58

58
Azalea
“Are you ready, honey?” Adriano asked as he walked into our bedroom. I turned around to face him, my breath catching in my throat.
He wore a perfectly fitted black suit that made his dark eyes look even more intense. His hair was styled back, and he looked like he had stepped out of a magazine.
“Are you done looking?” he teased, his lips curving into that knowing smile that always made my heart skip.
Heat rushed to my cheeks as I quickly looked away. “What do you mean?” I pretended not to understand, but we both knew I had been staring.
He crossed the room in two quick steps and wrapped his strong arms around my waist from behind. “You know exactly what I mean,” he whispered against my ear.
His warm breath on my neck sent shivers down my spine. My heart was beating so fast I was sure he could feel it through my back.
When I turned in his arms, Adriano stared deep into my eyes. “Honey,” he said softly, and something in his voice made my knees weak.
My face felt like it was on fire. My whole body seemed to burn under his gaze.
“Let me go,” I managed to say, even though part of me never wanted him to let go.
“Really?” He raised one eyebrow, that playful smirk still on his face. “Are you sure about that?” He leaned even closer until I could see the gold flecks in his eyes.
I tried to think clearly. “Yes. Let go of me.”
“Okay,” he muttered. “As you wish.”
The moment he stepped back, I felt empty and cold. I missed his warmth immediately.
“I can see you’re disappointed,” he added with a laugh. I spun around quickly, muttering words under my breath that would make my grandmother roll over in her grave.
“Stop teasing me,” I muttered, trying to fix my hair and straighten my dress. “Let’s go. We’ll be late.”
“Of course, darling.” He took my hand gently, his fingers fitting perfectly between mine.
“Sir, everything is ready for takeoff,” the pilot said as we approached the private plane.
“Thank you, Marcus.” Adriano squeezed my hand as he led me up the steps into the most beautiful airplane I had ever seen.
The inside looked like a luxury hotel room, with cream leather seats and polished wood tables. I had never been on a plane before, let alone one like this.
Our flight to Switzerland was like a dream. For the first time in my twenty years of life, I was flying above the clouds. The sky was the most amazing shade of blue, with white clouds that looked like cotton balls floating below us. I couldn’t stop taking pictures with my phone.
We were supposed to leave last night, but Adriano had to handle some urgent business problems at the last minute. Part of me was happy about the delay because flying during the day meant I could see all of this beauty.
“You need to eat something,” Adriano said, bringing me a plate of fresh fruit and sandwiches. “You’ve been taking videos for the past hour.”
“I’ll eat after I finish this,” I replied, trying to capture the perfect shot of the mountains below.
“At least eat something now,” he insisted.
“Thank you.” I took the plate from him and ate a few bites of the delicious sandwich before going back to my phone.
“I thought we could spend time together on this flight,” he stated, sounding a little hurt. “Talk, laugh, maybe even steal a few kisses. But it seems like I’m the only one interested.”
I looked at him and saw something sad in his eyes. “Maybe later,” I said softly, reaching out to trace small circles on his chest with my finger.
He caught his breath. “Stop playing with fire, honey,” he warned, grabbing my hand. “You won’t be able to handle what happens next.”
“Really?” I teased, pressing closer to him until our bodies were touching.
A soft sound escaped his lips. “Do you want to find out?”
He leaned down to kiss me, but at the last second, I turned away and looked out the window again.
“How beautiful the view is,” I said innocently.
“You... you...” he started to say, but then the captain’s voice came over the speaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our descent into Geneva, Switzerland.”
My heart jumped. After all these years of worry and fear, we were finally here. My sister Amira was going to get the surgery that would save her life.
“Let’s go,” I said, grabbing his hand this time. “I can’t wait to see my sister.”
Adriano smiled, all traces of frustration gone from his face. “Let’s go save your sister.”
Switzerland was even more beautiful than the pictures I had seen online. The air was clean and fresh, and snow-covered mountains surrounded the city. Everything looked like it came from a fairy tale.
Adriano led me through the airport to a waiting car that took us to the best private hospital in the country. My hands shook with nervousness as we walked through the glass doors.
“Good morning, Mr. Giordani,” the doctors greeted Adriano with respectful bows.
“Good morning, Dr. Weber, Dr. Martinez,” Adriano replied. “This is my wife, Azalea.”
My heart fluttered when he called me his wife.
“Mrs. Giordani,” they greeted me with warm smiles. “We’ve been preparing for your sister’s surgery all morning.”
“Can I see her before you start?” I asked, my voice shaking.
The doctors looked at each other. “The patient is being prepared for surgery right now,” Dr. Weber explained kindly. “But you can see her for a few minutes if you’d like.”
“Yes, please,” I whispered.
They led us down a long hallway to a room where my little sister lay on a bed. She looked so small and pale, with tubes and wires connected to her arms. But when she saw me, her face lit up with the brightest smile.
“Sister!” she said weakly. “You came!”
I rushed to her side and took her hand. “Of course I came, silly. How are you feeling?”
“Scared,” she admitted. “But excited too. The doctors say after today, I’ll be able to run and play like other teenagers.”
Tears filled my eyes. Our parents died in a car accident, and Amira got sick. Since then, I had worked three jobs just to pay for her medications and doctor visits. But this surgery cost more money than I could make in ten years.
“Don’t worry, little sister,” he said, sitting on the other side of her bed. “You have the best doctors in the world taking care of you.”
“Who are you?” Amira asked.
“My husband,” I responded with a smile. “This is your brother-in-law. He paid for this surgery.”
“Thank you for helping my sister save me.”