Chapter 5

Isabella's POV

The harsh fluorescent lights of the emergency room stabbed at my eyes, making it impossible to open them fully.

The nurse picked up my bloodstained phone and switched it to speakerphone.

"Isabella, are you seriously making up a car accident just to drive Elena away?"

After a brief silence, Vincent's deliberately lowered voice came through the phone.

He was still maintaining his usual gentle facade, but the sheer impatience in his words was impossible to miss.

"I told you she was only there to see Leo. Do you really have to make a scene and turn this into a problem for everyone?"

The trauma surgeon cutting away my blood-soaked clothes froze.

He'd probably seen every kind of Mafia family drama imaginable, but he'd never encountered a husband whose first reaction to his wife's life-threatening injuries was to accuse her of making trouble.

"Mr. Romano, I'm an emergency physician at Palermo Central Hospital."

The doctor's voice was cold as ice, carrying an unmistakable note of authority.

"She has multiple fractured ribs and internal bleeding. She could die on the operating table at any moment. You need to get here immediately and sign the consent forms."

I could faintly hear Elena's panicked voice in the background.

"Vincent? What's wrong?"

A moment later, something crashed to the floor, followed by the loud scrape of a chair overturning.

"I'm on my way!"

Vincent's voice cracked at the end. There was a tremor in it that even he didn't seem to notice.

Pain washed over my nerves in relentless waves.

"Isabella... You're finally awake!"

A pair of hands suddenly clamped around the back of mine.

Vincent's eyes were bloodshot, and dark stubble shadowed his jaw.

Large patches of dried blood stained his shirt.

It was my blood. He must have gotten it on himself when he rushed into the emergency room.

His eyes were filled with a fear and regret so profound that neither seemed capable of fading.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm so sorry..."

He buried his face in my palm, tears falling uncontrollably onto my skin.

"You scared me to death. The doctors said you almost didn't make it..."

I watched him fall apart without saying a word.

For a moment, my mind went completely blank.

I tried to pull my hand away. Even that slight movement tugged at my broken ribs, making me suck in a sharp breath.

"Don't move! Please, don't move!"

Vincent immediately released me, hovering his hands anxiously over my shoulders without daring to touch me.

"You've got three broken ribs and a liver contusion. You need complete rest."

Just then, the hospital room door swung open.

Sophia and Carlo walked in with Elena.

Elena's eyes were swollen and red, clearly from crying. The moment she saw that I was awake, she rushed to my bedside.

"Isabella! You're finally awake!"

Her voice broke with emotion as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"This is all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on staying at the estate last night to see Leo, you wouldn't have stormed out in the middle of the night..."

"You can hit me or curse me if you want, but please, don't gamble with your life like this!"

She sobbed as she reached for my uninjured hand.

Sophia stepped forward too, her eyes reddened and her expression full of helpless disappointment.

"Isabella, why are you still so stubborn? Elena only wanted to see the child. Why do you have to fight with her over it?"

"Look what you've done to yourself! Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you like this?"

I lay in bed, staring at the three faces brimming with supposed concern.

The whole thing was so absurd that I almost wanted to laugh.

A car accident that had nearly killed me had somehow become, in their version of events, a pathetic stunt I'd staged out of jealousy.

With the gentlest voices imaginable, they pinned every bit of blame on me.

Vincent took one look at my pallid face and finally stopped them.

"Carlo, Sophia, take Elena home. Isabella just woke up. She needs absolute quiet."

He carefully tucked the blanket around me, his eyes filled with tenderness.

Once we were finally alone, he bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

"Don't think about anything right now. Just focus on getting better. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you."

I didn't pull away.

I didn't return his affection either.

I simply stared at the ceiling, my eyes vacant and unfocused.

After a long silence, I slowly turned my head toward him.

"Who are you?"