Chapter 78 Seventy Eight

Chapter 78 Seventy Eight
After showering, she changed into a simple black dress and quickly dried her hair before leaving the room. Antonio was waiting down the hallway, and his eyes immediately traveled over her from head to toe. “Finally.” 

She narrowed her eyes. “Where is he?”

“His room.” Mira followed him down the corridor, and the closer they got, the faster her heart seemed to beat. Antonio glanced at her before a knowing smile tugged at his lips. “You know…”

“What?” Mira asked 

“You could just admit you’re worried about him.”

Mira sighed. “Don’t start.”

He smiled. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“I wasn’t.” She rolled her eyes, and a few moments later, they stopped outside Salvatore’s bedroom. Antonio opened the door, allowing her to step inside before following her.

Salvatore was sitting against the headboard with his injured shoulder carefully bandaged. His face was still pale from the blood he had lost, but his eyes were alert, and the moment he saw her, something softened in his expression. “Finally you had me waiting.” 

Mira crossed her arms. “You sent for me.”

“I did.”

“You should be resting.” She said her eyes worriedly on him. 

“I was getting bored,” Salvatore said in a low voice 

“You nearly died. Let yourself rest.” Mira stated. 

“And now I’m alive.” He said with a smile. 

She stared at him. “How reassuring.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips. “I missed you.” Mira’s heart skipped, and she immediately looked away. Antonio leaned against the doorway, watching the exchange with obvious amusement. “I’ll leave you two alone.”

Mira turned toward him. “Antonio—” The door closed before she could finish. She sighed and looked back at Salvatore, only to find him still watching her.

“Is there something on my face?” she asked.

“Come here.” He said softly 

“Am fine here,” Mira said trying to control her emotions. 

“Mira.”

“Salvatore.”

His lips curved into a tired smile. “You’re getting very good at saying my name like you’re angry with me.”

“Maybe I am.”

He studied her for a moment, and the amusement slowly disappeared from his face as his expression softened. “You were crying.”

Mira froze. “I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

She looked away, suddenly finding the carpet far more interesting than his eyes. Salvatore’s voice softened. “You were crying because you thought I was going to die.”

Her eyes returned to his For once, she didn’t have an answer. And the silence between them told him everything.

Mira swallowed hard, trying to find something to say, but every excuse that came to mind sounded ridiculous even to her.

“I was worried,” she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “Anyone would have been.”

Salvatore watched her carefully. “Anyone?”

“Yes unlike you I have emotions.”

“So if it had been someone else lying on that bed, you would have cried like that?”

Mira’s brows pulled together. “Don’t twist my words.”

“I’m not twisting anything.” His voice was calm, almost teasing. “I’m trying to understand you.”

“There’s nothing to understand.”

Salvatore shifted slightly against the headboard, immediately wincing when the movement pulled at his injured shoulder. “You were terrified.”

Mira’s expression changed when she noticed the pain cross his face. “Don’t move. You're still injured.”

He stopped. She stepped closer without thinking, her eyes going straight to the bandage. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

“A little?” She gave him an incredulous look. “You passed out from blood loss.”

“I remember.”

“And you still think you can sit there acting as if nothing happened?”

“I’m not acting as if nothing happened.”

“Then what are you doing?”

“Looking at you.”

Her mouth fell open slightly. Salvatore’s gaze remained fixed on her, making her suddenly aware of how close she was standing.

“You’re staring,” she muttered.

“I know.”

“Stop.”

“I don’t want to.” She looked away, but a small smile almost betrayed her before she quickly forced it away.

“Come closer please” Slavtore said his gaze on her.  She sighed and pulled a chair closer to the bed before sitting down. “You need someone to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

Salvatore’s lips curved upward. “So you’re staying with me right?”

“For a little while.”

“How long?”

“Until I’m sure you’re actually going to sleep.”

He nodded slowly. That's fine by me”

Mira studied him for a moment. There was something different about him tonight. Maybe it was the exhaustion, or perhaps it was the fact that she had watched him come dangerously close to death.

He didn’t seem as untouchable as he usually did.

For once, he looked human. Her eyes dropped to his bandaged shoulder again.

“Why didn’t you let them take you to a hospital?”

Salvatore’s expression hardened slightly. “Because I don’t trust hospitals.”

“Why?”

“Too many people.”

“That makes no sense,” Mira said unable to believe her ears. 

“It does to me.”

She leaned back in the chair. “You know, normal people don’t have private operating rooms hidden inside their mansions.”

“I never claimed to be normal.”

“That part I already figured out.”

A quiet laugh escaped him, but it quickly turned into a wince.

Mira immediately leaned forward. “Careful.”

“I’m fine.”

“You really need to find another sentence.”

“Why?”

“Because you say it every time you’re clearly not fine.”

He looked at her for a moment before smiling. “You notice a lot about me.”

Mira went quiet. She hadn’t meant to. She had noticed far too much. The way his voice changed when he was genuinely angry. The way his eyes softened whenever he looked at her. The way he always seemed to know when she was lying. The way he had thrown himself between her and a bullet without even thinking about it.

She looked away. “I’m a reporter. Observing people is part of my job.”

“Is that what you were doing tonight?” He asked 

“What do you mean?”

“When you were crying.”

Her eyes narrowed. “We’re not going back to that.”

Salvatore smiled faintly. “Fine.”

Silence settled between them. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Then Mira’s phone vibrated inside her dress pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

Matthew. Her expression immediately changed. 

Salvatore noticed.“Who is it?”

“No one,” Mira said quickly 

His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Mira looked at him. “And you're a murderer.” 

“ You sure know how to say the nicest things,” Salvatore said smiling.

She stared at him.

“What that the guy from the party?”The question caught her off guard. She didn’t answer immediately.

Salvatore’s jaw tightened slightly as he watched her. “Answer me, Mira.”

She slipped the phone back into her pocket. “He’s just  worried about me.”

“So am I.”

“He has every reason to be.”

Salvatore’s eyes remained on her.” And I don’t?”

Mira’s heart skipped. “You were shot because of me.”

“No,” he said quietly. “I was shot protecting you. And it's because of me you were almost killed.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Salvatore leaned back against the headboard, his expression becoming serious.  “Someone wanted you dead, Mira. Tonight. 

Her fingers tightened around her phone.

“And until I find out who…” He paused, his eyes locking with hers. “You don’t leave this house.”

Mira immediately shook her head. “You can't know that for sure. The man earlier  said you killed his sister did you?”

His brows lifted slightly. “If I answered that question you wouldn't believe me.” 

“Are you saying you never killed her or you're not a murderer?” 

For several seconds, they stared at each other.

Then Salvatore smiled. “You know what I am Mira.” 

“Honestly” she let out a frustrated sigh” I don't, I don't know who you're Salvatore.”

“Would you like to know?”Salvatore asked “Taking away the judgment and the idea of me from your head are you sure you're ready to meet me the real me?”