Chapter 129 HOPE RETURNS

Chapter 129 HOPE RETURNS


~VINCENZO~

The world ends when Riccardo’s body goes still.

For a second… a horrible, impossible second… none of us breathe.

Then Elena’s scream tears through the warehouse.

It isn’t human. It’s raw, broken, animal.

“No—no, no….RICCARDO!” she sobs, thrashing against the chair as blood soaks the concrete beneath him. “Please! Please wake up! Don’t leave me! Don’t you dare leave me!”

Nico drops to his knees beside him, hands shaking as he presses against Riccardo’s chest like he can force his heart to beat again.

“Breathe, brother,” Nico chokes. “Come on… come on… don’t do this…I still have so much arguments and fights to do with you. Please, open your eyes!”

Tears stream freely down Nico’s face…..hot, helpless tears he doesn’t bother to hide.

I don’t realize I’m crying until my vision blurs completely.

My hands are covered in Riccardo’s blood.

My brother’s blood. Bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. My brother in whom I shared the same womb with at the same time.

How can I lose him this way??

How can Riccardo be dead?

No! It's not possible.

Riccardo can't be dead! I can't afford to lose anyone I love again.

My voice breaks as I shake him.

“Riccardo… please… please… I need you. Nico needs you. Elena needs you. Don’t you fucking die on me!”

Nothing. No pulse. No breath.

Elena is screaming his name over and over, her entire body shaking violently. Her tears are falling freely and fast now.

“I should have died!” she sobs hysterically. “It should have been me! Please—take me instead! Please!”

Luciano laughs.

The sound is sick. Wrong. Twisted.

“Now, you all know what I felt when I lost my son too. You bastards fucking killed my only son!” He yells.

“It's your son's fault! He didn't want to let me be after so many warnings from my brothers. He harassed me so many times. He wanted to rape me! And he fought with my brothers when they tried to save me from him. His death was out of self defense. He wanted to kill one of my brothers!” Elena yells, still crying.

“So please, I beg you. Let my brothers go. They didn't do anything wrong. They were just protecting me,” she begs. “Kill me instead. Just let them go, please.”

“Well,”Lorenzo says casually, lifting his gun again, “this is touching. Truly. Let’s finish it. I'll kill you and your so called brothers.”

He points the gun straight at Elena’s head.

Something inside me doesn’t just snap—It explodes.

How do I cope if the woman I love the most in the world dies? The woman we all love? What are we going to do if she dies??

“No!” Nico roars.

I can't allow it. Never ever.

I rather die first than to see her die with my own eyes. I move before anyone can think.

I grab the nearest man, snap his neck with bare hands, rip his gun away and fire.

Luciano shoots, but his bullet misses as I slam into him.

We crash into the wall hard enough to crack bone.

He screams as I break his wrist, the gun clattering to the floor.

“You took my brother,” I growl, grabbing his throat. “You made her beg.”

I drag him across the concrete, ignoring his screams, and slam his head against the floor.

Once. Twice.

Blood splatters, but I don’t stop.

I beat him until his face is unrecognizable, until bones crunch beneath my fists.

Nico joins in…..feral, sobbing, enraged…..kicking, stomping, screaming Riccardo’s name like a prayer and a curse.

Luciano tries to crawl away.

I grab him by the hair, lift his head, and shove the barrel of my gun into his mouth.

“This,” I snarl through tears and rage, “is for my brother.”

I pull the trigger. The sound echoes, and he drip

Luciano Bianchi is dead.

Silence crashes down.

Elena is crying so hard she can barely breathe.

I rush to her, cutting the ropes around her wrists as she collapses into my arms.

She pushes past me instantly, crawling to Riccardo’s body, cradling his face in her trembling hands.

“No… no… no… please…” she whispers brokenly. “Riccardo, please… I can’t do this without you…”

Her tears fall onto his bloodstained face.

Sirens wail in the distance.

“Get the cars!” Nico shouts hoarsely. “Now! He’s not dead yet—I won’t let him be!”

We lift Riccardo….gentle, desperate, and rush him out.

Elena doesn’t let go of his hand the entire time.

~ELENA~

The hospital smells like antiseptic and fear.

I sit in the hallway, hands shaking, clothes soaked with Riccardo’s blood.

My fault. This is all my fault.

If I hadn’t existed… if I hadn’t come into their lives… Riccardo would still be breathing.

Still smiling. Still alive.

Doctors rush past us. Machines beep. Time stretches into torture.

I press my forehead against the cold wall, sobbing quietly.

“Please,” I whisper to no one, to God, to fate, to Riccardo’s soul. “Please don’t take him. I’ll do anything. Anything. Take me instead.”

Nico paces like a caged animal, eyes red, jaw clenched.

Vincenzo sits beside me, silent, bloodied, broken in a way I’ve never seen.

The doors to the operating room remain closed.

Hours pass.

My heart feels like it’s being crushed inch by inch.

I stand suddenly, legs weak, and walk to the doors. I press my hands against them, tears falling freely.

“Riccardo,” I whisper, voice trembling. “Please… you promised you’d protect me. You can’t break your promise. Please come back to me.”

My knees give out and Vincenzo catches me as I collapse.

“I love you,” I sob openly now. “Please don’t die knowing I never said it…”

The doors finally open. A doctor steps out.

My heart stops.

“He survived the surgery,” the doctor says.

For a moment… I don’t understand the words.

Then……

“What?” I choke.

“He flatlined twice,” the doctor continues, “but we brought him back. He’s stable now. You can see him.”

The world explodes into sound and tears.

Nico lets out a broken laugh, covering his face as he cries openly.

Vincenzo grips the wall like it’s the only thing holding him upright.

I sob….hard, uncontrollable sobs, and run into the room.

Riccardo lies there, pale, bandaged, alive.

Alive!!!

I rush to his side, clutching his hand to my chest.

“You idiot,” I cry through laughter and tears. “You scared me… don’t you ever do that again…”

His fingers twitch.

Then slowly… weakly… he squeezes my hand.

My breath catches. His eyes flutter open.

“Elena…” he whispers hoarsely.

I break completely.

“You’re back,” I sob, pressing my forehead to his hand. “You’re back… thank God… thank God…”

Vincenzo and Nico step in behind me, tears streaming freely, unashamed.

Riccardo smiles faintly.

“Told you…” he murmurs weakly. “I don’t die easy.”

For the first time since that night, hope returns.