“No!” I cry, pressing my hands onto Luca’s chest. He still has a pulse, thank God, but for now much longer?
“We have to get him to the hospital,” Alek says. “I called one of my men to come clean up the bodies. Gabriel escaped but that’s an issue for another day. We have to go now, Nina. If we want Luca to survive.”
I get control of my tears and nod. “Let’s go.” Seeing Luca sacrifice himself for me has changed everything. Luca isn’t some cold disciplinarian. He’s a husband who fought for his wife.
Who fought for me.
This changes everything.
Together, Alek and I get Luca into his car and we take off to the hospital. I remain over Luca’s body the whole way there, checking his pulse. It’s still there but weak and it’s getting weaker and weaker.
Alek almost crashes the car as he parks in front of the ER. I’m focused only on Luca as Alek shouts for help. Doctors and nurses come out to the car and get Luca on a gurney and wheel him inside. I follow after as if I’m not in control of my body.
They immediately take Luca into a room I’m not allowed to follow. Without realizing it, I slump to the ground and sob. I cry for the potential me and Luca could have had. I cry for how much I already miss him. I cry for the fact that I could have loved him.
I only cry harder as Alek sits down beside me and holds me like he used to when I was a little girl. My surrogate father. I cling to him with all my might.
I’m not sure how long I’m there for when my mom and Susanna arrive at the hospital.
Susanna and I lock eyes. We’ve had tension between us all our lives. Always competing. She wanted to be better than me and I just wanted a sister I could depend on. My marriage to Luca has torn us apart.
But Susanna doesn’t snap at me. She doesn’t criticize me. Instead, she runs over to my side and wraps her arms around me, holding me like a sister does.
I let go of Alek and hold onto my sister.
“Are you ok?” she whispers into my hair.
“I’m not hurt. But I’m not sure about Luca.” I haven’t heard anything which tells me that he’s not dead yet but he’s not better either.
“I’m sorry, Nina. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re sorry? This wasn’t your fault.”
“No. But I’m still sorry.” Susanna might not say out loud that she’s sorry for her actions but I can tell that’s what she means. She’s sorry for not being the sister I need. She’s sorry for the drama between us.
But none of that matters right now. All that matters is that my sister is here to comfort me and for the first time in my life, I don’t feel alone with Susanna. I feel like I’ve finally gained the sister I’ve always wanted.
Chapter Fifteen
Nina
It takes hours but a doctor finally comes over to me to tell me that Luca made it out of surgery.
“He’s well and resting,” she explains. “But he had a gunshot wound to his chest. It’s going to take a long time to heal. Fortunately, he’s out of the woods. We’ll keep him under observation for a few days and then see where we’ll go.”
“Can I see him?”
“Yes.”
I start to walk forward when I stop and look back at Susanna. “Do you want to come with me?”
Her shocked expression would have made me laugh if I wasn’t so upset. “You want me in there with you?”
“You’re my sister.” I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “I want you with me. Please.” I’m tired of fighting with her. Tired of all the drama. I just want me and Susanna to be good.
But it’s all up to her.
Slowly, she squeezes my hand back. “Ok. If you want.”
