Chapter 221 We Can’t Go Back

Chapter 221 We Can’t Go Back
ADRIAN

If Alessandro really met up with Elara, why didn’t she tell me? The thought kept repeating in my head, louder each time, like it refused to leave me alone. I was her elder brother, the person who was supposed to protect her, the one she should come to when something was wrong. She should have told me everything every single thing about Alessandro, what he said, what he did, what he wanted.

I looked at Costa and lowered my voice as my eyes drifted toward the VIP hospital room. “Keep it low. She might be hearing us,” I said.

Costa let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “If only she could hear us, I would fucking be happy,” he replied. “But she’s in there. She’s been unconscious for two weeks. She can’t hear anything.”

My jaw tightened at that.

Two weeks.

Two weeks of watching Mia lie there without opening her eyes. Two weeks of sitting with the same question every day if she would ever wake up.

Then my attention shifted as I noticed someone approaching. “I’m leaving,” I said. Costa turned toward me and asked where I was going, but I didn’t answer him because I already knew.

I needed to see Alessandro, and I needed him to understand one thing that he was not coming near my sister again.

I walked away from the hospital and headed straight to the parking lot. My footsteps felt heavier with every step, but my decision was already made.

I got into my car, started the engine, and pulled out my phone, my finger hovering over his name for a second before I pressed call. The phone rang once, then twice, and on the third ring he answered.

“Meet me at our usual spot,” I said.

I didn’t wait for a response. I ended the call.

The drive felt longer than usual, each street I passed dragging up pieces of the past I wished I could forget everything that changed, everything that broke, the person Alessandro used to be before it all fell apart.

I drove straight to the Moretti family beach.

Our beach.

The place where we used to stand for hours talking like nothing could ever touch us, like nothing could ever break what we had. But everything did.

When I arrived, he was already there. His car sat near the shore, and he stood in the exact spot we used to stand together.

Alessandro was alone, waiting.

I parked the car and stepped out, walking toward him. He didn’t turn immediately.

“I’ve been expecting you,” he said.

His calmness irritated me, like he wasn’t the reason everything between us had been destroyed, like he didn’t carry the same blood on his hands that I did.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need words.

My fist moved before my anger could settle, landing hard against his face. He stumbled back, catching himself as a low groan escaped him.

Then he looked at me and hit me back, the impact forcing me to step back. I wiped my mouth and glared at him.

“How dare you,” I said, my voice low with anger.

A small smirk appeared on his face even with blood at the corner of his lips.

“Let’s finish this fight once and for all.”

I charged forward again, my fist connecting with him as I said through clenched teeth, “This fight between us can never finish.” He breathed heavily, looking at me with tired eyes.

“I shot you. Fine. I did that,” he said. “But I didn’t know Mira and my brother were the ones controlling everything.”

His voice lowered as he spoke.

“I told you I’m sorry. I killed your parents, and I’m sorry for that. If I could go back and change it, I would.”

The waves crashed behind us, but neither of us moved. We just stood there two people who used to trust each other, two people who had lost too much.

“What if I didn’t survive?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger. “What if I died that day?”

His expression shifted.

“But you survived, Adrian,” he replied. “You also shot me. I almost died too.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The anger was still there, the pain still there, but so were the memories.

Then his voice softened as he spoke, “I’m sorry, Adrian. I’m really sorry.” He looked away afterward, his expression heavy with regret. “Please forgive me. I miss us. I miss how we used to do things together.”

My chest tightened, because I did miss it. I missed the friendship, and I missed the person I thought he was.

But some things couldn’t be fixed. I walked closer to him and said quietly, “We can never be together again. It’s not possible.” His eyes lifted to mine as I spoke.

“Stay away from Elara,” I continued. “No matter what happens, I will never allow her to be with you.”

A laugh escaped him, but it wasn’t a happy one it was cold. “That’s not possible,” he said as his eyes hardened. “I love her. I will win her back.” He stepped closer. “So just back off.”

I stared at him and warned again, my voice turning colder, “Stay away from my sister.”

He didn’t look away. “She has the right to decide that, Adrian,” he replied calmly. “Not you choosing for her.”