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“Why would you say something like that to me?” Althaia whispered.
I held her hand tightly in mine. It sent a jolt in my heart at the sight of her innocent green eyes filled with tears. She was vulnerable, conflicted, and broken. It all showed in her eyes like a raging storm.
“That night… I saw her with my own eyes, so why would you say that to me?” She choked out. I cupped her face with my hand, wiping her tears away with my thumb.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I should have shown you instead.”
“Damiano, please, stop… It’s messing with my head.” She cried.
I never hated myself as much as I did right at this moment with the way she was looking at me. I wanted to cradle her in my arms, comfort and protect her. To tell her everything would be okay.
But will it be?
I had no idea what would happen after this.
“What are you doing? No, no, you can’t do that!” I ignored her as I pulled out the tubes attached to me.
“Can you get me a shirt from the bag?” I asked her while I tried to get up from the hospital bed.
“No! You can’t just do as you please when you just had surgery. Stop moving!” Althaia tried to stop me but didn’t know how as she was afraid of hurting me.
She placed her hands on my chest, and I grabbed her wrists, pulling her close to me.
“I-I almost lost you, please stop…” She begged.
“Look at me.” I had to talk to her firmly before she would listen. “I’m fine. I’m alive, and I’m not leaving you.” Her green eyes looked at me with tears threatening to spill.
“Do you promise?”
I gave her a soft smile.
“Always.”
Althaia looked around anxiously, barely able to sit still in the car. She thought I had been hit on the head too many times and suffered partial memory loss. I didn’t try to convince her otherwise and just let her see with her own two eyes.
We stepped out of the car at the safe house. She glanced around, and her hand tightened around mine when she noticed the heightened security. She gulped as her breathing changed but managed to take a deep breath.
I took a quick look at the car that followed us. It was Vasiliev because he loved to be a pain in my ass and wouldn’t let me get anything done in peace. I gave him a warning glare, reminding him to wait outside until Althaia had the time she needed.
“Shoot him if he tries anything.” I told Antonio and Giovanni, instructing them to keep an eye on him.
“Don’t need to tell me twice.” Giovanni kept his gaze on Vasiliev with his gun ready. Vasiliev was leaning against the car with his arms crossed, as if he had not a care in the world. Althaia was too lost in her thoughts to realize what was going on.
I led her inside the house, noticing the slight tremble in her body as she walked. I looked at her when we stopped right in front of the double doors. I wanted to say something to her, to somehow prepare her. But how could I prepare her when she was about to see her dead mother alive?
Instead, I kissed her head in a feeble attempt to comfort her.
I opened the doors, my eyes landing on Jacinta sitting on the couch with her usual mug in her hands. She rose to her feet when she saw it was me.
“I have a visitor for you.”
Jacinta’s eyes slightly narrowed in confusion. I stepped aside, and she let out a gasp when she saw Althaia.
Althaia remained silent, her eyes wide. She stood frozen, gazing at her mother.
“… Mamá?” She whispered, tears welling up.
“Althaia, my baby.” Jacinta cried out, moving closer. She halted when Althaia took a step back.
