SIXTY - FOUR

SIXTY - FOUR
AMADEO

My entire life, I have looked up to my brother as the strongest man—even stronger than my father ever has been. He had weather storms on all fronts and daunted the most enormous odds any man could ever face.
Every day of my life, I felt privileged. Not because of my wealth, family’s influence or the power of my surname that ruled the sin city for generations but because I have Raffaele as a brother, friend and guide. He looked out for me when I invited trouble, knowingly and unknowingly, and braved my battles even at the cost of his life.
But right now, I was not sure if he is the man I know of.
He held the only girl who dared his heart, made him more human than a machine and became the light of his life. But right now, she was lying.
Sprinting out of the basement, I snagged a curtain from the living room and ran back in there so that I could wrap Celestia and bring her back to the city.
“I will stay back and clean up,” Cesar offered, and I blandly nodded. I have never been the one who gave out orders or made arrangements for them. It was always Raffaele who could lead the charge.
I glanced at him, at the stiffness of his frame and indescribable grief in his stony eyes, and I knew I have to handle this alone.
Once the entire place deemed to be safe to move out, I urged Raffaele to get her into the car while I sat behind the wheels. Not a word passed, except for the phone calls I made for the ambulance to meet us half-way. And that deathly calm was only the forwarding of the storm.
One thing was clear that my brother would scour the entire earth for Kyla Donovan and make her pay. If she thought she had escaped death, she did not know us.
She did not know the darkness lurked behind our pasts.
She did not know the power we held over the city.


We made it to the hospital in record time as the paramedics, nurses and doctors took it up from there. Raffaele did not let go of her for a single second, and I had to force Celestia out of his arms to have her treated.
And when the door closed, my brother slithered down the wall and couched on the floor with his head buried between the knees. Minutes ticked into hours as we waited with our bated breath and pounding heartbeat. And finally, the door opened, and a woman in a white coat appeared.
Rafe leapt to his feet instantly. “How is she?”
The doctor looked between us briefly before answering. “Miss Donovan is doing okay for now. But whether she is stable or not, we cannot guarantee until forty-eight hour have passed.”
“What do you mean?” Rafe charged, and I had to hold him back in place.
“I mean, she has gone through hell. Her physical injuries have been taken care of and there was no visible damage in her MRI scan. Although, sometimes, patients react differently after they have woken up.” She paused to take off her glasses. “Mr. Roselli, we don’t want to take any chances. That is why until we are absolutely confident; we won’t give you false hope.”
By the look on her face, it seemed like her words were calculated. It was like some standard medical response and politically correct answer. But before I could question any further, Rafe beat me to it.
“I want to see her,” he demanded. “Now.”
The doctor hesitated. “I am not sure it is a good idea. She has been drugged and sleeping—”
“It’s alright, doctor,” I cut in and turned to Rafe. “Go and see her. I am waiting outside.”
He needed to be told twice and darted away, leaving me alone with the doctor.
“Can you please tell me the complications now? If her wounds are not life-threatening, what is it?”
Her lips compressed before giving in. “She was violated, Mr. Roselli. And beaten, thrashed, whipped and humiliated. I can only imagine the trauma she has been through. Sometimes, patients don’t respond to the medicines because their brain shuts down on its own. Their will to live and survive shatters. And, instead of waking up, they slip into a coma.”
Fuck. “What about her vitals?”
“Weak,” she supplied. “Miss Donovan may not be on life support but her heartbeat and pulse were weak.”
“Okay.” I nodded, scrubbing a hand over my tired face.
“There is also a matter of memory loss,” she added. “When a person encounters a trauma as grave as hers, the mind automatically shuts down. So, patients sometimes wake up to no memory of her friends and family. In that case, I would advise that she is kept among the people who are willing to love and support her.”
“When Celestia wakes up, she will be with the people who love and care for her,” I vowed. I knew that we leave no stone unturned to have her settle into normal life. “Thank you.”
She was about to leave but turned back. “One more thing, Mr, Roselli. Until she is mentally strong and willing, please do not bring up the events,” she cautioned.
“I will make sure of it.”
“I can refer a few psychiatrists and counsellors, the best in the country, to help her through it all when she wakes up.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
I closed my eyes and sighed.
Celestia had to recover. For her sake, for Raffaele’s and for all of us.


RAFFAELE

There she was. Lying in a white bed in a white room in a hospital filled with lifeless things. My throat closed up, and eyes blinked hard at the sight of my cosmic beauty, sleeping in stillness among such a morbid environment.
Celestia deserved better, so much better. There should be flowers at her feet, rainbow above, priceless jewels around her throat, a crown over her glorious mane and a throne for her comfort. Instead, she was here…in a hospital and fighting for life.
With every step, shards of ice pierced into my heart and made me bleed. The realisation that I could have prevented it all gutted me indefinitely. If only I was reckless enough to lock her up in my villa and denied Kyla that day, none of the things would have happened.
Celestia would never have been here.
She would have been unscathed, laughing or fighting with me, plotting somewhere to vandalise my room or up to some mischief. Any fucking thing but this.
The bruises on the side of her face, the yellow-brown patches over her prominent cheekbones and the cut around her fuller lips raged my blood. Anger flowed thick like blood in my veins, and I vowed I would make Kyla pay for this. Vengeance burned bright, and all I saw was red.
My eyes scanned over her again, and I knew that she needed me more right now. She was both my weakness and strength. And I wanted to be hers too.
I slowly and gently took her hand in mine and caressed the soft skin and nimble fingers. She did not stir, not even a slight twitch. Leaning down, I kissed her forehead and traced the lightest of touch to the side of her face.
The only consolation was the rise and fall of her chest and the beeping monitor that flashed her heartbeats. It reminded me that she was alive, and only sleeping it out.
That my beautiful girl was not in pain anymore.
“I am sorry, bambi, I am so, so sorry,” I croaked, rubbing the pad of my thumbs over her skin. “I was such an asshole that I only planned and plotted, and did not take your safety into account. I am sorry, baby.”
A sad smile crossed my face, but I went on. “You are the most important thing in my life, Celestia, and I promise that I will never ever fail you like this. You just have to wake up, baby and I will take care of the rest.”
I crooned, cajoled, whispered and begged…nothing happened.
With a sigh, I kissed her hand again. “I love you. I have loved you long before I knew what love feels like. And because I love you, it hurts. It hurts so much not to hear your voice, see you laugh and hold you in my arms. Please wake up. Please.”
I was well-aware that she did not hear me, and I would gladly tell her when she wakes up, but right now, I needed her to feel the words. To feel what I felt for her.

CELESTIA

Darkness and subconscious played with my brain as I swung between the will to live and embrace the happy death. I was surviving in the limbo between alive and dead, the torture and bliss.
I saw things, familiar things like gardens, then a beautiful villa. But I could not remember any other things. A flash of faces floated in and out, teasing and taunting my senses — the flash of a beautiful man with features of both god and devil.
Who was he?
Who were the people in my dreams?
Why could not I remember the life before this and only fragments of imagination came and went?
I drifted in an unnamed and unclaimed speck of universal vastness, adrift and unwanted. Lost and forgotten.
I heard voices, and they were saying something to me even though everything seemed incoherent.
I was lost, but I wanted to be found.
I wanted to live.
I wanted to wake up.
I wanted…him.


Chapter 65 is up!