Chapter 3
Mateo was moving the reinforced transport incubator back into the delivery room from the sterilization area when Alessandro returned.
Dr. Hayes had finished placing the last dressings over Genevieve’s incision.
She was beginning to wake from the anesthesia.
Her eyes fluttered as she fought through the lingering haze.
Alessandro placed his weapon on a steel tray.
Then he went directly to the wash station.
He scrubbed gunpowder, blood, and dirt from his hands with violent intensity.
He continued until his skin was red and raw.
Only then did he approach his daughter.
She had finally stopped crying.
Wrapped tightly in a white hospital blanket with a tiny pink hat covering her head, she slept inside the incubator.
She was extraordinarily small.
She had survived a war before completing her 1st full breath.
Alessandro reached inside.
His scarred hand trembled as he lifted her.
The baby seemed to weigh almost nothing.
She was warm.
She was breathing.
He held her against his chest.
Then he carried her toward Genevieve.
She was awake.
Her eyes immediately found him.
The terror with which she had looked at Alessandro less than 1 hour earlier was gone.
In its place was exhausted relief.
“She’s beautiful,” Alessandro said.
He lowered himself beside the bed so Genevieve could see their daughter.
“She looks exactly like you, Evie.”
Tears filled Genevieve’s eyes.
She lifted a trembling hand and touched the baby’s impossibly soft cheek.
“Sandro.”
Her voice was weak.
“What happened outside?”
“Vincenzo is gone.”
Alessandro spoke softly.
“He will never hurt you again.”
He looked toward the baby.
“He will never hurt our daughter.”
Genevieve’s gaze returned to him.
“The truth is out, Evie.”
His voice thickened.
“I swear on my life.”
He looked down at the child in his arms.
“I swear on hers.”
His eyes met Genevieve’s.
“I never touched Leo.”
His voice broke slightly.
“I would never betray you.”
Genevieve stared at him.
This time, there was no fabricated recording between them.
There was no Vincenzo interpreting the past.
There was only Alessandro standing beside her with their daughter in his arms.
She saw the truth.
The weight she had carried for the previous 7 months finally began to loosen.
A broken sob escaped her.
Her hand moved from the baby’s cheek to Alessandro’s face.
She rested her palm against his jaw.
“I know.”
Tears ran down her cheeks.
“I heard you fighting for us.”
Her breathing caught.
“I’m sorry I ran, Sandro.”
She closed her eyes briefly.
“I was so afraid.”
Alessandro leaned toward her and kissed her gently.
“Never apologize.”
His lips remained near hers.
“We are going home, Evie.”
He looked at their daughter.
“All 3 of us.”
His voice became certain.
“And I promise you that nothing in this world will ever touch you again.”
Outside the hospital, sirens continued to sound.
Red and blue emergency lights flashed against the windows.
Inside the ruined delivery room, the violence had finally receded.
Alessandro Romano, one of the most feared crime bosses in the country, sat on a bloodstained hospital floor.
1 hand held Genevieve’s.
Their newborn daughter rested against his chest.
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For the 1st time, the empire that had defined his life seemed insignificant beside the tiny heartbeat he could feel beneath the blanket.
Disclaimer: This story is fictional and created for entertainment purposes only. Any names, characters, places, or events are fictitious or used fictitiously. No real person or organization is intended to be portrayed.
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