Chapter 177 WHAT IFS.
\~~~ALESSIA.
I slipped out of the ward as quietly as I could, the door clicking shut behind me with a soft sound that felt too loud in the heavy silence.
Inside, Raina lay still on the bed, her face pale against the white sheets, and machines beeping steadily like a grim heartbeat.
Luciano sat beside her, his broad shoulders slumped, one hand wrapped around hers as if letting go would shatter everything.
He hadn't moved since the doctor let him in, his eyes fixed on her face, waiting for the moment she woke up.
His shirt was still rumpled from the chaos earlier, stained with her blood in places, and his face, God, his face was a mask of raw pain I had never seen before.
This was the first time I had witnessed my brother like this.
Luciano, the unbreakable one, the man who commanded rooms with a single look and buried his grief under layers of steel. I had never seen him shed a tear, not even when our mother died.
That day, he had stood tall at the funeral, his jaw set, holding me up when I crumbled.
But now? Tears had carved tracks down his cheeks earlier, and even in the dim light of the ward, I could see the redness in his eyes, and the way his free hand clenched and unclenched on his knee.
This loss, the baby, the assault, all of it was going to break them.
Break him and Raina in ways that might never heal. The thought twisted in my chest like a knife, making it hard to breathe.
I closed the door fully and leaned against it for a second, drawing in a shaky breath. The hospital hallway stretched out, sterile and endless, with its flickering lights and distant echoes of footsteps. I needed air, or space, or just... him. My feet carried me forward almost on their own, turning the corner where I knew Viktor would be waiting.
He was there, of course, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, and his tall frame a solid presence in the chaos. His eyes met mine immediately, dark and searching, and before either of us could speak, I closed the space between us.
We hugged right away, his arms wrapping around me strong and sure, pulling me into his chest. I buried my face against his shirt, inhaling the familiar scent of him.
I stayed there for so long, longer than I meant to, letting his warmth seep into me. The tension in my body eased just a fraction, the weight on my shoulders feeling lighter for the first time since we'd rushed Raina into surgery.
I'd been running on fumes all day, coordinating with the men, holding Luciano together, and pushing down my own fear. But now, in Viktor's embrace, I could finally let a sliver of exhaustion show.
I had never felt so worn out in just one day. My bones ached, my eyes burned, and my mind replayed the horror on a loop. Raina's bloodied clothes, Marco, the monster, and the doctor's grave words about the baby.
Viktor shifted slightly, his hand rubbing slow circles on my back. “Are you okay?” he asked softly as we finally broke the hug, his voice low.
“Yes, I'm okay,” managed a small nod, but then I shook my head, glancing back toward the ward door. “But my brother…”
Viktor's expression softened, a rare crack in his tough exterior.
“I am worried for him too,” he breathed out, his hand lingering on my arm.
We moved to the bench just down the hall, the hard plastic cool against my legs as we sat. I laced my fingers through his, holding on tight, our palms pressing together like an anchor. The hallway was quiet now, late night settling over the hospital, but the silence amplified everything.
I stared at our joined hands, tracing the scars on his knuckles.
“ lost my chance at being an aunt,” I broke softly, my voice cracking as a sniff escaped.
The tears I'd been holding back all day, the ones I'd swallowed to stay strong for Luciano, welled up now, hot and insistent.
“Sia…” Viktor murmured, his thumb fondling the back of my hand in gentle strokes, trying to soothe.
“My brother... he almost became a dad.” The words hung there, heavy and unreal.
I couldn't help but wonder how different this could have been. If Talia and Marco hadn't schemed, if we had found Raina sooner, and if the call had come earlier.
We could have been celebrating the news of the pregnancy right now, and having Luciano's face light up with that rare, genuine smile, and Raina glowing with excitement, and then all of us toasting to new life in our fractured world.
Instead, we were here, surrounded by loss and shadows.
That child could have brought light to the rest of the darkened world my brother lived in. The violence, the betrayals, and the endless cycle of revenge.
A little piece of hope, innocent and bright, to pull him from the edge.
The what-ifs crashed over me, and I couldn't hold it together anymore. “Come here,” Viktor said, his voice rough with emotion as he turned and pulled me into another hug.
I went willingly, curling into him, and then the dam broke.
Tears burst out, hot and profuse, soaking his shirt as sobs shook my body. My fingers dug into his back, clutching the fabric like a lifeline, nails pressing hard enough to leave marks.
He held me through it all, one hand cradling my head, the other stroking my hair, whispering nonsense words of comfort that I barely heard over my own cries.
It felt like ages before the storm eased, my breath coming in hiccups as I pulled back. I wiped my tears with the heel of my hand, smearing them across my cheek, and looked up at him. His eyes were steady, patient, even as his own grief flickered there. “Talia?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
Viktor's jaw tightened, but he nodded. “They got her too. She is in custody now, along with Marco.”
He paused, his gaze hardening. “Everyone will pay for this. Everyone. So don't worry about that part. We will handle it,” He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, his lips warm against my cooled skin.
Then he hugged me again, tighter this time, as if he could shield me from the pain.
I leaned into him, letting the reassurance sink in.
Talia, Raina's own sister, the one who'd orchestrated so much of this nightmare, would face justice. It wouldn't bring back the baby or erase the scars, but it was a start.
For now, in this quiet corner of the hospital, with Viktor by my side, I could breathe a little easier. Luciano and Raina would need us when she woke, and we'd be there.
Stronger together, piecing what was left back into something whole.