CHAPTER 309
ATTENTION, PLEASE!!!
CHANGES IN CHAPTER 308,
IF YOU READ CHAPTER 308 ON 11/22/2023, I RECOMMEND YOU GO BACK.
OTHERWISE, PROCEED ONLY!
***
Finally, emerging from the shadows and smoke, Giovanni and Luca appeared, carrying Rocco between them. His figure was unconscious, the heavy body in the arms of the brothers. Sofia ran towards them, her heart tight with worry.
“Where is Vittorio?” she asked immediately, her eyes searching for an answer in Giovanni and Luca's tired faces.
Giovanni lowered his eyes, the expression grim. “We couldn't find him.”
The news hit Sofia like a punch to the stomach. She felt the chill of loss starting to creep in, but denial quickly took over.
“What? No, he must be in there. They have to get him out!” Sofia exclaimed, her voice mixing desperation and determination.
Luca looked at her with sadness in his eyes. “The flames, Sofia... they took over everything. We couldn't find him.”
The words echoed like a somber echo in Sofia's heart. She stared at the warehouse in flames, powerless against the destructive power of fire.
“It doesn't matter,” she said, trying to cling to hope. “We need to get Vittorio out of there.”
Giovanni firmly held Sofia's shoulders, his eyes reflecting painful compassion. “Sofia, maybe it's time to face reality. The flames were too intense. We can't be sure if...”
Sofia interrupted, refusing to accept the possibility. “No! Vittorio is in there, and we need to find him. Now!”
Luca nodded, sharing the visible pain on his face. “Let's keep searching. We won't leave any corner unexplored.”
The three siblings returned to the warehouse, ignoring the imminent danger of the flames roaring around them. Each step was a battle against the scorching heat, but determination persisted.
The interior of the warehouse was a scene of destruction, with charred debris and flames devouring everything that remained. Amidst the thick smoke, they searched every inch, calling Vittorio's name in the hope of hearing his response.
Time dragged painfully, and despair grew with each passing second. The flames roared like cruel witnesses, keeping Vittorio's fate shrouded in mystery.
Finally, after an exhaustive search, Giovanni, Luca, and Sofia gathered outside the burning warehouse. Their faces reflected physical and emotional exhaustion.
“We found nothing,” Giovanni said with a choked voice.
Sofia looked at the warehouse, now completely consumed by fire. “He might have managed to get out another way. He must be outside.”
Luca put a hand on Sofia's shoulder, offering comfort. “Sofia, we need to accept the possibility that...”
“No!” she interrupted vehemently. “I won't accept it. Vittorio is out there somewhere. We can't give up on him.”
Giovanni lowered his head, understanding his sister's reluctance to accept the feared truth.
“Sofia, I know how you feel, but we have to be realistic. The flames were devastating. Vittorio might...”
Sofia interrupted, glaring furiously at Giovanni. “No, Giovanni. We can't give up on him. He wouldn't give up on us.”
United by the unbreakable bond of family, the brothers resumed the search, facing not only the voracious flames around them but also the unknown that now stretched before them.
***
MONTHS LATER...
Ellis, modest, thanked the attendees for their words. She looked at each face of Vittorio's cousins, one by one, searching for the one she so eagerly longed to see.
“Where is he?” Ellis asked, anxious.
Sofia met Ellis's eyes with compassion and answered gently, “Upstairs.”
A tearful smile lit up Ellis's face. She thanked everyone, excusing herself to leave. With determined steps, she left the living room behind and started her journey through the corridors of Casa Atellani, climbing up to the second floor.
Each step reignited memories of when she had walked that same path with Vittorio on another occasion. A sigh escaped her lips as she ascended to the third floor, where a terrace and a garden awaited.
Ellis climbed another flight of stairs, reaching the third floor. The terrace and garden stretched before her, and anxiety grew within her. She had waited for this moment for so long.
Walking along the terrace, she approached a sculpture, and there, with his back to her, was he, in a dark suit that enhanced his imposing figure, and his black hair carefully aligned. The sight of him made Ellis's heart race.
She approached slowly, her heart beating faster with each step. When she was a few steps away from him, she whispered softly, “Did I take too long?”
“An eternity, Miss Barker.”
Ellis felt a shiver run down her spine as the words reverberated in the air. Vittorio Amorielle turned, revealing his face, and their eyes finally met. It was as if time had stretched and, at the same time, shortened before the long-awaited reunion.
Ellis couldn't contain the emotion shining in her eyes as she ran into the arms of the man she loved. Vittorio enveloped her in his strong arms, and the world around them seemed to disappear.
“Forgive me for taking so long, but I hope you'll be pleased with the Plan B I've secured for us,” Ellis whispered, losing herself in Vittorio's dark eyes.
He nodded, wordless, but the intensity of his gaze said it all. Without further delay, he leaned in to kiss her, sealing the long-awaited reunion. Ellis's lips met his in a mixture of longing and restrained passion, and time seemed to freeze as they surrendered to the warmth of the moment.
Vittorio lifted her in his arms with surprising ease, and the world around them seemed to disappear. Ellis wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips eager to meet his. The moment she had waited for so long finally unfolded before her.
“Hello, Mrs. Amorielle,” Vittorio said, his eyes expressing the intensity of all the love he held for her.
A smile lit up Ellis's face, and she replied affectionately, “Hello, Vitinho.”
The terrace witnessed the reunion of two hearts destined to beat in unison, as the love between Ellis Barker and Vittorio Amorielle flourished like a rare flower in the forbidden garden of their lives.