Chapter 153

Third Person POV.

Elena stood outside her mother's hospital room, her heart heavy with guilt and sadness. She had just finished explaining to her mother what had happened to Richard, and the sight of her mother's tears had been more than she could bear.

She could hear her mother's tears even from outside the room, and Elena couldn't bring herself to witness her mother's pain any longer.

With a heavy heart, she left the room, leaving Martha in the care of Bianca, Amber, and their father, who were all trying their best to calm Martha down and keep her condition from worsening. But even as she walked away, the sound of her mother's sobs continued to haunt her, a reminder of the devastation she had caused her family because of her reckless plans.

Guilt gnawed at Elena's insides as she made her way back to the ICU, where Richard was. She knew that she was largely to blame for what had happened to her brother. It was her decision to release Marlene from prison and her misguided attempt to kill two birds with one stone. And now, because of her actions, Richard's life is hanging in the balance.

Tears stung Elena's eyes as she walked, threatening to spill over at any moment. She blinked them back furiously, unwilling to give in to the overwhelming tide of emotions she felt. To her, crying felt like a sign of weakness, and she has always taken pride in being very rational, with little to no empathy.

But despite her efforts to remain composed, tears began to trickle down her cheeks, silent and unstoppable. She wiped them away hastily, her frustration mounting with each passing moment. She couldn't afford to be weak—not now, not when her family needed her the most.

Elena continued to walk with heavy steps, her mind consumed by guilt and regret. She barely registered where she was headed, her gaze fixed on the ground as she trudged through the hospital corridors.

Suddenly, a voice pierced through the haze of her thoughts, calling out her name hastily. Elena's head snapped up, her heart skipping a beat as she recognized the familiar voice. Giovanni. Her second brother, whom she hadn't seen in over a year.

Relief flooded through Elena at the sight of Giovanni, her shoulders sagging as though her burden had been slightly relieved. She felt like she finally had someone to lean on, someone she didn't need to pretend to be strong in front of, and someone she knew was less emotional than she was. And with that realization, the floodgates of her emotions burst open, and tears streamed down her cheeks unchecked.

Giovanni stood at a distance, dressed in a simple black nightwear outfit and plain slippers. He had been in bed, about to go to sleep, when Bianca didn't stop calling him to tell him that Richard had been shot. Without bothering to change, he had requested the nearest pilot and rushed back to see his family.

The expression on his face was one of confusion as he watched his older sister break down before his eyes. He had never seen Elena cry before, not in all the years he had known her, and now, to see her in such a state of distress, shook him quite a bit.

He hesitated for a moment before closing the distance between them, his steps hesitant.

As he approached Elena, he crouched down beside her, meeting her tear-filled eyes with concern and confusion. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Elena struggled to compose herself, her sobs wracking her body as she tried to find the words to explain. "It's all my fault, Gio," she managed to choke out between sobs. "It's all my fault."

Giovanni furrowed his brows, his confusion deepening. "Is he... is Richard dead? Did he die?"

Elena recoiled at the question, her heart pounding with fear. "No, of course not, Gio!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with horror. "Don't say something so scary. Richard's still alive. He's still fighting to survive."

Giovanni's brow furrowed in confusion, his gaze searching Elena's tear-streaked face for answers. "Then why..." he began, trailing off as he struggled to make sense of the situation. "Why are you crying like he's already gone? You do realize that you're on the floor, weeping like we lost him, right?"

Elena felt a pang of guilt at Giovanni's words, realizing how her sudden outburst must have seemed to him. She wiped away her tears with trembling hands, her voice shaky as she tried to explain.

"My apologies," she whispered. "I just... I couldn't hold it in anymore. I just feel so bad for Richard. He doesn't deserve this, and it's all my fault."

Giovanni watched his older sister with a skeptical expression, his brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn't understand why Elena was blaming herself for Richard getting shot. It didn't make sense to him, but then again, Elena had always been unpredictable, capable of making rash decisions without thinking about the consequences.

With a resigned sigh, Giovanni reminded himself that Elena was unscrupulous, always willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted. There was a possibility that she had something to do with the situation, but he didn't care to find out. Right now, his priority was making sure that Richard and the rest of the family, specifically his mother, were going to be fine.

"Get up, Elena," he said. "And stop crying. It's embarrassing."

He reached out to help Elena up from the floor, his expression impatient. He didn't have time for his sister's emotional outbursts, not when there were more important matters to attend to.

"I came here to see Richard," he continued. "And to make sure the rest of the family is okay. I didn't come here to deal with you being a crybaby."

Elena scoffed at his words, but she wiped her tears away nonetheless, her pride stung by his dismissive attitude. She knew Giovanni had always been the more practical of the two of them, so his reaction didn't bother her.

"What about Mom?" Gio asked. "Has anyone told her?"

Elena nodded, her own worry for their mother resurfacing. "She's in the hospital as we speak," she replied. "She fainted when she heard about Richard, and now that she's awake, she hasn't stopped crying since."

Giovanni sighed. "Lead the way," he said quietly. "It seems I have to take over your role as the eldest for now."

"You have no idea how relieved I am that you're here," Elena admitted.

“Don’t piss me off,” Gio hissed in response.

Amber stood in Martha's hospital room, her heart heavy with worry for both Richard and Martha, who hadn't stopped crying. Alongside Bianca and her father-in-law, they tried to comfort Martha, but despite their efforts, Martha's tears flowed freely, and Amber was starting to get worried that Martha's heart condition could become fatal at the rate at which she kept beating her chest and crying.

Just then, the door to the room swung open, and in walked Elena, accompanied by a man Amber had never seen before. But even before Elena introduced him, Amber knew who he was.

The surprisingly striking resemblance to Bianca was impossible to miss, and she immediately knew he was Giovanni Romero, the brother-in-law she had only heard about.

Amber watched as Martha's eyes lit up at the sight of her eldest son, tears streaming down her face as she tried to get up from the bed to meet him. But Giovanni quickly intervened, his voice firm as he ordered everyone to halt.

"Don’t move," he commanded. "I want to speak to Mom alone. Everyone, out."

There was a moment of silence at Giovanni's command. Then, without a word, Raymond, Elena, and Bianca turned to leave, their expressions a mix of confusion and resignation. Amber hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to do. But when she saw everyone else obeying without question, she followed suit, casting one last glance at Martha before exiting the room.

Once they were alone, Martha looked up at her son, confusion etched on her tear-stained face. "Giovanni," she whispered. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to say. "Mom, I need you to listen to me," he said, his voice firm. "And I need you to listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once."

Martha nodded, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course, Gio," she replied. "I'm listening."

Giovanni hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "Do you actually remember?" he began. "Richard doesn't know about your heart condition."

Martha's confusion deepened at her son's words. "Of course I do. I didn't tell him about it," she replied tentatively. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Giovanni sighed, his frustration mounting with each passing moment. "It has everything to do with it, Mother," he replied, his tone tinged with impatience. "You're being irresponsible right now, and you need to stop."

Martha recoiled at her son's words, hurt flashing in her eyes. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

Giovanni took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm despite his rising frustration. "It's irresponsible of you to keep crying like this," he explained, his voice firm. "You do realize that you're only worsening your health and increasing the possibility of your condition becoming even more fatal, right?"

Martha's eyes widened in shock at her son's words, a realization dawning on her. "But I... I can't help it," she stammered. "I'm so scared, Giovanni. I don't know what I would do if I lost Richard. I can't lose another child. I won't be able to bear it."

His heart ached at the sight of his mother's distress, but he knew he had to be firm. "I understand, Mother," he said gently. "But for starters, Richard's still alive. He's not dead. He's fighting for his life right now, and he needs you to be strong. If something happens to you and Richard learns that it's because of him, he'll never forgive himself. You see how he is with Giorgia's death. Don't you think he'd be a lot worse if something happened to you? That idiot would lose himself for the rest of his life."

Tears welled up in Martha's eyes at her son's words, but she quickly wiped them away. She knew Giovanni had a point, and she couldn't afford to let her emotions get the best of her, not when Richard needed her the most.

"You're right, my dear," she whispered. "I can't let my little boy down."

“Good. Now wait here and get some rest, and I'll go check on Richard myself. I'll let you know if anything happens,” Gio instructed, walking out of the room.

As soon as he stepped out, he'd meet his family outside the door, noticing that they all looked like they were about to cry. "Listen to me, you guys," he began, his tone commanding. "I need you all to stop being babies and avoid crying in front of Mother or saying anything that might upset her. She's already under a lot of stress, and we can't afford to make things worse."

Elena and Bianca nodded, understanding what he meant.

To Amber's surprise, Giovanni's attention suddenly turned to her. She had assumed that he hadn't noticed her presence, or worse, that he didn't care. So when he called out her name, she was taken aback, unsure of what to expect.

"Amber, am I right?" Giovanni said. "Richard's wife?"

Amber nodded. "Yes, I am," she replied tentatively.

Without saying another word, Giovanni motioned for her to follow him, his expression unreadable. "Come with me immediately," he said simply. "We need to talk."