"I promise," I tell her, meaning it with everything I have.
The waiting room door opens again, and Rafaella walks in. My half-sister. The words still feel foreign in my mind.
She looks exhausted. Dark circles shadow her eyes. She's been living at the hospital for days, watching her brother die by degrees.
"Lorenzo." She stops a few feet away, uncertain. Her gaze flicks to Sophia and Vittoria, then back to me. "Thank you. I know those words aren't enough, but?—"
"They're enough," I cut her off.
Rafaella's shoulders drop slightly. "I'm sorry," she says, the words rushing out. "For bringing this to your family. For disrupting your lives. If it wasn't for Alberto's life, I would never have?—"
"This isn't up to you." The words come out harsher than intended. Sophia's hand tightens on mine in warning.
Rafaella flinches but doesn't back down. "I know. Giuseppe made his choices. We're all just dealing with the consequences."
Vittoria stands abruptly. "I need coffee," she announces, though we all know it's an excuse. She squeezes my shoulder as she passes. "I'll be back before they take you in."
The silence stretches after she leaves. Rafaella shifts her weight, looking like she wants to sit but isn't sure if she's welcome.
"How is he?" Sophia asks, her voice gentle. "Alberto?"
Rafaella's composure cracks slightly. "Scared. He's trying to be brave, but he's nineteen. He shouldn't have to be brave about dying."
I study her face, seeing echoes of Giuseppe in her features. The same jaw, the same dark eyes that give away nothing unless you know where to look.
"Do you need—" I start, then stop. Money feels like an insult, but it's the only help I know how to offer.
"We're fine," Rafaella says quickly. Too quickly. "Giuseppe set up trusts. We have what we need."
It's a lie, or at least a half-truth. I can see it in the way she holds herself, proud despite the weight crushing her. She'd never take Sartori money, not after spending twenty-three years as Giuseppe's secret. Taking our money now would make her feel like exactly what she's tried not to be.
"The medical bills," I try again, but she shakes her head.
"We have insurance. And savings." Her chin lifts slightly. "We've never needed anything from your family. We don't need to start now."
Except she needs my bone marrow. The one thing money can't buy.
"You're not responsible for us," Rafaella continues. "Any of you. After today, after Alberto recovers, we'll disappear. You'll never have to see us again."
"That's not—" I stop myself. What would I say? That she's family? We share DNA and nothing else. That we want her in our lives? I don't even know if that's true.
Sophia speaks when I can't. "You're doing what any sister would do. Protecting your brother."
Rafaella's eyes fill with tears she refuses to let fall. "They're all I have left. Our mother died four years ago."
Vittoria comes back and no one speaks for a while.
The nurse appears in the doorway again. "Mr. Sartori? We're ready for you now."
I stand, and Rafaella steps forward impulsively, then catches herself. "Thank you," she says again. "I know you don't owe us anything. I know this complicates everything for your family. But you're saving his life."
I nod, not trusting myself with words. Sometimes silence says more anyway.
Sophia
We've been in this hospital for six hours, and Lorenzo looks ready to climb the walls. He sits on the edge of the bed, already dressed despite the nurse's protests that he should rest longer.
"The doctor said—" I start, but he cuts me off with a look.
