Reconciliation
The voices I hear take a while to make sense.
I feel like my head is underwater; I hear someone talking, but I don't fully understand.
Gradually, everything becomes clearer, and I realize it's my family, and they seem nervous.
"If you're going to fight with her, go away," I hear Grandpa's voice as soon as I wake up.
"I don't want to get scolded," I say before opening my eyes. "The pain in my body is punishment enough."
I open my eyes and I'm lying on my stomach; I see my family near my hospital bed.
"But maybe you deserve a scolding, and your grandfather, a few spankings," Grandma says angrily, but I see relief in her eyes.
"Is everyone alright?" I ask, and Grandpa confirms.
"How are you feeling?" Matteo asks, approaching.
"Terrible," I reply with a smile and try to turn to sit up.
A sharp pain runs through my back and private parts, making me groan.
Matteo comes to help me, and I wave my hand, indicating that I've given up trying to move.
"I'll get you a painkiller," he says, and I say I'm fine, but we both know it's a lie.
"Elena, the discomfort in your body will pass," Aunt Andreia says softly, and I wipe away the tears streaming down my face.
"I was reckless, but I'm glad we managed to finish them off," I say, relieved. "I'm glad we don't have to worry about the war or that family of monsters anymore."
"I don't know what you were thinking, and however reckless it may have been, know that we are proud of your courage in defending the family," Uncle Carlo says.
"Never do that again," Grandma scolds me.
"I promise," I say sincerely.
I really will never have ideas like that again.
Yes, we destroyed the American mafia, but the price I paid for it was too high, and I'll never do it again.
“We are grateful for what you did and for thinking of the family.” I hear Lorenzo's voice, and I hadn't seen him in the room.
My heart fills with joy and I cry again.
“But if you do that again, you'll never leave the house. Grandpa may be the oldest, but I'm your legal guardian and I'll lock you in your room if I have to,” Lorenzo says angrily.
“I missed you, brother,” I say, sobbing. “I promise I'll never do it again.”
Lorenzo comforts me and I enjoy his affection as I calm down.
“Sister,” Luca calls me and approaches.
Everyone is silent, waiting for what he will say. I can remember every word he said to me the last time he saw me.
I look at him and see the letter in his hand.
I had completely forgotten that I had written a letter to each of them before leaving.
"I'm so sorry for everything I said to you, nothing I say will justify how I acted towards you," Luca says, and I just listen. "I want to ask for your forgiveness, and I understand if you can't forgive me."
I carefully consider his words and smile calmly.
"I told Leonardo once, and I'll tell you now," I look at him, "Forgiveness is more for those who choose to forgive than for those who are forgiven."
My grandmother nods in agreement.
"I was upset with all of you, I won't lie," I say sincerely. "The decision to go with Christopher was partly because I didn't care about dying."
"Elena," Luca says calmly.
"None of you disagreed with him when he accused me, and all I thought was that you agreed with him." My words leave everyone thoughtful.
“We never considered you a problem,” Vicente says. “A challenge, yes, but like any other teenager.”
“I’m sorry if I made you feel that way, if I left our family so speechless that you thought you agreed with me,” Luca says, kneeling down to my level. “Forgive me.”
I stare at him for a moment before speaking.
“I forgave you a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go back to being the same with you,” I say, and he nods.
“Can I try to regain your trust?” he asks, and I nod.
I continue talking to them until my body can no longer bear the pain and I need to ask Matteo for medicine.
He injects something into my vein and, minutes later, I’m falling into a deep sleep.
Two weeks later, I leave the hospital. As soon as we leave, Dante takes me straight to McDonald's, and I declare that he's my favorite brother.
He spoils me, and when I'm satisfied, he takes me home.
When we arrive, I see that the kitchen has already been rebuilt and that security has also been reduced.
As soon as I enter the house, I see a welcome banner stretched from one corner of the main entrance to the other, and I hear everyone's voices in the living room.
My brothers hug me affectionately when I enter, and I see Anabela running to hug me too.
"I missed you," she says, squeezing me tightly. "My brothers told me everything."
"I missed you too," I reply, returning the hug.
I talk to her for a whole hour; she tells me what she did with the family during this period.
Anabela, like me, was out of school; she continued with online classes and went to her country.
I tell her everything that happened while I was away, and she adds information she heard from her brothers.
I tell her about Dominic, and she's overjoyed for me and tells me she's also seeing someone.
I try to get her to tell me who it is, but she avoids the subject and promises to tell me soon.
My attention is diverted from Anabela when Dominic arrives at the party.
He searches everywhere until he finds me.
I see him assessing me, and my stomach churns with anxiety. He approaches, and Anabela quickly finds something else to do.
"Hello, my angel," he says in a gentle, calm tone.
I found out he was there when I was rescued, and I'm sure of it. He won all the points he needed with my aunts and my grandmother.
"Hi," I say with a silly smile on my face.
He hugs me, not caring about the presence of my family around me.
I can hear my grandmother's voice ordering none of my siblings to dare intrude between us.
Dominic laughs in my ear and pulls me toward the entrance.
I walk with him to the shooting range area in silence.
When we stop, he smiles at me as if I were his ray of sunshine, and my face flushes with embarrassment.
"I was so worried," he says, caressing my face. "You were reckless, and that video... I was scared."
"I'm here now," I say, holding his hand that's on my cheek.
"I'll make sure you never leave me as desperate as you left my angel," Dominic says, and I stare at him confused.
"What do you have in mind?" I ask, challenging him.
"Marriage," he says, and I stare at him in surprise. "You don't have to accept now, let's get to know each other better first, although I'm already sure I want to share the rest of my life with you." My heart warms and I look at him with admiration.
"Are you sure about this?" I ask, and he smiles lovingly.
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life, my angel," he says and kisses me.
He starts slowly, but soon becomes more passionate, and then I kiss him back.
When we separate, I'm breathless and blushing.
"I accept your proposal, my Don," I say, looking at him with love.
Dominic entered my life quietly, but little by little he drew closer, and with gestures, love, and companionship, he won an important place in my life.
And as he said, I won't go anywhere without him in my life.