Chapter 92 I KNEW…
\~~~RAINA.
I woke up slowly, like my body wasn’t sure it wanted to return yet.
Everything felt heavy. My arms, my legs, and even my eyelids felt like work. There was a dull ache in my head, not sharp, just there and constant, reminding me that something terrible had happened.
I tried to move my fingers, and they twitched.
Oh, yeah, I am alive.
The ceiling above me was familiar, though it took a few seconds for my mind to catch up.
My gaze shifted, and that was when I saw the IV standing beside the bed and my brows pulled together in confusion.
An IV?
Before I could think deeper, a voice cut through my thoughts.
“You’re awake!”
That’s when I realized I wasn’t alone. Someone was in the room with me and I turned my head slightly, my neck stiff and sore.
It was Alessia. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with worry, but she smiled as our gazes met.
“Luciano!” she hollered, her voice echoing a bit in the quiet space. Then she swallowed, turning back to me.
“Water,” I whispered, my throat painfully dry
“Right—water, water!” Alessia rushed to the table like she’d been waiting for that exact request. She grabbed the jar, poured water into a cup with slightly shaky hands, and then came back to me quickly.
“Here,” she said gently.
She slid one arm behind my back and helped me sit up slowly. My head spun a little, but her grip was firm, careful. She held the cup to my lips, watching closely as I drank.
God, the water tasted like life itself.
“Are you good? I will get your husband now. He just left here. I think he’s with the guys or something,” she said, setting the cup down and turning to leave.
But I reached out, my fingers grabbing the tip of her clothing desperately.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Y… yes. I am just…” I breathed out, looking around the room again.
God.
I had no idea how much I loved this room until now.
My bedroom… Our bedroom.
The soft cream walls, the thick curtains, the familiar furniture, but more than anything, the scent.
Vanilla mixed with chocolate wrapped around me like a warm embrace and I inhaled deeply, my chest rising as I took it in.
For the first time, it felt like home.
I wanted to sink into it, disappear into it, and pretend nothing else existed outside these walls.
Tears pricked at my eyes, but I blinked them back.
“You must have been so shaken. I am so sorry you had to experience something so ugly as that,” Alessia said, groaning softly. She reached out and gently adjusted my hair, tucking a stray strand behind my ear.
I smiled softly at her, even though my chest felt tight.
I was waiting..
Waiting for the questions and waiting for her to look at me differently.
I was waiting for her to ask me who I really was, and to ask why I was here.
To ask why I had lied and why I had taken her sister’s place.
I had prepared myself the moment I woke up and saw her face.
I was ready.
I swear, I could take anything right now.
But her kindness right now… it scared me more than anger would have.
“Alessia,” I said, finally ready to break the ice if she wouldn’t.
“Yes, babe? Do you need anything? Luciano? He should be here soon. He just…”
“Alessia, I…” I started, shaking my head. The words stuck in my throat, heavy with the weight of what I had to say.
But Alessia stared at me keenly, her expression softening.
“I know you have que…”
“Is she awake?!” Luciano’s voice cut me off as he barged into the room. I breathed out in disappointment, my chest tightening.
Not yet. I wasn’t ready for this interruption.
“Yes, I was just going to get you.” Alessia pulled away, stepping back.
I could swear that I stopped breathing for a second when Luciano crossed the room to where I was. He moved with that purposeful stride of his, his face a mask of worry. He placed his palm on my forehead, his touch warm and familiar. It sent a shiver through me, a mix of comfort and dread.
“Thank God,” he breathed out, his voice rough, like he’d been holding it in for hours.
“I should get going now,” Alessia said, glancing at her wristwatch. “I will check on you tomorrow on my way to work, okay? Please, rest well, and don’t think too much, okay? Luciano…” She called his name, and he turned around to look at her.
“Sure, get home safely. Viktor is waiting to drop you off.”
She nodded her head, gave me one last concerned look, and then turned out of the room. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving a heavy silence.
And now, it was just him and me in the room.
My grip tightened around the duvet, my knuckles turning white. The fabric was soft under my fingers, but it did nothing to ease the knot in my stomach.
Luciano stood up and moved over to the IV stand. He checked the bag, adjusting something with a practiced hand, as though he understood all of it.
“It is almost done. Then, you’ll be able to move freely. Are you hungry? The chefs make a variety of meals. What do you want?” he asked, returning to my side. His eyes met mine, but they were guarded, and warm. A gaze I was not used to.
There it was again.
That tone, and that normalcy!
Like nothing was wrong.
“Luciano…” I started, shaking my head. My heart pounded, each beat echoing the betrayal I felt swirling inside.
“What will you eat? The doctor advised that you eat well and rest well too. So, what are…”
“We should talk!” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. The frustration bubbled over, hot and urgent.
He paused.
Then he sighed lightly.
“No,” he said softly. “What we should do is make sure you eat.”
God.
This was driving me insane.
“Not until we talk about this,” I said, my voice shaking now. “Luciano, you are…”
“And will that change the fact that you lied about your whole identity?” he interrupted, a quiet chuckle escaping him as he stood up straight.
My heart dropped.
“Will you have porridge first? Chicken soup? Or…”
“How long have you known?” I asked sharply.
He smacked his lips and shook his head.
“Raina.”
For the first time, I hated hearing my actual name from his lips.
For the first time, I wished he’d call me… Talia.
Or the usual words of endearment.
Solynshiko, or sunshine.
But, not Raina.
It sounded like judgment, like distance, and like proof of my betrayal.
“H… how long have you known…?” I asked again, my voice breaking, on the verge of tears.
My eyes welled up, blurring my vision of his face.
“Right before you walked down the aisle, baby.”
“Y… you…” The words caught in my throat, shock freezing me in place.
“I knew you were not Talia the moment I saw you in that wedding dress. I knew it was you, Raina.”
The room went completely still.
It felt like all the air had been sucked out at once.
No way.
No way at all.