I sighed.
"You shouldn't have been placed in this whole ordeal, to begin with." He countered.
"Then I wouldn't have met you." I refuted.
"Maybe so." I glimpsed up at him, noticing how he was studying me attentively. His eyes traveled over every part of my face as if he were committing me to his memory.
"Sei così bella (you are so beautiful)." He whispered.
"Angelo, I look like a plum fruit that's been dropped on the floor one too many times." I scoffed playfully.
His head was thrown back in amusement as his body shook beneath mine, a wholesome laugh leaving him. After some time, he calmed down and met my eye in a serious manner once more.
"That's temporary and your beauty is shining through your smile, Amore (love), a smile I found myself longing to see again and one that brightens the deep blue in your eyes. Nothing or no one else is capable of enchanting me the way you do." He spoke charmingly while brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
I could feel the overwhelming tears building up in my eyes as my mind accepted each of his words, no rejection forming against his compliments like before. He lifted his head, bringing himself closer to kiss my lips tenderly. He pulled back and placed a chaste peck upon my forehead before laying back down.
"Get some rest, Amore (love). You need it." He spoke, running his fingers over my neck and back in a soothing caress. It wasn't long before I could feel the slumber taking over my body, succumbing to his peaceful presence.
One of my best night's sleep was disturbed with a soft trail of my face. I could feel my head upon a smooth pillow instead of Angelo's firm chest. Before I could open my eyes, I heard his voice speak out causing me to remain still.
"I don't know how you did it. All I know is you achieved it completely. I've completely fallen for you." He mumbled while tracing his fingers along my cheek. After a long silence, he bent down and placed an affectionate kiss upon my temple before whispering into my ear.
"I love you, Amore (love)."
I felt those fluttering emotions swelling within me as I discerned his confession. At this point, a large part of me was convinced I was dreaming about it. I then heard the clicking of the door's latch, instantly opening my eyes. I glanced around the empty room, propping myself up on my elbow to see the door swaying open and stopping ajar.
I sat up, holding the palm of my hand over my mouth in pure shock of what had just happened. Not long after, a smile crept upon my lips as I began feeling completely elated. However, it was short-lived when I heard a familiar voice coming from the passageway. A voice that provoked my anxiety to begin rising.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" My father yelled out in anger.
"How the fuck did you get in here!?" He questioned angrily.
"I needed to see her." Angelo piped up.
"I don't give a fuck what you needed! You don't belong here! She is in this hospital because of you! She wouldn't be going through this if you had control over things, as a leader should." My father spoke clearly, his voice calming down yet remaining entirely severe.
"You lost your father, and I understand that loss of a parent. However, you became so blinded by your emotions and your need to seek revenge that you allowed a traitor to control everything. He controlled your decisions, your movements, your plans, and your beliefs. Whether you want to admit it or not, that asshole orchestrated everything and you were none the wiser."
After I gradually managed to push myself off the bed and throughout the agonizing pain shooting through me, I stood and hobbled my way to the door while holding onto the IV-pole. I finally managed to reach it, my vision being given a clear view of Angelo standing not far down the passage with his back to me.
"A leader leads with his mind. He is supposed to study everything for himself. He is supposed to make the right decisions. Although, I know I'm not perfect and I have made the wrong judgments in the past that have cost me a lot, what I do know is I have succeeded in protecting my daughter for 26 years. She spends under 2 months with you and is thrown into the middle of a life-threatening hazard. She nearly died, Angelo. Get that through your mind. She nearly died! You weren't able to protect her this time, what makes you think you will be able to next time?"
Angelo remained silent with his head bowed in shame and guilt. Say something!
"She deserves better, Angelo. She deserves to live her life without looking over her shoulder. She deserves to feel that kind of security and in that security, she shall find the love that truly deserves her as a person. I don't know what you think you feel for my daughter, but it's not love. You barely know her. If you, at least, truly care for her then let her go. Let her be happy. Let her find her happiness. You don't deserve her, Angelo." My father trailed off.
Say something, you fool! Tell him he is wrong, please! Tell him what you told me now!
"Tell me I'm wrong." He pushed Angelo to fight him, to deny his words, and to prove himself. "Tell me!"
I was so fed up with listening to this bullshit. I grabbed onto the stainless steel IV-pole, preparing myself to burst into this nonsense of a conversation. However, my body froze with two simple words that escaped Angelo. Two words that crushed my entire world. Two words that destroyed every bit of happiness I was once desperately holding onto.
"You're right." He said to Papà.
My eyes began burning as I slowly took a glimpse over the stance between Angelo and my father. My hand began to sweat, hopelessly holding onto the IV-pole as I leaned my mouth upon my arm to try to muffle the sound of my cries.
"You're right, Dominic. She wouldn't be in here if it weren't for me. If I hadn't taken over from my father, Vincenzo would have never gone after her. All he wanted was to become the Capo (boss). If he got his way, he would have had no reason to drag her into this mess." He sighed heavily, rubbing his hand over his forehead.
"I should have known better. I should have looked into things for myself instead of blindly trusting that bastard, and for that, I'm sorry. I fucked up. I wasn't able to protect her and I can never guarantee I will be able to the next time. The truth of the matter is that I never deserved her, and I knew that from the very first day. I'll let her go and I'll leave, but I can't say goodbye to her. I cannot look at her and watch myself break her further because nothing I say will make this any better. Nothing I say will ease that pain for either of us." He concluded.
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Papà agreed.
I stood against the wall, staring at the ceiling as the tears streamed down my cheeks. I was willing to follow that man where he wanted me to go. I was willing to fight for him, but clearly, I wasn't worth the fight to him.
I took a final peek through the door, watching as Angelo nodded his head and took the steps passed my father to leave. My heartache and rage then took over. I leaned against the over-bed table, reaching into the small bag upon the floor, grabbing a pair of shorts, and chucking them onto the bed.
I ripped a paper towel from the massive roll before lifting the tape around the IV tubing, pulling out the catheter needle. I pressed the paper towel over the insertion site, applying pressure for a short period. Soon after, I slowly sat on the bed to slide my shorts over my casted foot, pulling it on.
I was leaving this place and I didn't care where to. I didn't bother with a shirt or shoes. I simply grabbed onto the crutches left for me, assisting myself in moving out of the room. I noticed my father, glaring at Aunt Ruby. He positively knew who allowed Angelo into the hospital, but Aunt Ruby wasn't the least bit phased. She had a stance ready to argue. Her one brow was raised with her arms aggressively crossed over her chest. However, I interrupted any form of discussion as the sight of my father brought up more anger from deep within.
"You just had to do it," I uttered, limping into the passage as both of them swung to look at me. "You couldn't wait for the opportunity to get rid of him."
"Why do you hate him so much? Why have you judged him before getting to know the kind of man he is? Why? Because he is the Capo? Newsflash, Dad, you are the fucking Don!" I shouted at him, taking small steps towards them.
"Elena, he doesn't deserve you!" He yelled back at me.
"Why? Please, tell me why!"
He shook his head, not wanting to entertain my emotions at this time. His silence was vexatious to my core, to say the least.
"Shouldn't it be my decision? Shouldn't it be my choice on who I feel deserves me? He was willing to give it all up for me! All of it! For me!" My screams turned into a painful sob.
"If Mamma asked you to, would you give it all up for her?" I questioned him.
"Of course!" He scoffed in reply.
"Well, then?" I threw my one arm in the air while the other held me up with the crutch. "He made one mistake! One mistake that you are using as the basis for his sentencing! You are using one mistake as the crux of it all, banishing him before he ever had the chance to correct it! You have no fucking clue what that man has done for me! No idea! He has corrected that mistake a thousand times over! I love him! But, I guess, that means nothing to you."
"Elena-"
"No! You act like you are a fucking saint! Have you never made a mistake, Dad? Has Niccolo? Sierra did! Why didn't you banish her?" Every bit of my grief was escaping me and I wasn't going to close it off it in any way.
"That's different-" He began.
"No! No, it's no different! She came to kill you!"
"He fucking kidnapped you, Elena!" My father kept throwing in rebuttals.
"It was a mistake!!" I wailed out dreadfully. I felt like every futile word I was saying was ricocheting off the walls and not once hitting his conscience.
"He didn't even know the person he sent to be taken was female, nevermind it being me! And tell me something, father, did you not kidnap Mamma? Didn't you keep her at home against her will?" I threw back in his face and I instantly noticed the cracks in him splitting further.
"That's-"
"Yeah. It's different. Got it." I mockingly cut him off, nodding my head.
"It is different! Your mother willingly came to the house with me." He tried.
"And guess what? I willingly stayed with Angelo." I reflected his half-arsed excuse, causing his eyes to widen as his mouth dropped agape.
"It's all different, isn't it? You will never be happy and no one will ever be enough for you. Everything will always be different when it comes to me, not so, father?" I wet my dry lips, tasting the saltiness from my tears. Slowly, my head began to shake from side to side.
"I'm done. I'm done with this bullshit." I indicated with my hands. "I'm leaving the house."
"Excuse me? And where are you going to go?" He pulled back in disbelief.
"Anywhere but near you! Anywhere but home! I don't want to see you, hear from you, or speak to you!" I declared, bowing my head to glance at the ground as I crutched my way across the floor, bypassing his stiffened body. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed him trying to gently reach for me.
"Don't touch me!" I yelled at him, lifting my hand in defense. "Just don't."
I paced my way to the elevator doors, pressing the button and waiting for them to open. As they did, I stepped inside and turned to face him, Aunt Ruby still beside him. I half expected her to have a smug face at the drama unfolding before her, however, instead, her face replicated every bit of my sadness.
"Why don't you go apologize to Mamma?" I delivered my last piece. "You think I haven't noticed the avoidance between you two? You've, clearly, made your own mistake, father. You've clearly said or done something you shouldn't have. Good luck explaining this mistake to her too."
I shrugged my shoulders as the doors came to a close, his glazed-over eyes being the last sight that I saw.
Niccolo's POV
After putting out the cigarette, I followed the path Dad had taken to the hospital building earlier. I was glancing down at my phone, sending Sierra a quick text before sliding it back into my pocket. Looking up, I saw Angelo marching out of the front doors. What the hell is he doing here?
I observed him for a bit, watching as he typed away swiftly across his phone's screen. Shortly after, he hauled his jacket onto the bench with force. My brows raised as his demeanor played out.
He stood staring at the bench with his back to me. A few moments passed before he turned and sat down, leaning forward with his elbows upon his thighs as his hands roughly ran through his hair. They fisted the strands harshly then slid back down over his face. He paused, glaring at nothing to the side of him as his fingers linked together while covering his mouth.
I decided to proceed to track my path in his direction. The wind blew, sending a shiver down my body, causing me to quickly place my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket. It was partially dark as the morning sun began its journey to rise. The parking lot was empty and silence surrounded us. Therefore, when I approached his vicinity, he instantly gazed up at me. He straightened his body, taking in a long sigh, before finally speaking.
"I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just needed to see her." He uttered. I stood there in silence while studying him and replaying the past 24 hours in my mind. He was willing to give up everything for Elena, something one doesn't just do for any person.
"Do you love my little sister?" I piped up, bashing down the bricks of meaningless conversation and the notion of beating around the bush.
He froze, a bit surprised by my reaction to him being here. He sucked in a shaky breath as he calmed himself. He was already in the process of preparing himself for my lashing out.
"Yeah, I do." He said clearly and assuredly.
I pursed my lips, nodding my head slowly while glancing up at the hospital entrance doors. I could feel him watching me for a minute before finally bowing his head.
"You know, our father won't make it easy for you?" I said, glancing down at him as his head began to move in agreement.
"Well, he's happy now to have learned that I won't be around. I'll leave and walk away, just as he wants." Angelo expressed to the ground between his feet. What the fuck has my father done, now?
"You're just going to walk away from her?" I questioned him.
"She deserves better and a whole lot more than I would ever be able to give her, including the safety of her life. She's laying in that bed, in her condition, because of me. Sometimes you love someone more than satisfying your selfish desires of wanting them in your life. Sometimes you love them enough to recognize their happiness, even if it's at the cost of your own. I need to let her go." He spoke the dejected feelings occupying his thoughts.
My eyes ran over him the entire time he was speaking. He looked out into the night sky as his words freed themselves from the confinements of his mind. Of his heart. This man just spoke everything from his heart. Pure and raw. However, I know that no matter what I say, he will continue to believe he doesn't deserve her. He needs to see it for himself, otherwise, he will never accept it. He needs to believe it for himself or it will play on his conscious for the rest of their lives.
Before I could decipher what to say next, a pair of headlights shone upon us. I glanced over my shoulder to see a black SUV with a clear sticker, from the rental company, on the windscreen.
"That's my cousin." Angelo stood, grabbing his jacket and walking passed me towards the vehicle. He halted a few steps away from me and I watched his shoulders rise and fall deeply before he turned around to face me once more.
"Do me one favor." He began. "Keep Adrian away from her. I know you don't trust me, but this is the one thing I will swear to you, on her life. Keep him away." He emphasized.
"Why?" I asked him.
"It's not my place to ever tell her story. If she wants it to be known, she will tell you herself. Respect her enough to, at least, accept that decision of hers. Let her do things in her own time." He vocalized his last words before nodding his head slowly and retreating towards the vehicle.
I witnessed him enter the passenger side, waiting as the SUV reversed then disappeared out of sight. I stood there completely astounded to the core at the way I had just witnessed this man speak about my sister. Then the realization hit me that she is holding onto her own demons. Demons that she felt comfortable enough to share the burden of with a man she has known for 2 months, whereas she never felt that comfortable with her own family. I've been so stupid. I've been following Dad's overprotective ways instead of seeing my sister for who she is, who she wants to be, and her true self.
I shifted abruptly, heading towards the entrance only to see Elena barging out of there, barefoot and still in her hospital gown. She had such a deep-rooted tunnel vision that she turned the corner, not noticing me before her. What the fuck is happening today?
"Elena!" I shouted out. She stopped, meeting my eye for a couple of seconds before rolling them and scoffing in contempt, then began hastening away from me.
"Sorella (sister)!" I tried again to which she ignored me. Fucking hell, it's too early for this bullshit.
I bolted my way after her, catching up effortlessly as she tottered with a crutch. I brought myself in front of her, forcing her to stop.
"What do you want, Niccolo? To control me some more? To spew more instructions at me that you expect me to follow, just like our father? Don't bother, I'm not your problem anymore!" She snarled.
"Whoa! Wait a fucking minute, now!" I snapped. "Where is this coming from? What happened?"
"Like you don't know." She derided at me.
"Actually, I haven't a fucking clue." I declared.
"It doesn't matter. I need to get home somehow, pack my shit, and leave before he gets back."
"He? Who, Dad?" I raised my brows.
"Who else, Niccolo? The fucking Pope?" She snapped sarcastically.
"Damn," I mumbled with a soft chuckle as I witnessed the remnants of our mother seeping through her. "Why are you leaving the house?"
"Because of the shit our father just pulled! I am so fed up with the way my life has become! Tonight, after he ripped my heart out and crushed it in the palm of his hand without a shred of remorse, I'm cutting his little puppet strings. I'm slicing through his reins on me. I'm done, Nico, I'm done." She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.
I have never seen Elena like this. I have never seen her fight back so strongly before against our father or against anyone. All our lives, she did what he wanted. She listened and played the perfect child. The perfect daughter. Just as Mamma used to say, one day he is going to pull so hard on his leash around her that she is going to pull back and he will lose her. Looks like that day has come.
"Come home with me. Stay with us." I told her, rubbing her freezing cold arms.
"Why? So you can report back to him like you have done all our lives? I know that you are on his side." She shook her head, stumbling back in an attempt to pull away from my touch.
"I used to be," I said softly causing her to stop struggling. "But the past 24 hours have shed a bright light on a lot of shit for me. I'm here for you, Sorella (sister), as I should have been and I am so sorry that I wasn't."
I noticed as her face softened, her eyes glazed over some more before finally spilling a new stream of pain down her cheeks. She covered her mouth with one hand in an attempt to subdue her sobs causing me to close the space between us, wrapping my arms around her. I held her tightly as she clung to my shirt and cried into it.
"I've got you, Sorella (sister)," I whispered into her hair. "Let's go home. I doubt you should be putting so much pressure on this foot."
I pulled back, slipping off my jacket and bringing it over her shoulders. She reached for it, holding onto the zipper as I assisted her towards the vehicle. I gently helped her into the passenger seat, closing the door while scanning the parking lot. I spotted Aunt Ruby's matte black Mercedes AMG Coupe parked in the doctor's parking, confirming that our father had a ride back to his place.
As I opened the driver's side, I saw Dad run out of the sliding doors. Our eyes met for a brief moment in understanding. He glanced down to see Elena in the car then began taking steps towards us. I quickly shook my head at him causing him to immediately halt.
I could read every inch of his pain and regret written all over his face. However, he's a big boy. He can handle himself for the time being.
For now, my sister is my priority. Sorry, Papà.