Chapter 131 LIKE I DO.
\~~~RAINA.
I clasped my hands together, then dropped them on my waist and breathed out slowly.
“Are you ready to leave?”
Luciano stood by the window, adjusting his shirt, the white fabric pulling taut over his broad shoulders, and the bandage peeking out from under the collar. The sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting stripes across his face, highlighting the stubble on his jaw and the faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes. He nodded once, slow and deliberate, then turned to me with that half-smile that always made my stomach flip. “Yes,” he said simply, his voice rough from disuse but steady.
I crossed the room in a few quick steps, my shoes soft on the linoleum floor.
Up close, I could see the way his shirt hung a little loose now, after just two days of hospital food and rest. My fingers reached out, smoothing the collar, and tucking in a stray edge that had come undone.
It was a small thing, but it felt intimate, like I was reclaiming a piece of normalcy in this place that had held us captive for too long.
His warmth radiated through the fabric, and I lingered, my hands flat against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart.
Instead of letting me finish, he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. His grip was firm but gentle, mindful of his injury, and he leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead. The touch was soft, lingering, his lips warm against my skin. It sent a shiver through me, chasing away the chill of the room. I tilted my head up to look at him fully, searching his dark eyes for any sign of pain or doubt. What I found was heat, raw and unfiltered, and before I could speak, his mouth claimed mine in a hurried kiss.
It was quick at first, a brush of lips that ignited something deeper. I smiled against him, wholehearted and free, as his hands came up to cup my face. His thumbs traced my cheeks, rough calluses gentle on my skin, and he deepened the kiss. His tongue slipped past my lips, tasting of mint from the hospital toothpaste, and I melted into it, my arms winding around his neck. The world narrowed to just us, the press of his body, the faint scent of his cologne mixing with antiseptic, and the way he held me like I was the only thing keeping him grounded.
Just then, the door pushed open with a creak, and we broke apart, breathless. I hissed under my breath,
“What a killer joy,” frustration bubbling up as I turned to see who had interrupted.
My cheeks burned, but I straightened, smoothing my hair. Standing there were Viktor and Alessia, looking a bit too casual for my liking, their faces flushed in the doorway light.
Luciano's arm stayed around me, possessive, as he eyed them. “Why are you two coming in together?” he asked, his tone casual but laced with a sharp edge.
I beaded my brows, no, furrowed them, feeling as I watched how they both stiffened at the question. Alessia's eyes widened a fraction, and Viktor's jaw tightened just enough to notice. Before I could process it, Alessia burst out, shouting a little too loudly,
“We met outside the hospital!”
Luciano wasn't buying it. He pointed his index finger at them, taking a step closer, his free hand dropping from my waist. “The two of you…” he trailed off, letting the words hang heavy in the air, his gaze flicking between them like he was piecing together a puzzle.
I couldn't miss the way they pressed their lips together, a shared silence that screamed secrets.
Alessia glanced at Viktor, then away, and he shifted his weight, hands shoved in his pockets. I shook my head slowly, a mix of amusement and curiosity stirring in my chest.
They were hiding something judging by the tension crackling between them. I'd seen that look before, the one that said more than words ever could.
Luciano's eyes narrowed. “You didn't start a fight out there, did you?” he asked, his voice dropping lower, almost teasing but with an undercurrent of warning.
They both breathed out in visible relief, the shift so obvious it made me bite back a laugh.
“No, boss,” Viktor said, pushing his chest out a little, trying to look every inch the loyal soldier. But his eyes darted to Alessia again, quick and telling.
They were definitely hiding something, and I made a mental note that I would figure it out. No way was I letting this slide, not when it involved my sister-in-law and one of Luciano's closest men.
The hospital room suddenly felt smaller, charged with unspoken words, and I wondered what had gone down in the halls or parking lot.
Alessia cleared her throat, steering the conversation. “You are leaving the hospital already?’' she asked, her voice brighter now, though her cheeks were still pink.
Luciano nodded, grabbing the duffel bag from the chair with his good arm. “Certainly, sis. My wife is here to take care of me, and the doctor will be coming in to dress my wound afterwards,” He slung the bag over his shoulder, then turned toward the door, his spare hand reaching for mine. His fingers intertwined with mine, warm and sure, pulling me along.
I walked with him, our steps syncing as we headed out, but when we reached Alessia, I gently took my hand from his.
“I will meet you outside,’' I said, pulling back with a quick squeeze.
He raised an eyebrow but nodded, understanding the unspoken ladies talk. Viktor fell into step beside him, the two men heading down the hall, their voices low as they murmured something about the car.
Now it was just Alessia and me in the empty room, the door clicking shut behind the men. She turned to me, her expression innocent, with those wide eyes and a small smile.
“Did something happen?” she asked, tilting her head.
I crossed my arms, hiding a smile of my own as I leaned against the bed rail.
“Spill it,” I pressed, my voice light but firm.
I had known her long enough to spot the signs, the rumpled shirt, and the way she kept tugging at her collar.
“What?” she replied, feigning confusion, but her eyes gave her away, flickering with nerves.
I stepped closer, dropping my voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
“Yoh have hickeys all over your neck, sister-in-law. Just tell me.”
There they were, faint purple marks peeking above her collar, impossible to miss in the harsh light. My mind raced back to the stories she'd told me that day at the office.
The story about a friend of hers.
Alessia's face turned beet red, and she stammered,
“T... there is nothing to tell,” She raised her shirt collar higher, trying to cover the evidence, and spun toward the door, clearly eager to escape.
But I wasn't letting her off that easily.
My eyes widened as the pieces clicked, the tension between her and Viktor, and the way they'd stiffened earlier.
“The man you were talking about in your friend's story is Viktor?!” I exclaimed, my voice rising in surprise and delight. It all made sense now.
Alessia froze mid-step, then circled back to me in a whirl, her hand flying up to cover my mouth with her palm.
“Shhh!” she hissed, her eyes darting to the door as if Luciano might burst back in. Her touch was warm, urgent, and we both stifled laughs, the moment bursting with shared secrecy.
“Oh my God,” I whispered. “It is him.”
She groaned softly, pressing her forehead to my shoulder. “I didn’t plan this. It just… happened.”
“With Viktor?” I teased. “The most emotionally unavailable man on the planet?”
She straightened, glaring at me. “You don’t know him like I do.”
“Oh, I am starting to,” I said, grinning.
She sighed, defeated, then pointed a finger at me. “Not a word to my brother.”
“My lips are sealed,” I promised, crossing my heart.
I pulled her hand down gently, my grin unstoppable. “Viktor? Really? How long has this been going on?” We sank onto the edge of the bed, totally forgetting the men that could be waiting out there for us, and she finally let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping.
“It just... happened,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “After the hospital last night, he drove me home, and one thing led to another and…”
“You spent the night together?!” I palmed my mouth and laughed when she flushed red.
“Will you stop shouting?l
“Sorry, sorry,” I laughed harder.
“God, it is complicated, Raina. With Luciano, the family, all of it,” her fingers toyed with the hem of her shirt, tracing the edge nervously.
I nodded, understanding the weight of it all too well.
“He has an unmeasured loyalty for my brother. I don’t think he’d want to ruin that. Our world isn’t built for simple romances. Everything came tangled with loyalty, danger, and expectations.”
“Complicated or not, Allie,he looks at you like you are the only person in the room. And with those hickeys, it doesn’t exactly look like he planned on being subtle,” I teased, nudging her shoulder.
She groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I tried to cover it, Raina, but… God, Luciano can’t know now. He will…”
“He will get over it,” I cut her short, though a flicker of worry crossed my mind. Luciano was protective, fiercely so, of his sister and his men. But seeing Alessia happy, truly happy after everything she had been through, might soften even him.
“Viktor is a good man. He has proven that a hundred times over. And you deserve this, whatever it is.”
Just then, my phone beeped and I checked the message that just came in from Luciano.
“How about I ask the hospital to shut down so you two could have enough space to gist some more?” He asked.
“I bet that is Luciano. Let’s go,” she said and I nodded my head, laughing.