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59
Azalea
After a few more minutes, the nurses came to take Amira to the operating room. I kissed her forehead and told her I loved her.
“Thank you,” I said to Adriano as soon as we were alone in the waiting room. I bowed my head low. “Thank you for this miracle.”
“What are you doing?” Adriano asked, his voice sharp with worry. “Don’t bow to me. Please.”
Tears started falling down my face. “I have to thank you,” I sobbed. “You don’t understand. Since our parents died, I’ve been working day and night just to keep her alive. I sold everything we owned. I worked as a mall attendant in the morning, a waitress at night, and a babysitter on weekends. But it was never enough.”
I pointed to the red sign on the operating room door that said “Surgery in Progress.”
“Right now, they’re saving her life because of you. If you hadn’t come into my life...” I couldn’t finish the sentence. The thought of losing Amira was too painful.
Adriano pulled me into his arms and held me tight. “You don’t need to thank me,” he said into my hair. “I’m your husband now. That makes Amira my sister too. Family takes care of family.”
We held each other for a long time. Then he sat me down in one of the comfortable chairs and took the seat next to me.
“Don’t be scared,” he said gently, taking my hand and rubbing small circles on my palm. “She’s going to be fine. These doctors are the best in the world. I made sure of that.”
I looked at this man sitting beside me and couldn’t believe how much he had changed. Adriano Rion Giordani was known as the most dangerous man in the city. He was cold, ruthless, and feared by everyone. He had even shot me in my leg before.
But the man holding my hand so gently was nothing like that dangerous stranger. This Adriano was kind, protective, and caring. He made me feel safe in a way I had never felt before.
“She’s going to be okay,” I whispered, trying to convince myself.
“I promise you,” he muttered, looking directly into my eyes. “She’s going to be okay.”
Three hours felt like three years. We sat in that waiting room, sometimes talking quietly, sometimes sitting in silence.
Adriano never let go of my hand. He brought me water when I was thirsty and rubbed my back when the worry became too much.
Finally, Dr. Weber came out of the operating room. I jumped to my feet so fast I almost fell over.
“Doctor, how is she?” I asked breathlessly.
Dr. Weber smiled widely. “She’s perfect,” he said. “The surgery was completely successful. Your sister is going to live a normal, healthy life.”
I felt like I was going to faint from relief. “Thank you,” I cried, grabbing the doctor’s hands. “Thank you so much.”
“We were just doing our job,” Dr. Weber said kindly. “Amira is a strong girl. She’s already been moved to the recovery room. She should wake up in a few hours.”
After talking with the doctors about what to expect during recovery, Adriano and I went to see Amira. She looked so peaceful sleeping on the white hospital bed, with machines beeping softly around her. But her color was already better, and she was breathing easily on her own.
“She looks beautiful,” Adriano mumbled, standing beside me.
“Thank you,” I said again, leaning against his shoulder. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
“You don’t have to repay me anything,” he said. “You’re my wife. This is what husbands do.”

Five Days Later
“Are you sure you don’t want to go back to New York today?” I asked Adriano for the fourth time that morning. “I can stay here with Amira until she’s ready to travel. You have important business to handle.”
“No,” he said firmly, not looking up from the business newspaper he was reading. “We leave together or we don’t leave at all.”
“But what about your company? You’ve been away for almost a week.”
“The company will survive,” he said, finally looking at me. “My assistant Matteo is handling everything. Besides, work isn’t as important as making sure my girls are okay.”
His girls. My heart did a little flip when he said that.
“Stop trying to get rid of my brother-in-law, sister,” Amira uttered from her hospital bed. She had woken up days ago and had been getting stronger every hour. The doctors were amazed at how quickly she was healing.
Ever since she woke up, she and Adriano had become best friends. He brought her flowers every day, played card games with her, and told her funny stories about his childhood in Italy.
“See? Your sister understands,” Adriano replied with a grin. “I don’t know why you keep trying to push me away.”
“I’m not trying to push you away,” I said quietly. “I just worry that I’m taking you away from your life.”
Adriano stood up and walked over to me. He gently cupped my face in his hands and looked deep into my eyes.
“Listen to me carefully,” he said softly. “You and Amira are my life now. Even if I never worked another day, I have enough money to take care of our family for the next hundred years.”
My cheeks turned red. “Our family,” he had said. Could I really think of myself as part of his family?
“Besides,” he added with a wink, “someone has to make sure you eat your vegetables and get enough sleep.”
Amira giggled from her bed. “He’s right, Azalea. You never take care of yourself.”
I looked at these two people who meant everything to me - my little sister who was finally healthy, and my husband who had given us both a second chance at happiness.