Chapter 22

Just when Ithought it was over, I get shot in the chest as a reminder that it never will be.

I don"t remember much after walking into the gathering with Maryellen.

Giancarlo"s father was talking. There was a woman kneeling on the floor, and the next thing I know, I"m lying on the floor with a bullet hole in my chest and a bright light hovering over me.

A bright light I no longer see. Instead, all I see is darkness.

Panic rushes through my body, and I force my eyes open. I see what looks like the hospital ceiling, but I"m not sure. Testing the limits of my mobility, I turn my head from one side to the next before lifting my head up slightly to see what"s in front of me.

I have to bite back a chuckle when I see Maryellen sitting in one of the chairs, her feet propped up on the window sill, and her phone glued to her hand.

"One day you"re going to have to tell me what"s so interesting about those stories you watch," I grumble, my voice squeaking in some places.

Maryellen"s eyes jerk up to mine, but that"s as much of a reaction as I get.

"You know you"re proving far too difficult to keep from death," she shakes her head and looks back down at her phone.

"I don"t even know why you"re trying so hard. What am I missing here? Why are you helping me?" I do my best to get comfortable, but with every breath I take, it feels like my chest is ripping apart. At least I"m still alive.

"It"s my job."

I open my mouth to ask her another question, but the door to the room opens, bringing along with it a flash of light from the hall outside. I gulp in fear as Christine walks in. If Maryellen is here to protect me, then I hope she realizes Christine is the main one that I need to be protected from.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, trying not to let my voice shake.

"What do you mean? I"m here to check on you, of course," Christine smiles quickly before looking over at Maryellen. "You"re relieved. I"ll make sure you get your last payment shortly."

Maryellen is up and out of her chair as if the room were on fire. She slides her phone in her pocket, gives me a curt nod before walking out, leaving me with Christine.

My mind moves slower than usual, but it doesn"t take me very long to figure out that Maryellen is on Christine"s payroll. That can"t be. Christine was the one who wanted Giancarlo and me to break up in the first place.

"It was you? You"re the one who hired Maryellen to protect me?"

Christine pulls up a chair and settles in it before she answers. "It was only supposed to be a surveillance detail. You cost me more money than I thought I"d have to spend."

Should I feel guilty about that? Is that what she was after? "Sorry... I think."

Christine laughs, and I fist my hands, letting my overgrown nails dig into my skin just to make sure I"m not dreaming. The bite of pain lets me know I"m not.

Is she being nice to me? What the hell is going on?

"There"s nothing for you to apologize for. I never expected things to get so involved with you, but I should"ve," she shrugs.

"Why did you do this? I mean, I thought you didn"t want me with Giancarlo?"

"I never said that. My father did. I know better. There"s no one better for my brother than you. You push him to be a better man. I just needed him to realize that too."

"Push him to be a better man how?"

"Let"s just say a man will do tremendous things for love, and my brother definitely loves you. I knew he"d do everything he could to get you back, and he did. Actually, much faster than I anticipated."

"You want me to be with him?" I ask still confused by what"s going on here.

"Of course I do. It"s not every day you find people as loyal as you are, Rosie. Make each other happy. You have my full blessing."

This can"t be real. Tears well up in my eyes as I stare at her, waiting for her to tell me there"s some catch or something I"m missing. Instead, she simply stands and walks over to the door. It swings open before she can walk out.

She steps to the side, and Giancarlo takes a step in. His eyes wide and focused on me. The tears that were in my eyes roll down my cheeks as I take in his appearance. The man looks like he just came home from a war. I can see the fatigue and stress etched on his face. I wasn"t the only one going through a rough time. From the looks of it, being apart from me was killing him.

"Rosie," he mutters my name, he walks in my direction as if in a trance before he takes the seat Christine just got up from and sits down. "Rosie," he says again but only grabs my hand and lets his head fall forward. The weight of the world on his shoulders.

"I"m here, Gian. I"m here." I want to reach over and console him, but I"m still too weak.

"I thought I lost you. I thought my life was over." his voice is raw, and when he looks back up at me, I see the red-rimmed lash line.

"You didn"t. I"m here." Finally using all the remaining strength I have left and gritting my teeth through the pain, I pull my free hand over and lay it on his.

He releases a shuttered breath before getting up and kissing my face and every other place he can reach that"s not bandaged or would cause him to let go of my hand.

"I"m so sorry. You"ll never understand how fucking sorry I am."

"What happens now? Is it over?" I ask optimistically.

He opens his mouth to answer but closes it right away, as if he doesn"t want to give me any false hope. I refuse to believe it"s hopeless. After going through all this, there has to be a way for us to see this through and still be together.

"I don"t want to lie to you, Rosie. It"s a shitshow, and as much as I hate to admit it, I"m probably deeper in this mess than I have ever been before."

"I figured," I nod my head, "But what does that mean for us?"

He leans forward and gently grabs my face, "I don"t care what any of them say. I"ll fight them all on my own if I have to. Nothing and no one is ever going to make me give you up again." He lays another soft kiss on my lips. "I have no life without you, Rosie. Nothing to achieve, no reason to be great. You are the best parts of me. Parts I don"t deserve."

"You deserve to be happy," I whisper.

"That only happens with you by my side. My happiness goes by one name. Rosie."

I smile as wide as I can at him. I know things will be harder than ever, but I"ll go through it all if it means I"ll get to have Gian.