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"Fuck!" I gasp, staggering to my knees. My vision swims as I collapse forward, gasping for breath.
"Mattia!" Rafe shouts, terror in his voice.
"Seems like your fucking family isn't so invincible after all, Valentino."
"Rot in hell," Rafe snarls, aiming his gun at Brio.
Brio's head snaps back, crimson painting the wall behind him. His lifeless body crumples to the floor like a discarded ragdoll.
I grit my teeth, fighting to stay conscious as blood rapidly pools beneath me. There's too much of it. Far too fucking much of it.
Cazzo.
I promised Aurelia I was coming back to her, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep that promise, either. First, her mother, and now this. I'm going to break her fucking heart, and there's nothing I can do to stop any of it. She made every moment worth living, and now, she's going to have to live without me and her mother.
I'm sorry, little mouse. I'm so fucking sorry.
Blood pounds in my ears, drowning out the sounds of chaos and death reverberating through the mansion. All I see is Aurelia, her sweet face burned into my mind. Her cries of pleasure ringing in my ears.
"Mattia!" Rafe drops to his knees beside me, pressing down on my wound in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood. There is no stopping it, though. Not this time. "Don't you fucking die on me, Mattia."
"R-Rafe," I gasp, pain and weakness threatening to pull me under. My vision blurs, but I force myself to stay conscious, if only for a moment longer. "P-protect her. T-tell her…ti amo."
"Damn it, Mattia, don't you dare talk like that," Rafe growls, his voice cracking with emotion. "You're going to survive this, and you'll tell her yourself."
But he's wrong. I'm not.
As my strength fails me, I cling to the image of my little mouse, her love blazing like the sun in the darkness. The thought of her touch, her warmth, and her fierce fucking spirit stay with me even as darkness swims forward.
"Mattia! Goddamn, you!" Rafe's broken cry is the last thing I hear before the world fades away, leaving nothing but her.
Aurelia.
Chapter Fourteen
Mattia
Beads of sweat trickle down my forehead, the sterile scent of disinfectant in the air as I struggle to open my eyes. They feel so fucking heavy. My vision blurs before finally focusing on the white ceiling above me.
The steady beeping of a heart monitor fills my ears while the pain surging through my body sends shudders down my spine.
What the fuck happened?
Flickers of memory flash through my mind, hazy and disjointed. None of them make much sense. All I remember is…Aurelia.
Where is she?
I turn my head to the left, and my gaze lands on her. My heart jolts against my ribcage. She's curled up in a chair by my side, fast asleep. Her raven hair cascades around her round face, framing it. Even in her sleep, she looks like an angel.
"Aurelia," I whisper, relief washing over me at the sight of her. She's here and safe.
"It's the first time she's slept in days," Rafe says, his voice hoarse.
I roll my head to the right, following the sound of his voice to find him leaning against the wall by the door, watching me. He looks fucking exhausted, with dark shadows under his eyes and wrinkles creased into his suit.
"How long?" I rasp. The words feel like razor blades inside my raw throat.
Rafe strides toward me, grabbing a cup from the table beside the bed. "Eight days," he says.
