I watched in horror as the vehicle toppled, flipping onto Dante’s side, crashing down into the gutter below. Glass shattered. Tires screeched. The night erupted into chaos.
Dario and I walked away without a scratch. Dante wasn’t so lucky—he was pinned, trapped beneath twisted metal. The horror of that moment still claws at me; no matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t free him.
The van that had rammed us tore off into the night, my men in pursuit. A passerby, wide-eyed from witnessing thecrash, called emergency services. Sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder until the EMTs swarmed the wreck.
Through it all, Dante stayed conscious. His face was pale, his breath ragged, but he fought to hold on. Bruises covered his chest and abdomen, and a deep wound in his side bled heavily. Hands pressed hard against it, desperate to stem the flow.
The memory of Dante’s blood still stains my hands, and I can’t stop staring at them.
He was rushed to the nearest hospital, but now the waiting gnaws at me, each second heavier than the last. Other than Dario, Dante is all the family I have left. I failed to protect him from my father when we were younger—and now it feels like I’ve failed him again.
Across from me, Dario and Jimmy sit in hushed conversation, their voices low, almost swallowed by the sterile hum of the room. I ignore them, rising from my chair, pacing the length of the floor. The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, the air reeks faintly of disinfectant, and every step echoes my unease.
The police had already come, questions sharp and probing. They wanted answers about the crash, about who might want us dead. We gave them nothing. The detective’s eyes lingered, skeptical, unconvinced. But belief meant nothing here. All that mattered was whether Dante survived.
Our men were still trying to track down the van that ran us off. Whoever was behind it had to be a new player—someone with a grudge. I dragged my fingers through my hair, frustration boiling over. Damn it. Every time we eliminate one enemy, another takes his place.
“When the hell will someone tell us what’s going on?” I growled, turning on Dario and Jimmy. “I’ll check,” Dario said, heading for the door. But he froze as it opened. A nurse stood there, blocking my view of the doctor. “Doctor Thom,the relatives of your patient, Dante Vitelli, are waiting for an update.”
There was a pause, then a voice—hesitant, familiar. “Did you say Vit…Vitelli?” That voice. I’d know it anywhere. I spun so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash.
The nurse, oblivious to the storm brewing, pressed on. “Yes, the patient you just operated on.” She stepped aside, and then our eyes met.
Her face was drained of color. We froze, locked in silence, the air between us thick with tension. The nurse glanced back and forth, confused by the sudden shift, but I barely noticed. My heart thundered at the sight of her—Elle.
My wife steadied herself, clearing her throat. She stepped forward, extending her hand, her familiar scent brushing past me like a ghost. “Yes… I’m Doctor Elle Thom,” she said, voice composed, though her eyes betrayed the weight of recognition.
Chapter 46
~Elle~
Panic.
There’s no other word for what I feel. No—if I’m honest, there’s something else too, something I’m not ready to face. Hearing that name again—Vitelli—sent me spiraling. Yet even in my anxiety, my eyes cling to my husband’s features, etched in shock and worry.
Dominic Vitelli stood before me, disheveled and raw. His once immaculate white shirt was now streaked with red, collar loosened, cuffs shoved up to his elbows. The strong arms that had once held me in the illusion of love were smeared with blood. His stare was unrelenting—piercing, unwavering, impossible to escape.
My hand drifts instinctively to my abdomen, and he stiffens. A flicker of surprise flashes in those luminous blue eyes. We lock gazes—silent, calculating—suspended in a moment that stretches endlessly. His companions are stunned as well, but none dare break the silence.
I’m the first to break eye contact. My gaze flicks briefly to Dario and Jimmy, but I don’t acknowledge them. My legs feel rooted to the floor, yet somehow I force them forward, stepping into the room.
It’s a battle to keep my voice steady, professional. “I… ahem… I’m Doctor Ellen Thom. I understand you’re Dante Vitelli’s relatives.” Dominic’s jaw tightens, a flash of tension across his face. I avoid Dario and Jimmy, though their bewilderment is unmistakable—they must think I’ve lost my mind.
The nurse lingers behind me, breaking the silence as she gestures toward Dominic. Her eyes flick nervously between themen, curiosity written across her face. “Yes, Doctor Thom, Mr. Vitelli is our patient’s brother.”
I nod, forcing composure. “Mr. Vitelli, your brother is in recovery. He suffered multiple broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. We performed a partial splenectomy. He lost a great deal of blood and required several transfusions.”
The words hang in the sterile air—clinical facts concealing the storm raging beneath my calm exterior.
“So, he’s going to live?” His voice sent a shiver down my spine. I folded my arms across my chest, rubbing them as if warding off a cold. His gaze lingered, but I ignored it. “His condition is stable. We’ll monitor him for a few days. There’s still a risk of infection, but he’s on antibiotics.” I turned to the nurse. “Nurse Phillips will show you to your brother’s room. Only one visitor is allowed at a time. I’ve another patient I need to check up on.”
Before anyone could respond, I was already out the door, their stares searing into my back. Looking back was impossible. Once out of sight, I released the breath I’d been holding, my shoulders collapsing under the weight of it. The doctor’s lounge was mercifully empty. I sank into a chair, heart pounding, hands trembling. Pressing my palms against my abdomen, I tried to steady myself.
When Dominic had spoken—our baby, as if recognizing his voice, kicked wildly inside me. It took all my strength to stay calm, to pretend nothing was happening. All I wanted was to fall into Dominic’s arms again—but betrayal isn’t so easily forgotten. That’s why I fled.
Normally, I would accompany my patient’s relatives myself. But Dominic’s presence was too overwhelming and tempting. All I wanted to do was to throw myself into his arms. I cannot. Not after everything. Nurse Phillips was so distracted by the three strapping hunks that she didn’t find my behaviorbizarre. I wonder if she would run for the hills if she knew that they were mobsters.
“It’s going to be okay my darling.” I say in a soothing voice, rubbing my hands on my abdomen as my baby’s acrobatics begin again.
