Chapter 58 LOVE IN OUR HEARTS
••Roman••
I opened my eyes slowly. I was welcomed by pain in my body. My ribs screamed as soon as I tried to shift. My shoulder felt like it had been set on fire, and my legs throbbed like a living thing. I sucked in a breath and froze.
Every single part of me hurt.
I’ve been through worse, but pain never gets easier. No one becomes immune to it. The body remembers every injury like a bitter diary entry. Each scar is a reminder.
I stayed still for a moment, letting the wave pass. Counting my breaths like a soldier counting bullets.
In. Out. In. Out.
I turned my head. Luciana wasn’t beside me. I got worried for half a second before I saw her on the couch. She sat there, slumped forward, a book resting on her lap, her head hanging like sleep had dragged her under without permission. One hand still held the edge of the page like she fought sleep and lost.
She must have moved there while I was fast asleep.
Why the couch? The bed was big enough for both of us. More than big enough. Just knowing she was there would have been enough.
I watched her quietly.
Her head dipped forward. Stopped. Dipped again. She jerked slightly and rubbed her eyes, then looked up. Confused for a second, like she forgot where she was.
Our eyes met. I smiled without thinking.
“You’re awake!” she said immediately, standing up and rushing to my side. “How do you feel?”
“Better,” I said.
She snorted. “That’s a pure lie. First aid and painkillers don’t fix bruises overnight, Mr. Tough Guy.” Her brows lifted like she was cross examining a criminal.
“I am deeply offended by your lack of faith,” I murmured.
“You should be offended by your body condition,” she replied. “You look like you fought a truck and lost.”
I tried to lift my hand to surrender. A big mistake. Pain shot through my arm and I dropped it with a groan.
She clicked her tongue. “Caught you.”
She brought a bowl of water and a towel, then started cleaning my skin gently. Her fingers moved carefully, like I was made of glass. Every time she dabbed a bruise, my jaw clenched. Her touch was soothing, but the pain wasn’t. The contrast was unfair.
“You’re pressing like you’re polishing a trophy,” I muttered.
“I am trying not to kill you,” she replied. “Hold still.”
“I am very still. Internally screaming, but still.”
She almost smiled.
I studied her face. Her eyes were swollen. She must have been crying. The skin under them held that faint dark shade.
She froze for half a second. “Will you stop staring?”
“Your eyes,” I murmured.
“Oh. It’s nothing.” She rubbed them with the back of her palm. “Hold still.”
Nothing never looks like that. I wanted to tell her I knew it wasn’t nothing. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for the mess she was pulled into. I wanted to tell her she did not deserve any of this, but I couldn't utter the words.
“Fvck,” I muttered.
“What?”
“I need to pee.”
She blinked. “Okay. Let me help you to the bathroom.”
“No commentary? No jokes? I expected at least one insult.”
“Save your strength,” she said. “You’ll need it.”
She slid an arm around my waist and another under my arm. I leaned heavily into her, the way she groaned I know my weight was too much on her small body. Still, she held on stubbornly. Step by step. Slow and careful. We took slow steps, and every step felt like I was walking on broken glass.
“If I fall, you fall,” I said.
“If you fall, I’ll drag you,” she replied.
“That's not romantic.” I teased.
We made it to the bathroom. She turned to leave.
I smirked. “Won’t you help me with the zip?”
She shot me a look sharp enough to kill. “You can do that yourself.”
“Cruel woman.”
She slammed the door behind her.
I laughed quietly, and regretted it immediately my ribs started hurting. Even my laughter had consequences now.
••Luciana••
I spent the whole day in the room with Roman. He slept most of the time. When he woke up, it was only to eat and take his meds. He barely complained, but I could see the pain written all over his face. It showed in the tightness around his mouth. The way he breathed slower before moving.
Each time he drifted off, I found myself watching him to make sure his breathing stayed steady. I did not plan to worry this much, but my heart ignored my plans.
In the afternoon, he stirred and looked at me.
“I want to hear from Theo,” he said.
I picked up his phone and FaceTimed Theo.
First ring.
Nothing.
Second ring.
A maid’s face appeared on the screen. “One moment.”
Then Theo appeared.
His face was swollen. A cut ran across his left ear. His cheek looked bruised. His composure was there, but damage signed the surface.
My chest tightened.
“How are you holding up?” Roman asked.
“I’m fine,” Theo replied, straight faced, keeping that mafia composure.
I grabbed the phone from Roman. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, madame,” he replied.
I frowned. “I told you to stop calling me madame.”
He smiled faintly. “Sorry, Luci.”
“You’re hurt too.”
“It’s nothing serious.” he shrugged.
“That is what you'll say." I replied.
Theo gave a small smile. “Everything is under control."
After the call ended, the room felt quieter again.
“Why haven’t Nadia and Mildred come to check up?” I asked Roman after the call ended.
“Because they don’t know.” he simply said as though it meant nothing.
“Why? They’re family.”
“Not all matters are shared with the family,” he said. “It would only make them worry more. Especially Mildred. She’d treat me like a baby.”
“That sounds like her already,” I said.
“She would sit right there and supervise my breathing.”
I laughed.
He drifted back to sleep not long after. The meds were doing their job. His face finally relaxed fully, the tension leaving like a tide going out.
I picked up the novel I’d been reading. I flipped a page.
Chapter 21 – LOVE IN OUR HEARTS.
I smiled faintly at the title. The irony sat right in front of me like a joke only life understood. Love never arrives clean. It arrives with bruises, secrets, and inconvenient timing.
Life wasn't funny like that.