Ruined Secrets (Perfectly Imperfect #4)

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Lorenzo barks into my face. “You can’t forbid us from seeing him.” He steps forward as if I’ll let him pass.

I wrap my hand around his upper arm, stopping him, and get in his face.

“This is a personal matter, Lorenzo. I won’t let you or anyone else intrude on Giuseppe’s family in this moment. Leave.”

“Channeling a don already, Luca?” he spits out. “You couldn’t wait to jump into the role, could you? Let go of me!”

“Jesus, Lorenzo.” I shake my head and turn to Orlando. “Get him out of the hospital or I will. And I really don’t want to make a scene.”

“Luca?” Isabella’s voice reaches me from behind. “What’s going on?”

“Out. Both of you,” I say through gritted teeth and release Lorenzo’s arm. “Right fucking now.”

I watch until Lorenzo and Orlando disappear into the elevator, then turn to Isabella, who’s standing a few paces behind me, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist.

“I heard yelling. Is something wrong?” she asks.

“No. They just dropped by to see how Giuseppe is doing. Don’t worry.”

She nods but doesn’t move. She looks so small and so young. I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around her, pressing her to my body.

“He’s going to be okay, tesoro,” I say into her hair.

“I’m scared,” she whispers into my chest.

“I know.”

“Mom is freaking out. I better go back,” she says but doesn’t let me go.

I squeeze her a little tighter. “I’ll stay here to make sure no one comes to disturb you. Okay?”

Isabella nods and pulls back, looking up at me. Her eyes are red, but there are no tears. I don’t know how someone so young can have such self-control. I’m certain she’s keeping her tears at bay with sheer will.

“Thank you,” she whispers and walks back to her family.

* * *

The doctor comes out at around eleven in the evening, and Isabella’s family gathers around him. Based on the looks on their faces, the chances are not good, but the don is still alive. They return to their chairs, and sometime later, Andrea and Isabella’s parents stand up and start walking down the hallway toward me.

“How is he?” I ask Francesco.

“In the ICU. It doesn’t look good. If he lives through the next twenty-four hours, there’s a chance he’ll pull through.” He puts his arm around his wife’s back. “We’re going to grab something to eat. Can you stay with Isa?”

“Sure. Bring something for her, as well.”

“She said she can’t eat.”

“Just bring it. I’ll make sure she eats it.”

When they leave, I walk down the hallway to where Isabella is sitting and crouch in front of her. For a second, I think she must have fallen asleep in the chair, but then she opens her eyes and looks at me.

“How are you holding up?” I ask.

She doesn’t answer, just shrugs and closes her eyes again. I can’t bear seeing her like this. Beat. Lethargic. With an empty look in her eyes. Reaching out, I cup her cheek with my palm, and her eyes snap open. There it is. That spark I was looking for. I caress her skin with my thumb, noticing how perfectly soft it is. Slowly, she lifts her hand and, after a few seconds of hesitation, cups my cheek just as I have with her. She sighs and leans forward, pressing her forehead to mine.

“What am I going to do with you, Luca?” she whispers.

The sound of approaching steps reaches me from somewhere off to the side, and I assume it’s her parents and Andrea returning, but when I rise, I find the doctor from earlier standing a few feet away.